custom presentation folders

custom presentation folders

The Benefits of Custom Presentation Folders

1. Introduction

Imagine you are in an important meeting with your clients and you are trying to get a deal but you are having a hard time finding the right numbers or charts in a stack of papers. This definitely would not be looking good and well organized. At this point in time, you could really use a custom presentation folder which would have all the important documents that you need for the meeting, be it the charts, the numbers, or your proposals. This is how the small things can affect and cost you really big. Custom presentation folders can be designed in any way and can be given any kind of look that you desire. You can mix and match it with your corporate logos and colors to give it a form of identity.

In this modern era, it is very crucial to stay ahead of your competitors. It doesn’t matter which kind of business you are in, if you are not organized, your rivals can outperform you and you could face the consequences. Organization does not only make it feasible for you to keep up with the pace in a competitive marketplace but it also gives you a good image in the eyes of your customers. People believe that if a company is organized, its products and services are also up to the mark.

2. Enhancing Professionalism and Branding

Because your company’s brand is so integral to its success, it is important to reinforce it through every possible means. A strength of customizable folders is the amount of options available to reinforce a brand. High quality offset printing in up to six colors is available for companies with designed artwork. This means a company can design a folder with a similar look to their website, and one that is consistent with the look of other materials. For example, if a company has a brochure or sell sheet they can design a pocket folder that will fit the size of these materials. This will create an organized way to present them and customers will appreciate the added effort. By staying with a similar design across materials, a company is more likely to be memorable when a customer sees or uses their materials again. Custom folders can also have unique features that will further brand a company in the mind of a customer. Items such as business card slits, brochure slits, or a unique cut to the folder will ensure that a customer will remember a company and likely reuse them.

Custom presentation folders are an excellent way to enhance a company’s professional image in any industry. The key here is customization – having a folder that is made from your specs to house the exact materials that you want to give to potential clients, investors, or customers. Generic folders picked up at an office supply store or ordered online in little time do not give the same impression as a well thought out folder designed to hold desired literature. These can be used for anything from informational packets intended for internal use to materials handed out at tradeshows or presentations. Essentially they are a way to organize information and make certain it has a lasting impression.

3. Organizing and Streamlining Information

Custom presentation folder printing enables the company to organize their information in various ways. Information may be organized by the printed word, by visual presentation of data, by placing samples of a product in the pockets, and by mapping out a design. By using a custom presentation folder, the company is effectively able to guide the person receiving the information towards the conclusions that are desired. Custom presentation folders display a sense of organization on the part of the company. When a potential client receives a proposal that is loose sheets of paper, the appearance is one of tumultuousness. Stuffing a report into a 3-ring binder generates the image of an unpolished and oftentimes unprofessional presentation. The custom presentation folder generates an image of professionalism and gives the assurance that the information contained within is well thought out and complete. Appearance is key when making a first impression, especially in the sales process. A sturdy custom folder printing gives the information timeless durability in an often time-sensitive market and thus adds to the longevity of the information. A presentation folder can be used as a standalone product or as an enclosure. Often times information is sent out in the mail, and the folder can be used to designate what specific information is sent and should be kept together. After a client meeting has ended, loose information may be lost or separated. By keeping all the information within a folder, it is more likely to be kept track of and stored in a safe location. When looking back on past information, the folder makes it easier to remember and recover that information.

4. Making a Lasting Impression

In the heavily competitive real estate industry, image means everything. An often used tactic to sway a potential home buyer to choose one mortgage company over another involves the representation of speed, ease, and security. Because of the tactic’s commonality, it has become an order qualifier; failing to meet it can result in the loss of business. First Franklin Financial, a division of National City Bank, has been using custom presentation folders with this tactic in mind. The folder was designed to portray the image of an ATM, and upon opening the folder, the potential customer is greeted with pockets containing brochures which symbolize money. By directly representing the company’s image, and with a unique and clever design, this folder is a definite order winner and has helped National City agents gain business at a faster pace.

Custom presentation folders offer a unique and creative way to make your company’s message stand out. When designing any type of specialty advertising media, it is crucial to consider how the product fits the image of the company as well as the order winner/qualifier criteria in comparison to competitors.

5. Conclusion

There are a number of commonalities in folder purchases made across the various market segments. Often the most important elements are the functional qualities of the folder: size/shape and capacity features. These are elements of a folder that really contribute to an enhanced presentation of the materials kept inside. Size is an obvious consideration and usually relates to the number and types of materials that will be stored in the folder. For standard 8.5″ x 11″ documents, the most common size is a “pocket folder” that has 4″ high pockets. Step up in capacity and there are 9″ x 12″ folders with 4″ pockets and 1/2″, 3/4″, or 1″ sized expandable pockets. For holding smaller or loose materials, there are folders with vertical pockets and/or special slots. This is especially important for industries such as hospitality and travel to store things like receipts or tickets. Any company doing contract-type work or simply information storage along a long process may benefit from folders having built-in USB flash drive or CD/DVD holding slots. Size/shape and capacity features are only limited by the imagination, and an experienced graphic and structural package designer can be a great asset in creating custom folder dielines.

It is also clear that custom presentation folder buyers come from all vertical markets. Virtually any company that utilizes sales or marketing has a need for folder printing, and it is certainly more cost-effective than printing full-color sell sheets or brochures. Buyers range from those in manufacturing and distribution to service and retail. Some of the uses are quite specific, industry-related functions such as bid submittal in construction. Others are more general in nature; any salesperson who makes an extensive product pitch can benefit by having a professional-looking package of information to leave behind with a potential customer. Folder usage is global and lends itself well to multilingual printing thanks to relatively low content.

It is clear that there are a number of reasons, both practical and functional, for purchasing custom presentation folders—whether they are used for providing internal reports or for taking a sales message to a client. The benefits range from financial savings to slightly less tangible enhancements in internal and external company image.