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October 29, 2008 ( PowerHomeBiz
) - NOTTINGHAM, UK and NASHUA, NH
-- With the volatile global economy putting pressure on business
owners of all sizes, small businesses are particularly challenged to uncover
new cost savings, even at the most basic levels. Services and amenities
which were once taken for granted are now being reevaluated. A recent survey
of small business owners found that many designed printed marketing
materials internally, rather than outsourcing them to a design agency,
representing at least one way for small businesses to tighten their belts.
Regardless, the survey also shows that those owners continue to struggle to
derive professional quality from their in-house materials.
(news continued below)
The survey was commissioned by Serif, a leading developer of professional
and consumer-oriented desktop publishing, design and graphics software. It
found that 56 percent of the responding small business owners currently
design some or all of their marketing materials in-house. Though these
business owners believed they were saving money, they still faced additional
challenges when absorbing the design process. It also found that a
surprising 65 percent of respondents were attempting to use word-processing
software to design their marketing materials.
When asked about the biggest challenges they face in designing materials
in-house: ― 28 percent cited a lack of in-house design skills ― 69 percent
cited the cost of professional design software
Clearly, the market has a need for a single, viable small business
solution that can address highly complex design concerns in an affordable
package. With this in mind, Serif’s PagePlus X3 desktop publishing software
is designed for small business owners, many of whom are new to desktop
publishing and are looking to create in-house publications such as
brochures, newsletters and catalogs, within limited time and budget.
PagePlus X3’s unrivaled combination of editing features, ease-of-use, and
affordable pricing ($99.99) make the software accessible to businesses of
all sizes.
“Very often small business owners are working each day just to ensure
they can put the key in the door the next morning and this economy is
certainly making their jobs more difficult. It is for these owners that we
endeavor to provide tools that help them find the most efficient and
affordable route to professional-quality marketing and promotional
materials,” said Gary Bates, Managing Director for Serif. “For less than
$100, our PagePlus X3 desktop publisher puts professional quality results at
their fingertips.”
Many small business owners who responded to the survey felt there was too
much on the line to rely on themselves for graphic design services. Of
respondents who produce some or all marketing materials in-house, 58 percent
thought the quality of their materials directly affected the outcome of the
campaign. This group clearly values the quality of their in-house designed
products, however 35 percent still cited their lack on design skills as the
biggest challenge they face. These statistics make it clear that many small
business owners recognize that while they best understand their business,
they need an easy-to-use design tool that can provide assistance in the
design aspects of their marketing materials.
For business owners with little to no experience with publishing software
or only an approximate idea of how they want their materials to look,
Serif’s PagePlus X3 provides high-quality professionally designed templates
which enable them to quickly and easily create marketing materials such as
brochures, posters, business cards and other business forms such as
stationary extremely quickly. For those interested in customizing their
marketing materials, PagePlus X3 also features in-program help features
combined with step-by-step easy-to-follow tutorials, enabling business
owners to create an entire line of full customized marketing materials on
their own.
For more information on Serif’s small business targeted software
programs, including PagePlus X3, please visit:
http://www.serif.com .
About Serif
Founded in 1987 with the aim to develop low-cost alternatives to high-end
publishing and graphics packages, Serif has repeatedly been praised for its
powerful yet easy-to-use software. Serif products put professional effects
and demanding publishing tasks within the reach of ordinary PC users around
the world and have won numerous awards including PC Plus Editor’s Choice, PC
Advisor Gold, Computer Buyer Best Buy, PC Answers Editor’s Choice and
Computer Shopper Best Buy.
Now with more than six million customers worldwide, Serif has
approximately 200 employees at its head office, development and European
sales center in Nottingham, UK and its North American sales operation in New
Hampshire. For more information, visit
http://www.serif.com .
About the Survey
The survey was commissioned by Serif and polled 218 US small business
owners between September 23 and 25, 2008.
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