Pocket Folders and Your Brand Image: Why Consistency Matters
Treat your company folders as part of your marketing strategy to create a consistent brand image and instill confidence in consumers.
A pocket folder. It's just a piece of paper, right?
Yes, but look at how many pieces of paper you see each day. From utility bills and grocery lists to insurance brochures and newspapers. A pocket folder is just a sturdy piece of paper, but with the right design it is so much more than that. Sure, it holds lots of important documents, but it also plays an integral role in your brand image.
PUT YOURSELF IN YOUR CUSTOMERS' SHOES
You go to the grocery store for some orange juice. You stare at 10 similar brands for 5 minutes before (seemingly) randomly grabbing a carton. Which one did you choose?
If you're like most people, you chose a brand you know, even if you hadn't tried it before. You've probably seen ads on TV for the brand, and you immediately recognized the product packaging, trusting that it is a decent product. The orange juice manufacturers know that if the product packaging doesn't match the rest of the brand image, no one will buy it.
THEIR CONSISTENCY WON YOU OVER
Thing is, whether we want to admit it or not, as consumers we are often swayed by product manufacturers who know how to make us want to purchase their goods. But this is by no means a bad thing—these simple marketing principles can be applied to nearly any industry and any product packaging design.
Whether simple or intricate, your folder design is acting as an extension of your product packaging. If you sell products that customers can buy in a store, there is no question you would want your business folder to match your current brand image.
But what if you are in a service-oriented field? Then the pocket folder is a big player in your product packaging, and integrating its design to fit your brand image is key.
CASE STUDY: THE INSURANCE AGENT
Let's look at an insurance agent. He sells car insurance, homeowner's insurance and life insurance. Needless to say, his target market is comprised of a diverse group of people from recent college graduates to couples on the brink of retirement. He needs to win the trust and confidence of customers from all walks of life. How? With a consistent image.
Insurance is not a tangible product. Sure, there are policy documents and business cards, all of which have the company name, logo and likeness printed on them, but don't offer much more than that in terms of brand image. A website provides customers with an introduction to your brand image, and is often the first point of contact with your company.
Then comes the office visit. The insurance agent greets his potential clients with a smile and a handshake, and as they sit down, hands them a presentation folder that reflects the website design. Without thinking about it, his clients make the connection between the consistent design of the website and folder. And it gives them even more confidence in the insurance agent and his offerings.
CONSISTENCY: A TIME-PROVEN MARKETING TACTIC
But why does it give his clients confidence? Because everything matches. Think of the car you drive. If you visit the company's website, then go to the dealership, then see a TV commercial, then see an ad in a magazine, everything is going to evoke the same feeling; the car company is aiming for an effective yet cohesive ad campaign, and they've succeeded.
If this brand identity packaging works for large corporations, it works for small businesses, too. All of these marketing tasks work beautifully together. But if you forget or disregard just one, the whole package could fail.
INCONSISTENCY CAN BE SCARY
It's like staging a house. The clean foyer welcomes buyers with freshly picked flowers, the kitchen beckons them in with the smell of freshly baked cookies, the bedrooms are tidy and the organized closets show the ample storage space.
Then they open the basement door, and you realize you've neglected the basement. It doesn't show well, is cluttered with boxes and dated electronics, and disrupts the good feeling the buyers had about the home. It's just one room, though, right? Yes, but consumers want the complete package; a hiccup in the overall presentation can be enough to turn them away.
WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR BRAND IMAGE, LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED
Don't overlook the seemingly small details. To some, a pocket folder might be an afterthought—or not a thought at all. But it should be.
Afterall, it keeps papers organized for customers. Gives homebuyers confidence in their realtor. Keeps a new client welcome kit tidy and organized. Shows off a landscape design portfolio. Convinces homeowners that you will provide the best service. It differentiates you from the competition, instills consumer confidence and embodies your brand image.
WE CAN HELP BUILD YOUR BRAND
Let Easy Pocket Folders create a presentation folder that is an extension of your brand image, therefore creating greater consumer confidence in your company and product. We work with small businesses and large companies, non profit groups and churches.
From one-color printed folders or foil-imprinted names and logos on premium papers, we've done it all and we make it affordable for any size business to design promotional pocket folders! View our full line of folder options or do some research to see what others in your industry are doing with their business pocket folders.
Personalize your custom presentation business folders now!
Create a custom presentation folder today!
Budget Folders (Glossy White Only)
Standard 9" x 12" Folders
Legal 9" x 14-¼" Folders
Mini Folders
Custom imprinted presentation folders ship in 5-7 business days.