Quality, speed, volume: Manage the variables of content creation in hectic times
Anyone who has worked in financial services marketing long enough recognizes there are times when the workload is overwhelming. One day you’re cruising at a steady pace with projects reasonably staggered, and then the perfect storm starts brewing.
An important fund launch is coming up, your website is being refreshed and a mountain of content must be created or revised, plus your sales team wants a new suite of advisor support tools – ASAP, of course. Add to that your regular work and maybe sprinkle in a batch of portfolio manager commentaries, and suddenly your days have gone from manageable to mayhem.
If you’re leading a part or all of a marketing department, when times like this hit you – and they will – your first thought is to see if you can handle the onrush. If not, options may include outsourcing some duties to an agency, hiring freelancers or prioritizing work so you can spread out the initiatives to help alleviate stress.
The lowdown on “quality, speed and volume” (QSV)
If you still can’t make any headway, then it’s time for a frank meeting with your internal partners about this challenging confluence of projects. One proven way to frame the discussion is to view all of the competing demands in the context of QSV.
When it comes to the variables of creating marketing materials, consider a triangle where the three major points represent quality, speed and volume. In a perfect world, your department could deliver on all three measures at all times.
Then again, in a perfect world our brainstorming sessions would always yield ground-breaking creative, click-through rates would be off the charts for all of our digital content and the translation team would never be squeezed for time at the end of projects. Right, it just doesn’t happen very often.
QSV variables in action
So, back to the triangle. Inform your internal partners (or department head) about the challenges your department (or team) is facing, and let them know you’re confident in delivering two of the three points on the triangle. They can choose whichever two they value the most for the current initiatives:
- They can get high-quality materials fast, but not expect much of it (“Q” + “S”)
- They can get lots of content quickly, but quality won’t be as strong as usual (“V” + “S”)
- They can get a lot of good quality work, but it’ll take some time (“V” + “Q”)
Let’s assume that “quality” is table stakes, as you always want to produce compelling, effective materials. That leaves “speed” and “volume,” and whichever they choose will help determine next steps. For example, if they want speed then you’ll have to scale back on project components that aren’t as essential. If they want volume then they’ll need to be more generous with timelines for content development.
This discussion with internal partners likely won’t be easy and there could be pushback. They might not even choose to deviate from original plans (or maybe they can’t, for legitimate business reasons).
People typically want everything they ask for, but finding a reasonable compromise might be possible. If your partners can step back and appreciate the bigger picture, they’ll collaborate with you to devise a course of action that best meets their needs, while also maintaining the integrity of the materials without stressing out their valued team members.
Want more insights on how to handle marketing workloads when they start getting out of control? Contact us at 416.925.1700 or info@ext-marketing.com.
5 ways to spark your marketing team’s creativity
Imagine that work has been hectic lately for your marketing team. In addition to creating some product brochures, they’ve just cranked out a portfolio manager presentation, a couple of ads and maybe an infographic.
Now they’re being asked to develop a suite of materials for a fund launch, where the expectation is to whip up something innovative that will capture the attention of advisors and investors.
Give your team a boost with the following five ideas for sparking creativity.
Work together
Tackle creative challenges as a team to build upon each other’s ideas.
Focused, facilitated brainstorm meetings can work for specific initiatives, or maybe hold general creativity sessions with guest presenters and interactive segments to get everyone engaged
Log creative ideas
For reference, maintain a running log of creative ideas, industry best practices and ideas from other industries that can apply to financial services.
When your team needs a shot of inspiration, they can scan through the log for thought-starters.
Assess external campaigns
Have your team do mini case studies of a successful external marketing campaign. They can assess what works and why, and how they can apply the learnings to their own materials.
Regular sharing and discussion of marketing insights can jump-start the imagination.
Regular sharing and discussion of marketing insights can jump-start the imagination.
Leverage collective talents
Innovation and creativity aren’t limited to marketing materials.
Leverage the collective talents of your team to improve work processes or create a more vibrant and inviting work space. The benefits of this mental exercise may carry over to their respective jobs.
Give ’em a break
Let your team catch their breath by briefly switching them to a more mundane task like reviewing and updating existing materials. The goal is to let them refresh their batteries and do a creative reset.
Creativity can be a tough nut to crack. We hope these ideas help.
For more ideas on fostering an innovative, creative environment for your marketing team, contact us at 416.925.1700 or info@ext-marketing.com.
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But can you make a PowerPoint?
But can you make a PowerPoint? We’re asked this question all the time.
It’s no surprise. “Financial services marketing and investment commentaries” covers a broad range of possibilities. To find out more about investment commentaries, click here. To find out more about financial services marketing, read on.
Services at Ext. Marketing Inc.
Yes, we make PowerPoint presentations – and we can do much, much more for you. Here are just some of the ways that we can help you and your firm achieve your marketing goals while alleviating many of your concerns and challenges around resourcing:
- Copy and design for PowerPoint presentations
- Copy and design for newsletters
- Digital newsletters and eBlasts
- Copy and design for brochures, infographics, sales tools and fund sheets
- Copy and design for websites and microsites
- Strategize and execute custom content campaigns
- Write blog posts for content marketing and other usages
- Help you brand and get the word out about a new product or services
- Conduct marketing materials audits
- Copy for executive speeches
- Copy for press releases
- Lead brainstorming sessions
- Enhance your social media activity and presence
- Script, storyboard, shoot and edit videos
- We even offer print production and translation services!
You get the picture – we’re a full-service marketing and communications partner for financial services firms.
If you have a marketing challenge, we can help you work through it. Contact us at 416.925.1700, 844.243.1830 or info@ext-marketing.com.
An introduction to accessible design
Not everyone is talking about accessible design. But they should be. This article provides an introduction to accessible design concepts and links to more information.
The following are just a few of many ideas that will get you thinking about taking on a broader, more thorough accessibility review.
Making print accessible
Accessible design for print is about clear messages – making sure that your readers understand what you’re saying.
Colour
People’s perception of colour can be affected by specific visual ailments, the environment or injury. While colour blindness impacts a certain portion of the population, the contrast between colour hues affects everyone.
It may now be a little passé, but do you remember the blue dress meme? If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s time to review issues such as contrast and colour.
Font
“Big letters” are important but it goes much further than that. In the corporate world today, the majority of accessibility discussions around fonts focus on kerning (the space between letters) and leading (the space between lines), as these have a dramatic impact on print legibility. So, avoid complicated fonts. Choose fonts with recognizable letters and don’t overcrowd your copy,.
Hierarchy
This is a slightly more abstract idea than colour and font. Hierarchy is about the organization and prioritization of content in the overall structure of your document.
When attempting to improve hierarchy, designers often increase header size, add subheads and create bullets (where possible). Hierarchy is incredibly important in web design as well, which we’ll get to next.
Making web design accessible
While the three concepts above also apply to the web, accessible web design is about clear navigation – making sure your visitors can find the information they need. Here are two ideas that are a little more specific to the web.
Logic
Content must be intuitive. Your visitors should be able to predict specific elements, such as navigation, on each page.
Operability
People must be able to access and navigate through content no matter what tools they use to do so, from a mouse to a keyboard, as well as voice recognition.
A note on AODA
When it comes to web design, accessibility goes beyond look and feel. You need to develop your website according to accessibility principles.
Although the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (“AODA”) currently applies to companies with 50 or more employees, we think investment firms of all sizes should think seriously about incorporating AODA principles into their next redesign.
Examples of AODA best practices include:
- Do not add content through Cascading Style Sheet (“CSS”) because it may be inaccessible to screen readers
- Tag PDFs so that they’re accessible to screen readers
- Add ALT attributes to IMG elements in your HTML
Links for more info on accessible design
There’s a lot more to say about accessible design. Check out these sources for all the info you need:
- For more details tips and insights, read RGD Ontario’s Access-ability
- Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act
- For web development issues, visit W3C
- Global Accessibility Awareness Day
Contact us at 416.925.1700, 844.243.1830 or info@ext-marketing.com to start making your print and web design more accessible.
Read more:
https://ext-marketing.com/commentaries-articles/5-reasons-investment-commentaries-arent-bad/
Fuming over file types? GIF yourself a break
When it comes to representing your company’s brand, your logo is right at the top of the list. It should always look crisp and clear. So much depends on sending the right file type for print, web design, promos and sponsorships. But how are you supposed to know which file type to send? Here’s a tip: everything you need to know is right there in the file name extension. Some of the more common graphic file extensions include:
GIF (Graphical Interchange Format)
These low-resolution (low-res) files look best on the web, and are small enough to send via email. Avoid using them for printed materials.
PNG (Portable Network Graphics)
PNG files look great in PowerPoint presentations. These are also low-res, and not recommended for printing.
JPG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)
JPG files are fine for office printing and the web. JPG files can be medium- or low-res. They are not necessarily crisp enough, however, for high-quality printing.
AI (Adobe Illustrator)
AI is a source file, meaning the format in which your logo was actually created. Most printers, large-format sign makers and companies that produce promotional products prefer to receive AI files.
EPS (Encapsulated Postscript)
EPS files are also great for printers, large-format sign makers and promo companies.
TIF (Tagged Image File Format)
TIF files can be quite large in size, but are very reliable for high-quality printing.
Avoid getting into a “TIF” with your printer and “GIF” them the right logo file every time!
Contact us today at 416.925.1700, 844.243.1830 or info@ext-marketing.com for help with logo design, printing or brand development.
Read more:
https://ext-marketing.com/commentaries-articles/5-reasons-investment-commentaries-arent-bad/
Five easy ways to create better newsletters
Newsletters are a great way to keep your clients and prospects engaged because they allow you to share stories that educate and inform.
The number one rule for producing great newsletters is to write articles that engage your target audience. Let’s move on to some other ideas that will help you write better newsletters.
1. Focus on a theme
When you’re flushing out your editorial calendar, find some overarching themes that: (1) your clients and prospects will want to know more about and (2) will show that you are a subject matter expert. Focus each and every edition of your newsletter on just one theme.
For example, if your topic is retirement, you can write articles about staying healthy in old age, long-term financial planning, estate issues and financial education for young people.
2. Write killer headlines
This advice is just as true for newsletters as it is for any other marketing or advertising material. Given that everyone’s attention is being pulled in many different directions these days, a strong headline is often the best way to grab the readers’ attention – and convey your one key message.
Everyone’s attention is being pulled in many different directions these days. A strong headline is often the best way to grab the readers’ attention.
3. Add images that will maintain focus
A killer headline paired with an appealing image will help keep your readers’ attention. There’s no set rule for what images work best. Traditionally, images with smiling faces and/or images that take a moment for the reader to “get” tend to work well.
4. Keep it current
There’s an old saying that goes “put the news in the newsletter.” Our clients’ most popular newsletters – the ones that result in great responses and requests for more information – are often tied back to the news of the day.
Current content often means tighter deadlines, but it’s worth it. So make sure you have enough resources available to create this content as needed.
Current content often means tighter deadlines, but it’s worth it.
5. Do the research
Writers should be able to back up what they say in their articles. And, to add value, newsletter publishers should have more data and resources on hand as well. That way, when clients ask for more information, you can keep the conversation going and continue to add value.
To learn more about creating stronger newsletters, contact us at 416.925.1700, 844.243.1830 or info@ext-marketing.com.
Read more:
https://ext-marketing.com/marketing-articles/five-techniques-for-more-effective-self-editing/
Slide some design tricks into your repertoire
A search for “PowerPoint Design Do’s and Don’ts” will return dozens of sites offering firm rules for PowerPoint design, but we think there is one rule that overrides them all: your presentation has to be easy to read.
Keep your viewers in mind, and you can’t go wrong. Here are some tips to keep you on the path toward PowerPoint clarity:
Edit your text
Cutting text is the best thing you can do to make your slides look clean. Don’t hesitate to use point form sentence fragments, or one word bullets. You can fill in the blanks with the support of your notes.
Restrict yourself to two fonts
Although one font is ideal, it’s okay to use one font for your headers and another for body copy. Sans-serif fonts work best for slide copy (like Calibri or Arial) as they are clean and easy to read.
Use no more than three or four colours
Too many colours can be visually distracting. Most firms have two main corporate colours, with a few secondary colours available if you need them. Try to stick to the two main colours, using lighter and darker tones if necessary.
Keep calm and don’t over-animate
Those animation features are so cool and so easy to apply, but try to control yourself or your presentation may resemble a middle-school science project! Ditto for Clip Art and Smart Charts.
Use graphs and charts
Look for spots where numbers can be converted to pie charts or bar graphs. Convert long lists into tidy tables using preformatted table design options.
If you’re looking for some help with your presentations, contact us at 416.925.1700, 844.243.1830 or info@ext-marketing.com.
Read more:
https://ext-marketing.com/commentaries-articles/7-time-saving-commentary-tips/
Presenting a few helpful PowerPoint tips
PowerPoint is 26 years old this year and some people at Ext. Marketing Inc. (we won’t name names) have been building presentations for almost as long, back when slides were printed onto expensive transparent sheets and we called them overheads and carried them around in boxes.
While presentation technology has changed for the better, some of the slide-building fundamentals we learned in the early days still hold true.
1. Build Master slides first
Before creating a presentation, click View > Slide Master and create custom Master slides with the approved corporate logo, colours and fonts (your marketing department probably has branded Master slide decks ready for use).
If you’ve never used Master slides before, take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the concept. It’s fairly simple, and will save you tons of time: no more painstaking, slide-by-slide design updates.
2. Use the Outline window to add text
Toggle between Slide and Outline view at the left-hand of the PowerPoint Home screen, and add your slide text in the Outline window rather than typing directly in the individual slides.
Add your slide text in the Outline window rather than typing directly in the individual slides.
This small step will save you time in the long run: the tidy Outline hierarchy makes it easy for you to organize your thoughts, make major text edits, and import or export large blocks of text with one click.
3. Use the Slide Sorter to move things around
You can simply click and drag to reorder your slides without losing track of anything or accidentally deleting a slide. Slide Sorter is also the best way to gain an overall high-level view of your presentation message and how it flows.
Simple but effective. Just like PowerPoint.
If you’re looking for some help with your corporate presentations, contact us at 416.925.1700, 844.243.1830 or info@ext-marketing.com.
Why microsites are a big deal
Experienced financial services marketing pros are quick to respond to trends and can pull together a snazzy e-campaign at the drop of a hat.
But what if your campaign doesn’t fit the constraints of your own website? Large corporate sites can be, by necessity, tightly controlled and costly to update.
The solution lies in the nifty microsite.
Microsites 101
A microsite:
- (Says Wikipedia) is an individual web page or group of pages built to function as an independent subset of a larger website
- Landing page or main page may have its own address or domain and can be linked to a main site (or not)
- Can be removed from the server completely once it has fulfilled its function
- Has its own unique navigation and content
- Can have a completely different design than the main site with which it is affiliated (this is the fun part)
Why microsites are a good tool
Microsites are useful for financial services marketers who want to emphasize a new product or launch a campaign, as well as for promoting special events or contests.
What’s great about a microsite is that you can create just a few web pages that mimic the exact look and feel of the campaign you are promoting, which is something marketing teams don’t always have the freedom to do on established corporate websites.
You can create just a few web pages that mimic the exact look and feel of the campaign you are promoting, which is something marketing teams don’t always have the freedom to do on established corporate websites.
Also, real estate on a corporate home page is hard to come by – your campaign might not get the space it deserves. But you can tailor your microsite to point visitors exactly where you want them to go.
Remember to think about …
Consider factoring a microsite construction project into your next campaign budget. Some things you will need to take into consideration include:
- How long will your microsite will be live for?
- How will visitors get to it?
- How it will hook up with your main site?
Think carefully about navigation to avoid visitor confusion, and make sure you give people an easy exit back to the main page. A strong microsite will give your next campaign added reach, depth and interest, with the additional benefit of measuring the success of your campaign through analytics.
For help with microsite development, contact us at 416.925.1700, 1.844.243.1830 or info@ext-marketing.com.
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Six ways to give more productive feedback
We’re not talking about your annual review here. We’re talking about finding more productive ways to give feedback on creative – whether it’s design or copy.
One thing is for sure, creative types in financial services marketing usually have pretty thick skin. Nevertheless, vague feedback can cause unnecessary stress, as writers and designers try to help you achieve your goals.
Here are six ways to give more productive feedback to the creative types in your organization:
1. Be specific
Referring to specific issues will help you avoid falling back on phrases like, “Well, it’s hard to say but something about that colour just doesn’t work for me.” Instead, you should express more focused ideas like, “We used this blue on a campaign last year, and we got some negative feedback from sales. Can you try a darker shade?”
2. Provide feedback in writing
If for no other reason than to provide a reference, providing your feedback in writing is often a good idea. This is especially important if you weren’t able to give your feedback in person and had to make a phone call. Be as precise as possible with the language you use in your communications.
Be as precise as possible with the language you use in your communications.
3. Tie feedback into project goals
This is just as good for you as it is for the person receiving the feedback. By tying your ideas back into project goals, you’ll ensure you aren’t just giving your opinion.
4. If your feedback is substantial, book a meeting room
The last thing anyone wants is to be embarrassed in front of their colleagues. So, if someone has really missed the mark – which is bound to happen now and again given tight turnarounds and multiple demands – book a meeting room and provide your feedback in private. It’s a classy move, and one that will be appreciated.
Book a meeting room and provide your feedback in private. It’s a classy move, and one that will be appreciated.
5. The “bad news sandwich”
I think we can all agree that even if we know we’re being fed a bad news sandwich, we still prefer it to the alternative. What’s a bad news sandwich? It is when you nestle your feedback in between positive comments. There’s no better way to maintain a great working relationship than to share some praise while offering a critique.
6. Facilitate a conversation
Feedback can be much more constructive if there is a back and forth, and hearing the reasons for why something was done one way might even change your mind.
If you have marketing questions, we can help. Contact us at 416.925.1700, 1.844.243.1830 or info@ext-marketing.com.
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Five things to avoid when creating graphs and charts
Using a chart or graph can be a simple and eye-catching way to display information that might otherwise need paragraphs (or pages!) of text to explain.
When done well, your audience should be able to scan and interpret your graphics quickly and easily. When done not-so-well, simple graphics can confuse a reader. Here are some things to avoid doing when visually displaying information.
3D and other special effects
Using 3D and blow-apart effects can make your data hard to interpret. Think about a 3D bar chart for a minute. The 3D effect is created by angling the bar upward. What part of the bar is your reader supposed to be looking at? The front (the lowest part) or the back (the highest)?
If you’re not there to explain the data, don’t be surprised if your readers can’t figure it out on their own.
Blow-apart effects, which we often see with pie charts, create similar issues. The parts of the pie are harder to compare when they’re blown apart, which can lead to misinterpretation of your data (source). Remember, your readers should be able to interpret a well-designed graphic at a glance. Don’t make them work for it.
Your readers should be able to interpret a well-designed graphic at a glance. Don’t make them work for it.
Odd scales
Another way to make your readers work is to challenge their assumptions. And most readers assume that most charts start at zero. Starting a scale with a number other than zero can distort your information, leaving the impression that your data has been skewed.
Information overload
Trying to present too much information on a line graph reduces your readers’ understanding of what you’re trying to say, because it makes it difficult to find the data points on your graph. Similarly, too many bars in a bar chart can make it hard to distinguish between groups of data. You’ve seen these charts, where all the information just blends together.
If you have too much information to present, consider creating a series of charts by grouping different sets of data in a logical way. If that doesn’t work, it might be best to skip the chart in this case and tell your story with text.
Too many/non-contrasting colours
Eye-catching graphics use colour, but using too many colours can leave your chart looking messy. It can also confuse readers as they start to lose track of which colour was supposed to represent which piece of information.
Six is the maximum number of colours you should use, but most sources will tell you a three-colour palette is ideal. And if there’s any chance your chart will be printed out or viewed in black and white, choose a palette with plenty of contrast.
Skipping the text
A well-designed graphic is a great way to present information for visual learners. You know, those people whose eyes glaze over when they see paragraphs of text followed by more paragraphs of text. But don’t underestimate how important it is to reach all types of learners. There are plenty of people who will struggle to interpret a line chart no matter how simple it seems or how well it’s designed.
To make the biggest impact and reach the widest audience, use a mix of graphics and well written text. Your readers will thank you.
For effective and engaging design ideas follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Three marketing lessons from a trip to the art gallery
There are marketing lessons everywhere. From the food on your plate to the traffic you’re stuck in. So it’s no surprise that on a recent trip to the art gallery, some thoughts about successful marketing came to mind.
1. Treat your best customers very well
The art gallery’s family membership comes with great benefits: free visits all year, extra guest passes and complementary access to special exhibits. Sure, these benefits come at a cost, but members can make that back with just one visit.
Similarly, if your clients like your services and solutions, and they are putting an above-average amount of money with you, you should reward them anyway you can.
2. People want a great experience
This builds off #1. More so than ever before, people want to experience something worth talking about. An art gallery experience starts out on the street when you see the building’s stunning architecture and things only get better from there.
Likewise, you’ve got to offer your clients and prospects a share-worthy experience. An engaging, well-designed website is a good place to start because you can get a lot of mileage out of it. Your goal should be a website that is highly functional and great to look at.
3. Good design is timeless
Great art stands the test of time. Everyone knows Picasso and Monet, and everyone always will as long as art galleries exist.
Great design stands the test of time too. Now, it’s true that mutual fund brochures may not be on par with the world’s great masterpieces, but financial services marketers should all aspire to create materials that are engaging and can lead to conversations.
Also, brochures are getting shorter and social media is ascending to the throne of marketing royalty. As a result, the amount of copy we use is generally decreasing and design is gaining ever-more importance.
If you have any questions about your marketing strategy or execution, please contact us at 416.925.1700 or info@ext-marketing.com.
What can a salad teach us about marketing?
Several very pioneering – and possibly hungry – researchers tested the idea that an aesthetically pleasing salad would influence a diner’s expectation of the quality of the salad, the eventual enjoyment of the salad and, ultimately, the price someone would pay for that salad.
Imagine three salads: a simple tossed salad, a second arranged to look like a Kandinsky painting and a third arranged in an extremely neat manner, as if built by a chef with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
As the researchers confirmed for us, we do in fact eat with our eyes first.
As the researchers confirmed for us, we do in fact eat with our eyes first. The Kandinsky-esque salad apparently tasted better, was thought to be more complex and more liked, and would command a higher price.
What does your marketing salad look like?
Gone are the days of wordy brochures filled with product jargon.
The rise of infographics, digital and social marketing, and integrated microsites has helped show a customer your company’s value proposition or product details in a more thoughtful way.
Gone are the days of wordy brochures filled with product jargon.
Last year we stressed the importance of having your summer interns conduct an audit of your marketing materials – this year we urge you to do the same, but then take those old but impactful materials and give them the “fine art” treatment.
Do you have a company factsheet that touts sales or investment growth over time? Throw in the latest numbers and make it an infographic!
Is an old product gaining new traction in the market? It might be time to build a microsite so your wholesalers can spread the message easily – and follow up immediately.
And remember, if Kandinsky is too weird, then a Warhol is cool, too!