Strategic Publications Increase Sales and Success

Business leaders, news articles and even universities and scholars testify that publications, (specifically branding with identity symbols like logos, business cards and letterheads) contribute to business success:

“Name, design, logo, motto … are the main subsidiary representatives of your brand. That is why they should be clear and supplement each other in conveying your ‘message’.” Pavel Lenshin, Branding for Profits.

“If you have a business, you have a brand — and it could be your most valuable asset. An effective brand can increase profits, grow revenue – even improve employee morale.” Trump University Web site.

“With identity designs, we have now clearly distinguished the unique offering within our product line from the competition all the while conveying the efficiency, precision and sophistication for which all our products are known.” Martha Sellers, Managing Director at Moody’s KMV.

“When it’s done right, branding builds on the natural way that human beings make buying decisions.” Wally Bock, Monday Memo Newsletter.

“Branding must never be about spending money. The only reason to brand is to increase profitability.” FusionBrand Web site.

“Any company, small or large, that applies a basic level of customer research and brand strategy will result in … increased sales and more predictable sales growth, and enhanced perceived value by stockholders and analysts.” Chuck Pettis, “The Relationship of Corporate Brand Strategy and Stock Price,” Morgan Stanley, U.S. Investment Research.

“Brand is not only a significant source of competitive advantage and future earnings, but also arguable, a company’s most important asset.” Charles R. Pettis III. “The Importance of Brand to the Success of Technology Companies,” Morgan Stanley, U.S. Investment Research.

SCORE, the small business development volunteer organization of business leaders providing advice to new businesses, lists branding as the number 1 need for new business. The author of “5 Tips to Jump Start a New Business” advises to “Spend a little money to create a professional logo, business and stationary. Present a professional image.”

Another expert on branding says that “Cash generating businesses don’t necessarily need the sophistication of branding … However a business that must build wealth … needs Brand development.” He provides questions to ask yourself to determine if your business needs branding:

1. Do I want to be better equipped for retirement and business succession?

2. Do I want to be well compensated for the equity and goodwill I have invested in building this business?

3. Do I want a strategy that enable me to proactively capitalize on creating my Brand for wealth?

4. Do I want all of my key stakeholders and staff to genuinely champion the Brand goals that will ultimately create wealth?

5. How can I build wealth in my business that can be successfully cashed when I want or need it? Harish Chauhan “Building your Brand for Wealth, allaboutbranding.com.

If you answered the first four questions “yes” then you need to brand your business because branding is the answer to the fifth question. “…the most important reason for developing an effective Brand – to create lasting wealth for you and your company.” Harish Chauhan “Building your Brand for Wealth, allaboutbranding.com.

One important aspect of building a brand is through identity symbols and other publications. Good marketers utilize multi-media to reach potential customers and have traditionally included publications in their media mix.

Publications continue to be effective today, especially if they are strategically designed to deliver key messages to target markets and to meet business objectives.

Strategic publications enable marketers to control presentation and distribution of messages. Publications’ presentation combines verbal and visual messages to communicate rationally and emotionally. Their distribution includes direct mail, person-to-person, and display.

Publications provide better control than news releases and can target markets better than most advertisements. They have more longevity than either. Done correctly, they are also beautiful and informative.

Strategic Publications Benefits
Enable You to:

Turbo-charge your marketing with seven types of publications.

Plan publications to maximize profits.

Entice people to read with relevant content that involves market members.

Eliminate design elements inappropriate for target market members.

Utilize basic design principles to ground your publications.

Use images and symbols to specifically target your market.

Distinguish good and bad uses of color on a budget.

View hundreds of illustrations to visualize concepts.

Improve design decisions by using six pre-tests.

Map your publications for visual order, hierarchy, and usability.

Create effective covers to “sell” publications and get yours opened.

Produce infographics and pictographs to increase visual appeal.

Compare column formats’ influence on readability and interest.

Convey emotional and connotative messages through fonts.

Add depth, texture and interest with typographical items like rules, boxes and fills.

Create identity symbols to consistently brand your business.

Pattern letterheads after six templates, for traditional or modern designs.

Learn the three keys to make your logo successful.

Recognize a good photograph and lean how to make it better.

Design four types of brochures from templates that show fold lines and content placement.

Distinguish paper characteristics that can aid or hinder your publication’s message.

Increase your creativity with a simple creative design approach.

Improve relationships with agencies utilizing five traits of good client-agency relationships.

Work with printers better by understanding printing methods and ink characteristics.

But Don’t Take My Word,
Read Testimonials from Others Who Use
Strategic Publications

This book is the most comprehensive book on design for public relations products out there. It is the only book I know of that combines product design with strategic public relations campaigns.
Ken Plowman, Provo, Utah

It’s really vital to think in terms of key messages and target publics in visual communication and that’s what this book is all about.
I LOVE IT!
Richard S. Pritchard, Muncie, Indiana

A well-written and documented book that moves those with or without prior graphics experience through the various publications.
Don W. Stacks, Coastal Gables, Florida

The second edition is a considerable step forward even from the excellent first edition. The expanded graphics to support main points and provide examples are a welcome addition.
Alan Freitag, Charlotte, North Caroline

Variety of publications covered is comprehensive. The book is well-written. Good content and design, quality production.
Linda P. Morton does a wonderful job at providing the information that students need to learn in a way that is interesting, visually appealing and exciting.
Tricia M. Farwell, Moorhead, Kentucky

Excellent organization; easy to read writing style. This is exactly the book that I have been seeking.
Ruth Brown, Kearney, Nebraska.

Linda Morton is to be commended for her research and time in putting this book together.
Edna Bautista, Lisle, Illinois

I’ve sold hundreds of the traditional version to college bookstores for $79.95 each, but you can get the e-book version for much less.

This is not a typical e-book. This ten chapter book has 295 information packed pages based on research. Plus, it is designed to illustrate the design principles taught and includes hundreds of illustrations.

It will improve your ability to produce or evaluate the effectiveness of marketing publications.

Step-by-step instructions guide you or an employee in designing publications that deliver key messages to target markets, to solve problems and to achieve success.

But you get more than just the book,
you also get two valuable bonuses.

The Complete Set of InDesign CS2 Templates

You can design publications faster and easier with my templates. You can
download pdf versions of the templates from this site, but they are not editable.

With the Complete Set of InDesign CS2 Templates and your FREE trail of InDesign CS2, you just substitute your art and copy for mine, and you’ve got a finished publication! These templates provide proven blueprints. You get the InDesignCS2 version of every logo, business card, letterhead, flyer and poster, newsletter, booklet, magazine and annual report templates.

The InDesignCS2 version of the templates saves you so much time and work. I’ve used InDesign for years, and the templates took me days to complete from scratch. But you can quickly adapt them to meet your specific needs. The InDesign version of the templates normally sells for $9.95.

E-Book of Desktop Lessons

Even with the InDesign CS2 templates, you need some basic skills in InDesign to adapt the templates. The desktop lessons will walk you through what you need to know.

You can download this 76 page e-book immediately, print the lessons and have them setting beside you as you adapt the templates.

With the E-book of Desktop Lessons, you get nine lessons. You can print them out, study them, or just use them as a reference.

The E-book of Desktop Lessons normally sells for $9.95. Plus, I’ll provide you with a link where you can download InDesign CS2 FREE for 30 days.

You get all three for just $49.95.

And they are guaranteed. If you are not completely satisfied with the depth and breadth of information in this e-book, I’ll return every penny of your money.

Click Here to Purchase

The bonuses are offered for a limited time during the introduction of the e-book version of Strategic Publications: Designing for Target Publics. As sales increase, I plan to eliminate the templates bonus. So order today while I’m still offering both bonuses.

Warmest Regards To You and Best Wishes for Your Great Marketing Success.

Linda P. Morton

P.S. With Strategic Publications, the templates and desktop lessons, you can design your own effective marketing publications or better evaluate publications proposed to you by employees and agencies.

P.S.S. Don’t leave strategic publications out of your marketing mix. Publications are economical, effective, targeted and have great longevity.

Last updated 5-15-07