Listen

"Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends."
~Walt Disney

Disney's quote is the epitome of what companies should strive for: satisfied customers who do your marketing for you.  In the meantime, you have to rely on strong marketing materials.

This post will focus on how to evaluate your advertising collateral.  One of the biggest mistakes companies make is spending money producing a marketing piece and realizing that it's too complicated or too ugly when it's too late. Hopefully, after reading this, it won't happen to you.

First, find someone who represents your target audience - they'll be giving feedback on your marketing material before you mass produce it.  The reason you want someone outside of your organization is because people on the inside often "know too much" and overlook things that may be important to your customer.  What I like to do is offer to buy the customer a cup of coffee in exchange for honest feedback.

Once you have a volunteer, present them with you brochure, ad, website or other collateral and ask them the following series of questions:
• What is the main thing this is trying to tell you?  This will give you a good initial indication if your customers will understand the goal of the piece. The key here is to LISTEN to what they say...not explain what it is supposed to mean.  You won't be able explain it to every potential customer so the piece has to be self explanatory.
• On a scale from one to ten, how likely would you be to tell a friend or colleague about this? Who would you tell and what would you tell them? This will tell you what they think is interesting or useful about the material.
• What, if anything, do you like most about this? What, if anything, do you dislike most about this? You should be able to tell what stands out in the piece or if something is confusing.
• What seems to be missing? There will always be something missing - that's okay.  The thing you're looking for is if there is something more important than what is already included in the piece. 

Remember, it is important to LISTEN to what is being said.  Don't take the criticism personally.  Use the information to make your marketing material better - clearer customer communication usually translates to more business.