Advice You - Business

Have you ever noticed how many articles there are on creating your own marketing materials? These articles concentrate on things you "should do," offering such clever advice as "Know your audience," "Say it with pictures" or "Write clearly and distinctly." N

According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product

ow I'm not saying any of that is bad advice. But you should also know what not to do. That's what this article is about. Or more specifically, it's about what most do-it-yourselfers are tempted to do--but shouldn't.

Nothing screams "Design Novice" like the

; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.

Examples of combination products may in

ollowing 10 mistakes:

1. Don't enlarge your logo so it's the main focus of the page. Yes, your logo features the name of your company. But it's not the main point. People are interested in what you're selling, not who you are. In fact, the smaller your logo

lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.

, the more established your company will appear. Besides, if they are interested in what you’re selling or promoting, they will look to the bottom to find out where to get it.

2. Don't place your logo in the text of your piece. Of course it's fine to use th

here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe

name of your company in the text of any of your marketing materials, but inserting your actual logo into a headline or body copy is design suicide.

3. Don't use every font at your disposal. Choose one or two fonts for all your materials to build your brand

d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.

Combination pro

Your font choices should be consistent with your image and your industry. Cursive and creative fonts are often hard to read, know your audience’s ability to read such things and they must still stand out.

4. Don't use color indiscriminately. More color doe

ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc

sn't necessarily make something more appealing. Often it just makes it loud and annoying. When someone screams at you, do you want to listen or run away? Most, if not all, your text should be the same color, preferably black for readability or red for a call

easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi

to action. For a unique look, try duotone photographs or print in two colors. If you plan to use full color on a piece make sure you really utilize that color instead of just putting it in your logo for example and nowhere else – that’s just a waste of colo

nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically

and you’re paying extra for that. On the flip side, try not to use too many colors in the text; I’ve seen sometimes 5-7 colors in the text on just a business card and that makes nothing stand out plus it’s hard to follow.

5. Don't be redundant. Don't repe

and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ

at the name of your industry or product in your company name and your tagline and your headline. Potential customers know your industry. Restating it implies you don't.

6. Don't choose low-quality or low-resolution photography. A photo may look great in an

ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi

lbum, but unless it features balanced lighting and good composition, it's not print-worthy. Photos need to be at least 300 dpi. And yes, people can tell the difference.

7. Don't fill up every inch of white space on the page. White space, or negative space,

ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.

Following aspects would a

rings focus to what's important and gives the eye a rest. You may have a lot to say, but cramming it all in creates chaos and minimizes impact. Your piece will end up visually overwhelming. Think less, not more. Besides you should have a website now that peo

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod

ple can go to for more detailed information.

8. Don't focus on the details of your product or service; instead, focus on how it benefits your audience. Unless your product is extremely technical, make your offering relevant to your audience by emphasizing i

cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin

s benefits, not its features. Otherwise it's like going to a party and talking about yourself all night. That's not exactly the best way to win friends or gain customers. Your heading and your message must hit your target market’s “hot buttons” and what’s in

tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen

it for them?

9. Don't do exactly what your competitors are doing. When you're positioning your product, it's good to know your competition. But don't copy them. Find out what your customers want and are attracted to. Stand out without sticking out. If you c

t?

As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel

an take your logo and place it in your competitor’s ad and it applies and vice versa then you’re not getting creative or unique enough with your message and you just look like everyone else. Besides, who knows if they’re getting good response on their ads?

ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

hey might not be.

10. Don't change design styles with every marketing piece you create. Strive for a consistent look and feel, keeping the same fonts and logo placement. If you use photos in one ad, don't use illustrations in another. If you place your logo

y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products

in the middle of one brochure, don't place in at the top-right corner in another. You get the gist.

Finally, do be clear, clean, compelling and consistent. You'll end up looking--and selling--like a pro. K. Sawa Marketing can help you design, create and pr

.

As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de

int as inexpensively as possible all your marketing materials, brochures, websites and more! Just ask.

About the Author Katrina Sawa, Small Biz Marketing Expert, helps entrepreneurs and small business owners build their database of clients and prospects,

elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

etermine the best ways to market their business to their target market, teach them how to network, develop follow up systems, marketing and advertising plans and find ways to get free or low cost publicity which all lead to more customers and increased sales

tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products

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This article helps a novice trade show display buyer separate the truth from the fiction when talking to display salesman over the phone. What questions to ask and what answers to expect, help you decide whether to do business with that person.

Much like the runaway bride, the “runaway candidate” can have a devastating effect upon a potential employer. In today’s competitive market for top candidates, most employers consider a candidate “onboard” once they have accepted the job and signed their offer letter. I would counter we’re not at the finish line, or “honeymoon”, just yet.

An efficient customer support system plays backbone to the successful functioning of any business. This goes for the small-scale unit as well as the large multinational bank, insurance company, or mail order firm with a large customer base numbering in the thousands or millions. Customer support means that your enquiries are attended to immediately no matter from which time zone you dial your enquiry.

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Advice You - Avoid These 10 Design Disasters When Creating Your Business' Marketing Materials

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