Anything Worth Doing
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Bad publicity or a bad impression can actually destroy your business or brand if care is not taken in the execution of you message. How do we then, create the right message, in the right tone, at the right time?

Firstly, those business cards, letterheads and flyers you saved tons of money on printing at your brother-in-law’s friend’s nephew’s son’s little print shop down the road; chuck it! (Yes, you read correctly) These might be okay when you’re amongst your friends, exchanging cards and comparing costs, but if you want the trust of your target market, it pays to do it right.

Think of it this way, before you got where you are today, you probably had to start working for “The Man”. You went to great lengths to ensure your CV was in order, and that it communicated the right message. You also got up early on the morning of your interview, took a 2 hour shower, and ironed your perfectly matched I-am-a-professional outfit… Twice.

You then rocked up 30 minutes early for the meeting. Efficient, I would say.

Similarly, the type of meticulous, almost compulsive, attention to the impression you’re creating is what your brand/business has to go through. 
Every day.

Your business is constantly in the job application phase, and you have to treat it as such.

Many companies adopt a “me too” approach to their creative communications. 
“Hey, John around the corner has glow-in-the-dark flyers, and all it says is: if you can read this, you need me. Let’s make our stuff glow in the dark! It’s going to be awesome!”

It’s not.

John has a lighting company, so for his business it makes some sense. It says something about his brand. You, on the other hand, own an investment business.

Get real.
 It won’t work for you.

Your communications should be tailored to your specific service. What is it that you want to say? Think about your CV and interview. You need a creative communication strategy that tells this “story”.

This strategy can be as simple as solving these few questions:

• What is the “personality” of my brand/business?

• Does my logo appear the same everywhere?

• Is the same paper type used for printed material?

• Are my colours consistent?

• Do I use the same typeface everywhere?

These are some of your most basic day-to-day “handshakes” and job applications. 
It is worth doing properly.

~~~ About the contributor ~~~

Sedick Sasman is a independent creative contractor based in South Africa. His goal is to help other small businesses/ start-ups to get their message out there. He believes that a successful brand combines it’s vision, creative strategy and design into one meaningful and impact-full force. To find out more, visit his website.

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