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The Top 3 Design Mistakes To Avoid At All Cost

admin — Sun, 29 Jan 2023 11:18:22 +0000

The Top 3 Design Mistakes To Avoid At All Cost!

There’s no denying that some Graphic Design rules can be bent or even broken, but some rule breaking will result in a project that looks completely unappealing and somewhat crude, potentially losing you money and your brand credibility!

The best way to ensure that your marketing piece gives you the returns you seek is to ensure that, at the very least, these three design rules aren’t broken. We often see examples of these mistakes floating around in the wild, so before you send out your next flyer or Facebook post make sure you tick off these top 3 design mistakes to avoid at all cost!

1. Using Bad Imagery

Resolution: The images used in print are vastly higher in resolution than images that are used on the screen. For clarity on the screen you will need images of 72dpi and for images that print beautifully you will need images of 300dpi. Using images that lack the proper resolution will make your design projects look amateurish and without sophistication. There is nothing worse than having a lovely flyer that features blurred, low res images.

The wrong imagery: Always take some time to select the right images. If you are using stock images this can be a timely process as there is so much out there to filter through, but worth it when your project shines that bit brighter with beautiful and well-selected images that give your audience the reaction and impression you want.

Watermarked images: If you are searching online, you’ll notice that plenty of images contain watermarks. If you use these in your projects you definitely give an impression that you have grabbed them from Google, not to mention potentially breaking licensing laws. This means that just because an image is online, it doesn’t mean that you can necessarily use it for free or without accreditation. In many cases you will need to pay a licensing fee to use an image.

2. Making Wrong Colour Choices

Clashing Colours: Certain colours used together can be a real headache aesthetically. For example, red text on a black background can be very hard to read, colours of the same tone can also give a “loud” appearance that is far from easy on the eyes. Always make sure that you have enough contrast with text that your clients don’t have to strain their eyes to read it.

Don’t skimp on using colour by printing in black and white: These days printing in black and white is not really more cost effective than having a full range of CMYK colours behind your project. If you want to look serious, then give the black and white printing the flick!

Consider tone: When looking at designing a project in colour, look towards the meanings and feelings those colours evoke. For example, yellow is linked to warmth, cheerfulness and positivity, and blue is also an uplifting and popular choice. Red commands attention and elicits a sense of excitement and passion. Keep these in mind when putting things together. For example, if your business is in health and wellness you would want to select colours that convey harmony, optimism and calm, like blues and greens. If your business is in recreation and sport then vibrant colours will be a great choice to evoke excitement.

3. Using Too Many Fonts

Less is more! Like images, there are so many fonts out there that it can be overwhelming and sometimes tempting to use too many. But in the case of fonts, using one or two and switching up their weight and style can look a lot more professional rather than using a whole bunch. Fonts are meant to add to the aesthetic of your project, not distract by being too loud and garish. Also remember that legibility is very important, so adding a secondary font that is more simple for use with passages of text is vital.
NB: Fonts are also protected by licensing laws, so if you download one online make sure it is either free to use commercially, or you have paid the licensing fee to use it for your business.

Picking the right font: If you are looking for something sporty and edgy, try Gymer or Refault. If you prefer something more retro try Mexcellent or even Hamster. If you are wanting some pretty, cursive fonts try Carolyna Pro Black or Saturday Script. All of these are like a “hero” font, which can be backed up by a plainer, more paragraph-friendly and less distracting font like Helvetica Neue or Calibri.

Avoiding these three marketing mistakes will definitely set your next marketing project up for success and help you stand out from your competitors with professional and appealing designs. And remember, if you need help with the design of your next project, we have plenty of experience in designing something that shines!

The post The Top 3 Design Mistakes To Avoid At All Cost appeared first on Clare Creative.

Creating a Killer Social Media Marketing Plan

admin — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 07:11:57 +0000

Creating a Killer Social Media Marketing Plan

Social media is a force to be reckoned with! We have so many different platforms to work with these days that we can easily connect and amplify the reach of our business.

Having a solid social media marketing plan is considered the gold standard in business. A ideal plan should express both branding and core values and everything posted on social media should be consistent in representing that messaging.

Here are our top 6 steps to creating a solid and effective social media marketing plan for your business:

1. Decide on your goals

It is important to have a goal in mind when creating your plan, because everything you end up posting on social media should have that aim or goal in mind. Once you have realised your goal, you can then create a specific set of measurable goals, strategies and provide yourself with guidance on how to reach those goals. It has been our experience that businesses with a social media plan have a greater rate of success when it comes to their presence online than those without.

2. Check out your competition and ask yourself: what makes you stand out and truly unique?

The main objective of this point is to learn from your competitors and see what you can do better! In this social media obsessed world, there will always be someone attempting to sell a similar product or service as you, making your research of their online strategies vital in forming your own. Check out their views and likes, which posts are getting the most interaction and which ones are not so popular. In simple words, keep an eye on your competitors, learn from them and do what they do – only better!

Remember that interacting with your customers is vital. One of the powers of social media is networking. For example, you could host a Q & A session or set up a meet and greet with your customers. This way you can build your rapport with them while gaining valuable knowledge about what your customers want and need.

3. Identify your audience

It is especially important to know your audience before creating your plan or campaign. Your target audience will determine the language you use, your graphics and, most importantly, your marketing. You should note specifics, such as location, job title, age, type of social media platform used and interest.

4. Research the industry

The social media industry is vast and very intricate. Researching first is vital so that you can start on the right foot. Look into the latest algorithms, updates and best practices on how to devise a successful strategy. If we look at TikTok, which is the latest phase in the world of social media, you can see that those that are successful on the platform didn’t just become that way overnight. Instead, these influencers would spend hours upon hours studying the algorithm and pinpointing what would go viral to drive them to success.

Wrapping your head around the industry can be daunting, and it can’t be a case of just looking over this research once. You have to be constantly going over trends and finding ways to be ahead of the game. It’s an ever-changing world that needs careful navigation.

5. It’s time to create a content checklist and calendar

Staying on top of your game and getting your message out there is best done by creating a content checklist and calendar. This list would include content such as:

• News

• Events

• Blogs

• Videos/photos of you, your work and your team

• Testimonials

• Past photos

It pays to be smart about how you approach social media content and creation of your content calendar. Every piece of content you post should keep your message in mind, and most impotently, your audience. Think about what they may want to read about or what they would be most interested in. By creating a social media content calendar you can save time while tracking and testing different strategies to see what works and what doesn’t. It also allows you to build consistency by not leaving any gaps and by showcasing your brand and message in a considered way rather than an impulsive and unplanned way.

6. Keep a good eye on statistics and see what works and what doesn’t!

The only thing worse than a post that isn’t delivering the views or likes that you hoped for is to sit back and do nothing about it! Although it can be hard to factor in the time to assess how your posts are doing, it is vital to keep track of what is working for you and what isn’t, therefore you can look at it as saving you time by posting the right content in the future. Remember that your strategy can change at any time, and should change, depending on how favourably your audience reacts.

This also helps you realise which platforms work best for your business. If you notice Instagram is working for you and Facebook is not, then you can see where to place most of your focus moving forward.

Working with social media can be daunting and seem never-ending. If you are looking for someone to discuss your social media strategy with we can certainly help!

The post Creating a Killer Social Media Marketing Plan appeared first on Clare Creative.

10 Things To Know Before Building Your Website

admin — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 06:30:20 +0000

10 Important Things To Know Before You Build Your Website

Having a beautiful, well-functioning website is the golden standard for every business.

Here are the top ten things to consider before you start up your website:

1. Have a clear purpose

When you look at a website, the first two most important things are to know what the website is for and what the visitor is meant to do within the website. When arriving on a landing page, there should be no confusion for your visitors, but a clear image of your business in website form and the functionality to make sure that those visitors are able to navigate through it with ease.

2. Create a simple website address

It is vital that people can find your website easily and with as few clicks as possible. Your website address should involve your business name so that even if your customers don’t know the address exactly they can Google search it and it pops up immediately. Always remember – Keep it simple!

3. Make your website a strong reflection of your brand

Anything belonging to your business should be evident from a mile away! What we mean by this is that your brand image should envelop everything you do for your business so your customers recognise anything from your business cards to your website straight away. Your brand includes all visuals that reflect your business’ professionalism in an aesthetic way, from your logo to your colours, fonts and imagery/graphics. Your whole website should reflect your brand and that branding should be consistent for every single page and element.

4. Create simple and effective navigation

Website menus come in all different shapes and sizes, from drop-down, scroll-triggered, hamburger and the list goes on. In the end, the most important part of your website’s menu is to effortlessly take your visitor through your site in a simple and intuitive way, from design to the way your menu items are ordered.

5. Ensure you’re easy to contact

It is very important to ensure that people can find a way to contact you easily via your website. Any point of contact is a potential sale, which is the essential part of your business. Make sure the “contact us” page or email icon is well in view on every page of your website and that you have offered many forms for them to reach you; eg, email, phone, mobile, website form.

6. Include effective and well-placed calls to action

In a similar way to the first point, creating a call to action should tell your visitor what to do and, if possible, what they’ll get out of doing it. For example, a mechanic might have a call to action like “Have the best mechanics on the Gold Coast service your car by scheduling an appointment with us today.” – This example shows people exactly what to do through the site and what they will get out of it. By clicking here they are going to have a reputable and highly-regarded mechanic service their car.

Placing calls to action throughout your website and its content in a strategic way is a brilliant and effective way to increase conversions without being too intrusive to the site design itself. It is all about balance as you don’t want to overwhelm your visitor with anything too flashy or overbearing.

7. Always remember the mobile experience

Approximately half of all web traffic is mobile traffic. While your site might look good on a desktop computer, if it looks unappealing on a mobile device then that is what 50% of your audience will see. Don’t neglect your mobile website version as it is very easy to lose potential customers if your site lacks a good user experience. When your designer creates you website, make sure that it is a responsive website, which means it will look good and perform well on any device, from computer, laptop, tablet or mobile phone.

8. Provide fascinating content

People respond most positively when they are given something useful, so make sure your website does exactly that! It is through content that your website will gain traffic, whether via search engines, social media or advertising.

Providing valuable information that will stay with your visitors even when they have left your website is the best form of content! As another point, don’t just post content for the sake of posting content and don’t post once and let it stagnate. Keep your content up-to-date and relevant to your audience. It should be informative and optimized for search engines to find.

Think carefully about what your ideal customer would want to know about your business and create pages and blog posts around those topics. This way you can keep within the realm of what your business offers people at the same time as creating good SEO content. On the topic of SEO, it is rarely easy and often requires a lot of expertise to understand, which is why many businesses hire a Digital Marketing Manager.

9. Show off those raving reviews

Reviews are more important now than ever! Reviews can make or break whether someone buys your product/service. Every contact with your customers should be the best it can be so their experience is positive enough for them to want to rave about you. Now, once you have collected these reviews, you can then use your website to show them off (in a modest way, of course! ).

10. Utilise Google Analytics

You can have a well-functioning website without Google Analytics, however we do not recommend it. The beauty behind Google Analytics and their huge reputation is that they give you an unbelievable amount of information about the traffic visiting your website.

Google Analytics includes information from the traffic source to the operating system most used by your visitors and so much more. This way you can learn things like what marketing is working for your business website and how to tailor it to the people visiting it.

Some parts of Google Analytics are very simple, like the setup. However other aspects can be a bit trickier to manage. The data can be overwhelming, but once you have found your way around it (or hired someone to do it for you) you’ll wonder what you ever did without it. And the best part is that Google Analytics is completely free!

We hope these 10 steps have given you everything you need to think about when starting up and building your future website!

The post 10 Things To Know Before Building Your Website appeared first on Clare Creative.