I recently joined the team at PRMarketing.com as a graphic designer. I’m going to be honest, I’ve been in the design world for a little while but this is my first job in which I work alongside other actual designers. It has been a sharp learning curve and in the couple of weeks I’ve been here I’ve grown a lot.

The first thing I realized when I started working with other designers is that I rush things. I’m a rusher. I have the ability to work quickly, and therefore occasionally leave things in an unfinished state. When I was working by myself this was less obvious because the rough state of my designs were still pretty good. Working with people who can actually tell if my design could be a lot better has forced me to examine myself and my work.

As I thought today about how much better my designs have already become, I realized this can apply to social media marketing strategy. If you are a socially apt person, chances are your marketing strategies work well enough for you. But are they working as well as they could? Could you take an extra hour or two to really examine your plan and find ways to improve it?

One of the first things you learn as a designer is that everybody has an opinion. If you ask a group of people to critique just about anything there are going to be people who like it, people who don’t like it, and people who feel like they could do it better than you. This is especially true in the design world, and just as true in marketing.

More specifically, your strategy is not going to work for every single demographic. Younger generations who are social media savvy are used to a certain way of communicating and your marketing strategies that work flawlessly for older people might not appeal to the younger people you are trying to reach. The same is true of the opposite.

Everyone has an opinion, so it is your job to find out which opinions matter most and then address those viewpoints before you consider any others.

Once you figure out your target market, the creativity comes next. When I sit down to work on a design project I always put down the most obvious solution just to get it out of my system. Then I put it aside, and start considering other options. The phrase “think outside the box” is overused, but a vital strategy for any creative endeavor.

After thinking beyond the basics and every traditional marketing tactic in the book, try to think of something new. Being original will make you stand out from your competition more than a Facebook fan page will, that’s for sure.

About the author

Aubrey Miller

Aubrey has a voracious love for design with four years of professional experience as a designer. One of her crowning jewels is her Bachelors degree in the competitive graphic design program from Brigham Young University. Taking it to the next level, Aubrey brings a variety of experience in print, packaging, web, and motion design. A master of design, she finds time to keep up with her freelance custom wedding invitation business. Aubrey also enjoys being outdoors, hiking, rock climbing, and singing Italian Opera. She calls her house a home in downtown Salt Lake with her husband and son.