If a couple comes to your estate planning law firm wearing shabby clothing, your first thought is not that they are eccentric millionaires*. We are taught not to judge people by their appearances, but we all do. The same applies to your print materials: business cards, letterhead, envelopes, mailing labels, intake forms (if you are still using paper for a manual intake process), brochures and print ads. You may not realize it, but these are all law firm marketing materials and if they don’t look good, neither do you.
People still exchange business cards and as long as they do, yours needs to be on substantial card stock, echoing the credibility and permanence of your firm. Firm stationary is equally important. Imagine opening a box from a luxury retailer. From the exterior of the box to the design on the labels to the imprinted tissue paper that cradles your new cashmere sweater is all orchestrated to convey a clear message: the store takes great pride in its merchandise. The sweater was expensive and worth it.
What if the box was plain, bearing the standard UPS bar code label and it arrived with coffee stains and a torn cover? That’s a completely different message.
Your print materials must be good quality to reflect the quality of your work. It must clearly convey the message that you provide superior services to your clients and that they matter.
That includes your mailing labels. We know of one firm that has a great website, beautiful business cards and hands out expensive pens and note pads to its clients. But when a large envelope of documents arrives in the mail, the office uses a plain label maker, with 1 x 3 plain white labels for both the “to” and “from” addresses. It looks like it came from someone’s home office. Very underwhelming and a strange contrast to everything else the firm does.
Brochures often receive the same treatment. Instead of using the firm’s design elements to complement the website for a good looking four-color print brochure, a generic brochure is used. It seems odd to clients, especially when the only thing that ties it to the law firm is a small square on one side of the window with the firm’s name. No logo, no branding—just confusion to the client.
IMS has a full service graphic design team that works with clients on both digital and print marketing materials. We can help present your firm in the best possible way, from logos to brochures to letterhead and more. Just submit a support ticket and we’ll be happy to help.
*With the use of an automated intake system like ClipSM, you would know in advance whether they were eccentric millionaires or not!