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| The The CopyWriters Connection Network is not currently active and cannot accept new posts | Persuasive Graphics | Views: 409 | Mar 09, 2006 6:21 pm | | Persuasive Graphics | # | Steven Boaze | | Have you ever wondered why some people learn more easily through graphics than they do through words?
A study conducted by the University of Minnesota found that the use of simple graphics increased the persuasiveness of a message by 47%.
Here are some ideas for using color and graphics to enhance your copy:
* Use your customer's logo on the title page of your proposal and balance it in terms of size and impact with your own logo. (If you know that the customer absolutely hates having their logo used by outsiders, obviously don't do this). Too many proposals go out with a cover and title page dominated by the vendor's logo. It comes across as self-centered and obnoxious.
* If the customer has a "company color," incorporate it into your design. For example, using a line at the top of the page in their color to separate the header from body text, or putting major headings in their color, are subtle ways of communicating to them.
* Avoid using clip art. It usually doesn't enhance your document. It's not smart to throw something into the document just because it's available. Your goal is to include appropriate graphics that reinforce your message.
* Avoid highly technical graphics, complex diagrams and charts. Simple graphics are better. They will attract more attention and they will be easier to understand. If you must include schematics, drawings, network diagrams, or similar technical visuals, consider putting them in a technical appendix or providing them as attachments.
* Graphics should be oriented horizontally on the page, just like the text. The reader should never need to turn your document sideways to look at your graphic.
* Write an active caption that not only explains what the graphic is showing but also emphasizes a customer benefit. In long documents, it's a good idea to number the graphics, too.
* Discussing an idea in the text and then illustrating it graphically is more effective than showing the graphic and then discussing it. NEVER put all the graphics at the end of the document (with the exception noted from above regarding highly technical drawings). If people have to flip back and forth between the text and the graphics, they won't get the full value of either.
* Use the kinds of graphics that are appropriate to the role of the audience. For example: CEOs, CFOs, COOs, and other senior executives are likely to look at payback calculations, ROI charts, or gap analyses.
Technical evaluators will appreciate a compliance matrix more than any other kind of graphic. (A compliance matrix lists each requirement, shows your level of compliance with it, and references where in the document the evaluator can find detailed information).
The "business beneficiaries" of your solution--that is, the people who will use it or maintain it--will be most interested in graphics showing the cycle of operation, work flow, escalation policies for handling problems, and so forth.
Think about graphics while you're outlining or organizing your document, before you have written any text. Graphics that are thrown in as an afterthought typically look like afterthoughts.
By following these tips, your documents will be more colorful, more interesting, and will probably have more impact.
Steven BoazePrivate Reply to Steven Boaze | |
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