Marketing material comes in many different forms and with the continuous evolution of digital media platforms, it’s easy to feel bombarded with the options available. Operations Director, Greg Rawles of Colchester based marketing agency Creative Fire helps to explain the fundamental check points when considering your next marketing campaign.

1. Consider Your Audience

It is imperative to think about your audience when it comes to designing your marketing materials. Identifying your target market can help to determine the correct strategy to employ. What you are looking for is an emotional connection. Always design your materials with your audience in mind.

2. Tell Your Story Clearly

First impressions are everything. The information you provide and how you display it is paramount when a customer is first introduced to your business and what you’re offering. It is important to hook them into your visual design. High-quality graphics, appealing headlines and short paragraphs will have much more impact than flooding a page with a comprehensive list of all you can offer. It is no secret that a picture speaks louder than words. So, adding the right balance of graphics and text is more likely to attract a wider audience.

3. Stand out from the Crowd

When marketing your business, consider how it will look alongside your competition. It is important to find ways of giving yourself some space to avoid over-saturating the market with repetitive branding techniques. Think about your niche if you offer one and focus on that. It’s about staying one step ahead.

4. Show Clear Direction

It is important to provide customers with a pleasant user experience. If they find your marketing material to be concise with clear direction, they are more likely to engage with your product or service. Ask yourself what you want it to do for you and your business. It will be much more effective if you provide a call-to-action that encourages customers to proactively engage.

5. Consider the Thought Process

It is important to understand the thought process of how your bespoke marketing materials will be viewed. By conducting research to find out how your content is viewed by readers, it will eliminate any speculation. From the research conducted, you can then develop a clear and meaningful strategy to ensure that your intentions are conveyed correctly.

6. Cover All Bases

Although digital marketing is now seen to supersede many printed equivalents, it is advised that you don’t put all of your eggs in one basket. Every industry will differ depending on the market you are reaching out to but it is recommended that both digital and printed forms are integrated to maximise your exposure.

7. Add Value

So you have a bespoke, attractive design, a catchy headline, and a call to action. Why stop there? Add even more value to your material by providing helpful information for your audience. It will help to engage the reader and is another method of providing them with a positive user experience which in turn will develop trust in your brand.

8. Give Evidence of Success

Utilise positive feedback you have previously received to show to prospective clients that you have a proven track record. By revealing genuine testimonials from previous clients, you are providing highly convincing evidence that your business is one of quality that can deliver with a promise that you’ll meet expectations.

9. Invest in brand guidelines

To give your audience confidence in your brand, consistency is something that cannot be overlooked. A set of guidelines is an intuitive way of guaranteeing this consistency, ensuring that each piece of marketing material coordinates with the next forming one unified company brand. This allows you to dissect all the intricate elements that form the brand, informing users on any limitations that may be in place.

10. Call In The Professionals

A business is financially dependent and particularly in its infancy, funds are tight. So it’s all too easy to put your trust in a discount, off the shelf package or even be tempted into designing the material yourself. But future-proofing your brand is key to ensuring its success and you’re only going to achieve that by using a trusted professional design service with experience and a proven track record. They will ensure your branding is consistent throughout whilst maintaining a clean and professional look.