So you have a successful brand – Now what? – Lesson 2

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Catrina Elliott

Summarization of – The Brand Gap by Marty Neumeier
Well, now you need to learn to manage your brand as it expands. The more successful and widely distributed your brand is, the stronger your brand management needs to be.

What you will need is a continuing brand education program, which would include items such as:

• Brand Orientation

• Brand Seminars

• Positioning Workshops

• Brand Audits

• Strategy Summits

• Creative Councils

• Quarterly Critiques

• Group Brainstorming

Remember to bridge the gap between logic and magic by mastering and overseeing all 5 disciplines of brand building:

1. Differentiate

2. Collaborate

3. Innovate

4. Validate

5. Cultivate

(See last weeks Wisdom Wednesday for a breakdown of the 5 brand building disciplines.)

Elite Image – Brand Management Software

Now this is where we at Elite Image can step in and assist you with your brand management.

Our innovative Brand Management Software allows you to create and print customize on-brand marketing collateral to the tightest of deadlines with our web-to-print technology.  The Elite Image software allows you to have your marketing material’s photos and text customizable and then produces high resolution PDF’s of your completed material – ready to be sent to print, E-blast/E-newsletters or to social media.

You can access this software from any computer that is connected to the Internet and at any time giving you full and easy control of your company’s branding. 

Visit our website today to see what Elite Image can do for you and your business. – https://eliteimage.ca/features

Reflection: Building a branding team for your business, even if it’s just starting out can be a great boost to your company’s success in the marketplace. You cannot build your brand overnight and leave it. Brands need to be living and evolving entities that need to be managed and nurtured to keep them relevant and effective. This is not to say that every year you need a new logo, name, and message as brand consistency is key so your audience knows you and can indentify you from others in your market, but that your advertising must utilize your brand creatively and differently to continue to excite and intrigue your audience to purchase your product or service over years. A great example of this is Coca-Cola. Their consistency of name, logo, and company message has been rock solid for decades (I have read that their logo has been referred to being the most recognizable symbol on the planet), but the way they advertise themselves across media platforms (packaging, the websites, social media, television, contests etc.) is constantly changing and adapting to current trends and styles and they are always finding new media platforms to put their name out into the marketplace – expanding and keeping their audience interested.

Next Week: Next week we start a new segment:

Lessons of Success

Summarization of - The Runway of Life by Joe Segal

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How to Create a Successful Brand: Lesson 1

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Catrina Elliott

Summarization of – The Brand Gap by Marty Neumeier
Now that we have defined what a brand is and what a brand is not in our last Wisdom Wednesday. We should move on to what makes a brand successful and how to achieve this goal.

Companies often fail to achieve greatness because there is a gap between the two major concepts needed to forge a successful brand: Strategy and Creativity.

                              STRATEGY                                                                        CREATIVITY

Analytical

Intuitive

Logical

Emotional

Linear

Spatial

Numerical

Visual

Verbal

Physical

Strategy and Creativity need to work together smoothly in order for a brand to prosper and be charismatic.
A ‘charismatic’ brand is any product, service, or organization for which people believe there is no substitute. And any brand can be charismatic, even yours! You simply must master the “5 Principles of Brand Building”.

5 Principles of Brand Building

1.   Differentiate: it is a fact that the brain acts as a filter to protect the brain from too much information, and we are hardwired to notice only what is different.

You must ask yourself:
• Who are you?

• What do you do?

• Why does it matter?

Unless you have compelling answers to these questions YOU NEED MORE FOCUS.

2.    Collaborate: Like building a cathedral – building a brand is a collaborative project. Whether you collaborate with marketing professionals outside of your company or hire internal marketing professionals you are working with a network of people to create a successful consistent brand.

3.    Innovate: This is where you must put on your creative thinking hat. This can be difficult for some companies due to the gap discussed above.

Creative thinking is right-brained thinking, and strategy is left-brained thinking. Innovation comes from using both sides of the brain to achieve something new and different.
How do you know if it is innovative? When it scares the hell out of everyone.

For Ex: A brand will need a STAND OUT name and any great name needs great graphics and so on.

4.   Validate: Validation means bringing the audience into the creative process. This means you need to test your ideas, gain feedback from your audience and use that feedback to make sure the audience understood the message you sent them!

The test should be covering:

a.   Distinctiveness

b.   Relevance

c.   Memorability

d.   Extendibility

e.   Depth of Meaning

5.Cultivate: Business is a process not an entity. A living brand is a pattern of behavior not a stylistic veneer.

Ex: If your company looks like a duck sounds like a duck but swims like a dog = your audience will distrust you and you will lose your charismatic brand.

Reflection: I feel that a lot of companies, even some who have reached a level of financial success feel that their brand is simply the logo or avatar they put on their business cards and that when designers and marketers are asked to refresh or redesign these visual elements that are associated with their name will magically bring them new customers. Visuals can help – but the way that company chooses to operate in the marketplace will make or break the trust that the company is asking for by sending their name and face into the world.

Next week: So you have a successful brand: Now what?

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THE MYTH ABOUT BRANDS – February 27th 2013

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Catrina Elliott

Summarization of – The Brand Gap by Marty Neumeier

What is a brand? Well first of all I will tell you what a brand is not. Let’s clear up some misconceptions.

A brand is not a:

            1. A brand is not a logo.

            2. A brand is not an identity.

            3. A brand is not a product.

So what is a brand? A logo, identity, and the packaging surrounding the products or services a company or organizations sells/provides is part of creating a brand, but it does not define it.

A brand is:

           “A gut feeling about a person’s product, service, or organization”

This means that however you present yourself (whether you have stunning visuals or a catchy slogan) it really boils down to the individual. Your brand is not what you say it is, what other companies say it is, what the marketplace says it is – your brand is defined by what the individual consumer or potential consumer says it is.

Having a logo or identity does help affect that individual’s gut feeling about your business or company’s brand but it cannot define it.

For example: If there are thousands of camera models on the market from thousands of different brands then which one does the consumer decide to buy?

The one he/she TRUSTS. That trust is based off of the consumer’s expectations of the product being met and reliably so.

Now that we know what a brand is and how a brand affects the consumer, what is the purpose of a brand?

            “To get more people to buy more stuff and for more years at a higher price.”

Reflection:

As a designer I often have to explain what a brand is to a client and define how the visuals I will be creating for them (logos, colours, fonts, textures and associated images) will all fit into how a client will view them as a company/business. This excerpt breaks the often over-complicated idea of a brand that business owners have (especially new business owners) down into it’s simplest form making the concept easier to grasp and giving it a driving force.

Next Week:
What makes a successful brand?

 

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What I have learned in 2012

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Catrina Elliott

1.  You can overcome anything if you put your mind to it.

Clearly define your goals, learn from your mistakes, don’t listen to the negativity and focus on your dreams and what you want to achieve – the opportunities are endless.

“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has had to overcome while trying to succeed.” – Booker T. Washington

2. Bring your dogs to work.
Bruno & Tia – our office companions offer unconditional love to all of the Elite staff and clients that come into the office. 

“My goal in life is to be as good of a person my dog already thinks I am.” – Author Unknown

3. Continually educate and train yourself, and apply these lessons every day.
Pay attention to things that excite you and develop a passion for learning. Study the things that interest you and apply them for yourself and others.

“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” – Mark Twain

4. Focus on the quality of your product, and customer service.
Our customers are the driving force to our growth, if we don’t have a great product that is always improving and excellent service they wouldn’t buy from us.

“Know what your customers want most and what your company does best. Focus on where those two meet.” – Kevin Stirtz

 5. Be kind, patient and always give back.
Doing something for the good of others is the most fulfilling accomplishment you will ever experience.  From personal experience, trust me on this one.

“Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something.” – Author Unknown

 InspireKindness

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Elite Offers “All for One” Brand and Market Solutions

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Catrina Elliott

"Our focus is ensuring our clients are completely satisfied and the product we deliver is of outstanding quality."

When it comes to the branding and marketing of your business, it’s a multi-channel world out there and the choices can be overwhelming. Elite Image Software, a Nanaimo-based marketing firm, streamlines the process by offering complete marketing solutions under one innovative umbrella.

From marketing strategies and brand development to graphic design, brand management software, website development, social media and email solutions, and print media services — Elite simplifies the complex yet critical process of branding and marketing.

“Elite focuses on developing a marketing strategy that enhances the unique personality of every client’s business,” says Elite president Catrina Elliott. “We maintain consistent brand messaging across print and electronic marketing platforms.”

Elite’s advantage is its membership-based, custom, proprietary brand management software — a cost-saving tool that allows clients to modify digital and print materials online, without special applications or expertise. This saves time and eliminates the need to coordinate with a designer to make simple changes to marketing materials. Elite also offers in-house on-demand print services which means clients can have outstanding product quality, quick turn-around times, and the ability to order low volumes of items as needed.

Elliott attributes the success of her business to strategic planning, focusing on growth opportunities, and achieving goals though hard work and perseverance, a work ethic instilled by her parents at a young age. She also considers her team a major asset, and takes inspiration from business partner Hadi Abassi, a mentor in both guiding the business’ growth and making a difference locally.

“At Elite, this means investing in the community,” says Elliott. “Each month, our company chooses a community group to support, either by providing staff a working day to fundraise or volunteer, or through in-kind donation of services.”

These projects have ranged from design and print work for local sports teams to designing a calendar for the BCSCPA. Elliott has also served as communications director for the Young Professionals of Nanaimo, and is a member on the Fund Development Committee for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Central Vancouver Island.

This dedication to giving back to the community embodies Elliott’s commitment to leading through example. “By focusing on providing strong leadership, a collaborative environment, and the motivation to take risks. I’m confident our team will continue to be an industry leader in innovation,” says Elliott.

“We’re always exploring new and different ways to offer products and services that will benefit Elite’s clients.”

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Elite Roots

Posted on August 15, 2012 by Catrina Elliott

Elite Image was founded in 2011 by Catrina Elliott. Started as a marketing firm with a unique twist, Elite offers stunning and cost effective marketing solutions for our business clients in the real estate and other industries.

We offer market research and strategy, branding and graphic design, public relations, social media and print services.

But what really separates us is our software: we have developed a custom, proprietary system that allows businesses to upload their marketing materials and edit them online. This frees up companies to quickly (and without any special applications or expertise) modify their digital or print materials from the comfort of any computer with access to the internet. They can then with the click of a button send the pieces directly to print. This saves our clients the time it would take to send changes to a graphic designer (and go through the entire revision process) and any of the costs of hiring a designer for these regular but simple changes. We bring it all together for your business.

We will make your business Elite! At Elite, we are confident that we will meet all of your expectations. We can deliver an outstanding brand that will land new business and foster new business connections. We will develop effective materials that will deliver the unique personality of your company. We will provide a set of tools to help you sustain your brand across all of your materials going forward. We will design and implement a web presence that will convince visitors to take the next step with your business. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at your convenience. We look forward to working with you!

www.eliteimage.ca
info@eliteimage.ca
P: 250.591.0175

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Top 10 Reasons to be ELITE

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Catrina Elliott
  1. Your colleagues will be jealous.
    Ever look over the fence at your neighbour’s yard? Now imagine if parked in your backyard was a shiny, red lawnmower that cut the grass automatically whenever you want. Elite is your marketing equivalent.
  2. “Are you a designer? Because I’m not a designer.”
    The skills and expertise of a designer are indispensible. But do they need to perform every tiny modification to your materials? “I want to change my title from President to CEO. Why do I have to wait until after the weekend?” Now you don’t.
  3. All of the cool kids are doing it.
    Top producers in all industries use tools to make them more effective. They use schedulers to keep track of their time. They use smart phones to stay connected. They use Elite to manage their marketing materials. How cool do you want to be?
  4. “Maybe I want to change my brochure at 3 AM in my underwear!”
    The internet doesn’t go to sleep or care what you’re wearing. That’s why we built our service on top of it. We know business doesn’t sleep, so why should your marketing?
  5. It don’t matter if you’re black & white or full colour.
    Whatever your materials look like is how they will look and behave in our software. Have a super fancy business card and a utilitarian sales sheet? Done and done.
  6. You only wish you were Mark Zuckerberg.
    Your marketing budget is one of the most important factors in the success of your business. Overspend in one area and another is neglected. Our software allows your entire budget to go farther, whether it is spent on fliers or Facebook.
  7. Because a robot version of yourself would be creepy.
    Ever wish there were two of you because of how little time there seems to be in a day? The Elite software gives you time instead of taking it away. No longer must you wait for changes or struggle with cumbersome software. Elite is agile and ready to work for you.
  8. Your millionth mailer should look like your first one.
    For your brand, consistency is king. Even the best designers in the world can stray from the course over the endless revision cycle. We ensure your brand is airtight for its life.
  9. Coffee flows freely in the Elite Offices.
    We are your dedicated marketing support network. Need a new look for your company? We’ve got you covered. Need those brochures yesterday? We’ll get in our time machines and deliver. Okay, maybe too much coffee.
  10. There is no “fashionably late” in business.
    The first business to adopt a game-changing technology is always at an advantage and the last a disadvantage. Where do you want your business to fit on that scale?
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Sharon’s Story

Posted on November 17, 2011 by Catrina Elliott

Everyone loves the feel-good story, including us at Elite Image. And here is one from our newest Brand Champion, Sharon Stannard.

We ran a little Facebook contest at the end of October. We were giving away 2 tickets to the BC Lions in a pivotal game versus the rival Edmonton Eskimos. It was Halloween-themed, and asked people to post their favourite Ghost Stories and get their friends to vote on the best one to win the tickets. It was a heated battle between Tali (another fan) and Sharon up until the final minutes. In the end, Tali pulled it out and beat Sharon by a meager 17 votes. But that's where things got interesting.

Turns out we were so impressed with the Ghost Story Sharon produced, which was her own, and the effort she put out to get people to vote for her story that we happened to find another pair of tickets to the game. But let's let Sharon tell the story in her own words:

To be sixty years of age and to have enjoyed such a memorable weekend makes me so appreciative and so happy.

Early last week (October 25th, 2011) I entered an Elite Image Ghost Story Contest for two BOX SEATS to the BC Lions versus the Edmonton Eskimos game in Vancouver on Saturday, October 29th.

My younger brother, Leyton, has a liver transplant approximately this time last year and in celebration of his second chance at life I thought it would be astonishing to be able to be at an arena watching a football game.

This contest closed on October 26th at 5:00 pm precisely according to Reed Botwright's (Elite Image's Social Media Manager extraordinaire) Swiss chronometer and I came in a very close second place. I am so grateful to my friends and family for voting for my story. Have you heard that strangers are just friends waiting to happen? This is so very true and this contest is proof of that statement; just ask Sabinah, another contest contestant who voted for my story.

End of story you may be thinking, well not at all!!!!!!!! Elite images surprisingly gave me a pair of tickets to the SAME LIONS GAME! How wonderful is that? Pretty darned wonderful however it got a whole lot more wonderful as impossible as that may seem. When I went to pick up my tickets on Friday at the Elite Image office in Nanaimo I was presented with BOX SEATS tickets also! Fearful of fainting or breaking down in happy tears of total disbelief I hugged this awesome man with the great smile. Thank you Reed; (thank you Catrina — thank you Elite Image)!!!!!!!!!!

I called my brother after the contest closed and the results were posted to tell him that we had not won. I could hear his disappointment when he simply stated, "oh that is okay". When I told him that Elite was going to give us tickets he was so thrilled just knowing that we were going to the game.

I decided NOT to tell my brother that we had been given Box Seats . Keeping secrets is almost an impossibility for me but I succeeded with this self imposed challenge and I am so glad that I did.

My brother, Leyton, had never been to a football game. Decades ago I and several of my classmates received tickets for a Blue Bombers game in Winnipeg, Manitoba. I was in Elementary School and volunteered time as a "crossing guard" and all of the crossing guards were rewarded with with tickets to a game. This was such an honour and the memory of being in the presence of these "giants" of men has always stayed with me. Needless to say I have been a football fan ever since. My goodness how times have changed though. This game was outdoors and we sat on wooden bleacher type seats but to me it will always be one of the greatest decades in Canadian football history.

Friday came and went …. sleepless night with all the excitement of anticipation of our upcoming adventure. I hopped in my little green truck early Saturday morning to get a head start on my workload so I could leave work early. I work at Uncle Sam's Furniture in Nanaimo and all my co-workers were thrilled with the news of my win. The owner of the business came up to me at one point to publically announce that I could not go as they needed me there on Saturday and I "might as well just give him the tickets", ha ha ha ha ha. A "joker" in every crowd! Lucky for me he was not serious …. actually there is a funny twist to this aspect of the story that I may as well mention here. (New owners have taken over the furniture store effective Monday, October 31 but I am sure this is nothing to do with me not giving the former owner my tickets! I hope they direct all their advertising through Elite Images.)

The atmosphere at the store Saturday morning was exciting and happy. Everyone has a sports related story to tell. Although I did manage to get the essential elements of my job completed it was highly evident that my concentration skills were fading to the point of becoming non-existent. Impossible to focus as I discovered how wonderful it can be to day dream. Using my new found "game logic" it seemed crystal clear to me that I might as well hop in my little truck and point it in the direction of Duke Point Ferry Terminal sooner than later which is exactly what I did finding myself on the 12:45 vessel to the "Big City".

Both my brother and I live on this beautiful Island in the Pacific. Leyton in Victoria and I live in Nanaimo. We arranged to meet at the Howard Johnson on Kingsway & West 10th prior to the game. My brother has to travel frequently to Vancouver for medical appointments and he primarily stays overnight at this particular hotel where the staff is so pleasant and the rates are affordable.

The simplest and most economical way for us to travel was as foot passengers. Using public transit is not only faster but it is also a wonderful way to connect with new friends. More on that a bit later in this brief (honest I really planned for this to be brief, ha ha) weekend report.

At the terminal waiting to board I struck up a conversation with a young fellow who mentioned he was going to a game in Vancouver. I thought that perhaps it was the winner of this contest but he was Taylor, a high school student heading to a Canucks game. I did not see him too often on the boat but that is probably because I was up on the outside decks several times ….. actually I spent most of the trip on deck looking for signs of land indicating getting close to the mainland. My mind drifting back to the Rime of the Ancient Mariner; one of the many rhymes that my dad (who God Rest His Soul would of loved to have been at this game with us) would recite to us as children. My sea voyage was not nearly fast enough but the weather was lovely, blue skies, sunshine and no wind or rain. Land I did finally see and well before the announcement that the boat was nearing the Vancouver terminal I found myself second in the line up to get off the boat — no surprise there, ha ha ha; the first in line was Taylor! I like to think it was not because he was more excited that I … he had youth on his side and he could move faster! We chatted some more and another very nice young man who had recently moved to Nanaimo from New Brunswick joined in our conversation. Apparently he had received a telephone call from his sister on Friday asking if he would like to go to a BC Lions game on Saturday that she had tickets too! You know a person could write an entire book of human interest stories, those wonderful little stories behind the people attending the games or people winning contests or?????? People have always fascinated me and they are my motivators in life and this might be something I should perhaps pursue!

The transit bus taking me on the next leg of our great adventure was waiting outside the terminal and within a half hour I was on the train leaving Sky Train Station at Bridgeport enroute to Broadway/City Hall Station. Lastly I hoped onto a #9 bus on Broadway, off at Kingsway, quick jaunt up the hill to the hotel and my brother who was anxiously waiting my arrival. Maybe one hour total travel time but most importantly Zero Stress!

Leyton and I make an unanimous executive decision to leave immediately for BC Place …. too energized to wait …. too excited for anything except getting to the game arriving just as the gates were opening. We had just found BC Place when young Taylor (from the boat) walked past us enroute to the Canuks game across the road. Unbelievable. In a city the size of Vancouver on Halloween weekend and two major games being played side by side who would ever believe that you would see amongst all the thousands of people right beside you the new friend whom you had just met hours before on the boat. After a brief greeting we both went on our ways …. wow!

We walked around the perimeter of the building entering at Gate H. Leyton had not quit smiling since I met up with him at the hotel but when we entered our Box Seat visions of long ago childhood Christmas Days came to mind. He was beaming and we cried and we hugged, we laughed and we even danced a little quickstep. I am not an overly religious individual but even in the Bible we are told to "be as a child". I never really understood completely what this meant until that moment we opened the door to our seats and I saw the expression on his face. Elite Image — thank you. You have no idea how much this trip has meant to us. We are both so eternally grateful.

Now if that is not as good as it gets …. it really does get better! We were joined by the winner of the Ghost Story Contest, Tali and his "Big Brother" of seven years. What wonderful people each of these are and we were so happy to meet them and enjoy the game alongside them.

The game was absolutely marvelous. Both the BC Lions and Edmonton Eskimos played fast and furious. The BC Lions did win 29-20 but it was exciting the whole game through. If I were asked who my personal favourite is, I would have to go with Solomon Elimimian who has been quoted as saying "It's not the will to win, but the will to prepare to win, that makes the difference". Reminds me of the fast and furious challenge of Elite Image's Ghost Story Contest.

The game was over lightening fast but the story does not end here. Leyton and I walked out of BC Place alongside the other approximately 30,000 football fans joining the tens of thousands of hockey fans leaving Rogers Arena. Add to this sea of people all the thousands of Halloween party goers and theatre goers, etc. etc. etc. and Vancouver becomes absolutely ELECTRIC. The sights, the sounds, the music, the food — one huge downtown fun party. Looking around you would see not only the usual vampires, ghosts, pumpkins, angels and princesses (typical Halloween costumes) but there was a bit of everything amongst the crowds; Popeye, Jack Sparrow, Buzz Lightyear, Fred Flintstone; the list is endless. It was pure magic. Everyone having an amazing time. What a city! How proud am I to be not only Canadian but a resident of Beautiful British Columbia.

It was getting close to midnight when we approached a most helpful and polite City Policeman to ask for directions back to the hotel as by this time we were totally confused but loving every moment of it. As it turns out we were less than a half block from a train station and within 15 minutes we were back at the Howard Johnson in our pjs and fast asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow.

Sunday morning began with a lovely breakfast at the hotel and a ride together on the buses and trains back to the ferry terminal. Met an interesting woman from Pender Island who had just returned from Istanbul, Turkey and a visitor from Ontario who asked me to "buddy" her on the ferry ride home as it was her first time on the boat but they will have to remain stories for another time. I had to be back for work so it was necessary to be on the first ferry out of the Big City. It would have been nice to have stayed a bit later but there are absolutely no regrets. We each have so many memories of this past weekend … memories that will last our lifetimes. Leyton has to return to Vancouver tomorrow (Wednesday) for medical reasons and I can well imagine the stories he will be telling those wonderful folks at BC Transplant.

I firmly believe that "Life is for the Living" and Elite Image your generosity in providing these tickets and the opportunity of a lifetime will never be forgotten. May you have every success in your business endeavours. I will always be your #1 Fan (or if not #1 a very close second, ha ha — which seems to be just how it is for me). Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Sharon Stannard

PS — I have to go now and write the unabridged version of my Ghost Story!

Thank you, Sharon. You turned our little contest from a simple ticket give-away into an experience we will all remember.

The Elite Team

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Create an accessible brand for your dealers and franchisees

Posted on May 11, 2011 by Catrina Elliott

Whether you are starting a new franchise or your business has reached the level of success where your model includes multiple locations, dealers or franchises, your brand can face a crossroad. You strive to maintain brand integrity through all outlets and yet the expense of professionally tailoring each and every design item can make quality brand pieces feel out of reach. What is a business owner to do? Let Elite Image unlock your brand and power your business. What can Elite Image do to help?

Save your money

Whether you have a designer in house or you outsource, you can save money by having your branded materials accessible to your team. With a quick login, anyone on your team can access the professionally designed materials and make the updates; where you need them, as you need them. Your franchise owners will no longer need to create their own independent materials (that may not meet brand standards!) and you won’t have to pay to have multiple sets of the same design created. Easy on your pocketbook and easy to use!

Save your time

Your job is to run your business, manage your product or service and support your franchisees to achieve success. So where in that equation do you find the time to continually manage graphic design projects? With Elite Image, you can reduce the demand. Once you have your materials, any content or image updates can be quickly addressed from any computer with internet access and by anyone! If your dealer or franchisee desperately needs your brochure for a tradeshow but you don’t have one with their contact information – no problem! All they need to do it login, make the change and take the print-ready PDF to any print shop – anywhere! What could be simpler?

Save your brand

Maintaining the integrity of your brand is paramount. Your brand represents you, your business and the implied quality of your product or service in consumers’ minds. Once you introduce a dealer or franchise network, you open your brand to the chance that it will be manipulated in sub-par design usages. Enforcing brand standards traditionally proved challenging as each dealer or franchisee sought to solve their designed marketing materials by taking it into their own hands – and their own design! But with Elite Image, your dealers and franchisees receive the design support and materials they require. Through the support of your dealers and franchisees, you are ultimately strengthening your own brand, and most importantly your business!

Call us today to get your brand materials on track 250 585 3822.

Or to discover how to save a ton of money on design and print, check out www.eliteimage.ca.

Just see what one of our clients have to say:

“WOWWWW! You have an amazing team, product and professionalism. It has truly been a relief working with Elite Image on bringing our brand to the next level. In this age of mediocrity, you have definitely separated from the pack. Please pass along my gratitude to everyone involved.”

Randy Langille – Founder of Integral Hockey Stick Repair

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The Brand Balancing Act: Cost vs. Budget

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Catrina Elliott

We have all heard the marketing message that stresses the importance of a cohesive brand represented with quality design. And they are right, but the reality for many small to medium sized business owners is that the cost for continual brand updates, material creation and overall design expense can be out of reach for many. So how can you, as a business owner, find the balance to create and update materials with a professional design but reduce your costs? The answer has three words; Elite Image Software.

Through innovative software development, Elite Image puts you in control of your brand. With easy online access from anywhere in the world, you can update your materials, keep current and keep your budget in check.

Elite Image was launched in 2009 by Catrina Elliott, President and founder of Elite Image Software. Through her close work with clients, Elliott discovered a unique opportunity to make professionally branded materials more accessible to moderate sized businesses. “The need for a small business owner to find the time, or budget to work with designers for small material changes is no longer there. The owners or their staff can make the adjustments themselves, saving time and money” says Elliott. “And in today’s economy, every dollar saved has an impact on the bottom line.”

So who is using Elite Image? The early first adopters have been real estate agents. By trade, their advertisements and property flyers change frequently. In some cases, property details or information arrives late at night and instead of losing time by waiting on a third party to make changes the next day, proof, revise and complete the materials – with Elite Image, realtors can simply login, make the changes any time of day or night and have a high-resolution, full bleed, print ready PDF files available for print right away. It doesn’t get much easier than that. The testimonials say it all:

“We use Elite Image on a daily basis. The system is so easy to use and cost effective. We are completely satisfied with the level of service provided” Ohs & McLane – Royal LePage

“The system is user friendly and gives us control over our brand. I would highly recommend this system to any real estate agent looking for a valuable tool for their marketing.” Nancy Bolch – RE/MAX 

While Realtors were a natural first fit, Elite Image is also a valuable tool for corporations and franchises. The same overall benefits apply. With a franchise, business with multiple locations or a dealer network, you can have your corporate branded pieces available for your team to access and adapt on demand from anywhere with absolute minimal cost while maintaining your brand standards effectively.

But wait, there’s more. If providing a user-friendly online brand control system wasn’t enough – Elite Image is committed to the highest level of customer service. Should you have any questions or if by chance an issue does arise, Elite Image features live customer support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

What more could a business ask for? Professional materials easily revised on your time and within your budget – from anywhere, with the support of the Elite Image team to ensure your satisfaction. To see for yourself or learn more about Elite Image, go to www.eliteimage.ca or call 1-855-354-8355.

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