Take the Test: Do Your Marketing Materials Really Grab Attention?

Today's constant bombardment of marketing messages means your materials must grab your prospects attention in the first few seconds, or your efforts are wasted.

How do you know if your marketing materials will prompt prospects to keep reading? Take this simple test: hold each of your marketing pieces at arm's length and answer the following questions:

1. Got white space? If your materials look crowded, add white space by increasing the sides, top or bottom margins. Try adding extra blank spaces between each section so the information is more readable. You should also add headlines to break up the text. Consider editing your copy and eliminating wasteful graphics to gain even more space.

Too much white space pushes prospects away just as much as when there is too little. To make sure prospects give your piece more than a glance, add meaningful content or graphics to keep prospects reading.

2. Do the graphics really pertain to what you're selling? Include graphics with meaning and get rid of the rest. Effective graphics should either further the prospect's understanding of your products and services or provide additional information necessary to the buying decision. They should not push the prospect away from the selling process by acting as fillers without meaning. Consider adding illustrations, diagrams, or happy customer photos to keep things meaningful.

3. Are the headlines readable? Reading sales literature is just like reading the newspaper ? most readers scan the headlines to determine if they'll continue reading the rest of the article. If you cannot clearly see your piece's headlines at arm's length, you need to make the font bigger. Typically, marketing materials use at least a 14 point bold Arial or Helvetica font for headlines and an 11 or 12 point Times or Times New Roman font for the content that follows.

4. Where's your contact info? If you can't find your contact info within 1-2 seconds, prospects won't find it either. Whether you want prospects to call, email, or write you, provide your contact information on every single side of your marketing materials, and make sure it stands out from the rest of the content.

Incorporate these ideas into your materials, add meaningful, benefit, sales-oriented copy, and prospects will use your materials for their true purpose ? to express interest in what you're selling.

Nancy J. Wagner of Cut to the Chase Marketing is a speaker, writer, and marketing strategist who helps small businesses increase their sales with effective marketing materials and websites. Download her free 9-step marketing plan at http://www.CutToTheChaseMarketing.com

---

Practice Marketing: How to Answer What Do You Do? to Increase Prospects, Publicity and Profits

"What do you do?""I'm a CPA. What do you do?""I'm... Read More

10 Important Marketing Tips

Each of the following Ten Marketing Tips is based on... Read More

The Lone Wolf is Blind

When Advertising, it's not always better to be the lone... Read More

The Information Publishers Secret Resource Guide To Blow Customers Away!

Have you ever heard the saying, "Give and you shall... Read More

Website Marketing: 10 Uncommon Bonuses That Will Help Make Your Product Hotly In Demand

Giving away free bonuses is an important website marketing secret... Read More

Everybody Loves Raymond....You Should Too!

Popular TV Series Provides a Powerful Marketing LessonSmall Business owners... Read More

Maximize Your Lead Generation Efforts by Recycling Your Leads

The basic lead generation process is pretty much the same... Read More

How To Be A First Class Marketer?

Did you now how to follow up a new customer... Read More

Why Market Research Will Help Your Business

Do Crucial Market Research For Free, On Your OwnIs market... Read More

So You Want To Cut The Crap And Get Into The Money?

So, you´ve been around for a while, and maybe even... Read More

How to Win a Price War

Any economics student can tell you that price is a... Read More

How Price Gouging Can Hurt Your Business

"Price gouging" is an emotional, inflammatory term. Everyone is against... Read More

10 Simple Ways to Boost Your Sales IMMIDIATELY!

Alright you've got yourself a nice website with a great... Read More

Your Marketing ? From The Couch To The Cash Register

When you put time or money into any marketing plan,... Read More

Promotional Mugs: Become a Part of the Legendary Coffee Experience

When you want someone to like you, associate yourself with... Read More

Is A Marketing Plan The Same Thing As A Communications Plan?

How does a marketing plan relate to an organization's communications... Read More

Massage Marketing Made Easy: A Simple Nine Step Marketing Plan for Therapists and Bodyworkers

Marketing is actually very simple. It involves telling people what... Read More

How to Use Business Cards to Network and Market Your Business

You've had one thousand of the finest, most eye-catching business... Read More

How to Conduct a Successful Fax Marketing Campaign

1. Focus your fax marketing on one objectiveFax is a... Read More

Image is Key to Your Marketing Success

In virtually any business first impressions are lasting impressions. Most... Read More

Increase Your Response with Multi-Step Marketing

"There is only one way to judge the effectiveness of... Read More

Universal Principals That Guide Business Growth

Universal principals are those "self-evident" truths that have guided brilliant... Read More

Turbocharge New Sales with a Marketing Database

What is the most valuable asset your company owns? Inventory?... Read More

The 10 Cornerstone Principles of Marketing

There are four parts to a marketing system and they... Read More

First Steps to Developing a Marketing Plan

Direct Mail . . . Newspaper . . . Radio... Read More

10 Ways to Get Your Flyers Noticed

An inexpensive way to promote your services is to createvarious... Read More

Niche with Passion and Reap Your Financial Rewards

One of the keys to creating a successful business is... Read More

Direct Marketing: Overlooked, Underappreciated, and Unstoppable

Every business needs customers, but more importantly every business needs... Read More

Ready, Fire, Aim!

You probably read my headline and thought, wait a minute,... Read More

Are Your Marketing Efforts Working...Or Could They Use A Little Help?

Marketing is a broad business subject that encompasses a range... Read More

What is a Marketing Plan Anyway?

Building a business that grows steadily in size and profits... Read More

Limited Time Only (Shh! Its A Secret)

Under normal circumstances, you'd shout it from the rooftops. After... Read More

Be a Smarter Marketer - Learn the L-A-W for Trade Shows

People attend trade shows because they are in a specific... Read More