“Spheres of Influence” at BNI

Graphic Designers, even freelance ones, rarely work in isolation. They collaborate with other professionals to complete a project. Whereas designers provide concept and design, others on the team may guide production or distribution, for example.

I belong to a chapter of Business Network International (BNI), billed as the largest referral organization in the world. Members pass along referrals to other members, and this reciprocity builds businesses -- many members say their company’s annual retail sales are as much as 30% attributable to the word-of-mouth referrals they get through their BNI memberships. The BNI motto “Givers Gain” certainly is illustrated in those numbers!

My membership is a wonderful marketing tool, since fellow members are all marketing for each other. And I get to share my passion for my work every week in “60-second commercials,” and periodically in a 10-minute presentation to highlight my business.

One of the happy potentials of any chapter is the chance to build “spheres of influence.” Many businesses have a natural “fit” to work together -- such as florists, caterers, and photographers for weddings, or realtors and mortgage brokers to complete real estate transactions. These combinations are particularly likely to refer business to each other.

The most logical “sphere” I belong to within my chapter includes a printer and a sign maker. We’re looking for a representative of a promotional products company, and I’d like to see a web services provider, too. But beyond my sphere, I can also be of service to the realtor, who’s thinking of starting a newsletter, or perhaps the caterer, who wants a new web site home page, to cite two examples. And they are just the “inner ring” of potential customers – they have friends and business contacts who they can point in my direction. Remember the old hair care commercial where “they told two friends, and they told two friends, and so on and so on and so on…”? Similar concept.

If you are a business owner, I highly recommend membership in BNI. You’ll likely get more out of it than what you put into it!

Marketing Budgets and Templates

In these days of economic squeeze, companies are looking for ways to cut costs. Marketing budgets might seem like a target for budget-cutting, but if they are cut too much, a company’s message – and the bottom line – may weaken, precisely at a time when it’s imperative to keep strong.

Desktop publishing and presentational software packages have come a long way in recent years, and many of these programs come with a variety of pre-made templates. More templates are available on the internet, and others can be purchased on a CD. Templates for layout, templates for business forms, templates for web sites. Seems like a great idea – use a template and save the marketing budget. This is especially attractive to small businesses.

But how many times have you endured another boring PowerPoint presentation and recognized the template they used? Or seen a web site and recognized a home page from a FrontPage template? Or looked at a newsletter and recognized a Publisher template? The templates were originally designed by professionals and do prevent you from making obvious gaffes. But then, what makes the presentation or web site or newsletter you saw different, if it looks like someone else’s? And what does it say about your company when the templates you use are so recognizable?

To position your company as unique, the marketing materials you use should also be unique. Hire a professional graphic designer to create custom designs. One who understands your business and your audience. One that will help you stand out from your competitors. One that can work collaboratively with you or your writers to craft a message that is irresistible to your clients and prospects. And keep your bottom line strong. One other thing: professionals can guide you with creative ways to save money that you may never have thought of.

Templates aren’t all bad, by the way. There’s no reason a good professional designer can’t design a set of custom templates just for you, so you present a consistent look with your marketing materials, whatever the format. That’s a win-win: you can reuse your own custom templates again and again, differentiating yourself from everyone else, and you can do so without breaking your budget. That should be music to the ears.

Finding (and Sharing) My Passion

One of the newsletters I subscribe to had an article the other day about finding your passion. It was part of a larger topic often discussed among freelancers regarding finding your own unique niche, setting yourself apart from the competition. Freelance Graphic Designers distinguish themselves by specializing according to format, industry, or business demographics. Some court small business owners, while others prefer large corporations. Some provide only print designs, and others design for the web.

So, where does Pen and Brush Communications fit? I offer many services, as my web site at www.penandbrushcommunications.com illustrates. The “passion” article I mentioned earlier reminded me that I’m particularly energized by designing Direct Marketing materials. Sales letters, postcards, brochures, newsletters, and eBooks are the projects I enjoy the most. I’ve also done brochure-style web sites and flyers. Passion is contagious, and is easy to share. I’ll share my passion for my work with every one of my clients. You can count on it.