LTOs are one of the most powerful ways to visually engage your customer base. Yet, despite what you can achieve with software like Photoshop®, you still need a concept and design that is going to stick in people’s minds.

Below are Key steps to help you get started:

  1. Capture the Attention of Your Customers:
    • Design for the Eye: LTOs should be visually impactful and eye-catching. Therefore, design with the eye in mind.
    • Incorporate a Catchy Headline: A catchy headline can encourage the customer to read more or call them to action.
    • Typography Matters: When it comes to design, choosing the right font is important, especially if you are looking to make an impact with a specific offer or headline. Underscoring the importance of type in your LTO can ultimately mean the difference between standing out and being glanced over.
    • Graphics vs. Photos: Determining whether you want to use graphics, photos or even both within your LTO design is also a decision to consider before executing any designs. Graphics that are in vector format are generally preferred for modern, fun and entertaining LTO designs. Using photographs can help to set the tone and mood of an LTO while sending a direct and specific message.
    • White Space (blank space in the LTO): Eyes like white space. If the LTO is packed with too much from a visual standpoint it can be difficult to read and comprehend. As such, customers are more likely to “ignore” those LTOs, which defeats the purpose of the LTO in the first place.
  2. Encourage Customers to Remember Your Message: This can be a simple and relevant image, a clever phrase, a memorable juxtaposition of two different ideas, or an original concept that has the power to make the customer stop for a moment and look at something in a new light.
  3. Incorporate a “Call to Action:” Incorporating a call to action within your LTO design is the reason you are creating the LTO in the first place. Besides your standard price listing, adding a call to action can be done by incorporating suggestive language, providing a QR code for mobile devices, implementing a URL or getting your customers to engage on social sites.

In the best cases, an LTO will not only reinforce your brand but also create something out of the ordinary that has a life of its own, engages your customers and keeps them returning for more.

This is part three of a 5 part series on How to launch a successful Limited Time Offer (LTO).

Part One: Accurately Identifying & Targeting Your Audience
Part Two: Understanding Trends & How to Use Them
Part Three: Creative Concepts
Part Four: Execution & Launch
Part Five: Review & Results