Visual Marketing: 99 Proven Ways for Small Businesses to Market with Images and Design

1. The Color of Money: A Small Bank Makes a Large Impression with a Colorful Campaign

Can a small local bank take on the giant conglomerates and win? Norway Savings Bank in Maine saw an opportunity in the economic downturn. They set out to woo small business clients in a state where a majority of employment is tied to small business.

Why It Works

The Colorful Solutions campaign with photography by David McLain of Aurora Novus showcases Norway Savings, a local bank, that proudly announces: “We're from Maine—our roots go back to the 1800s.” They combine the familiar, friendly, and homespun wisdom of Maine with the expertise and financial acumen of full-service institutions. The campaign, created by Leslie Evans Design Associates, features profiles of six Maine business owners delivered in print advertisements, on the website, and in radio commercials, as well as in six 30-second videos shown on local television and via YouTube. Evans says the success is really about credibility. “We didn't want to color things—but actually shoot real people with real items in color.”

Green is for Mike Skillin, the chief financial officer of Skillin's Greenhouse. Brown is for Andy Charles, proprietor of Haven's Candy, a Maine landmark. The stories show how each business owner benefits from the personal ...