It’s not uncommon for marketing teams to be presented with a conundrum about allocating resources and expertise. This is especially true for smaller marketing teams where existing internal resources don’t always match the needs of the project.

Say your company wants to create new marketing materials that require photography and live video footage. You have someone who can operate the camera and capture what is needed, but doesn’t have the knowledge or time to transform that raw footage into the final creative project. That’s ok. Many companies don’t. And that is why they enlist the help of a graphic designer.

Graphic designers take the ‘raw materials’ – headline, stock photos, format requirements – and create content with a purpose. They are skilled at using the right colors, fonts and imagery to make sure your message pops for the audience. Using a professional graphic designer to create polished and professional materials not only takes the burden of stress away from the marketer, but also helps to generate collateral that better represents the brand.

Top 3 Recommended Projects for Graphic Designers

Certain types of materials are standard in today’s digital age. By focusing on the most customer-facing materials first, you will be putting your best foot forward to create a solid first impression with your audience. If you’re looking to update your look and feel, consider asking a graphic designer for help with these items:

• Website

Over the last few years, websites have become the first place someone sees your brand. It’s no longer enough just to have a website, it must be user-friendly and on-brand. If your graphics look out-of-date, people assume the content is as well, and will look elsewhere for help and resources.

• Sales Materials

The best format for your sales materials might vary depending on your type of product/service. Whether it’s a brochure, datasheet, presentation or even just a business card, they require a finesse that balances educational and promotional, while still maintaining a coordinated on-brand style.

• Product and Packaging

Your marketing and sales materials aren’t the only pieces that require attention. If your website and brochures get a facelift, remember to continue that updated style onto your product itself and/or the packaging. If unflattering packaging arrives to your customer after they’ve seen your eye-catching marketing materials, they might be concerned with false advertising.

Focus on What Your Company Needs to Meet Marketing Goals

Depending on the goals of your company, certain types of materials will be the most customer-facing. If your company has a smaller budget, focus on a specific part of your brand.

If your company relies on videos, it’s best to get a professional who knows how to upload and edit them. Yes, you can edit a video through websites, but it won’t look as clean. Software like Final Cut, Photoshop and InDesign require training to be able to use them effectively.

However, without a professional, your audience could be unimpressed when the great idea in your mind doesn’t look as perfect as you thought. If it doesn’t look as good, you are bound to lose their attention. This is where creative direction comes into play. An artistic eye and experience is what makes marketing materials look good, not just being able to use the software.

If written technical content like whitepapers is more valuable to your audience, then hand off the formatting and layout to a graphic designer to create a branded PDF, rather than the content writer who is probably using Word.

Sometimes it’s best to start small with the most necessary content. Once that’s created, you can expand those ideas to the next type of content.

Internal vs External Resources

Knowing what you don’t know is key when creating marketing materials. As marketers, we need to juggle many areas of knowledge – audience personas, technical writing, matching materials to sales cycle journey, marketing technology platforms (MarTech), creative design, KPIs and so much more.

There are times when your own internal resources can get the job done well; but knowing when to call in the professionals to get something done right is a sign of intelligence and strategy. If you don’t have someone with a particular skill on your internal team, consider partnering with a freelancer or a marketing agency to assist with projects. This can easily save you from expending a lot of time, energy and stress on something that can be done by a professional.