Whether you are a new business, organization or brand you’ve likely spent a lot of time researching your target audience.
You have to know who you are talking to in order to properly market your products or services. You also need to know how to talk to your audience. What forms of communication are they most responsive to? Websites, social media, print materials, mailers? Once you have a solid idea of who you’re talking to and how to do it, you have to design your marketing campaign.
Designing for your target audience can make or break you. Your overall design is your first impression to your target audience, and you only get one first impression. To make sure you turn your first introduction into a lasting relationship, read on for 5 tips on how to design for your target audience.
Harness your inner story teller
One of the most effective ways to design for your target audience is to simply tell them your story. Introduce visitors to you and your values. How you do this is all apart of your creative process. One thing is for certain when telling your story; don’t use endless paragraphs of text. Visitors want to see videos, imagery and interactive elements.
Select appropriate colors
Your market research probably gave you a good idea about what colors will be attractive to your target audience. Select one or two of those colors to represent your brand and use them across all of your branding and marketing materials. This creates a visual identity.
Check out the competition
One way to get a feel for how to design for your target audience is to see what the competition is doing. Checking out competitors will help to define your own creative direction. You can see what is and isn’t working for them. Look but don’t copy.
Use professional imagery
The saying, “a picture’s worth a thousand words” is well worn, because it’s true. One of the best ways to get your target audience’s attention is to tell your story using pictures and photographs. This invites your audience in and lets them see what you have to offer. Whether using graphic elements and or photographs, work with a professional. Remember, it’s all about first impressions. Hiring a professional commercial photographer in Columbia, Missouri can make all the difference.
Tell your audience what to do
Okay, you don’t want to be pushy about this, but your design needs to move your target audience to action. The whole idea of whatever marketing campaign you embark on is to get someone to do something: click here, sign up for this newsletter, read this blog. You get the idea. Make sure your design includes a clear call to action.
Designing for your target audience is all about knowing how they will respond to your marketing efforts. This is true of websites, print materials, social media or anything else you choose. To keep your audience engaged:
- tell a story
- use consist colors
- study the competition
- utilize imagery
- have a call to action
These elements will turn a first impression into a lasting relationship.
At Hub & Sp0ke, we help our clients find focus. Focus comes in many different ways, but it includes finding your target audience and helping it learn more about your story and mission. Contact Us Today to learn more.
