Essentials Of Successful Print Ads
Print ads generally have four written parts
-- headline, support copy, call to action, and company name -- plus a
visual. Visuals are usually more important than copy because they're more
effective in attracting readers' attention and can instantly present your
product or service in a dramatic and motivating way. Unless you're
commissioning your own original artwork or photography, the visuals you'll
use will probably be either drawings and photographs from your suppliers,
or non-copyrighted artwork (clip art) found in clip-art books and
scrap-art computer programs. So choose the strongest visual among them --
the one that best draws the eye and explains what you're selling -- and
move on to copy.
The most prominent piece of copy -- your
headline -- must not only work with your visual, amplifying its meaning,
but also attract attention with a word, phrase or sentence announcing a
benefit that appeals to your target market. One expert wrote that a
headline is that final, mind-changing, sales-clinching comment you'd make
when leaving the office of a prospect who, until then, had responded with
nothing but negatives. Others point to the enduring effectiveness of the
standard headlines "Sale," "Free" and "Buy now and save."
Collect ideas that are right for you from
your salespeople, from the ads in your file, and from advertising books.
And remember it is not so much the words, but the ideas they express, that
sell; determine your message, then find words to convey it.
Below the headline, support copy explains
the headline premise and adds secondary benefits or any assurance readers
might need to dispel suspicions raised by the headline, such as the
assurance of "same great quality" when
you're offering a "new low price." Following this copy, as a sign-off, is
a call to action urging the reader to respond ("Call for an appointment
today," or "Remember, sale ends March 21").
Your company name, traditionally at the
bottom of the ad, should include your address and phone number. Make your
phone number larger to help stimulate response by phone. Add a cross
street to your address (e.g., "5730 Sheridan, at La Monte") if you're a
new business or if, for other reasons, people might have difficulty
finding you.
The next step is to combine all these visual
and copy elements into an eye-catching, easy-to-read ad formatted to the
dimensions stipulated by the publication. It's best to study the ads in
that publication in advance, and consider what your ad might look like in
order to stand out on the page. Experiment with different layout ideas
rendered in thumbnail sketches, and then fine-tune your ad to fit the
layout you prefer. Obviously, it's highly advisable if not imperative,
when you're doing ads in-house, that the person composing your ad has
design experience. Not only is skill required to make an ad look right,
but the quality of your ad must compete favorably with others appearing in
the publication.
It's also a good idea to prepare your ad
well ahead of the deadline. This way, you can put it aside for a few days
and then review the ad with a fresh perspective while there's still time
to make revisions.
As a final check, lay your ad on a page of
the publication where it will appear and make sure it stands out from the
articles and other ads on the page.
Food For Thought
The biggest obstacle standing between you
and anything you want, is your lack of belief that you can have it.
Once you truly believe it is possible, once you can see yourself doing
it or being it or having it, the rest is just details. With belief,
plus the commitment to follow through and do whatever it takes,
anything can be yours.
Everything you need to get there is available to you, when you believe
and when you commit to getting there. Know that you can do it. Nothing
can hold you back once you have belief and commitment. You will find a
way. You can. Do it.
Pleasure is a matter of conditioning. A teenager smoking her first
cigarette doesn't enjoy it at all. She's almost certainly doing it to
"fit in" and it probably even makes her a little sick. After a while,
though, she likes it so much she finds it hard to quit.
Strategy for achieving your success: Choose the pleasures that move
you toward your goals.
For example, there is just as much potential for pleasure in jogging 2
miles as there is in eating a bag of potato chips. The person who is
trying to get in top physical shape would be well advised to find his
pleasure in the jogging rather than the chips. Just like everything
else in your world, your pleasures are under your control. Use them to
your advantage.
What is it that you truly want to do? You can do it. Realize that you
are as capable as any person. See yourself doing it. Touch it. Hear
it. Taste it. Walk inside of it. Drive around in it. Believe in it and
believe that it is yours. |
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