For many businesses (including Q Print!) summer represents a chance to take stock, reflect on the year so far and start to plan for the final quarter of the year. Whilst our team has been taking some well-deserved downtime, we have also been keeping the orders flowing and printers running to support clients new and old this summer. After all, whilst it feels like we are still in the midst of holiday season it won’t be long until September comes around and corporate events start filling up your calendar once more.
Many of our clients are already turning their attention to their next batch of corporate events and planning ways to draw in their audience with impactful marketing materials. If you are working on an event in the run-up to autumn (which, let’s face it, isn’t that long away!), have you covered all angles when it comes to making an impact with your marketing materials? Below we wanted to share some tips to help get you started and ensure you can make the most of the event investment you are making.
1. Use striking imagery
Although well-written text can be persuasive, some well-placed images can take your event marketing one step further. The old adage that images speak a thousand words has never been truer, images communicate thought, emotion and a narrative that words on their own can sometimes lack. Striking, high quality imagery used in your marketing materials and within keeping of your brand guidelines, can capture people’s attention, retain it and direct it, all in just one glance.
2. Consider your design
In order for your brand to be effective, it needs to be consistent. That’s why we help clients to keep their marketing materials in line with brand guidelines. A style guide puts rules in place not to limit creativity, but to keep your brand identity consistent and recognisable. With brand guidelines in place, you can ensure your brand’s elements are used effectively and look professional anytime they are used.
It is important to think about the item you are designing and how it will be most impactful. For example, your logo may work best positioned on a leaflet as one of the last things that you read (thinking bottom of the page) so we remember it. By the reverse, we may consider revising a design of a roller banner to put any key branding asset at the top so it can be seen from a distance as you are walking around an event.
3. Clear messaging and proposition
We all lead busy lives and our brains are processing a huge amount of information at any one time. If we want to grab our audience’s attention and get the message to be remembered – clear and simple copy is best. Consistently using a simple hook or offer/promotion across all of your marketing materials is also a great way to get your message across to your time-short audience. This will also help encourage them to take action and hopefully engage with your business.
4. Less is more
Whilst it can be tempting to throw lots of different messages, offers or details into your marketing materials, a sleek and simple design can often be more memorable. Think of all the big brands such as Nike or Apple – in their marketing, less is most definitely more. It may be time to take a leaf out of their book with marketing materials that is nice to look at and easy to decipher.
5. Be authentic
Thanks to the ever-growing amount of marketing messages we are bombarded with on a daily basis, audiences have learned to tune out the brands they can’t relate to. We have less patience for anyone who is stretching the truth so implementing authenticity in your marketing helps to win over the right audiences who share your brand values. The key to being authentic? Well across all of your marketing materials you should aim to be transparent about the in’s and out’ of your business, open about your products and clear on your values.
6. Use a clear call to action (CTA)
This is often an element that can be forgotten when designing a piece of marketing collateral – what action do we want our audience to take? How do we encourage them to do this? A CTA can also bring a sense of urgency to your design allowing you to set the tempo with your audience. We like to use one-liners in big, bold writing which indicate clear instructions that prompts the audience to act. Short and snappy, your CTA should start with a desired action and let your audience know exactly what you want them to do.
In summary
We shall finish with a CTA of our own! If you have an event coming up and are in need of impactful print materials to bring your promotions to life, get in touch to place your order. Thanks to the current climate and many of the team on holidays (both us and the printers), we are still facing long lead times on some items. Please get in touch sooner than later, even if you think you have lots of time, to avoid any disappointment.
