Axxis Buzz

3 reasons to simplify your marketing designs.

 I stood by my client as he proudly showed me the two-page spread he’d bought in the local yellow page directory, and cringed. He’d allowed the yellow page salesperson to turn the design and messaging over to their graphics department. He’d given them a laundry list of things to include, and they had dutifully followed his instructions. I was looking at the result: a very expensive, semi-permanent representation of his business that was so full of “stars” proclaiming “Call NOW,” Lowest Rates,” “First-Time Buyer Programs,” that it was impossible to read the core message. Was there a core message???

It’s tempting. You buy space for an advertisement, you’re sending out a mailer; you want to get the most bang for your buck.

Your designer comes back with something that’s good, but you want more. It doesn’t tell the whole story of what you do, how well you do it, or why your customers should buy from you. You send the designer back to the drawing board to add more content. Maybe you send the designer back more than once. You’re happy when there isn’t  a snippet of empty space waiting to be filled with a sales pitch, and sign the order.

Your results are less than stellar, and here is why:

1. You assaulted and confused your audience with so much information and so many sales pitches that they couldn’t make sense of it, or they felt pushed and tuned out all of your message.Solution: Sticking to ONE major message in an advertisement or marketing piece allows that message to shine. Instead of throwing in the ‘kitchen sink’ of reasons why your prospects should do business with you, give them one GREAT message, make it memorable, and back it up.
2.  Too many visuals. Remember the saying “a picture paints a thousand words?”Solution: Pick your graphics carefully. They should engage your audience immediately, while providing a strong relationship to your written message. Chosen well, the thousand words don’t need to be included!  Limit the number of graphics: use only one main graphic to reinforce your point, if possible. Additional graphics may include your logo and other visual cues that convey information instantly, such as the credit cards you accept, or BBB membership.
3. You overdid the call to action. While many marketing pieces seem to forget that a call to action is essential, your piece is so full of them that your audience can’t decide what to do, or what to do first, and they abandon your message completely.  Solution: DO have a call to action, but don’t expect your viewers to commit the next week of their lives deciding which action they need to take or which action they should do first.

The old KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) method works best when you’re marketing, both visually and in copy.

Have a well-defined goal and stick to it.

Use your website (you do have one, don’t you?) to give the whole story, and make sure your marketing piece directs your audience there. Your website should be used to expand on your message, tell the rest of the story, convert browsers into buyers, so use different marketing channels for the purpose that makes each most effective.

Remember, people don’t want to be sold, they want someone to make it easy to buy.

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