Are you losing money because of
starving-artists design?
I've noticed a lot of bad design
of marketing material lately. I've also seen some fabulous graphic design. You
might want to protect yourself from the design demons. It's so easy for budding
entrepreneurs to use a design program without understanding or applying
marketing design principles.
Good marketing design is art
based on scientific principles. The art, I'm not so good at. I'm a stick figure
artist at best. But I do understand the principles of effective design. If
you're hiring graphic designers to creative marketing materials you don't need
to be an artist but you need to understand the fundamentals.
Apply this 3 part test to your
visual marketing materials. That might include your website, postcard, poster,
sign, flyer, business card...
Attention
Whose attention do you want to
catch? You can catch attention with a visual or with words. In either case it
will likely be a benefit that your best prospects desire or a pain that they
hope to banish. Design your marketing to target your best prospects.
This is especially challenging
when your advertisement is on a page with other listings.
Absolution or aspirin - that's
what grabs their attention. Most of the time, your photo, logo, or business name
won't do that.
Eye Flow
Let's assume that you caught
their attention - where do their eyes go next? If you don't know, it's bad
graphic design. You don't need to be an expert to know where the eyes go. Just
test it yourself. Our eyes tend to jump from point to point. Effective graphic
design leads the eyes of viewers like a tour guide directing a museum tour.
Each eye jump must enhance the
perceived value and want of your prospects. You should be able to predict the
first three eye jumps.
Action
This is the final test. What do
you want your prospects to do? If this doesn't happen your marketing investment
was wasted. If you want them to call you, tell them why. If you want them to
visit your shop, tell them why. If you want them to click your link, tell them
why. If you want them to scan your QR code, tell them why.
People only act when they have a
good reason. That is most likely the same factor that caught their attention.
Don't hope that prospects will be curious. You don't want curious people. You
want motivated buyers.
Remind your graphic designer that
purpose and function are far more important than the artistic form. You don't
want a Picasso. You want customers to buy.
Don't be seduced by the art -
test your design against these three simple marketing principles.
PS: Here's an example of a poorly
designed postcard.
PPS: Here's
a
well designed business card.
Do you want an engaging keynote
speech for your conference or sales meeting?
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briefing for your management team?
Call George Torok
905-335-1997
Forward this
tip to your colleagues who want to gain
an unfair advantage over the competition.
George Torok Keynote Marketing Speaker Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing Get your free copy of "50 Power Marketing Ideas" Power Marketing on FaceBook Marketing Zoo on Twitter
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