Are you ready to create a marketing piece, but don’t know where to start? Regardless if you’re doing it yourself or getting professional design and writing help, there are some simple, yet essential steps to follow that will make the whole process go smoothly and prevent costly mistakes. Here are 10 questions to answer before you create a marketing piece: What is the purpose or objective of your piece — to entertain, inform or to persuade? What action do you want your prospects to take — request information, visit your website or call you? Keep your marketing purpose in mind when…
A book media kit can be a paper folder or a page on your website with the essential information and marketing materials about your book. The media kit should provide the media with all the information they need to write a story, or do an audio or video interview with the author. For a hard copy media kit you can gather the following items and arrange them in a classy folder (a solid color in gloss is good). Paste a color postcard of your book cover on the front of the folder. For an online media kit, add a page…
You experience harmonious colors in many areas of life: clothing, architecture, interior design, jewelry, gardening, as well as advertising, marketing, and corporate identity. It becomes easy to select harmonious colors if you follow a proven color theory system. The steps below will show you how to create well-planned color schemes based on the “Bourges color circle” system. In 1918 Albert Bourges based his color theory on a circle of 20 hues. Complementary Colors Complementary colors are exact opposites that enhance one another. When you blend the two together, you get neutral black. When used together, they both appear brighter and…
Are you hunting all over the Internet to find competent graphic professionals to help build your brand, design marketing materials and craft your website? Is it possible to find one studio, designer or design team who does it all? Based on my decades of experience in graphic design, I’ve found it’s impossible for one person to do it all, and do it well. We all have limitations on our time and skills. So to stay competitive and serve my clients better, I’ve built relationships with other professionals in the same or supporting fields. I’ve also established strategic alliances with marketing consultants…
They’re the workhorses of any speaker marketing program. They hit the streets for you, and they’ve got muscle. Everything you want someone to know about your expertise and services — all in one place. So if you don’t have one . . . you’ve got to get one! Picture this. You take the time to get involved in various networking groups — or maybe you do some cold calling — or maybe you happen to meet someone who may have a genuine need for a person just like you. So now what? Well, there’s a simple and effective way to…
What’s the quickest way to create mood without saying a word? Color! Before they read your marketing piece, they see it – and their feeling about your business begins. So it’s a good idea to take some time to find out what colors mean – and how they can help sell for you. When you learn the psychology of colors you will be able to add a whole new layer to your marketing materials. Here’s how color use in advertising can attract a specific target market and evoke the desired response. The color scheme you choose for your ad, flyer or…
What fits on one sheet and costs pennies to make? You see them all the time. Flyers are hugely effective, because you can make so many and distribute them all over the marketplace without having to spend a fortune. But just so your flyers don’t get lost in the shuffle, I’m going to show you the second 5 of 10 techniques professional designers use to design a flyer that will generate business for you. STAY AWAY FROM ALL CAPS. They’re hard to read! Instead, use bold type for your titles and subtitles. Keep it simple. Your page layout, that is….
What is an essential marketing tool that is relatively inexpensive, you can print and hand out or distribute electronically? Flyers and brochures! I’m going to show you the first 5 of 10 techniques that savvy graphic designers use to design attractive brochures: It’s all about the headline. What’s in a headline? It’s the first thing your prospects will see, and this will decide if they keep reading or not. So pick something that will stand out, stick in their mind, and make them want more! Here’s a few magic words to start with: Easy, The Secrets To, Unlock, Finally, Insider, Time Sensitive,…
Think of any large company, and I’ll bet you can picture its logo. It seems like they must have been born with it, but they weren’t. Every logo had to start somewhere. And you can start building recognition right now that will continue for years when you create a strong visual brand. To do this, you’ll need to learn how to create a distinctive logo. A good logo will be visually captivating, and will tell people what your company does and what it stands for. And then you can carry that logo onto just about everything that leaves your office, from…
Color is a magical element that gives feeling and emotion to art, design and advertising. By understanding the symbolic meaning of color you can choose the right color to support your marketing message and emphasize your design. You should always use color as a functional design element. A dominate color or overall color scheme can determine the tone of your message. Certain colors will help your product, marketing piece, corporate document or advertisement attract specific target markets and evoke desired responses. The information below will give you some generally accepted guidelines on the symbolic meanings of color and how you can use…