To quote Andrew Agassi from the ‘90s Kodak commercials…“Image is everything!” A company’s image is the very foundation of the business, and yet, so many people miss the mark.It always amazes me when I see a business that clearly doesn’t understand how important image is.

To quote Andrew Agassi from the ‘90s Kodak commercials…“Image is everything!” A company’s image is the very foundation of the business, and yet, so many people miss the mark. It always amazes me when I see a business that clearly doesn’t understand how important image is.

Imagine the holiday season and you have two similar packages to open, one is beautifully wrapped in designer paper, the folds are perfect with a big colorful bow on top. The other package is wrapped in newspaper…which one do you open first? In other words…it doesn’t matter how great the present is inside if no one ever opens the package.

So what is image exactly? It starts with your logo, which should be done by a professional, not your nephew using Microsoft Word. It should be clean, using unique colors, fonts and layout. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but it does need to set the stage for who you are and what you’re selling. In most cases, you don’t want to use primary colors since people see those every day, and you’re just not going to stand out. Used to be, there were little more than a handful of colors to choose from, but now, there are literally millions. The same applies to fonts.

Your logo sets the tone. From there, you should make sure that all of your collateral materials follow a similar look/feel, from your letterhead to your website…continuity is critical. Image is not entirely controlled by the company however, but also by the media and public, with respect to their perception of your product and/or services. The public’s perception doesn’t have to be left to chance as it can be guided through tactical customer service and public relation efforts.

Like the Christmas present, you want to make sure the wrapping of your store/business is appealing and inviting and when the prospect opens the package, make sure the content is even better. It’s not enough to meet expectations in this competitive world; you must strive to exceed them. If you’re selling high-end products or services, don’t think you can cut corners on your image; you will never gain the necessary credibility to attract enough customers to stay in business.

You’ve heard the old adage, “you only have one chance to make a first impression”…it’s so true in business as well. It’s no wonder that 92% of all new businesses fail when they don’t understand the fundamentals of marketing.

Visit Mike Shubic – Your Marketing Coach, a 17-year marketing veteran at: www.ShubicMarketing.com