02 Mar Should You Focus on Creative or Strategy?

Blog Notions recently weighed in on the age-old tug of war: should your advertising design be creative and pretty or focus on the sales message?

Honestly, both are true. Your marketing materials do need to be visually appealing but your message must be compelling in order to create a cohesive sales strategy.

From a creative standpoint, be consistent with the look and feel of all your creative elements so they align with and link back to your brand without making your customers do any guesswork.

No matter what the medium is, your design still needs to be attention grabbing and stand out from your competitors. Give your design an edge.

On the strategic side of the coin, stop committing the universal marketing sin: too much copy. Don’t try to tell the whole marketing story in one design piece. Cut your copy in half, maybe even in half again! Focus on your core message and make it powerful.

Conversely, while keeping your core message intact, change your creative frequently. If your customers get bored with seeing the same ad over and over you will become invisible.

Don’t forget to tailor your message to how your product or service is going to enhance the life of your buyer. It’s still a “what’s in it for me” society, and your marketing message must address this while still illustrating your credibility. The best equation for this is the 80/20 rule… make your message 80% about the customer and you’ll get results.

Success in today’s landscape is not about pretty design OR a strong sales message, it’s about finding the balance and making it work. If you need help finding that balance, we can help!

image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net