We have an ongoing graphic design survey (you can take part here) and some of the results are rather shocking. Around 1/3 of our respondents claim they “…don’t produce any marketing materials…”. Can this be true?

I think this is due to a misunderstanding – most businesses have some way of promoting themselves, but they might not consider it to be ‘Marketing’.

However, some businesses may say that their business relies almost entirely on ‘referrals’, and surely this is a good thing. Isn’t it?

Best marketing ever?

Absolutely, referrals are great: clients just come to you, and they are already ‘warm’ to the idea of working with you so the ‘sell’ is so much easier,

BUT…

Relying on them exclusively is a risky strategy. That steady flow of new clients from your referral partners might slow up from time to time. And there’s a limit to how many people they can meet every month to find new business for you.

We’ve got all the work we need

Even if you have a number of really active referral partners and business flows beautifully between you all like a well-oiled machine, you still need ‘Marketing’ in some form. Let’s say Jane from the pub wants some business cards designed. Maybe, if she’s just given your name and a mobile number over a pint she’ll be happy with that. But if she, in her official capacity as CEO of a multi-million-pound enterprise, wants a design for an important exhibition then perhaps she might want a little more reassurance. Exhibitions are expensive and she can’t afford to be let down.

  1. She’ll expect you to have a website she can look at
  2. She’d expect it to be professional
  3. She’d expect there to be a professionally designed logo
  4. She’d probably expect you to have some sort of social media presence
  5. When she meets you she’ll probably want to swap business cards

All of these things (and much more) are part of your brand, and your brand is a cornerstone of your marketing. It’s how you present your corporate ‘face’ to the world and let them know a) you exist, and b) how you can help them.

You don’t have to be paying for monthly adverts in glossy magazines, attending trade shows, or employing sales teams to cold-call people, but you do need to get the basics right.

A badly maintained or poorly designed website will make you look unprofessional. A Hotmail address might suggest that you are a small player. Answering the phone gruffly with “Yeah, what?” might not give the right first impression. All of this might lead ‘Jane’ to think you are not the right supplier for her exhibition design needs.

Every interaction with your potential clients (online, in print, on the phone or in-person) is ‘marketing’ and demonstrates your ‘brand’ and its values. Do this badly and it could harm your business.

  1. Your logo should look professional and appropriate
  2. Think about everything carefully, from your email signature and the way you answer the phone, through to your printed materials and your website.
  3. Everything should be consistent – colour palette, typefaces, the tone of voice
  4. Any imagery you use should be appropriate to your business and your brand

And for any marketing materials you do produce, either use a professional graphic designer or ensure you use good design principles if you are doing it yourself:

  1. Use ‘white space’ generously to help readability and enhance the attractiveness overall
  2. Ensure there is a clear hierarchy of content so people can skip to the information they want
  3. Consider the medium. Designs for your app, website, exhibition stand, newsletter and leaflets should all be branded consistently, but they all have different opportunities and limitations so should be designed appropriately.

Anything a potential customer will see is an opportunity to let them know you exist and how you can help them. i.e it’s marketing so give it thought and do it right.

For any questions regarding marketing materials, give us a call we’d be happy to advise. And if you’re not already a subscriber and would like to receive our design tips direct to your inbox you can subscribe to our emails here.

 

This blog post has been provided by Mark Coster from www.pixooma.co.uk

Mark has been a graphic designer for over 20 years working in a range of in-house studios across the county. Having always had a desire to run his own business, he started his creative agency, Pixooma, in 2014.