As the leaders of small businesses, we’re constantly looking for new ways to elevate the marketability of our companies. After all, projecting the appearance of professionalism and maintaining an optimal image are essential when you’re trying to appeal to a wide range of leads, as many of them will arrive at your site having no prior knowledge of your business.
A graphic portfolio is similar to any other portfolio you would see, but it incorporates a visual aspect for a more polished and informative look. Here are three reasons why every SMB should have one:
1. Letting Them See What You Do
You can tell somebody what you do all day long, but until they actually see some results or previous achievements with their own eyes, all they’ve really seen is an explanation. Back up your words with images of projects you’ve completed, screenshots of pages you’ve designed or written, business you’ve partnered with, or any other imagery that would give you points with prospective clients/customers. For example, a company offering concrete cutting in Huron might want to include pictures of demolition projects they’ve completed in the past.
2. Increasing the Diversity of Your Marketing Efforts
Depending on your business model and approach (i.e. – online vs. offline, local vs. global, etc.), you can either bring a printed copy of your graphic portfolio and/or include it as a section on your website. The more material you have to show clients and customers, the higher your chances will be of landing projects, contracts, and repeat customers.
Ideally, you should be trying to operate in every lane of marketing at the same time. You need to be producing infographics, engaging in content marketing, running a social media campaign, putting forth offline marketing efforts, maintaining a YouTube channel, and doing anything else you can think of to increase brand awareness and authority.
3. Making the Transition into a Medium-Sized Company
The goal of any small business CEO should be to facilitate the growth and progress of their company into new levels of the corporate world. The next step up from a small business would be a medium-sized enterprise, so this is a transition that all ambitious CEOs should be aspiring towards. Having a graphic portfolio can help you make this transition faster by putting you in the ballpark with clients that might normally overlook your proposal.
Should You Really “Fake it” Until You Make It?
If you’ve ever heard the phrase “fake it until you make it” you might think that this is a nefarious way of doing business, but in reality it is a very valid way to position your brand on a pedestal in the early stages.
In this context, the phrase “faking it” doesn’t mean misinforming or lying to people, fabricating fake screenshots, or using any other shady tactic, it simply means producing marketing material that is on par with the advertisements and content used by larger companies, even though at the moment your company might not actually be a large corporation.
With that said, you should strive to make your graphic portfolio as authentic and honest as possible while also highlighting your company’s experience and advantages in a visually pleasing manner.
