5 Ways to Improve Your One Sheet

This is what happens when a one sheet is not optimized for its audience. Remember, one sheets should provide information about your business and should successfully resonate with your audience.

A marketing one sheet should communicate your impact, outcome, value, and most of all, the opportunity that awaits your customers; it is a document that summarizes your product or services.

Some businesses fail to put effort into their one sheets, forgetting it is a way to be informative while being creative and experimental for their pitches.

If you are in the process of creating or improving your one sheet, this guide is for you. Here are 5 ways how:

Create digestible information

Your audience should be able to quickly digest the information your one sheet is providing. This does not mean you should overload the information on a single page. Balance is key. Make sure you are able to inform, without overwhelming.

Remember, it should not be hard for your potential customers to locate the information they need. 

In 2019, Time magazine reported that 55% of people spend 15 seconds or less on one sheet of content which means you need to hook them fast, or you will lose their attention.

Highlight the information they need or what you want them to see. For example, if you are selling air conditioners, put in big letters how much space it can cool. Or, if you are offering a cleaning service, let the customer know how much it will cost per hour and what cleaning processes you follow.

Here are some great examples of one pagers or one sheets.

Address pain points

Generally speaking, if a customer or client is coming to you, they have a problem they hope you can fix. Or, in other cases, a customer may not realize they need help unless you speak to them. Either way, your customers should be able to review in your sheet how your product or service is a solution to their problem.

You can present a lot of information, thinking it is all helpful, but it is important to be very specific. Focus on your customers' main problem, then present your product or service as the best solution. Some of the methods you can use to successfully address pain points are:

• Case studies
• Surveys
• Interviews

Sales should not be the only basis of success as a business; how you brand your business and present solutions to your customers' problems will also determine your success.

Your one sheet should answer, "So what?"

Your one sheet should successfully communicate to your customers why your product or service matters to them. Use proper content, visuals, and style to emphasize what they are missing out on. Give them reasons why your product or service is superior to others.

Don't forget that when you are designing your one sheet, you need to put yourself in the shoes of your potential customers. Look at it from their perspective and make sure the "What's in it for me?" question is clearly answered.

Convey emotions

Stirring emotions through a document can be challenging, but it is also the best way to attract potential customers.

Sure, presenting a lot of benefits, pain points, and exceptional features can get your customers' attention; but an emotional connection with them truly proves you listen and understand their needs. Now, how can you convey emotions through your one sheet?

• Recreate or represent your customers through visuals
• Be specific with your tone and choice of words
• Speak your customers' language
• Be sympathetic to their problems and needs

Save them time

Customers nowadays have the shortest attention span. Your one sheet won't appeal to them if it is flooded with information that demands a lot of time to understand.

No one wants to read a ton of content on one sheet of paper, no matter how exciting the design is. You run the risk of potential customers missing important details if you overwhelm them with details they don't need to know right away. Unfortunately, if you do, customers will go to a different service provider who captures more of their attention AND solve their problem, without demanding much of their time.

One of the best ways to save your customers' time, including yours, is by working with someone who can create a good and attention-grabbing design while incorporating your value proposition and everything you do in an easy-to-digest manner.

Here are some ideas on what to include on your one sheets:

• Map or description of where you are located
• An offer the customer can't resist
• A coupon
• Picture of your product or service
• Awards received
• Testimonials
• Logos of customers you serve
• Explanation of why your customer needs your product or services

Last, but not least

Let's consider the scenario from before, but this time, you are handed a properly-designed one sheet.

You are rushing through town on your way to meet your friend, and a random person hands you a sheet of paper. You glance at it and see that it is promoting a new pair of headphones. You are super excited because yours just broke, and you need a new pair. The one sheet has an image of what the headphones look like, what they cost, and the top 3 benefits of getting them over another brand. You are intrigued. You carefully tuck the paper into your bag so you don't lose it. When you meet your friend, you show them the poster, and they are excited too! You decide to go to the local electronics store to buy a pair.

You have now gained 2 customers because your one sheet was clear and got them excited about what your product can offer. Chances are, they will mention the product to their friends, which can lead to even more customers.

If you can solve a critical problem for a potential client, you have proven business valuable. If you need help to improve your one sheets or want us to help you create a new one, let’s chat!