POV: You’ve just pulled out some print collateral and it stinks.

Not literally. Well, maybe literally—I’ve never been in your office before. But if I were in your office now, and I saw that print piece of yours, would you be proud of it? Or would you be embarrassed by it? Because it stinks?

Look, I’m not trying to be mean about it. At one point in time that piece of print collateral was probably pretty sweet. But time goes on, you know? Things get old. Things need to be rebooted, reenergized, refreshed, and so on. It happens to all of us.

So I’m sorry for saying your print collateral stinks. It’s probably fine. And “fine” can work, but I’m willing to bet you want better than “fine.” If that’s the case, it might be time to peep your print pieces and see what’s doin’. Here’s what to look for.

Where’s all your print collateral, anyway?

I’m talking about brochures and catalogs and postcards. Folders and flyers and stuff. Notebooks, notepads, and stationery. Magazines and mailers. Business cards to show new customers at conferences. Posters to put up in coffee shops, if that’s your thing. Dig it all up. Lay it out side by side. Now look at it. 

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Look at your logos.

Has your business rebranded a bit? Maybe spruced up the ol’ logo? If you made some stylistic changes to the look or feel of your business six months ago—but that sales piece you’re holding was made last year—well, that’s a red flag. So you already know what to do. Brush off that old brochure and send it to someone who can hit it with the freshness, the hotness, the sweetness. Don’t know anyone? Hit us up and we’ll help.  

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Bag it. Tag it. Toss it?

You know your business better than anyone. So when you’re standing there, or sitting there, or lying there (are you lying there? Nice.) and you’re looking at all your print collateral, you can see what works and what doesn’t. Some questions to consider:

• “Do we still offer this?”
• “Does this message accurately reflect our mission?”
• “Does this CTA go to the right URL?”
• “Does this speak to our current audience?”
• “Is the salesperson mentioned here still with us”?
• “Would a QR code be better here”?
• “Who wrote this? Boy am I glad we canned that guy.”

It’s like my old Uncle Phil used to say: “Believe it if you need it. If you don’t, just pass it on.” 

Are you ready to “pass it on” and start fresh? Let’s talk.

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Refreshing your print collateral is important, but that doesn’t mean it has to be difficult. And hey, making new stuff is always exciting, right? And fun! And totally worth doing. It’s one of the coolest things you can do with your marketing, too, so what’re you waiting for? Today’s as good a day as any.

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Remember, we do branding and make websites and produce videos and create campaigns and stuff. We’d love to work with you on any of that. And because we’re legally obligated to say this, follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Vimeo for more. Thanks for reading. ✌️