Creative elements matters
Years ago, when I developed my first brand guideline of a financial product with an agency, the elements of this guide were:
- Full logos, secondary logos, and icons
- Primary and secondary color palettes
- Font styles and sizes
- Tone of voice
- Company vision, mission, and value proposition
- Photos, illustrations and artwork
This is the foundation to create your brand identity and it hasn’t changed. However, I believe the brand guideline should have more sessions. One of the things I will explore in this article is why creating different copy and creative elements matters.
The world has changed a lot for digital marketers and the acceleration of change is constant nowadays. The creative elements (such as image and copy) can’t be the same for all channels. You can’t have a single formula for Twitter, LinkedIn, Google or Facebook. Understanding the elements of a post or ad that drive more conversion from your target audience will allow you to better tailor the upcoming marketing initiatives to be more successful.
When planning a post or an ad, check if it is clear ‘what is in for them’, and ‘what are the reasons for them to buy from you’. And always have a clear CTA. Note that CTAs can perform differently with background colors or copy.
In the past with direct mail, it was impossible to track what happened after a direct mailing was sent. Now it is possible to track so many variables, so use them to your benefit to create awareness and generate leads.
As per the McKinsey survey, companies that integrate creativity and data perform better.
The digital era allows companies to invest very little money and test different initiatives to see what brings the best ROI. So use data to keep improving and have the best practices for each platform added on the guideline.
Important take away: Keep tracking the results. Sometimes one thing that works well today won’t necessarily work in a few months. That’s why you always have to rely on data!
