Designing Marketing Material for Your Small Business
with Intention and Ease
Marketing sheets are informative and promotional documents used by businesses to provide essential details about their products, services, or brand in a concise and visually appealing manner. These sheets are typically designed to capture the attention of potential customers and are used in various marketing and sales efforts.
In this blog I’m chatting about different formats, use cases, things to consider, what to include, and ways to create the perfect marketing sheets for your business!
First, Why Use a Marketing Sheet?
Having a quality document to send over to potential clients helps you to establish a strong first impression, build trust, and convey your brand story and personality. Not only will this help clients view you as professional, but it will give them a clear and concise way to understand what you can offer them. You might be thinking, “that’s what my website is for!” And while having your website is an important way to showcase your story and your services, a simplified PDF is just another way to communicate the important aspects of your business or the process of working with you with your clients.
Formats & Use Cases
Marketing info sheets can be created in various formats, such as PDFs, printed brochures, one-page flyers, or digital documents. They are a valuable tool that help businesses communicate effectively with their target audience, highlight the benefits of their offerings, and ultimately drive sales and engagement.
Marketing sheets are super versatile and can be used in many different situations. To name a few:
Virtual Presentations: If you offer a free call with potential clients, or an onboarding call with new clients, having a marketing presentation to go through can help keep you on track with what you want to convey, and help your client clearly understand next steps! Plus, you can even send the presentation to them before or after to reference.
Events: Having a marketing sheet or brochure visible for interested visitors when they come to your table at an event is a great way for them to gather info from you quickly, and even take it with them if you choose to print out copies.
Client Onboarding: Whether you have a call or an email to welcome a client onboard, having a sheet that you can send along to clearly outline the process of working together can keep everyone on the same page!
Website Downloads: Whether it’s a freebie that offers value or details about your business, or a paid for digital download, branded marketing sheets and PDFs are a great addition to your website in exchange for visitor email addresses!
Digital Marketing: Size your marketing sheets to fit onto various social media platforms and reach a broader audience. Infographics and carousel posts are a great way to engage visitors without them needing to read a lengthy caption on your post.
What to Consider
Branding: You’ve likely spent time deciding on the colors, logos, and fonts that make your brand tell your story best. It’s important to include all of those visual elements in your marketing documents as it makes everything cohesive and professional. Plus, people will start to recognize your brand and feel even more trusting of you when they notice the visual elements of your brand consistently present across your different platforms and marketing material.
Simplicity: You don’t want to overwhelm anyone with TOO much information. Remember, the purpose is to express important information to your ideal audience in a clear and concise way. Provide your essential points and contact information without being too wordy or confusing.
Design & Copy: Beyond having informative concise content as stated above, having well-crafted and visually appealing material instills confidence and excitement in customers. Think about how you are speaking to that ideal audience with your words and other visual elements.
What to Include
Beyond your branding and contact information, here are some other essential elements to include in your marketing sheet.
Product/Service Information: Any specific information about the product or service being offered. This can include descriptions, features, benefits, and how it solves a customer's problem or meets their needs.
Visual Elements: Marketing info sheets often include images, graphics, or illustrations to make the content more engaging and help customers visualize the product or service. Make sure to use high quality images!
Call-to-Action (CTA): You may choose to include a clear CTA that encourages the reader to take a specific action, such as making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, visiting a website, or how they can learn more.
Testimonials: Social proof is a powerful tool when showing your audience that it is possible for them to achieve a desired outcome!
How to Create?
While there are many ways to create a marketing sheet on, from Microsoft Word or Google Docs, to more sophisticated and expensive platforms, my personal favorite is Canva!
Canva is a popular online graphic design platform that allows users to create a wide range of visual content easily and intuitively. It offers a user-friendly interface with drag-and-drop functionality, making it accessible to both professional designers and individuals with little to no design experience. Users can design eye-catching graphics for social media, presentations, posters, flyers, and more, thanks to Canva's extensive library of templates, images, icons, and fonts.
While Canva has a free version that enables you to create a beautiful marketing sheet, they also have a paid version which in my opinion is well worth the investment! With the paid version you can easily resize your content for all your use-cases, set up your “brand kit” so that your brand logos and fonts are easily accessible, and organize your marketing material into folders.
Wrap Up
Remember, the goal of a simple marketing sheet is to provide a snapshot of your business's offerings and entice potential customers to take action. By following these tips and tools, you can create an attractive and impactful marketing sheet even if you have limited design experience! But, if it’s something you truly have no interest or time for, I am happy to design for you! Book a free chat, or download more info about what working together looks like here!
