Take the Test: Do Your Marketing Materials Really Grab Attention?
Today's constant bombardment of marketing messages means your materials must
grab your prospects attention in the first few seconds, or your efforts are wasted. How do you know if your marketing materials will prompt prospects to keep
reading? Take this simple test: hold each of your marketing pieces at arm's length
and answer the following questions: 1. Got white space? If your materials look crowded, add white space by increasing
the sides, top or bottom margins. Try adding extra blank spaces between each
section so the information is more readable. You should also add headlines to
break up the text. Consider editing your copy and eliminating wasteful graphics to
gain even more space. Too much white space pushes prospects away just as much as when there is too
little. To make sure prospects give your piece more than a glance, add meaningful
content or graphics to keep prospects reading. 2. Do the graphics really pertain to what you're selling? Include graphics with
meaning and get rid of the rest. Effective graphics should either further the
prospect's understanding of your products and services or provide additional
information necessary to the buying decision. They should not push the prospect
away from the selling process by acting as fillers without meaning. Consider adding
illustrations, diagrams, or happy customer photos to keep things meaningful. 3. Are the headlines readable? Reading sales literature is just like reading the
newspaper ? most readers scan the headlines to determine if they'll continue
reading the rest of the article. If you cannot clearly see your piece's headlines at
arm's length, you need to make the font bigger. Typically, marketing materials use
at least a 14 point bold Arial or Helvetica font for headlines and an 11 or 12 point
Times or Times New Roman font for the content that follows. 4. Where's your contact info? If you can't find your contact info within 1-2 seconds,
prospects won't find it either. Whether you want prospects to call, email, or write
you, provide your contact information on every single side of your marketing
materials, and make sure it stands out from the rest of the content. Incorporate these ideas into your materials, add meaningful, benefit, sales-oriented
copy, and prospects will use your materials for their true purpose ? to express
interest in what you're selling. Nancy J. Wagner of Cut to the Chase Marketing is a speaker, writer, and marketing
strategist who helps small businesses increase their sales with effective marketing
materials and websites. Download her free 9-step marketing plan at http://www.CutToTheChaseMarketing.com
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