Matchmaking 101: Creating Sales Tools That Build Your Brand

If you’re like other entrepreneurs, you know a good logo is important to branding your company. You may already have a great logo. Now what? How can you create a variety of marketing materials that build your brand?

In a word: Coordinate. All your materials should tie to one another graphically. They should convey the same look and feel, or image, and evoke a similar emotional response in your customer. When viewed side by side, your stationery, brochures, and other promotional materials should create a cohesive “family.”

Of course, your materials don’t need to “match” each other completely, but some elements should remain consistent from one piece to the next:

Color: Color is one of the most important components to brand identity, because it plays a large role in memory retrieval. Choose a primary color (preferably a Pantone Matching System, or “PMS” color) that’s appropriate for your company’s image, then use it as the dominant color on all your marketing materials. You can also select a secondary color to use as well, but make sure you use it sparingly. Preferably the dominant color you choose should appear in your logo. You may find a book on colors and their perceived meanings helpful when selecting your dominant color.

Key Graphic Elements: Consistently use distinctive symbols, shapes, and/or borders that convey the image you want to communicate. For example, a high-tech company might feature bold, angular graphics, while a clothing store might use rounded, soft shapes. Selecting some similar basic graphic elements helps customers recall your brand faster. Also, choose a similar photographic or illustrative style and stick with it. Black-and-white photographs are often a unique way to may an impact while setting your brand apart.

Font(s): Select just a few fonts for use on all your materials, including at least 1 primary serif font and 1 primary san-serif font. (Serif fonts have “feet” at the bottom of the font, like “Times”. “Helvetica” is an example of a san-serif font.) These fonts should be the ones you use most frequently. Serif fonts work well in paragraphs and most text, while san-serif fonts should be reserved for headlines, numbers in charts, very small text and text that is reversed out of a color. You should avoid using more than two different fonts within the same document.

Messaging: The tone of your copywriting helps convey your image. Use the same “voice” on all marketing materials. For example, is your brand friendly? Be conversational. Is it expensive or exclusive? Be more formal. It also helps to create a tagline or positioning statement – something memorable, meaningful and concise that summarizes your brand or your offering. Often taglines appear under a logo.

Logo Usage: Your logo is your brand’s most basic graphic element. It should appear on all your materials, and, when possible, it should appear at the same size and be placed at the same location on the page. Proportionate resizing is okay, but your logo should never be altered or re-drawn. Consistency is paramount.

Remember, awareness and recognition are keys to growing your business. Creating a family of marketing materials that tie to one another helps differentiate you from the competition and builds brand loyalty.