|
Stocktrims Newsletters currently under develpment - please stay tuned
Advertising is not the answer
Most business owners either don't market at all (because advertising hasn't worked in the past), or they spend too much money in media advertising that doesn't produce results.
Media or directory advertising is usually too expensive. Rates are based on the deep pockets of fast food outlets, car dealerships, and high-margin warehouse operations selling commodities—near-identical items sold on the basis of price. This is not the profile of services offered by consultants, hospitality vendors, psychologists, or wedding photographers…and it probably doesn't describe your business, either.
There's another disadvantage to media advertising. Because space and time costs are so high, it's virtually impossible to buy enough space (or time) to tell a convincing story. You simply cannot effectively communicate your expertise or explain what makes you different, in a three-column by six-inch ad—no matter how much it eats up your marketing budget.
Newsletters are not the answer
Conventional printed and mailed, multi-page newsletters are also not the answer. In fact, they're less the answer today than they were ten years ago.
Consistency is the essence of a successful newsletter. Yet, consistency is nearly impossible to achieve using printed and mailed 4, 8, or 12-page newsletters. Since each issue takes so long to prepare, the best that can be hoped for is usually an issue every other month—or, worse-- once a quarter.
This community college newsletter has international corporations as its audience. With this target you might well assume the newsletter has to be sophisticated graphically with clear writing. You'll find both in the publication. Note the header on page 1 carries through graphically across all pages. The designer has even varied the design of the page headers, but the message is concise: World communication. The simple 2-column format makes color blocking easy as you'll see on the inside pages.
On page 4, note the article laid over a washout of a flag. This technique is easy to accomplish. In Microsoft Publisher, for example, simply insert your picture and then right click. Choose Format Picture and then choose the Color tab. Choose 'washout'. Modify the degree of the washout repeatedly until you are satisfied with the results. The key is the background can't overshadow the type you will put over it. Try a sans serif type to overlay on the picture for less confusion to the eye.
This organizational newsletter uses bleeds for its graphic elements. A bleed is printed matter that seems to run off the page. A bleed is created when the publication designer intentionally uses art or graphic elements large enough that they run off the page. The printer then trims the finished paper to that the edges of the art do not show. A bleed can be expensive for this reason. In this case, blocks of green run off the end of the page first, for the nameplate at the top and then at the bottom. On the inside pages, the same green is used throughout in varied densities. The newsletter uses color extensively, and effectively, since it has virtually no other art or photographs.