A Persuasive Design Example for Promoting Your Event

by Eugene Loj

In the previous post, “Horrid Event Marketing Mistake: Confusing Art with Results,” I dove into the differences between graphic design and persuasive design. Originally, I was introduced to the idea of persuasive marketing by Eben Pagan. Eben used magazine covers, during a live training event, to illustrate the fundamentals of direct response marketing.  Why am I writing about magazine covers on an event marketing and promotion web site? Because the same marketing fundamentals used to create a hot selling magazine cover can be used in your own event marketing.

The Magazine Cover Example

Image Sources: Women’s Health and Men’s Health

Combining Visual Appeal with Compelling Copy
How does a compelling magazine cover represent persuasive design? It targets the emotional heart-strings of a target market with visual appeal and compelling copy. Next time you see your favorite magazine, take a deeper psychological look. There is probably a person or image of interest featured on the cover. Magazine publishers use imagery to get your visual attention.

Next, you'll probably notice a series of article titles or headlines. Those catch phrases represent the information you’ll find inside the magazine. Something as simple as, “Lose Weight, Feel Better,” is amped up to say, “SLIM CALM SEXY - A Fast, Easy Plan to Drop Pounds & Beat Street! (Women’s Health Cover Above) Is that hype? Absolutely! But it works.

Those headlines and visual cues get you to pick up a magazine and read it … that’s persuasive design! You can use those same ideas to create your own event promotions such as billboards, posters, and even print advertisements.

I encourage you to look beyond your immediate market segment for event marketing ideas. Next time you’re at your local bookstore or library, spend some time in the magazine section. When you understand the fundamentals of sales and marketing, your next great event marketing idea is just around the corner.

Additional Event Promotion Resources:

• A "Must Follow" Event Advertising Strategy
• The Importance of Market Research in Planning Your Event
• Get Great Ideas from an Event Marketing Field Trip
• The Experience Must EXCEED that of Your Event Marketing
• Horrid Event Marketing Mistake: Confusing Art with Results
• A Black Friday Marketing Idea for Event Promoters
• Event Marketing from the Magazine Rack