Broadly speaking there are three categories of customers:

1. Primary: This is your existing customer, the person who has bought from you in the past and still makes use of your products or services.
2. Secondary: These are past customers who have now bought from your opposition.
3. Tertiary: This is the group who have never been customers. It could, however, also be those who do not make use of the full range of products or services your business provides. Then they might be considered primary customers on, say, your product line, but secondary or tertiary on the service or accessory aspect of that product.

Each group obviously needs to be approached differently, though not necessarily by using different promotional techniques, and one type might demand more effort and expense than the other.

Getting to know all we can about them will help guide us:

• Why are they still customers?
• Why did they move to another supplier?
• What are their expectations?

The more you know about them, the better you can prepare promotional messages to which they are likely to respond. It’s like a letter: you’d phrase things differently when writing to a specific customer as opposed to corresponding with a friend.

It’s old hat, but the following exercise does work, even when only some of the questions you ask yourself can be answered:

• Who are you selling to? If your approach is to your Primary group, give some thought to their characteristics. Have you necessarily attracted the right kind of customer in the past?
• Who should you be selling to? This follows on from the above.
• How does that group regard your business?
• How do you want them to regard it?
• Can you meet those expectations?
• What are your opposition’s strengths? Are they currently engaged in promotional activities?

Once you have a better idea of the value of your treasures and the determination of the bidders, you can consider what you want to achieve. Is it to be:

• Customer retention?
• Gaining new customers?
• Increasing purchase frequency?
• Increasing value per purchase?

Sort that lot out, then match your goal to the Primary, Secondary, or Tertiary audience group, and add what you know about them to your promotional recipe.

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• Your Artwork
• Your Logo and Slogan
• Naming your business

“Yes!” you reply proudly, I had one specially designed for me.”

“Great. Please provide it to us in vector format along with the Pantone colour references.”

Victory what? And this pantomine reference? “Um, my designer has it – I’ll get him to pass it on.”

All too often we leave our precious artwork with whomever designed it for us. That’s fine, but always insist that you get copies as well. You’ve paid for it and it’s your property. Besides, what happens if the designer leaves town, or the printer who prepared it goes bankrupt? Also bear in mind that there might be additional charges each time you request your designer to forward your artwork to a printer or sign company. Various suppliers will have individual technical requirements and you could get charged whenever your designer has to provide the artwork in the requested format. It shouldn’t have to happen that way, but unfortunately it does.

The best way to avoid such costs and complications is to ensure that you will be provided your logo artwork when you begin negotiating with a designer or design company. A reputable design company will automatically incorporate that into their design package.

So, what can you expect to receive?
Your artwork will be needed for a variety of purposes: paper printing, screen printing (t-shirts etc), signs, and for website use.

Flexibility and adaptability is therefore critical. All graphic images come in two types: vector and bitmap. It’s essential that you get your artwork in vector, as this can be resized without losing resolution and thereby quality.  Bitmap logos are resolution-based and as such cannot be resized without sacrificing image quality. Never accept just a JPG version.

The best vector file type to have is an EPS  which which can be imported into a variety of graphic design software. Bitmap versions should be .tiff, .psd and .jpg

Finally, protect your artwork by storing it not merely on your hard drive, but a flash disk or CD as well. Make a least two copies and keep them in separate places in case of fire or theft.

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• Customer Categories
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Sometimes a logo includes some text in its design, such as the company or brand name. It really needs a great deal of thought – don’t leave it up to one of your kids who likes to fiddle on the computer! A logo forms part of your branding and must form a lasting impression on your viewers.

Every aspect of your logo must be there for a reason – every curve, each colour that is chosen. At the end, all the elements must blend together to form a powerful yet clear message.

If you intend having something of your own designed, some guidelines are:

• Identify the qualities or aura of the product that it is intended to convey.  Don’t use a roaring lion when the symbolism has nothing at all to do with your product or business.
• A logo should be more than just a pretty decoration on a letterhead or business card, though there’s no harm in it serving that purpose as well.
• Keep it simple, so it is easily recognizable in print and reproduces well in a variety of sizes.
• Make sure it’s original.  The public must not confuse it with that of another business,  especially a local one.
• Colours have meaning. Some excite you, some calm you. Make sure your logo designer understands this
• Let it possess ready visual comprehension … it should convey an instant impression to the audience. Too many fancy curls can confuse readers. On the other hand, if it’s too simple it might not convey a clear impression of what your company stands for.
• Make sure you can live with it for a long, long time.  The last thing you want is a confused public when you chop and change your logo.

A Slogan
A slogan is the company or brand’s statement, a single-sentence summary of the image or promise they wish to project.  Slogans are meant to be positive projections, but we’ve all heard of them being thrown back at their owners from time to time — usually in an insulting fashion!

By the way, “slogan” means “battle cry”, derived from a combination of two Gaelic words:
Sluagh = army
Gairm  = yell

If you intend using a slogan, make sure it’s an ACCURATE statement of your business and that it won’t backfire on you.  If you’re happy with it, use it in your advertising as part of your company signature.  And, don’t be tempted into using some vague statement such as “We’re small enough to care”.  Let it mean something more to your public.

Often, slogans form part of a logo in print form, and are always depicted in a certain typeface.  When spoken they are slogans, but in print form they are then also logos.  Confusing?  You bet!

Some aspects to bear in mind when creating a slogan are:

• As with a logo, identify the qualities or aura of your product, service or business that you wish the slogan to convey.
• Identify the words most apt to reflect those characteristics.
• Using those words, try them in various combinations.
• Reduce this list to a short one, and research it.
• Keep it simple and easily pronounceable, make it easy to write.
• It MUST be legible in small and large type.
• Be original to avoid confusion with other products and companies.
• Like the logo, visual comprehension must by easy.
• Let it have staying power, but not just so that you can live with it.  A topical slogan can easily become a handicap later.
• Be careful of creating a slogan that tells your public too much about what your business does and not enough about what it stands for.  Competitors who offer the same products or services can enjoy an advantage if their slogans are more powerful than yours.

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You have to pick a name that says something about you and your business that people in your target market will remember easily. It can be something as simple as using your name or surname followed by what it is that you do, such as Bagley’s Screenprinting or Ed’s Plumbing.

If your business operates in your town only, you could use something like Toptown Motors, or if you market in a larger area, Whale Route Hardware. Both these options have the advantage of sounding like the first choice in a specific area.

If you are providing a more formal service such as accounting or marketing consultancy, use that as part of your name: Bagley’s Accounting Services; Bagley’s Marketing Consultancy.

Retail outlets might opt for something more trendy, especially in the fashion field.

As with a logo or slogan, it helps to identify the qualities or aura of your product, service or business.

• Identify the words most apt to reflect those characteristics.
• Using those words, try them in various combinations.
• Keep it simple and easily pronounceable, make it easy to write, spell and remember.
• Be original to avoid confusion with other products and companies.
• Like the logo, visual comprehension must by easy.
• You must be able to live with it.

If possible opt for a short name – take two or three words that describe your business then shorten them to make it one word.

Finally, check to make sure the name is not already in use somewhere.

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• marketing
• Customer Categories
• Your Artwork
• Your Logo and Slogan