Making the most of your marketing materials

You spend good money getting your message out into the world and how effective that message is will have a profound effect on the success of your business. Here are a few tips for getting the most out of your marketing dollars through effective graphic design and a well communicated message.

Look at your materials though your customer’s eyes

You know your business inside and out, so it can be easy to miss when you’re leaving out key information in your marketing materials. It can be incredibly valuable to take the time to view your materials as if you were a perspective customer (or, better yet, get someone who isn’t familiar with your business to look them over). If someone who isn’t familiar with you industry sees it, will it be clear to them exactly what you are offering? Have you used the language your customers would use, or have you used industry jargon? What questions will a potential customer have when they see your marketing materials?

Make sure your brand promise is clear

Another way to put that would be “Make sure it’s clear why potential customers should pick you over your competition.” In a world where everyone is jostling for our attention we can’t afford to be vague or make weak promises. Your marketing materials should say loud and clear “This is why we are the best choice.”

Pay attention to your attention

When you look at the design, where does your eye go first? Where does it go next? Then where? In graphic design we call this the hierarchy of attention and an experienced graphic designer knows how to use it to guide the viewer through the information you are conveying.

What are you asking the customer to do now?

So, you’ve got the customer’s attention, you’ve shared who you are and what you do, now what? You should be clear with yourself what the next steps you want a potential customer to take and use the design to prompt them to do it. This can be a clear call to action like “Call today for a free consultation” or it can be implied without being said, but if you aren’t clear on the next steps you’re leaving it to chance.