Do you think about your audience?

So you are creating your social media visual for your post… When you are creating it, what do you think about?  The message I want to communicate?  How do I capture all of my post into 1 visual?  What colors do I like today?  I am going to just select the first template I see in Canva.  I don’t really care about the visual.  Visual? I just post words. 

Or do you think about the person who will see the visual?  What would be the message that will resonate with them?  Is there a specific style of presentation or layout that my target audience responds to best?  How can I align my message in a way that serves the viewer?

I bring this up after years of working with students on presentations and clients on marketing materials and other documents.  Often I find they are creating what they like, what resonates with them, and what would grab their attention.  And then they frequently don’t think about who the target audience is.

Putting yourself in the seat of the intended viewer can help you create more impactful visuals for your posts, documents, reports, etc.  Use all of the information that is available to you.  If you continually present to the same people, learn what they like and don’t.  If you are just starting to post social media for your company, you may not have any history to know what works best.  Check out what your competitors are doing.  Which posts create the most engagement?  Is there a commonality?

This can be a powerful creative thinking exercise for you and your team. Think like the viewer and be honest about the likes and dislikes. Sometimes what you have to offer, they don't know how it will help them (but you do!). And so you have to communicate where they are now (not where you can take them). Kind of like what I'm doing here. I believe that we are all creative thinkers, but some of us don't understand how to apply it to what we do. I'm looking to take you on a journey where I introduce creative concepts in small doses with easy to understand applications (like using complementrary colors to add some zip! from yesterday).

Here is my tip for today. Get in the mind of the viewer, checkout your competitors, and make notes about the elements that make up the visuals that generate engagement.

A few elements to consider:

• Font - type & size
• Color - not just if it is muted, bright, etc.  Also how many are used?
• Imagery - graphics, photos, videos, etc.  And then you can think about what kind of graphic style and so on
• Style of writing - phrases, single words, paragraphs, etc.

I like to break down projects into simple elements.  I feel less overwhelmed when I do that, especially if it includes a skill that I don’t think I’m great at.  For me, this is writing.  I practice writing every day because I know that will help me to improve over time.  But it wasn’t until Mrs. Winters, my high school teacher, helped me to understand the mechanics of writing (and I’m still learning them!).  She was able to break them down into simple elements so that I could see how my writing could improve.  Before that year of having her, my sentences all started with noun-verb.  SO boring to read!

I’m going to be sharing easy and simple ways to look at getting creative.  And using creative thinking to level up what you are already doing.  So follow me to see how creative thinking and doing can add value to your work.

#levelupyourskills #skilldevelopment #creativethinking #creativecommunity #creativedesign #canva #visualstorytelling #howtosucceed #impactfulwork #creativityatwork #creativityeveryday #creativemind #designer #posts #contentcreation #contentstrategy #skills