|
Home
Up
Ask the Expert
New E-Book
Books in Print
Get Coaching Help
Corporate Services
Keynotes/Seminars
For the Media
Home Office Facts
Contact Us
| |
The Rules Behind Successful Ads
Create ads that work by following these essential do’s
and don'ts.
By Kim T. Gordon
When it comes to creating
successful print and online advertising, less is definitely more. Too often,
small business owners stuff ads full of elements that can actually torpedo their
chances of success. With virtually every advertising environment cluttered with
competing ads all screaming for attention, today's cheek-by-jowl marketing
environment mandates a clear, clean approach to content.
Even readers who are truly engaged
are scanning quickly. Which ads get skipped over? Ads with these flaws produce
the poorest results:
> Competing visuals can make a small space
magazine or Internet ad appear confusing and cluttered, and fail to communicate
a central message. Sale ads in newspapers, on the other hand, are an exception
in this case, as they draw more attention by featuring multiple products and
prices.
> Don't expect readers of consumer media to
slog through paragraph after paragraph of too much copy. Even readers of trade
publications, who tend to look for new product and service information, will be
turned off by copy that goes much beyond a succinct presentation of your core
benefit and key features.
> Stay away from busy design and fancy fonts
that make ads hard to read. You can keep your ads simple and eye-catching by
using attention-grabbing colors or employing contrast. For example, an Internet
ad with a black background will visually pop on websites with white backgrounds.
Want to know what makes an ad
succeed where others fail? Ads that produce results have at least three elements
in common.
1. The ad has a clear, benefit-laden headline
Readers of your ad will have one
question in mind, "What's it for me?" So an effective headline must state a
compelling benefit. Discover what your customers want most from your product or
service -- such as softer skin, a whiter smile, to save money on their taxes --
and find a creative way to put that "promise" front and center in your headline.
Then use the ad’s body copy to explain how you will deliver that benefit. Detail
critical features in a crisp, succinct style and close with a call-to-action
that tells readers what they must do to realize the benefit you promise.
2. There is a strong visual focal point
A great eye-catching visual
provides the essential central focus for a successful ad. Your visual can show a
member of the target audience, or follow the example of the iconic Absolut ads
and depict a stylized version of the product itself. Another option is to create
a visual that relates directly to your ad’s promise, such as by depicting the
positive outcome of using your product or service. Ads targeting men, in
particular, are often effective if they show that a man has achieved success in
the eyes of women by virtue of the product.
3. The ad works in the chosen medium
One of the most critical
make-or-break elements of a successful ad is to meet the visual and editorial
requirements of the media in which it will run. For example, print advertising
on bus shelters is an excellent way to reach sidewalk traffic, bus riders, as
well as drivers in many metropolitan areas. But this kind of ad must be designed
to be read from the street as well as close up or drivers will see nothing but a
headline and photo, and miss the call-to-action.
The advertising environments in
print and Internet media vary widely. To achieve maximum results, fit your
design and copy style to the needs of the users of the media you choose. And
create an integrated media campaign, so that small space ads in one medium send
qualified customers to another, such as a website, where they can get deeper
information.
Get In-depth
Coaching on this Topic>>
Kim
T. Gordon's columns and articles are read by more than
3 million small-business owners each month. She is a small-business expert
and the author of four books, including Maximum Marketing,
Minimum Dollars: The Top 50 Ways to Grow Your Small Business.
Copyrighted material. May not be reproduced in
whole or part without expressed permission from the author. |