Small Business Owners: 3 Reasons Why Good Design Will Grow Your Business.

Republished from 2016.

As a small business owner, graphic design should be a priority in your marketing strategy. As a small business owner myself, with degrees in graphic design, digital art, and e-business, I am always looking for articles which highlight the importance of good design work as a marketing strategy.

In a How Design article, Erin Sanchez, a digital marketing manager for Microsoft, highlighted the importance of design for small businesses. In her article, 6 Reasons Small Businesses Should Make Graphic Design a Priority, Sanchez first point is about customer first impressions and how design can influence the customer’s decision to give your business a chance. She follows this opening point by discussing the how good design can tell your companies story and make your business stand out from the competition.

The second article found in Business News Daily and written by Nicole Fallon Taylor, titled First Impressions, What Good Design Can Do for Your Business, echoes some of the key points found in the first article. Taylor repeats the importance of design as a tool to “help you hook customers with a great first impression.” She cites research from Missouri University of Science and Technology, a person’s eyes take just 2.6 seconds to focus on a specific element of a Web page when it loads. Ty Walrod, CEO of Bright Funds, an all-in-one corporate program for donating, matching and volunteering states in the article “A company’s design shapes the way an audience relates to your business, and any company, no matter the size, can benefit from employing design as a primary vehicle of brand expression.”

Drawing on these two articles and my own experiences as a business owner, I have listed three important concepts you should give priority when developing a marketing strategy for your business:

• First Impressions Matter – You only have one chance to make a first impression, so it needs to count.
• Tell Your Story – Design can tell your story and is the hook that makes your business memorable.
• Visual Appeal Sells – Good visuals will draw customers to your story and encourage them to learn more about who you are.

Starting today, small business owners need to look at design as a powerful tool in marketing strategy and develop a plan to use it effectively.