We’ve probably all heard the phrase before: Don’t sweat the small stuff. So long as you get the big stuff taken care of you can leave the small stuff for another time. So long as the major marketing campaigns are finished up you don’t have to worry as much about the little ways to promote yourself.
The problem is that the small stuff, being small, can be done a lot faster, and can often have a very big impact. Letterhead printing is a very good example of what I’m talking about.
Having a letterhead is not the biggest form of marketing you could do. Designing and implementing a letterhead will not take even remotely as long as designing a brochure or catalog, and a letterhead is much more of an indirect form of marketing than anything else. It doesn’t tell people to come and buy stuff nor does it give them a specific reason to buy anything. It says your company name along with maybe your company logo, and that’s all.
The reason you put on a letterhead is for a boost to the brand name. Everything you send out will have your brand name associated with it. This isn’t a strong slap in the face to people to see your brand name. In a way, that’s the best thing about it. The subtle detail of a letterhead will work even if most people don’t consciously think about it.
Every time they get a letter from you they will see that letterhead along with your company name. They probably won’t stare at it. They don’t need to for it to work. But what will happen is a slow but firm association between you and that company name. And what else is the point of branding?
Plus, letterhead printing is something you can do only occasionally and make sure you get enough letters to last you for as long as you need it to. As little as a single days worth of time could be enough to give you a years worth of subtle but powerful marketing.
This world is made up of all sorts of different small forms of marketing. The large forms work in their own way, but they can’t do everything, and quite often when someone knows they’re staring at an ad they’ll be less likely to give it much attention. A letterhead dodges this by not requiring that they give it much time. Your logo is simply there for them to see over and over again.
It isn’t easy to build up a strong brand identity. You have to immerse yourself in the brand image if you want it to stick. The small stuff is what can establish you best of all. In a business world as competitive as ours is, every little thing counts, so don’t be the person ignoring great, if small, opportunities.
