Your marketing folders and presentation materials may never be read. It’s sad, but for the most part true. Why do I believe this? It’s simple: it’s just too much. Aside from a concise brochure and business card (or obviously proposals and agreements) people are hard-pressed to find the time, let alone the interest, to read your long-winded materials. It’s hard to fathom, but your fancy paper and well-written copy might just end up in the recycle bin. Take heart though, as there are several steps you can make see that your potential clients learn everything they need to about you. How, you say, without a pretty folder in their hands? By a click of the mouse, I say.

You’re Soaking In It

The best place today for dispersing large sums of information is right here on the web, on your company website and blog (you do have a blog, right?) Here are the advantages, day or night:

• Your potential clients can read all about you at their leisure
• Your printed materials look great online, too
• Posting key documents online allows for sharing through links
• Links to your materials can be shared with all the decision-makers
• You can direct the perusing a bit by sending links to specific pages and content, even an online presentation
• You can provide password-protected content only meant for your clients, even a custom page with the client’s name in the URL
• If you’re on top of your community management efforts, links to those spaces can be enjoyed
• Case studies, scenarios and testimonials can be read
• Save items as .pdf so your client can read it on their portable devices
• Your socially-responsible efforts can be shared easily
• You are saving trees and other resources
• It costs less to maintain your materials online than in print
• Updates to information only means mouse clicks, rather than reprints

I’m not advocating dispensing with all your printed materials, but instead considering the breadth and voluminous nature of it all. Maybe next time run a shorter amount, too. There will always be some people that don’t feel you’re legitimate without it, so save it for them. Who are they? Just ask and you’ll quickly find out.

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Think I’m crazy or right on the money? Have you moved your materials online?  Have your say

photo credit: Purrrpl Haze