At times, the best of us get bogged down. Messaging complexity overwhelms us. We try to incorporate too much contradictory feedback. Stakeholders don’t take the time to understand the simple role that each individual piece plays in the sales process. The design doesn’t function well. So we end up with marketing that refuses to employ the basic marketing techniques that make a lost kitty poster simple, understandable and engaging.
More effective marketing: 3 things a marketer can learn from a graphic designer
2 ways to use data to inform marketing creative you should start using now
Today, as I watch the industry learn how to apply data to their campaigns, I’m witnessing how the starvation of the past is making simple observations seem monumental to marketers. I rarely see anyone talking about their experiences applying data to the definition of creative that is the backbone of a successful campaign: a compelling message and how well it's brought to life with words and visuals.
Teach your organization to “just say no” to clipart
Years of customer relationship building, brand management and creative strategy are just no match for the use of goofy cartoons, people icons that oddly have no faces and nonspecific renditions of technology and business concepts. We all agree, but for some reason all of our companies’ decks are chock full of clipart. The era of DIY makes it so easy. What’s a brand advocate to do?
3 questions marketers should ask the next graphic designer they interview
Every time I’ve been hired to work in a technology company, I’ve been interviewed and hired by a marketer and not by another graphic designer. If you are a marketer, hiring the right graphic designer is not about matching candidates with your bullet point list of required skills. It’s about asking the right questions.
5 questions a marketer should never ask a graphic designer
Color use in technology marketing: If you don’t use blue, does your marketing suck?
In the many years I’ve worked in technology marketing, I’ve come to learn that the only color that’s safe from attacks is blue. Blue, blue and more blue. Maybe add some gray, but make sure there’s plenty of blue. And be liberal in your use of dark royal blue, but be careful not to take it too dark or too bright. Then we can all feel comfortable with our choices, and ourselves, while our brand disappears within the depths of the calm, blue sea of technology marketing.