The Whole Nine Yards

One of my favorite projects is helping a new business with all of the platforms that are needed to compete in the marketplace with other businesses. The old phrase of "The Whole Nine Yards" comes to mind.

In today's marketplace trade professionals are expected to have all of their bases covered on day one: a logo, a business card, a website, email accounts, social media accounts, brochures, lawn signs, branded apparel, promotional products, and so on.

It's obviously a challenge for a new business just starting to have all of these in-hand. But prospects and customers "assume" that you have all of that before you're taken seriously or trusted with their business.

Back in the old days, about 20 years ago, you could get by with a business card and a Yellow Page ad. But today, you must have all of the above in place to gain credibility.

I work with trades people with all of these needs. Thus, The Whole Nine Yards.

I emphasize strongly that a logo should take priority as the first piece. All of the other pieces can take their proper place with your logo present. Think of your logo as the cornerstone of your marketing and online presence.

Business cards are still huge today. You never know when you are going to meet your next opportunity. Having a business card ready at those times solidifies the opportunity and demonstrates your professionalism. I always try to keep at least 2-3 cards in my wallet just for that reason.

I have had numerous occasions where people did not remember my name but they remembered my business card and logo. The best part is all of your preferred contact information can go on the business card: phone number, email, website, social media. I still meet businesses that don't have a business card ready for those opportunities.

Obviously the biggest hurdle is having a professional, content-rich website. That's a huge undertaking for a business just getting started but you can't really compete without one. For service professionals especially this how people check you out. Don't skimp on the website. You need great information about your services and products so that Google can index (read your content) your website.

So, this is my favorite part: helping trades professionals with "The Whole Nine Yards"

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Thomas Knoble

Phone: (267) 718-5400

EMail: [email protected]

WEB: www.pigartgraphics.com