Well-designed marketing materials deliver tremendous value in the battle for potential customers. They position your business as highly professional, relevant and successful.  But with more and more companies cutting budgets, many have resorted to creating marketing collateral themselves, or outsourcing to cousin Sue because she knows Microsoft Publisher. The end result is usually horrifying.

Avoid these ten classic mistakes that are guaranteed to generate an epic fail:

1. Too Much Information
Nothing screams “throw me in the trash” louder than a gallon of information in a shot glass of a space. Do not attempt to cram lengthy descriptions of all of your products and services into inadequate space. Stick to a select group of products with brief descriptions that highlight key features and benefits. Too much text alienates readers conditioned to absorb information in quick ‘snippets’.

2. Bad Clip Art
Just because it came with Microsoft Publisher does not mean it’s a perfect fit for your marketing materials. Read: amateur design. Skip the low-grade clip art and use high quality photography or vector illustrations for a professional look that reproduces properly.

3. Comic Sans Typeface
Admit it. When you saw this font on a memo from your kid’s teacher you thought it looked really cool (admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery!). Jokes aside, once distributed your marketing materials are speaking for you. With this font as your spokesperson, the message—and product offerings—are seen as comic and doomed for the nearest trashcan. Leave ‘fun’ fonts for the kid writing a poem about unicorns.

4. Too Many Fonts
In addition to the Comic Sans faux pas, using too many different fonts is another big no-no. The general rule of thumb endorsed by most professional designers is two fonts (one for headlines and one for body copy), and never more than three.

5. Poor Quality Paper
People really are savvy enough to recognize marketing materials printed off an old ink-jet printer. Your prospects will certainly wonder, “If they cut corners on their printing, what does it say about the quality of their goods and services?” Your reputation is on the line—resist the temptation to skimp! A quick search of local or online printers will reveal great deals on quality printing that will enhance your appeal without breaking the budget.

6. Date Sensitive Content
Producing and storing thousands of printed pieces with soon-to-be dated information is a very common waste of marketing money. Plan your content and print quantities to maximize usable shelf life.  For example, if you release a new product revision every six months, print a six month supply OR design the piece to accept updated information in a logical, artistic manner.

7. Blatant Grammatical Errors
Spell check is great, but it does not catch everything.  Are you selling ‘stakes’ or ‘steaks’?  After the proofing process, assign a competent reviewer to read the entire document word-for-word before it is sent to the printer. A fresh set of eyes at this stage is critical to ensure easy overlooks like word miss-use or cut-and-paste errors are avoided for a final version that actually makes sense.

8. Lack of White Space
White space helps the readers’ eyes rest before moving on to the next thought. Just as important, it gives the viewer pause to digest what they are reading.  Leaving adequate white space around text and images helps them communicate more effectively, and makes them more likely to move the reader to action.  Remember–these are not classified ads, and you are not paying by the inch.  Use space to your advantage.

9. Low Resolution Photography
Don’t be tempted to use free, random photos found on the web in your marketing materials. Not only do you risk running into potential copyright and licensing issues, you’ll end up with pixelated prints and wasted money. Professionally shot or licensed high resolution (1600 pixels X 1200 pixels) are essential to quality results.  Avoid amateur and unlicensed photography at all costs.  It will end up costing you.

10. No Call to Action
A clear call to action is essential to generating positive results.  Simply listing a phone number with “Call Today!” makes virtually no impact and is not likely to generate calls. Try something more specific like “To schedule an appointment, call…” or “Request a free consultation on our web site at (URL)…” or “Order your _____ now by calling…”. Make the reader’s response path quick, clear and easy for the best results.

Avoiding these ten common mistakes will result in more effective marketing materials, a competitive edge and will help you generate an epic win!

Brian Freeman
Graphic Designer
JH&A Advertising