Business Cartoons Mean Business
 by: Mark Anderson

Let’s face it, unless you’re Donald Trump, business can be pretty dull most of the time. Maybe that’s why so many people decorate their cubicles and offices with cartoons. A good laugh can really perk up your day! So why don’t more businesses use business cartoons?

It’s interesting that so few companies make the connection between cartoons and business. Are they afraid of not being taken seriously? Are cartoons just funny little drawings that no one really pays attention to? Publications like the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, Forbes and Harvard Business Review all publish business cartoons regularly. What’s going on here?!

Maybe we’re so buried in spreadsheets, reports and memos that it’s hard to see where business cartoons might be able to help out. Here are some examples of how business cartoons used correctly can be a boon to both your morale and your bottom line:

Company Newsletters

Newsletters are a great place to use business cartoons! Corporate newsletters are usually filled with all sorts of company information, important information to be sure, but pretty dry reading nonetheless.

If you want your employees to really read your newsletters, give them something fun! Good business cartoons get discussed at the coffee machine, hung up in cubicles and faxed to business contacts. They're a great way to not only get your people to actually open the company newsletter, but explore and discuss it!

Business Presentations

You're sitting there in the conference room wishing you had a cappuccino IV to keep your eyes open while some guy drones on and on and on. Graphs, pie charts, more graphs, some bullet points, etc... Let's face it, it's hard to keep a dark room of sleep deprived people engaged.

Why not pep up your presentations with some good business cartoons! Not only are they a good way to get a presentation going (similar to starting a speech with a joke), but they're a great way to make your point throughout in a memorable way.

Websites & Intranets

Business cartoons are a wonderful way to get business prospects and customers visiting you online day after day. Years in sales taught me that people buy from people they like, and what better way to foster a good business relationship than by offering not only your products and/or services, but also a good laugh!

Of course you want your staff visiting your website and intranet often as well. Adding business cartoons will give your employees a great reason to check in on all your company information too!

Advertising & Email Campaigns

Looking for more customers? Nothing succeeds like business cartoons!

Many Fortune 1000 companies use business cartoons in their email campaigns. Some report astronomical email open rates, and click-thru rates in double digits! According to dead link Jan 18-07 Marketing Sherpa.com, companies are usually opposed to using business cartoons initially because they don't see the value in a 'cute' little cartoon. The website also notes, however, that when the business cartoons become the most clicked on portion of the email, companies quickly change their minds.

Business cartoons are a great way to advertise as well! They're quick, fun, and they grab your attention - wonderful attributes for potential customers to associate with your business!

Training Manuals & Fax Cover Sheets

Want to keep your trainees engaged in their training? Business cartoons are a fun way to break up the often lengthy training sessions and help your new employees relax.

And fax cover sheets just about beg for good business cartoons! Make sure your fax is well received not only by the person you intend to read it, but by the couple of other people who'll get a good laugh as they pass it along.

Business Cartoons are Good Business

As you can see, business cartoons simply make good business sense. Whether you use them in newsletters, powerpoints, websites, advertising, or manuals, business cartoons enliven your projects and promote interaction with both customers and employees.

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