Your Marketing Material: Too Graphic Or Not Too Graphic?

Copywriters and graphic designers are often natural “enemies,” much like cats-and-dogs. Of course, a large number of households have both types of animals and they can get along in relative harmony. At least, most of the time they can.

As with all things, there needs to be some balance. You see, a typical graphic designer will want to insert lots of pictures and various graphics throughout your marketing material. It’s what they do. At the same time, your copywriter will want to keep graphics to a bare minimum so there’s more room for text. It’s what we do.

You know the saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words?” It can certainly hold true… but that picture won’t lead a prospective customer seamlessly through the selling process. A graphic can’t, on its own, persuade someone to make a purchase or address their concerns or objections.

Of course, you do want to include a picture of your product – or the components – alongside the text. Screen-shots are great, and graphics can enhance the message. A well-placed logo, graphic-header or photo can give your website, brochure, direct mail piece, postcard ad – or what have you – a professional look.

But we’ve probably all see ads with a picture which leaves you thinking ‘what’s that got to do with this product?” – or worse, “what is that?” There are websites out there with headers or logos which take up ¾ of your 1st screen. People are paying huge advertising dollars for space in magazines and half of that pricey “real estate” is used up with an elaborate graphic… leaving precious little room to say anything meaningful about their product, why people should buy it, and what makes them different from the competition.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is ineffective marketing at its peak. Plain and simple, words sell. As the main feature, a large photo of your product-bottle is not going to convince anyone to buy it. Telling me the ingredients are organic, or that it contains this little-known powerful herb, or that it will ease my uncle Charlie’s arthritic-pain – guaranteed!… now these facts might get me interested. The more you tell me, the more interested I’m likely to become.

One other thing to keep in mind is the copy and picture or graphic must go together and support one-another. For instance if you’re offering clarinet lessons, whatever you do don’t include a picture of children sitting around on the floor singing a song –even if “clarinet lessons” is in your headline. (This is a random, made-up example, by the way, I haven’t seen any such ad.) Sure, maybe you have students sing the words to a song they’re going to play – that’s a wonderful teaching tactic – but when you’re advertising clarinet lessons you want to include a picture of a child or a group of children playing that particular instrument. Otherwise the people who tend to be more visual might misinterpret your ad.

Online of course, there’s more room to include both texts and graphics…but this doesn’t mean you want to sprinkle pictures everywhere. They can become too distracting, especially if you’re using ones which are programmed to change or move in some way. Finding the right balance is essential. Every graphic or photo should be in the copy for a specific reason – not just to “pretty it up.”

The best advice is to use graphics sparingly, make sure they belong…and above all, take the specific recommendations of your copywriter to heart!