The purpose of graphic design is to communicate ideas. It is as much about function as it is about looks. If you don't have a clear, well articulated message, you don't have a successful design.
This Lens explores the concepts and resources used to develop and produce marketing materials for the real world.
Sell your site with a "webcard"
No matter what we offer online, in many if not most cases, we have yet to reach significant segments of our audience. As I see it, there are three obvious groups who are tough to reach:
Audience One: Those who are not online. If the figures are to be believed, 73 percent or roughly 148 million of all American adults are Internet users, which means that 27 percent or 50 million-plus are not.
Audience Two: The computer-challenged. If your experience is anything like mine, you know plenty of successful, intelligent people who, for one reason or another, understand only the very basics of computing and of navigating the Internet. It stands to reason that they travel a limited circle of sites and are less likely to know how or where to find us.
Audience Three: Those who are out of reach. These folks are either not responsive to conventional means of the Internet advertising or they are simply traveling paths that do not intersect with ours. As of this writing, there are over 68 million active domains: if someone isn't looking specifically for you or your product or service, the odds of them stumbling across you are poor.
Finding and attracting these audiences takes unconventional thinking. One common-sense approach is a "Webcard"—a postcard-sized printed piece with a single purpose: to push your prospect to your URL (figure 1).
Webcard: A 4 by 9 inch rack card for marketing your Web site
This prototype, a 4 by 9 inch rack card, is particularly versatile. It is easily mailed as a card or in a standard #10 business envelope along with a cover letter, stuffed into packages, handed out at trade shows, displayed in public areas, distributed by partners, and offered at every other point of contact with customers and prospects.
Plus, it is easy and inexpensive to print—2500 cards printed on heavy, 15pt card stock, with four colors and a high gloss UV coating on one side and black on the reverse side can cost as little as $200.
The first step to producing your card is to craft the message. Note that a Webcard addresses a single topic (figure 2). Why? Having too many messages or too much detail muddies the water. If you want your reader to take a certain action, don't distract them with irrelevant details. Define the primary benefit of the site to the user and point them to it. If you have several strong points, send a series of cards over several weeks or months.
The site this Webcard promotes offers new and pre-owned paving equipment but the focus of this card is the sale of pre-owned equipment. It is not a corporate brochure—it pushes the pre-owned equipment and it does it with an economy of words, seventy-seven to be exact. The headline and text on side one clearly states the benefit and presents the URL. Side two lays out the path to follow one they get there.
The second step is to design the card so that it shows what you say. The front of the card shows the cover page of the site and highlights the tab the reader will click to get to the pre-owned equipment list (figure 3).
The back of the card shows the exact clicks the reader will use to navigate to a page that shows the product (figure 4).
It's that simple: you state the benefit and show how to access it by way of the URL. The images do nothing more and nothing less than show you what the message states. Images are literal—anything that adds visual interest, such as the magnifying lenses, serves a purpose (figure 5).
Webcards: Magnify the subject with a Photoshop lens
Direct mail may seem like a round-about way to reach online prospects but it makes common sense. If your cost per contact is in line with the cost of production and postage, it would seem a Webcard is an inexpensive way to move an absent audience to your site.
Audience Two: The computer-challenged. If your experience is anything like mine, you know plenty of successful, intelligent people who, for one reason or another, understand only the very basics of computing and of navigating the Internet. It stands to reason that they travel a limited circle of sites and are less likely to know how or where to find us.
Audience Three: Those who are out of reach. These folks are either not responsive to conventional means of the Internet advertising or they are simply traveling paths that do not intersect with ours. As of this writing, there are over 68 million active domains: if someone isn't looking specifically for you or your product or service, the odds of them stumbling across you are poor.
Finding and attracting these audiences takes unconventional thinking. One common-sense approach is a "Webcard"—a postcard-sized printed piece with a single purpose: to push your prospect to your URL (figure 1).
Webcard: A 4 by 9 inch rack card for marketing your Web site
This prototype, a 4 by 9 inch rack card, is particularly versatile. It is easily mailed as a card or in a standard #10 business envelope along with a cover letter, stuffed into packages, handed out at trade shows, displayed in public areas, distributed by partners, and offered at every other point of contact with customers and prospects.
Plus, it is easy and inexpensive to print—2500 cards printed on heavy, 15pt card stock, with four colors and a high gloss UV coating on one side and black on the reverse side can cost as little as $200.
The first step to producing your card is to craft the message. Note that a Webcard addresses a single topic (figure 2). Why? Having too many messages or too much detail muddies the water. If you want your reader to take a certain action, don't distract them with irrelevant details. Define the primary benefit of the site to the user and point them to it. If you have several strong points, send a series of cards over several weeks or months.
The site this Webcard promotes offers new and pre-owned paving equipment but the focus of this card is the sale of pre-owned equipment. It is not a corporate brochure—it pushes the pre-owned equipment and it does it with an economy of words, seventy-seven to be exact. The headline and text on side one clearly states the benefit and presents the URL. Side two lays out the path to follow one they get there.
The second step is to design the card so that it shows what you say. The front of the card shows the cover page of the site and highlights the tab the reader will click to get to the pre-owned equipment list (figure 3).
The back of the card shows the exact clicks the reader will use to navigate to a page that shows the product (figure 4).
It's that simple: you state the benefit and show how to access it by way of the URL. The images do nothing more and nothing less than show you what the message states. Images are literal—anything that adds visual interest, such as the magnifying lenses, serves a purpose (figure 5).
Webcards: Magnify the subject with a Photoshop lens
Direct mail may seem like a round-about way to reach online prospects but it makes common sense. If your cost per contact is in line with the cost of production and postage, it would seem a Webcard is an inexpensive way to move an absent audience to your site.
Recent design ideas from my blog
<a href="http://www.pageplane.com/">PagePlane.com</a> attempts to see design and marketing from just above the treetops.
More marketing design tutorials from ideabook.com
The graceful palette...
This is one in a series of what I call "design palettes": the mix of basic ingredients-typefaces, photographs, illustrations, and color schemes-that, in one designer's opinion (mine), represent a distinctive mood or style.
Information marketing
A savvy salesperson understands that you don't get far if you do nothing but sell. If you offer a service or recommend products, prospects want to know, before they buy, a little about you and if you are a credible source. One way to break the ice and demonstrate your knowledge of your particular field is to infuse your marketing materials with information.
Message wrap
Need to make a big impression on a small budget? Send your prospect an object wrapped in a message. The trick is to find an item that helps you make your point.
My big list of design and marketing resources at Jumpola.com
Books by Chuck Green
If you found some truth in this Lens, you'll find many helpful resources for creating your own materials in the ideabook.com store.The ideabook.com DESIGN STORE...
Design-It-Yourself: Graphic Workshop
Chuck steps you through the concept, layout, and production of creating marketing-smart designs. From the initial research to checking the quality of the final, printed product, nothing is left to chance.
The InDesign Ideabook
Countless creative ideas, marketing insights, and over 300 meticulously formatted Adobe InDesign documents on a dual-format CD-ROM (Mac/PC)-literally thousands of hours of layout, design, and information planning that you need not repeat. Includes everything from brochures, newsletters, and books to planning aids, product sheets, and packaging.
The QuarkXPress Ideabook
Countless creative ideas, marketing insights, and over 300 meticulously formatted QuarkXPress documents on a dual-format CD-ROM (Mac/PC)-literally thousands of hours of layout, design, and information planning that you need not repeat. Includes everything from brochures, newsletters, and books to planning aids, product sheets, and packaging.
The PageMaker Ideabook
Countless creative ideas, marketing insights, and over 300 meticulously formatted QuarkXPress documents on a dual-format CD-ROM (Mac/PC)-literally thousands of hours of layout, design, and information planning that you need not repeat. Includes everything from brochures, newsletters, and books to planning aids, product sheets, and packaging.
Design-It-Yourself: Graphic Workshop
Chuck steps you through the concept, layout, and production of creating marketing-smart designs. From the initial research to checking the quality of the final, printed product, nothing is left to chance.
The InDesign Ideabook
Countless creative ideas, marketing insights, and over 300 meticulously formatted Adobe InDesign documents on a dual-format CD-ROM (Mac/PC)-literally thousands of hours of layout, design, and information planning that you need not repeat. Includes everything from brochures, newsletters, and books to planning aids, product sheets, and packaging.
The QuarkXPress Ideabook
Countless creative ideas, marketing insights, and over 300 meticulously formatted QuarkXPress documents on a dual-format CD-ROM (Mac/PC)-literally thousands of hours of layout, design, and information planning that you need not repeat. Includes everything from brochures, newsletters, and books to planning aids, product sheets, and packaging.
The PageMaker Ideabook
Countless creative ideas, marketing insights, and over 300 meticulously formatted QuarkXPress documents on a dual-format CD-ROM (Mac/PC)-literally thousands of hours of layout, design, and information planning that you need not repeat. Includes everything from brochures, newsletters, and books to planning aids, product sheets, and packaging.
by chuckgreen
Chuck Green is the host of ideabook.com: a source of expert advice on creating print and online marketing materials.
(more)
(more)
Explore related pages
marketing dictionary: benefits, not features- This just might be the best-known and most overlooked piece of advice since &quo...
Best of Marketing Tips- Internet is full of Good, Bad and worst, it's hard to find quality stuffs one ne...
Are You A Marketing Expert?- Marketing is a word with many meanings. What do you know about marketing? Usuall...
Pixel Ads- Is the pixel ad a fad? Perhaps. In the short term, however, pixel ads are genera...
Sales Training- This lens is about sales training and development. Here you can find links to pr...
Stein Rogan Partners: Full-Service Branding & Integrated Marketing Communications Agency- Stein Rogan & Partners named 2009 Top Agency of the Year STEIN ROGAN PARTNERS T...
