Start-up enterprises are often watching each nickel that they spend. Most businesses start with a small investment of money and a huge investment of time. It is the belief of the entrepreneur that their time and energy can turn that small monetary investment into a good paying job or even a big payoff in the future.

Marketing is an important aspect of any start-up venture, but the mistake that some businesses make is that their earliest marketing pieces are executed poorly, and risk never standing out in the mind of a potential client. A great example of a poorly executed marketing piece is a basic “flyer” done in Microsoft Word. I put quotes around the word flyer because in this example it is little more tan a letter on colored paper. Though Word has higher functionality that can make a flyer look more professional, most young businesses think that simply changing the font from Times New Roman to Arial and making some of the words in a larger font means that they have a flyer. WRONG.

Online tools that can help young companies affordably create flyers and other marketing pieces for their businesses, are out there. One such tool is Hewlett Packard’s Marketsplash, which I recently read is not available just to HP owners, but to the public in general at https://www.marketsplash.com/marketsplash/flow/home?execution=e2s1 . Most online companies allow you to select a style and design for your marketing piece, as well as insert custom images and wording to make it look like it was created especially for your business.

Here are some basic design tips when creating a flyer for your company.

1. One easy way to help people remember your business is to use a consistent color scheme and design on each piece you create.

2. People want to read that you know what you are doing, but more importantly they want to be told how your business can help them.

3. Be sure to include a website and a physical address so people can see where you are or learn more about your business online. Also include a phone number for people who prefer to check out a new business by talking to you rather than going online.

You want to create a flyer or marketing piece that will make people want to do business with you. A poorly designed flyer sends the message that you don’t care enough about your business’s success to put out something better, so potential customers may be left wondering if you’ll care any more about them. Cut-rate flyers are more likely to be planted in the recycle bin than planted in the minds of your customers.