Marketing is hard. It’s not easy to get your target customer to take action with a marketing campaign, and it’s even harder to do this consistently. However, great marketing designs can have a huge impact on conversion rates and lead generation. Smart marketers know that good design doesn’t just look good — it helps achieve specific business goals. A well-designed piece of marketing will instruct the user what to do next and make them want to take that next action. This blog post summarizes some key principles of successful marketing design, including examples from some leading brands. Read on to learn how you can use effective design techniques in your own marketing campaigns.

Be clear about your goal

Every marketing campaign has a goal, whether it be lead generation or sales. The first step to a successful marketing campaign is to be clear on what your goal is and ensure that every design element supports this goal. For example, let’s say your goal is to drive traffic to your website. If your marketing design fails to drive traffic to your site, it’s not a successful campaign. That said, it’s important to remember that one design won’t work for every single goal. It’s important to test out different designs with different audiences in order to figure out which design best supports your goal.

Use the right colors for the right reasons

Colors are powerful. They can trigger emotional responses and associations that can help you achieve your goal. You should always consider the personalities of your target customers and how the color of your design will affect their buying decision — it could make the difference between a purchase and a bounce. For example, the color blue is often associated with trust and dependability. If you’re trying to encourage a customer to buy from you, blue can be a great choice. It’s important to remember, however, that not all blue shades are created equal; different shades of blue can have vastly different meanings.

Don’t forget about whitespace

Whitespace (or negative space) is the empty space around and between design elements. While it might seem like a waste of valuable real estate, whitespace is actually essential to good design. In fact, studies show that images with ample whitespace lead to higher engagement than those with no whitespace or excessive whitespace. Vigorous debate has raged on the reasons behind this phenomenon, with some suggesting that whitespace increases visual appeal and some claiming that it makes images easier to process. Whatever the reason, though, it seems clear that whitespace is important for good design.

Be human. Be emotional.

Marketers sometimes have a tendency to overstate the benefits of their product or service, creating an unrealistic image that customers can’t relate to. Don’t focus on the benefits but more so how you can help your customer with their problem. Negative emotions, like fear and mistrust, can turn potential customers away. Whether it’s in the form of an overly aggressive sales pitch or a sales page that exaggerates the product’s benefits, negative marketing can drive customers away.

Instead, try to connect with your customers, and appeal to their emotions by being human and genuine. Humans like feeling like they belong, and there is nothing more satisfying than finding someone who truly understands you. Look at how Starbucks uses their products to make you feel like part of their community. This is especially important if you’re in a B2B industry and don’t have a visual product to sell.

Make it easy to take the next step

If you want customers to take the next step, you have to make it easy for them to do so. This doesn’t mean that you have to sacrifice design or put form over function — it just means that the design should be clear and easy to use. The design of your CTA (Call To Action) matters. Your CTA tells customers what to do and where to go to take the next step.

One of the most common ways to mess up the design of your CTA is to put it too close to the bottom of the page, same with marketing materials. Customers have to scroll almost to the bottom of the page before they even see your CTA, which means that it is much less likely that they will actually see it. That’s why it’s important to avoid putting your CTA at the bottom of the page. Instead, put it above the fold.

Summary

Design is one of the most important aspects of marketing, which is why you’ve got to get it right. Start with a goal and then determine which colors and other design elements will help you achieve that goal. Don’t forget about whitespace and how important it is to design, and make sure to appeal to your customers’ emotions while being human and genuine. Finally, make it easy to take the next step.