Showing clients the value you can bring to a situation is at the heart of everything you do, but that doesn't make it easy to accomplish. That's particularly true 
when you are trying to market a service—something that can't be poked or prodded, tried on or test driven, at least not in the traditional sense. If your primary business is to provide a professional service, presentation becomes all the more critical.
If you are placing valuable documents in a plain manila folder, or worse yet, simply handing them over in a haphazard, stapled stack, you are not building a positive image in your customer's mind. In addition, you are short-changing the significance you could be conveying about the materials you're providing.
Presentation and Reputation
When you provide your client with a set of important documents, you typically have two goals. One, you want them to retain the materials and refer back to them when necessary. Two, you hope whatever positive feeling they have about the documents and how they are presented—the thoroughness, usefulness and professionalism—will reflect back on your company and build its brand image.
Unfortunately, there are several hurdles to overcome in achieving those goals. If important paperwork is not provided in a well-organized manner, your client is likely to misplace the materials, or at the least, they may not spend a adequate time reviewing them because they are disorganized or inaccessible. Misplacing important documents or difficulty accessing them will leave a negative impression of your company.
Search for Solutions
A branded accordion folder, however, can solve these challenges and become a welcomed marketing piece. Your company's identity can even be incorporated into the accordion folder's design.
Unlike a traditional file folder or pocket folder, a branded accordion folder offers the perfect solution to organizing and safekeeping important documents while building your brand every time your client refers back to these materials. It also provides a professional appearance to the documents that cannot be matched with plain folders or envelopes.
Take the example of Jay, a homeowner. Jay is in the process of putting his home on the market and needs to select a real estate agent. He interviewed three agents yesterday and two today. Four of the agents provided Jay with photocopies of comparable properties, stapled together, along with their business card and information about their agency.
But a fifth agent, although providing Jay with the identical pieces of information, presented them to him in a branded accordion folder. Which agent do you think made the best impression on Jay and got the listing?
Or, there is the example of Doris, an elderly woman still living independently. As Doris' daughter got ready to take Doris home from a recent hospital stay, a physician's assistant sat down with both Doris and her daughter to review the discharge materials and instructions to follow once Doris was back at her own home.
Afterward, the PA put all of the materials together in an accordion folder branded with the hospital's logo and contact information. Research has shown that providing elderly patients with clear and thorough post-discharge information following hospitalization can decrease re-admittance.
Chad, a mortgage lender, had a similar experience with his clients. Once he began providing mortgage paperwork to clients in an accordion folder, he noticed an increase in repeat business and referrals. While he cannot prove it, Chad believes having his contact information organized with the important paperwork has left a positive impression with customers who later found it easy to locate Chad's office number and email, as well as refer back to their loan paperwork.
The accordion folder pulled everything together in an attractive, organized way, leaving the impression that Chad was professional and thorough in his services.
Brand It, Organize It
Like these folks found, accordion folders can give your business or organization a significant advantage in the eyes of customers. By providing a way for customers to safeguard, yet easily access, important documents, you are meeting your client's current needs for service, as well as future needs for accessing information and guarding against document loss or damage.
At the same time, branded accordion folders tie your brand to the positive experience and professionalism made possible by well-organized documents presented in an attractive manner.
