Have you ever noticed an advertisement in a magazine, a brochure, a newspaper, or online that looked like it was produced on an old typewriter?
Chances are pretty good that the owner of the ad produced it himself using non-professional graphics tools. He sent the ad in "camera ready" to save a few bucks, and it gets published looking like child's play.
Is that the type of material you want associated with your business?
Occasionally you will find announcements, brochures, and web sites with frequent misspellings, incorrect grammar, and other structural problems that can only be construed as a lackadaisical attitude on the part of the owner.
Believe me, customers will naturally tend to associate the quality of your products and services with the image you portray in your written and graphical work.
If there are errors, omissions, and problems with your marketing materials (ads, brochures, web site, etc.) your prospects will assume they'll find the same quality and attention to detail in your products and services.
There is just no acceptable excuse for laziness or lack of caring how your business presents itself to the public.
You may not be able to afford professionally created ads in the beginning of your business life, but that is the goal you ought to have once you are generating sufficient revenue.
There are a number of excellent freelancer sites online ( elance, scriptlance, rent-a-coder, etc) where you will find both copywriting and graphic design professionals that want to accept small jobs like yours and will do an excellent job. Stick with those freelancers that have multiple positive feedback ratings rather than hiring the cheapest bid you receive.
Why is it important to present a professional image?
There are a number of reasons, but the most important has to do with the trust your prospect feels as he deals with your company.
If a customer doesn't trust the seller or his business, he will never part with his money. He may not even stay around to receive the company ads and offerings. You will have lost him as a prospect if he isn't satisfied that you have a legitimate business.
When you present yourself to the public, you cannot afford to have that public wonder whether you are serious about your business or not. Today consumers have so many choices that they will leave in a heartbeat if they feel they are being misled or deceived.
A first impression is possibly the only chance you'll have to grab a prospect's attention and interest. If he is looking at your ad and knows nothing more about your business, he will judge whether he wants to find out more about you simply by what he sees in your ad.
If your ad says, "this is a legitimate company, with a professional logo, a real physical address, and someone has paid a professional to design this ad" your chances of additional contact are excellent.
But if you throw up a red flag that cautions your prospect to question your legitimacy, your seriousness about being in business, or the quality of your products and service, his trust in you will fall and you'll never hear from him again.
