How To Avoid 5 Major Marketing Design Mistakes
According to Innovators Forum guest blogger Susan Fantle
, B2B freelance copywriter and consultant specializing in direct marketing, here are the top five TESTED design rules to help you eliminate as many barriers as possible to getting your message read and acted upon:
As a marketer, it's your duty to get the company sales message to the right people, making it as easy as possible to read, understand and act on the message.
The language used in marketing communications is very important. It should focus on the benefits a product or service brings to the user. Benefits should be clearly presented in headlines and subheads, then supported by compelling bullets and body copy.
Finally, there should be a strong call to action that clearly tells the prospective customer why they should respond now and what action they should take to respond. The call to action could be to download educational content, call, fax, or visit a location.
Your copy's visual design will impact whether or not it is read. Here are five TESTED design rules to help you eliminate as many barriers as possible to getting your message read and acted upon:
1. Never use light body copy text on a dark background.
Dark type against a light or white background is the most readable. Reversed headlines are OK, but not body copy, as it reduces readability by over 30%. Web pages, ads, fliers or mailers with all-black backgrounds and light copy are the worst. You can avoid this mistake by being strategic about the text contrast.
2. Never treat copy purely as a design element.
Yes, you want your design to reflect your business brand and style, but the purpose of marketing design is to make the message as inviting and readable as possible. Words laid out in a cute shape or design manner are unreadable, and will not encourage your marketing communications to be read.
3. Use pictures whenever possible.
Pictures of people on your online or offline marketing materials make your business look human and add a level of comfort to those thinking about responding to your offer. A visual that directly supports what you are saying makes your message stronger.
4. Keep lines of text short from left to right.
People will quickly stop reading and move on if your message is hard to read. The eye moving across a computer screen or printed page from left to right can easily lose its place. For email communications, experts say the rule is to put no more than 70 characters (including spaces) on a single line.
5. Don't make your call to action hard to find.
If you want a response to your material, (especially print such as letters, fliers, sales sheets, and brochures) make your call to action prominent and clear. Presenting links online is simple. Show your prospects your 800 number, URLs and e-mail address quickly and clearly so that they know instantly what you want them to do.
So take action and be strategic. You CAN increase readership and the effectiveness of your marketing communications.
by: Jess Wells
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