Visual Marketing 101

Wait, you mean to tell me that small businesses don't have an unlimited budget and huge marketing teams to make their business stand out more on line?  Well, luckily with the number of free and low cost tools available, we can create clean, attention grabbing visuals. 

Here are a few ways to stand out from the crowd without breaking the bank

Create your Brand Kit -

You don't have to be a designer.  Just follow a few basic rules. 

• Choose a couple of colors, no more than three, for your brand.  For example, Finger Lakes Work Place uses basic black and white.  Look at your colors side by side before finalizing.  Do they burn your eyes?  That's not a good fit.  Otherwise, you're on your way!
• Use only 1 or 2 fonts in your marketing.  For our own Marketing, we at Finger Lakes Work Place tend to use mostly Lexend Deca font, but find a font or two that speaks to you and run with it.
• Pick an image style.  Using ourselves as an example again, we tend to use low key, grayscale images, with occasional pops of color.  Pick something that matches your marketing mood.  That may be bright, minimalist, rustic.  etc

Document your brand guide so your marketing looks consistent

Use Free or Low Cost Design Tools

If you're not a graphic designer, you don't need the Adobe Suite.  There, I said it.  Skip the expensive stuff and use these alternatives instead -

• Canva - canva.com - great for graphics, flyers, social media posts
• CapCut  - capcut.com - great for videos and video editing
• Pixlr - pixlr.com - a user friendly photo editing and design

Most of these tools you can even save templates of your work, even with the free accounts!

Keep it Clean

Don't get too busy with your designs.  Keep it clean, keep it clear.  One image, message, and call to action.  Something simple with stand out more on a busy social feed.

Show Real People

Let's face it - real faces perform better.  Use as many photos of your team, workplace, or products as possible.  See my post on being authentic and personal in your marketing for more information.

Make the Time

Set aside a solid block of time to work on your content.  Take an hour or two at the end of each week, for example, to build your content for the next week.  This will keep the feel consistent and prevent last minute stress.  Meta provides their Meta Business Suite, but tools like Buffer - buffer.com - or Later - later.com can also help planning your posts.

You don't need a bucket of money or a degree in graphic design to have professional looking marketing.  Be consistent, be creative, use the right tools, and you'll be able to get attention.  Being authentic and clear will help you build trust.  All without breaking the bank.

Need help getting started?  Schedule a Free 1 hr consultation with me to discuss

Cheers!

Aaron