Business Announcements

Important Note:
Please be sure to save the template to your hard drive; then open the file from within Word before making your own changes.

E-mail is a cross between conventional letter writing and spoken communications--a type of transcribed conversation. It's ironic that the age of the telephone, which demanded we improve our speaking skills, is in many cases, being replaced by an electronic age that requires a new found skill in, of all things, writing!

Marketing is personal. Personal in a way that is the same whether you are commissioning a multi-million dollar advertising campaign or producing 100 copies of a simple flyer — the goal of either is to move one person to take a specific action.

Accordingly, effective marketing speaks to one person — not to a list of prospects in a database or a segment of a demographic group — but to a single person with a face and a name. The better you communicate, the better your chance of successfully demonstrating the benefits that trigger buying decisions.

If you regard marketing as relationship building it's easy to understand the value of something as simple as an announcement. These three templates, "Thank You," "Announcing," and "Good News," provide all types of opportunities to make personal contact: To thank a customer for a meeting with you, for sending a referral, or for making a purchase. To announce a name change, a move, or an event. Or to broadcast news such as the roll-out of a new product, the addition of a key resource person, or the redesign of your web site. There are three cover templates — "Thank You," "Announcing," and "Good News," — and one template for the inside text. The subtle artwork and muted colors are designed to make your printout look as if it were printed on a slightly textured surface. The announcement fits a standard

The template for the inside has space for two blocks of text. At the top is space for a mission statement, a quote, or a phrase that defines your organization. The main message could be the same on every card or something you customize for the occasion. Below the message is space for your name or the name of your organization and plenty of space for your signature and a personal note.

For best results, print your finished document on heavy, high-quality paper with the C5000, C7000 or C9000 Series digital color printers from OKI Printing Solutions. Add your text to the inside template (OK035ancD) and print it on side one of an 8 1/2 by 11 inch sheet of paper. Next, choose one of the three cover templates (OK035ancA, OK035ancB, OK035ancC), add your text, and print it on the back of the same sheet.

Fold the finished sheet on the two horizontal "crop marks" in the center of the paper then trim the announcement using crop marks in the corners of each side (shown above in red). Your finished card will measure roughly 8 5/8 by 3 5/8 inches. To create interesting effects, try printing your announcement on different types, weights, and colors of paper.

All templates are compatible with the C5000 Series, C7000 Series and C9000 Series digital color printers from OKI^® Printing Solutions.

Template design by: Chuck Green, Logic Arts (804-266-7996, www.ideabook.com);
Headline font: Impact, Adobe Systems (800-68-ADOBE, www.adobe.com);
Furniture photographs: courtesy of HON Industries Inc. ( www.hon.com)