Whatever your marketing strategy, once your message reaches your target audience, you only have a few seconds to convey your information before your piece hits the trash can, is scrolled over on a web page or deleted from the Inbox. Employing the use of a few basic design and marketing techniques will help you make the most of those few crucial moments.
Make it easy on the eye.
Let your reader's eye get to the main facts in a quick scan. Keep it clean, uncluttered and direct. Give the logo of your event a place of prominence. Place the date and location of your event with the logo. If your viewer sees nothing else, at least they know where and when. Avoid long paragraphs of reverse (white) text on a background that is difficult to read. Use italic text only to emphasize a phrase or word. Color conveys emotion and adds visual interest. Keep it bright and exciting. A limited, but bold color palette helps to identify and brand your message when repeated throughout a campaign.
Don't dilute!
If your piece is a direct mail card or an e-mail, refrain from piggybacking - the tendency to add on more events and other information other than the main message. You might think you are getting more bang for the buck - in reality, all you're doing is adding visual clutter with banners, starbursts and more paragraphs of copy. If the e-mail is to announce a special show promotion, that's its main purpose. Stick to it. Postcards and e-mails are scanned - not read.
Brand your event theme with an image.
Go beyond using a skyline of your event location. Avoid the generic "technology" background of colored lights and digital numbers. Create a dominating, visual image that reinforces the theme of your event. If your theme is "New Directions," use a compass or signpost. Embrace the visual cliché. Everyone connects the bull with Wall Street or a lion with strength. If you consider your show a world-class event, make sure you use a globe. Having a visual image also helps to reduce costs. Once created for your main brochure, it can be used on the web, show guides, and show signage.
Short is better than long.
The President of your organization has important things to say, but he can say it in three paragraphs. Long text is begging to be ignored. Break out facts in bullets, boxes or graphs. Edit speaker bios down to a paragraph. Give your detailed information like session descriptions a hierarchical order of importance through the use of font size and font weight and color.
Personalize with pictures.
One of the he best marketing elements in a layout is the testimonial, but designers have a tendency to use them as space fillers. Highlight them in your design with boxes, borders and with color. Place them on every page of your brochure. This is an appropriate place to mention the value of good show photography. Make sure you get a testimonial and a headshot at the same time. Arrange for photos of the show floor to be taken at peak attendance times. Don't take endless photos of posed shots of exhibitors standing in front of their booth without customers or a posed group of seminar attendees. Get photos that show interaction of real selling, networking or attendees trying out products. Be sure to emphasize diversity in your photography. If you market internationally, show your global reach.
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