When most businesses, especially medium-sized and small businesses think of marketing, they think of the logo. However, marketing material is more than just about that. It entails every aspect of your business whether in print media or in the form of television advertisements. Some rules need to be consistent when using any material to promote your business. These seven rules should always be at your fingertips when you are creating marketing materials.
1. Be Professional
It doesn’t matter whether you sell kids toys or designer suits. You need to have an air of professionalism in the materials you design for your business. You have to ensure that everything looks classy and respectable. At times, your marketing material may be the only way people ever get to learn about your business.
For example, if you attend a business exhibition, you want print materials and a stand that is going to represent your company effectively. A professionally designed stand from a retailer like Nimlok will ensure brand consistency and will help you to make the best first impression possible. It is quite possible that the service you offer can be found in one or two other places. Professionalism is what will draw customers to your business.
2. Ensure That Contact information is Correct
This rule is especially important when designing business cards. Wrongful information could ruin your business’ reputation. For instance, the wrong number could end up not being answered. Thus, it could give potential customers the impression that you do not care about them. Always check the contact information before you get the cards printed. You should print out a few first and see if the contact information is visible.
3. Avoid using too Many Colours
Colours carry different meanings in different cultures. If you are targeting a certain demographic, ensure you do a bit of research. Additionally, do not use any colour that could offend anyone who might be a potential customer. It is important to use no more than four colours on your marketing materials. Ideally, only two colours should be used.
4. Use Scalable Designs
At times, an advertisement material may only make sense when it is printed on a huge billboard. However, when it is reduced to the size of a business card, it loses meaning. Ensure that you do not fall into this trap. Take time to find out how your material would look both on a large scale and as a letterhead.
5. Use Fewer Fonts
If you want clients to get your message, use as few fonts as possible. You should aim to use no more than two fonts on any material you promote. Additionally, use fonts that are only slight variations of each other. Otherwise, the message to the potential customers may be lost. Try to gauge the mood associated with each font to communicate well with your customers.
6. Use Correct Grammar
Grammar rules can be quite complicated. However, if you take the time to learn them, they could help boost your business’ credibility. A common mistake people make on marketing material is double-spacing after punctuations. If you find that single spacing does not work, switch to another font.
7. Be Consistent
Ensure there is a consistency with all your marketing materials. It helps customers relate to your brand with ease. If you decide upon a particular font or colour scheme, use it in all the marketing materials.
Branding is a journey. Although appearance may change with time, ensure that you adhere to these rules at all times. However, it is important that you keep up with the latest trends in colours and fonts.
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