We create marketing pieces regularly for businesses in a wide range of industries. We analyze the industry’s best practices and sample industry leaders to determine how pieces are designed and ways we can elevate marketing materials and add value. Why do we take these steps? We learned early on that the caliber of materials can immediately disqualify a business if they aren’t up to snuff.
First impressions matter. When a prospective client, investor, or buyer, you fill in the blank first sees the marketing for an idea, product, or property, it sets the stage for how they view your validity. The professionalism and standard of your materials speak to your ability to provide the value you are proposing to them. It also speaks to whether or not you are qualified and competent in your industry. If you offer a polished presentation with the right facts, high-quality imagery, and a cohesive brand look and feel, most people will infer that you can meet their expectations and are good at what you do.
Understanding the use case is crucial. Before creating marketing materials, we engage in a detailed conversation about their intended use. It involves understanding how the piece will reach its audience, what the audience will be looking for, and why this piece is important in the overall strategy. We’ve found that a piece designed for print functions differently than one meant for online distribution. Materials distributed during or following a live presentation function differently than those that need to stand alone. Evergreen content functions differently than timely materials driven toward a specific action and deadline. By accounting for all these use cases before creation, we ensure the final product is of the highest value and the most effective for the intended purpose.
Data-driven design matters. When we craft marketing pieces, they are not actually about looks first. We curate design based on the information needs. Let’s take an investment deck, for example. If we provide a deck with great imagery but no real substance, no background, no financials, no ROI, no ask or opportunity, we have essentially made a very expensive, professional-looking document with very little worth. Any investor who picks it up will flip through it and move on because it lacks the data that drives why this piece should exist. On the other hand, we can craft a piece based on best practices for investment decks and include a summary, table of contents, and all the vital data pieces needed for investors to decide if they are interested and how to connect. We have crafted a piece that has value and can be utilized correctly. The same is true when we make a property brochure, a flyer for an event, or a company lookbook. The data needed is first determined, then the design is crafted to ensure it is showcased in the best possible way.
Clear calls to action are essential. The ultimate objective of any marketing piece is to help drive a response of some type. Some are created for informational purposes and to engender trust. Others are an invitation to engage in a service, product, or opportunity. Whatever the goal, a clear call to action must be a part of any quality marketing materials. That call to action should be accompanied by clear next steps like contact information or, when digitally delivered, a button to click.
Ultimately, the caliber of marketing materials can profoundly impact the success of a business. We have years of experience creating marketing materials that yield results and bring value because we focus first on their purpose and needs. The longer we are in this industry, the more we find that the best results come when we care about the material and connect it to the success of our clients before we ever start designing. We want our clients to have the highest caliber materials that truly bring them success.
