Step 2 - Build Your Business Identity around Your Customers and Your Market 

Now that you have identified your reasons for being in business in the first place, let's discuss what business identity means and how to bridge the gap between your perceptions of the market and the actual market.  Then we can discuss branding and being clear with your customers by establishing a very clear idea in their mind about what you do, how you do it, and why you do it. 

Customers buy the "whys" of your business.  Check out this video by Simon Sinek in which he explains the reason great companies are great companies.  The why is the most powerful of your business ideas.  It inspires your employees to "buy in" to the business, it gives a reason for your suppliers to believe in you, and it gives your customers a reason to buy.   The why flows into your business identity and branding.  This should be worked from the "ground up" in a way where the principles of the business are integrated into everything you do.  From customer service to sales, your company should be wrapped around the core principles of your business through processes and procedures that speak to who you are.

The why automatically begins a certain set of parameters that directly flows to branding.  Look at Apple's brand... the simplicity of the design, the feel of "high-tech", and the innovation that can be "felt" just by looking at their logo.  How messy is your current look of your logo?  Is it a clean design that really tells what your company is all about?  How do you communicate where you are going through your logo?  When we were thinking about all of this at Ogden Blue, before we rebranded, we wrote down a set of keywords that were used to identify our core strengths of being a multifaceted company, an expression company, and a more streamlined, focused, and innovative company than the one prior.  We then began a discussion of what really spoke about our company.  We ended up with six different logos that spoke to what we do, but more importantly, had the "feel" of a younger, vibrant, and future-looking company.  This step really needs some thought put into it.

 Once you have a "feel" or list of keywords that define your company, visit with a graphic designer.  This is not a time to be frugal.  You really want the business identity to speak about who you are as a company.  This is the time to really focus, because once you have this down, the rest of your marketing materials will be much more effective, cheaper to design, and focused to your identity.  We have four graphic designers on site at Ogden Blue, and they have a great range of experience to help you define and develop a brand.

Now that you have thought about and talked to your customers about what it is they want from your business and identified a brand around that, developing a message gets much easier.  Speak to concerns or excite your customers about possibility.  Personally, I don't really focus any marketing around a "fear-based" type of advertising.  Sometimes, this is not avoidable, as in the insurance industry, where the motivation to buy stems from people's desires to take care of things should disaster strike.  Even here, more positive messages that speak of where people desire to be are more effective than showing them what they do not desire.  People desire to be safe, happy, fullfilled (as in expressed), and comfortable.  Speak to one of these desires when coming up with your message.

A message should be short and to the point, and the rest of the marketing piece should be focused around the short, simple message.  If you have branded well, the message will be a simple elaboration of the brand, and the rest of the marketing piece will elaborate on the message in a "top-down" kind of approach.  The identification of your market also drives the message.  You will market differently to different demographics.  Just think about who you are trying to reach with this message, and talk with someone in that demographic about your message before finalizing design.  Ask questions about whether or not this reaches them in how they think about the world.  Don't rely on your own perception of that demographic... ask your demographic who they are.  

Case in point, I just received a call from a client who used to do a lot of business with us.  We haven't seen anything in a while from this particular customer, and the feedback I received was about flexibility and speed.  Now, we have really designed a lot of internal processes to deliver just this; however, the feedback points to areas where we could do a better job about quickly turning our product out the door with a greater amount of flexibilty.  If I hadn't talked to this client, I wouldn't have been able to see where we were still be inflexible in our processes.  Talk to your customer.  They will tell you the way to go.

Although it may seem that talking to your customer doesn't really dovetail into your business identity, it absolutely should be the basis for what you are doing.  Without customer input, you may be missing the mark completely in what it is you are trying to do.

So, in closing, follow a few simple steps.  Identify "why" you are doing what you are doing.  Design your business identity around where your customers are pushing you.  Design your logos, message, and delivery to clearly communicate that you are in touch with your customers' expectations and goals.  When developing your brand, don't be inexpensive... this is your core of your business, and professional designers make a world of difference in how your company is perceived.

Are you looking for something to reach out to your customers or audience and grab them by the shirt, get their full attention, and pull them into your store?

Did you know Ogden Blue offers some great Large Format printing options that can do just that?

Here are a few Large Format options we have to help give your business a professional yet noticeable look:

-         Use a colorful Banner to draw attention to your business or special event.

_-         Print large posters to advertise your company’s services or to promote your latest campaign.

_-         Get cut or printed vinyl to help create a professional display in your store windows.

_-         Use banner stands, displays, and banners to bring color and attention to your trade show event.

_-         Bring your family memories to life by printing them on canvas, watercolor, or photo paper in Color or Black & White.

_-         Take your project plans to large scale with vivid color or crisp black & white.

Our large format black & white prints start at $0.52/sq. ft. (?), and large format color prints start at $5.00/sq. ft.

Don’t be Shy. Live Large and Get Noticed.

The answer is: Absolutely Not!

The question may also be asked: Is Print or Online Marketing more effective? 
a great combination of both methods can create the strongest marketing campaign.

In an ever-changing world of technology, Internet and social media, many business owners struggle with the validity of print vs. online marketing. “Print isn’t dying. When used correctly it can actually boost your marketing campaign and give you the result you’re trying to achieve, whether it is leads, sales, or brand awareness.” (Trammell)

Using your print campaign effectively means using print along with online links and social media to increase brand awareness and increase your ROI. By combining these strategies you can overcome the limits of each media. While online marketing can be reached by a click and immediate updates and targeting, online banners are limited to a small amount of information and social media is limited to the number of followers you have. Print media can be very powerful and is more tangible and something that people can hold on to and refer back to. It allows readers to be more engaged and can supply more information and stronger branding. It’s true that digital media is advancing at a quick rate, but smart companies have utilized the advantages of mixing old and new media to reach a wider audience and to come out with a strong advertising campaign.

It’s also important to look at your overall marketing objectives and goals. Who is your customer and what is the best way to reach your customer? What is the best way to communicate with them? How can you reach new customers and leave a good impression on them?

One effective way that we have found to reach new and existing customers is utilizing print media with Direct Mail Marketing. With direct mail marketing you can promote your website, social media sites, and branding in a very effective way. QR codes are also a great part of modern technology that provides your company information with one click. With direct mail you can directly target your customer market. There are a variety of products and methods to fit every budget. You can reach a wide audience, because not everyone has a computer, and for those that do, it drives traffic to your website. People are also more likely to try your store or product if they have a coupon or special offer. That physical marketing piece is something that people can refer back to and can leave a lasting impression.

So yes, for all you that have been wondering, print is still alive and strong! (Remember that when you think of the billboard image that is stuck in your head, or the business card that a business contact handed you today, or the mail you picked up from your mail box.)

Let us know what you think.

Check out these articles for more information:

Engage Staff. “Print or Online? There’s No Easy Answer”. Engage the Blog. June 10, 2010. http://engage.tmgcustommedia.com/2010/06/print-versus-online-theres-no-easy-answer/.

Trammell, Mindy. “Is Print Advertising Dead? Definitely Not!” Insurance Journal Online. January 17, 2012. http://www.insurancejournal.com/blogs/2012/01/17/231405.htm

Wolfe, Lahle. “5 Pros of Direct Mail Marketing”. About.com Women in  Business. http://womeninbusiness.about.com/od/directmailmarketing/tp/hub-pros-directmail.htm

As an architect, you are using newer technologies and staying in front of innovations in CAD.  But how are your plans and renderings translating in black and white? 

Picture this:  through one drawing mechanical, electrical, and architectural are all represented in one concise drawing.  Contractors can tell how the spatial arrangement is supposed to go while having the whole picture in mind, not just their one partial piece.  How much rework would this save?  

Save Money with Clear Communciation 

In a 3D drawing, all spatial relationships can be seen.  How often do contractors misread a drawing, causing multiple "rework" scenarios, delaying projects, and, eventually, casting a ray of doubt from the client on the whole group trying to complete a project?  Much of skillful construction and good project management is actually communication and clarity in that communication.  

It used to be that color drawings were much more expensive to print than black and white prints. However, printing costs have come down to where it becomes an attractive option.  Consider that you would be able to combine 3 or 4 drawings onto a single sheet and still communicate that effectively.  Now consider that the sheets can be printed for about 4 times the price of a typical black and white print.

Printing speed, which used to be an issue when printing in color (considering that most work was done by ink jet), has now come up to the level where it can be used even for large jobs.  Ogden Blue can print construction plans (blueprints), engineering drawings, and other CAD type drawings at a full 4 pages per minute (4 ppm).  Consider that an ink jet printer prints at 1/5 ppm, and you will quickly see how much different this technology is.   

Save Time

By keeping the file in a 3D CAD environment, it helps architects and engineers clearly see what the other is doing.  As each iteration comes through from each professional, each of his or her colleagues can clearly see what the intent and spatial arrangement of the previous creator was.  This saves tremendous time in translation from one to the next.  Continuing in this same arrangement, the contractor is pulled in as a partner in that communication loop.  Through clear communication and by every subcontractor seeing exactly the same drawing, the communication time is greatly decreased.  The subcontractor sees exactly the same drawing the architect shared with the engineer.  

This clear path of communication, without a need to "translate" from 3D to 2D with all the communication errors this can produce, leads directly to reduced job rework and slip in the job schedule.

Summary

As competition for work and dollars has been fierce, so has the need to reduce job cost and decrease the costly rework required in a job.  By increasing the effectiveness of communication, the architect, general contractor, and engineer work together to reduce the amount of error and increase the efficiency of the whole team.  Stay 3D in color... better customer service, better communication, happier teams, and reduced scheduling adjustments.  What could be better?  Contact us today to learn more by calling or clicking on the contact button.  We hope to show you how color helps transform and streamline today's already efficient construction. 

What if you could have tear-resistant, waterproof construction plans in the job trailer?  Think about all the conditions that you encounter everyday on the construction job site.  How cool would it be to have the same redline drawings from job beginning to job end?

Ogden Blue offers printing on Tyvek, the same 3M material used to wrap buildings.  This highly durable material is perfect for those drawings that get dragged around from plumbing to HVAC to electrical.  Don't worry about it anymore, and get Tyvek plans.

We have technology that puts a waterproof, durable "surface" print on Tyvek.  This new technology is perfect for CAD in both color and black & white.  Our large construction customers who have used these unique plans are coming back for more.  Why?  Because in all the rugged environments of a construction site, the old style plans on 20# bond will deteriorate over time as the general or sub-contractors make changes to the documents, note discrepancies, and perform field engineering.  Change documents are sometimes slow in coming, and torn, ripped paper is not going to communicate these changes well.   

While it would be cost-prohibitive to print all the sets of drawings on Tyvek, what we are finding is that two sets in the job trailer provide a great control set for the entire site.  While the material is waterproof, it can still be written on and maintains permanent inks in the face of water... or coffee spills, whichever one comes first.  The plans can also be wash gently with soap and water to clear up areas that may have gotten muddy or dragged through a not-quite-completed plumbing area.  Watch our video on this site under Commercial Services | Tyvek.  This will show the amazing durabililty of Tyvek in comparison to typical 20# bond prints.

We can do Tyvek prints up to 36" wide and any length.  Since you can also have it printed in color, the use of 3D CAD on Tyvek can make your plans clear, concise, and minimize job mistakes, rework, and increase customer satisfaction.  By making your blueprints as clear as possible, we hope to save you time, money, and hassle now and into the future.  Of course, we always have the 20# bond prints at great prices as well.  Let us know what we can do to help! 

WHy the new web site?

For anyone who saw the old web site, I think you will understand why we really wanted to update this site!  When I came to the company two and a half years ago, there were a lot of pressing issues that needed to be taken care of, and the web site just seemed to drop by the wayside.  We really concentrated on becoming a top-notch printing firm during that period of time, and we have done an outstanding job on offering unique services, stellar customer service, and a fast, easy printing experience.  The web site is more about customer service to me.  Is there a way that we can help you get stuff done faster, easier, with less hassle?  I hope that is what the new web site will be all about.

This site now gives us the ability to change the information here ourselves.  We get to blog and converse with you through it.  It links to our social media, so we can let you know about all the great services and specials you can find at Ogden Blue.  In other words, it helps us continue the conversation with you, and helps us deliver a higher level of service than we could before. 

New Features

We have a lot of new features and a new look.  Our new look, which some of you have seen, reflects a bit better the new Ogden Blue.  We have had blueprinting services for a long time, but a lot of people didn't know that we also do color printing which is reflected in the new logos.  We have some amazing digital presses that give incredible quality... right here in Ogden so you can keep your business local.  Our six color bars reflect the six ways that we can serve you, and each one represents an area in which we can help you express yourself as you want in print, art, and design.

So... we have added a File Upload area, where you can send your print files to us.  You can also contact us directly or learn about the different kinds of services we offer.  We have an Art Knowledge base coming soon, where you can learn a little about the different types of products and how they are used.  You can join a newsletter that can help you track when art classes are, what specials we are offering, and hear about great new products that we are bringing on-line or into the store.  There will be specials that you can only view on-line, and we will have contests that will run.  For instance, right now, you can win an iPad by just printing with us or by joining our newsletter forum!

 We are happy that you decided to check out our new web site, and I hope you find it enjoyable, informative, and easy-to-use.  I also hope it saves you time, helps you learn, and helps you save.