Every business — and I do mean every single one of them — advertises.  Whether they choose to utilize online, offline, or e-mail advertisements, businesses must get out there and spread the good word of their products and/or services in order to survive in this competitive market.  Even though there are a slew of businesses that do their own advertisement campaigns, many do not know how to create effective advertisements.  With that said, after reading through this quick guide you will be able to dominate your competition with advertisements that pop.

  • Imagine the Images — I consistently say this throughout my articles — proper planning is the key to success.  As you plan the layout of your advertisement remember images are a phenomenal tool.  The detail, color, and formatting of the image should be purposeful and engaging.  Utilizing set branded imagery for your company is highly suggested as it helps to establish your identity as a company.  The biggest mistake that businesses make with the addition of images is placing too much emphasis on the image and not enough on the benefits of the product/service
  • Beautify the Benefits — Take a few minutes right now and browse through your product/service menu.  Spend a few seconds to outline the benefits of each product you provide.  This saves a significant amount of time both in the advertisement design as well as the design of your brochure.  That said, highlight and bring the benefits to the forefront of the ad.  Utilize graphic effects to make the benefits section a focal point (i.e. shading under or around the content box with the benefits).
  • Tease with Testimonials — I’m sure that you have realized this, but we live in a very candid society wherein people want to know what other people are doing.  Instead of avoiding this, tap into the opportunity by including 2 – 3 shortened testimonials.  Make sure, though, that you don’t provide the entire testimonial, but focus on the portion that outlines how your company improved their life.  This can be in a separate content area than the benefits, and be highlighted through a varying font style in the same family (i.e. bolded, italicized, etc)
  • Dictate with Directions — An advertisement primarily acts as a call to action for your target audience.  This, of course, is what advertisement is all about; enticing your audience to take the time to buy something from you.  In order to do this, provide directions to your store location (and/or website), supply social network information, and any other pertinent contact info.  However, do not use this as a focal point, but more in the background of the advertisement.  Remember that you are not selling the location of your store, but the benefits of your products.  You may also want to include a “Find Out More” (or similar statement) with instructions on how they can find more information.
  • Highlight with Headlines — Aside from images, headlines are the most significant eye-catching aspect of an advertisement.  Take your time with creating a main headline and 2 to 3 sub headlines (if space and ad layout permit); this is, again, one of the major tools used in selling your product/services.  Utilize benefit statements, and not features or generic information.  Tap into the emotional and psychological side of your audience by using descriptive headlines which will elicit a stronger “buying behavior”.

For what it’s worth, if you take the time to plan out your ad, you will experience significantly better results.  So, dominate your competition by making your advertisements pop through the use of images, descriptive benefit headlines, providing directions and contact information, supplying a few testimonials, and selling benefits (not features).  The bottom line, though, it that you should be focusing on creating an innovative and informative marketing tool which results in people purchasing from you and not your competition.

Need Help?

If advertising is something that you are interested in but don’t know how to get started, contact us today to schedule your free marketing analysis.

Sources:
“The Essential Step-by-Step Guide to Internet Marketing”-E-Book
SlideShare.net
Image Source: HubSpot, “The 2011 State of Inbound Marketing”, E-Marketer.com