When Rick Staton started the CMIT Solutions of Upper Chesapeake franchise in 2018, he knew he wanted to invest in strategic marketing.

“Marketing generates leads,” he says, “And the more leads we have, the more sales we’re going to have.”

Rick decided to establish a marketing presence in multiple channels, including creative brochures, print ads, and direct mail. His commitment to marketing was so outstanding that his franchise won CMIT’s national Marketing Excellence Award in 2019.

Thinking Outside the Trifold

Although his franchise had ready-made brochures available, Rick wanted something more contemporary and unique. He asked us to unleash our creativity to create a series of print materials for him:

• A general brochure describing the managed IT services
• A family of brochure and postcards targeting the healthcare industry

It’s true that conventional trifolds have some advantages. They fold into a compact size, and they fit perfectly into those standard brochure boxes. But in the forest of trifolds, they can get easily passed over. So, we brainstormed other designs that would really stand out.

Bifold Brochure

For the general brochure, we decided to go with a large bifold that opens up to 8.5 x 14”. This majestic size helps prospects understand the big picture at a glance.

We curated information on CMIT’s key services and featured them with corresponding graphics in a customized business setting. We also created a map to show the scope of the franchise throughout North America.

Cross Brochure

For the healthcare-targeted brochure, we chose a design that starts as a square and unfolds into a cross—a symbol that is common in the medical field.

We played with language and chose images that blended the IT and healthcare industries. What better way to show this than with a stethoscope on a laptop?

As the cross unfolds, each pair of squares reveals a new message and addresses a felt need. This brochure encourages prospects to interactively engage with the content and absorb it one question at a time.

Postcards Based on Cross Brochure

To round out the family of healthcare-targeted print ads, we also created a series of postcards to be mailed out in succession. This cohesive campaign combined a highly customized cross brochure with simpler, economical postcards that all carried the same branded design.

Nationwide Demand for the Brochures

Rick loves the new print materials. “It gives me a lot more confidence when I meet with a prospect,” he says. “When I give them a brochure, they understand immediately what we are about. People remember the material, and they keep it.”

Rick was so impressed by the brochures that he showed them to the other 180 owners in the CMIT Solutions franchise.

“Their response was, ‘Stunning! Beautiful! Where can I get one of these?’” says Rick. “Now at least 12 franchises across the US have continued to purchase marketing materials that Accent Interactive created.”