Tip Sheet: Creating Materials That Click With Your Audience

TIP SHEET

CREATING MATERIALS THAT CLICK WITH YOUR AUDIENCE

If you've ever heard the expression "form follows function," then you've been introduced to the concept behind materials development strategy. In a nutshell, this concept means that what you create always should be guided by what the product is meant to achieve.

It can be easy to think, "I need a brochure!" Well, maybe you do, but why? Who will it be meant for? How are you going to get it to them? What is it going to communicate that will inform, educate, or inspire?

Organizational materials for your community can:

? Educate families who may need your services about the work you do; ? Help you recruit partners; ? Allow you to share outcomes about your program with potential

funders; and ? Promote an upcoming community event.

What they can't do is all of these at one time, and for all of your audiences.

Creating products on the fly without first developing a larger, overarching strategy, consistent messaging, culturally competent design aesthetic, or visual branding typically guarantees that your materials will end up in the trash. Publishing for the sake of publishing is never a good strategy.

A good place to start is by asking yourself, "Can I reach my audience with this product?" Developing an organized, branded, and well-messaged creative product--even a one-page flyer--takes time and resources, whether or not you end up printing it.

So, think about whether a social media campaign would be more effective, or if your audience gets content from your website. Print materials may fall flat with youth and young adults, for example; digital platforms may be the best place to reach them. You want to be sure that where you are putting energy has a high likelihood to connect with your audience.

IF YOU DETERMINE PRINTED MATERIALS ARE THE WAY TO GO, HERE'S HOW YOU CAN STEER AROUND THE RECYCLING BIN:

Define your audience. Draw on the principles of social marketing and make sure you know who you are trying to reach. Be specific and develop content for one group at a time. For example, you may make three different brochures which are each tweaked slightly and geared toward different audiences.

Get your messages straight. What does your audience know about children's mental health already? What do you want them to know? Is there anything you want them to do? Do you have a clearly defined call to action? Think through what your messages are for the group you are trying to reach and use them consistently when developing materials.

Show, don't tell. Don't get stuck in paragraph form: Frame your content as questions. Use bullet points. Have a pull quote. Include numbers or data points.

Make space for design. Keep in mind that full pages of content turn people off; they may view too much text as an investment of time that they do not have. Always strike a good balance between content and images or graphics. Keep the reader's attention by integrating photos and providing plenty of paragraph breaks.

Use your space. A flyer, for example, that is blank on the back is a missed opportunity to share key information. No need to fill pages margin to margin--a bit of "white space" or breathing room in layout is always a good thing for a reader's eye--but make good use of the real estate you have, especially if you plan to print.

Apply cultural competence. This isn't just about the words you use but also the images. If you are using photos that feature people, for example, do those in the picture look like the people you want to communicate with? Could the image and what is going on in it be misinterpreted in any way, or make an unintended statement? These images will be associated with you and your brand, so make sure you review using a culturally competent lens.

Keep it credible. Materials tend to have more credibility when they look professional and people know the source. If your program or organization has a logo or tagline, use them.

Whenever possible, use an editor. Typos, errors in data or facts, subtleties in language, and more can slip through when a product goes from creator/author to design to print. Even having a colleague with a good eye for details look at your content will be better than no review at all. Mistakes and missteps cost you credibility, so get a second pair of eyes!

Even though the point of a product may be to educate, use the opportunity to issue a call to action. Want them to call your organization to learn more? Put its phone number, website, social media handles, and other contact information front and center. A relationship with your audience can start with a product, so be sure you provide an open door for people to seek you out!

Being strategic at the front end of the materials development process will save time and resources.

Put a Face on Your Program

People tend to attach better to messages when they are accompanied by images to which they can relate--that is, when they "see themselves" in the design. Here are some stock photography sites that you can use to find images for your materials to help readers connect with your organization or program.

? Pexels (free)

? Bigstock (free)

? Pixabay (free)

? Dreamstime (price per image)

? iStock (price per image)

? Shutterstock (subscription)

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download