by Ron Baron, www.AnInspiredLife.net
Image by Capture Queen, used under Creative Commons license.
Small and mid-sized businesses are brushing up on the power of color printing because they need maximum effectiveness and impact when communicating with customers and prospects.
There’s no denying it: color has power. It carries deep associations and works at an emotional level. Red means “stop.” It evokes passion and excitement. Green means “go.” It denotes things fresh and new. Blue indicates reliability and cool quietness.
A recent study conducted by the Color Association of the U.S. (yes, there seems to be an association for just about everything!) featured practical tips to increase the effectiveness of daily business communications through the use of color. Here is a recap of some easy-to-apply points from the study.
- A color’s brightness and intensity are key factors in eliciting reaction and motivating employees or customers to act.
- The essence of effective communication is simplicity and color connects a viewer far more directly than words or numbers.
- Multicolored graphic design adds credibility to a business and the use of provocative colors within multicolored designs signals that a business understands the needs of today’s consumers and is flexible to their desires.
- Mixing and matching papers and textures in marketing collateral is an important consideration for maximum impact.
The report also states that it is important for business to move beyond standard corporate colors and consider colors that will influence specific target audiences based on gender or cultural traditions.
Fortunately, a big budget isn’t required to create a professional image. Here are a few ideas for creating colorful, effective marketing materials on a nominal budget:
- Create a professional-looking logo. The logo and company color palette will serve as the foundation for your company’s image. A good logo gives businesses an immediate air of professionalism.
- Use a consistent look and feel for all printed items – office stationery, business cards, flyers, postcards, brochures, and other collateral materials – to reflect a professional business image.
- Choose high-quality paper to reflect the quality of your business and to make color pop. Paper is often neglected in the overall printing process but it plays an important role in first impressions.
Whether producing internal office communications or customer-engaging marketing collateral, the evidence is clear. Color is a must-have communications tool. The trick is producing top-grade, full color documents that are timely, great looking, consistent, and affordable.
Your Entrepreneur Launch Pad meetings are peppered with marketing/design/graphics experts that can offer valuable help. Ask around at the next Entrepreneur Launch Pad meeting to get you started!
Today’s guest post was written by Ron Baron, a motivational presenter and business coach. Ron can be reached at: 303.472.4642 or RonBaron@AnInspiredLife.net. His website is www.AnInspiredLife.net.