Even though a big portion of your efforts to build brand awareness happens online, you should not neglect what’s known as “leave-behind” pieces for your small business.
A leave-behind piece is printed material that can be left with a new contact or potential customer. There are many types of leave-behind pieces that you can use to make a lasting impression, keep your company in your client’s minds, and eventually lead to a sale. These materials should complement your online presence, and offer the additional advantage of visibility even when your contact isn’t online.
What makes an effective leave-behind piece that will increase brand awareness for your business?
One of the leave behind pieces we produce each year is our quarterly calendars. These calendars are mailed or dropped off to our customers at the beginning of each new quarter. They are designed to fit in standard size envelopes and mail with regular postage rates. These small calendars are popular with our customers, in part because they fit on a desk or hang in a small space on the wall. This leave behind piece increases brand awareness for Connection Graphics throughout the year and each time we mail it we are bound to get a call.
There are a few guidelines to keep in mind if you want to create pieces that effectively complement your online marketing efforts.
1. Your leave-behind piece should be consistent with your brand.
Everything that has your company name on it must have a unified look and message. This includes your website, logo, Business Cards, Brochures, and Postcards.
To increase brand awareness, your company logo must appear in all your branding materials. You must also ensure that the font, colors, and content are consistent with your message, and the industry in which you work.
If you want to present an image that your customers can trust, your leave-behind pieces must not look home-made, sloppy, or cheap. That doesn’t mean they must be expensive; there are affordable solutions that you can use. But they need to be well-made and look professional.
2. Make your pieces easy for clients to keep.
You don’t want to give away material that your prospective clients will toss in the trash without a second thought. The most effective leave-behind pieces are those that recipients keep around and remember.
Consider the size and quality of the material. Pieces that are too big become cumbersome and obtrusive. Those that are too small are at risk of being easily lost. A high-quality piece that’s unusual (in a good way) has a better chance of being kept than one that’s common and plain.
Next, think about the content of your piece. Is the material informative (like a brochure with relevant information)? Is it useful (like a bookmark)? Pieces that simply sell something are much more easily discarded than materials that provide useful information, or otherwise add something worthwhile to your contact’s work or life in general.
3. Showcase your best work.
A leave-behind piece works best when you include a picture of your best work, whether it’s a product or service.
You don’t want to clutter the piece, so choose carefully. How can you serve your prospective client? What need do you meet? How can you make their life better? The best leave-behind pieces answer these questions in a way that makes a good impression on a prospective client.
4. Make it easy to contact you.
Always include your contact information in your leave-behind pieces. Add your website, email, phone and/or fax number, and Facebook page.
Your leave-behind pieces should make it easier for clients to remember you and your company, and to know what you can do for them. Our goal at Connection Graphics is to help you increase brand awareness and strengthen your marketing efforts. We can help you create effective leave-behind pieces that complement your brand. Contact us!