You Can Create the Perfect Ad

by Daniel Rendelman

Ok, you’ve decided to advertise.   Now comes the hard part!  What should you include in your marketing materials?  Content can make or break your campaign, so be extra careful to craft an advertisement that works to accomplish your goals.  Bear in mind that advertising aims to grow recognition and not necessarily to make the cash register ring.  You can create the perfect ad with these simple ideas…

1)      Think of your target audience and consider what message you would like to convey to them so that your brand is distinguished.  Use a catchy headline in plain text to grab attention and cause readers to pause.

2)      Know what you want to say – and then cut that idea back.  Too many business owners think the more the ad includes, the more information people will see and remember.  The human brain doesn’t work this way.  Less is definitely more!  For recall and engagement, a best practice is to keep it simple.

3)      Headlines matter!  To stand out and be remembered, you should use something that is funny, asks a question, peaks interest, makes a point, inspires, plays on words, is catchy, or gives an incentive. According to Branding for Dummies, some of the most effective words are “free, new, save, better, how, now easy, guarantee, health, love, save, safety” and, most importantly, “you.”

4)      Don’t use precious real estate for details that will just be ignored.  An email address or even a physical address is often dead space. Yes, give contact information but remember that most advertising plants seeds for future purchases. Don’t crowd the reader!

5)      Use colors and relevant images that compliment your brand story. No one will pay attention to an ad for a dentist that is a big black box that says “insert smile here.” Eyeballs will be attracted to the face of a smiling child or smiling puppy sitting in a dentist’s chair! Draw people in to impress your image and logo upon their memory.

6)      Describe your benefits and not just features. How can your company make life better? What makes your business different? Why would someone choose you over the competition? Who do you cater to? What do people want to know about you? Focus on those ideas and build conviction. ‘Sell the sizzle’ – the benefits – ‘not the sausage’ – the actual product or service.

7)      Intimately know your audience and connect with them.  It’s a different approach when marketing to bald men, young toddlers, home-bound elderly, or teens about to graduate. How can you engage your perfect client? Have fun. Be different. Make people smile. Be amusing. Point folks in a direction.

8)      “The basic building blocks of a creative ad include a background image, illustrations or graphics, your business name and logo, any relevant contact information, body copy, a tagline, and a strong call to action,” says adobe.com.