Leeann Froese
Your strategic marketing plan defines goals and determines which marketing tactics you will employ to reach your customers, including content marketing, SEO, email marketing, social media, advertising, and offline marketing including events and printed materials.
The implementation of your marketing plan should be rolling out as the snow melts, but if you are just getting started on your promotional and point of sale (POS) materials, don’t make these 10 mistakes:
- Starting at the Beginning. It sounds counterintuitive, but when it comes to your marketing materials, you need to begin at the end; as in you need to consider how the piece is going to be used and who is viewing it. Start with the end user and then work backwards from there to create a piece that’s the most effective in getting your message out.
- Trying to Make One Piece Do All the Work. While all marketing materials basically try to share the same two-fold goal, which is to create awareness and drive action at the same time, point-of-sale materials are not a one-size-fits-all item. You need to create different pieces for different occasions and those pieces may include rack cards, signage, tasting notes, brochures, and event posters.
- Your Brand Is All Over the Place. Start with having a brand guide. Know your logo and the ways it is used to keep it strong no matter its application, as well as what the complementary fonts and colours are.
- Your Photography Sucks. A compelling photo will capture the imagination of the reader, draw them in, and inspire them. Cluttered photos in low resolution, with bad backgrounds or not in focus don’t do this. Photos need to be high resolution and properly lit. Also, in your photography of people you should make sure there is diversity with more people of different ages, shapes, ethnicities, abilities, and gender.Be responsible. We’re not a fan of having anyone captured enjoying alcohol when they are boating, doing risky behavior, or posing somewhere that is dangerous. Don’t be cliché. This is not meant to put anyone down, but the images shared in the world of wine with barrels, vineyards, or bins of grapes have been done to death.
- You Hide Your Message. If it is a brochure or a rack card that sits on a shelf in a holder, you will need to think about where the logo & headline are placed so that it is visible and not hidden by the shelf.
- No Focus to Your Ads. A common mistake is trying to cram in too much information for the space available. Consider your call to action. Do you want people to visit or is it a click-to-buy? For print it comes back to strong photography, and then accompany with a short, concise message. For online ads you need to be even more concise, with a great shot, a few words, and a link. For Instagram and Facebook ads you’re not putting text onto a photo, as it’s all about the compelling photo and the caption that inspires action.
- You Print Way Too Much. Only print what you need. With digital printing, smaller runs are possible and affordable. This also allows flexibility to change your imagery and text more often to keep things fresh.
- You Cram Too Much on Other Stuff Too. Shelf talkers and neck tags tend to have a short shelf life and should include ‘buy me’ info or brief information that adds value and pulls the customer in. Many brands fall into the trap of trying to include too much information. Remember that the users are two feet away and the information needs to be easily read.
- Your Signs are too Complicated. For signage, simple is better. If signage is too fancy it makes it hard to read (so save your curly cue fonts for other use). Particularly keep in mind that directional signage is a tool, so it needs to function well. Every sign does not need to have your logo. What is important is that signs are done in the same font family and colour as your brand. Avoid handwritten signs as doing this completely cheapens the look of your brand.
- Your Roll Up Banners are Ineffective. As you get ready to do the circuit of festivals and shows you need a rollup banner that provides a snapshot of your brand. But again, think about the end-user and where this will wind up. Will the banner be placed behind a table? If so, the bottom 2/3 might not be visible so the logo/message needs to be on top. Also, did you know that you can recycle roll up banners by just changing out the banner part and keeping the hardware? This can save a bit of money and be eco-friendly.
With these 10 mistakes to avoid, I hope that you can get clear on your message. 2020 is going to be a great year to get your name out there!