There are several unique elements that comprise the broader concept of marketing – targeted advertising, content creation and effective design are just a few examples of elements that must be present in a broader effort in order to be successful. Design, however, is an often overlooked aspect of proper digital marketing. When you shop for a product, for instance, the subconscious mind is constantly evaluating packaging and presentation – in the online world, this is even truer. If your digital marketing design efforts need improvement, then continue reading to find out about four ways in which you can augment your likelihood of success.

Knowing Your Purpose

When designing effective content to accentuate existing marketing efforts, it cannot be expected that said efforts will be successful if you do not understanding the reasoning or purpose behind the marketing. What message are you attempting to convey to your readers and subscribers? Particularly true when dealing with aesthetics, your design should convey various messages of relevance that briefly describe and are associated with your brand or the broader topic. While design may not be crucial when pinging to Google and other search engines, it is paramount in associating various emotions with your brand and subsequently conveying them to your readers.

Appreciating Simplicity

All too many times, designers overreach by creating design elements that are flashy, tacky or otherwise too complicated. The goal of effective digital marketing design is to convey a simple message in as few elements as possible. If readers have to “read” your design in addition to absorbing whatever content is being promoted, then there is a bigger chance that they will leave the page or stop reading the email before finishing. Content should be detail-oriented – design should be simple in its approach while eliciting emotions and connotations rather than paragraphs and complex thought.

Understanding Positioning

Depending on the exact digital marketing design, you may be incorporating multiple elements on a given page or positioning various images in one larger infographic. By aligning these elements in a way that conveys a common theme, you can prevent confusion and lost conversions. For instance, some sites will align various marketing designs alongside the right-hand side of the page, while others will use the 3-column footer feature found in many WordPress designs to adequately associate marketing elements together. Even novice designers will find that by aligning their design elements and keeping them minimalist, an overall better design will be produced.

Combining Words and Imagery

Sometimes, we can get in a hurry and forget the necessity of relating words and imagery when pinging to Google our latest content. In many cases, imagery is added to written content as a way to break up the monotony of text – but what good does it do if the imagery is not directly associated with said content? Minimalist design elements that convey a message while relating to the content in question will not only accomplish the usual goals, but can also improve its reception among those who stumble upon it.