Home
>
Advertising
>
Three Keys to Crafting Successful Print Ads

Three Keys to Crafting Successful Print Ads

Want to create print ads that get results? Below are three keys to get you started.

1. Write for the eye. Print ads are visual. Therefore, craft ads with the eye in mind.

Eyes are kind of picky, though. So, here's a checklist of what eyes like and don't like:

* A catchy headline that encourages them read more.

* Art, such as photos, illustrations, clip art, shapes, etc. Eyes like art. When you create the ad, create words AND the visual at the same time. Words and visuals should work together.

* Designed in an interesting, intriguing, attention-getting manner. Eyes like that. Remember, graphic designers are your friends. If you don't have training in graphic design, I strongly urge you to hire a graphic designer to create your ad. The results will be well worth it.

* White space (blank space in the ad). Eyes like white space. Eyes don't like print ads stuffed with words and/or art. Those ads look way too difficult to read and comprehend. So eyes will skip over those ads and find other open, clean ads to look at. (And if they do, you might as well have never bought the ad in the first place.)

2. Write for the busy eye. Nobody is reading a newspaper because they want to see your ad. (Okay, your mother is the exception.) People are reading the paper because they want information. Reading your ad is an afterthought. So, they aren't going to spend a whole heck of a lot of time on it.

A common mistake is asking print ads to do too much. To be successful, print ads must:

* Capture the attention of your potential customers,
* Encourage those potential customers to remember what you want them to do,
* Then persuade them to actually do it.

That's a lot to ask for one little print ad.

Print ads should have one message and one message only. The more "extras" about your business you start throwing into the ad, the more convoluted the ad is going to become, and the less likely your potential customers will act upon your ad.

Now at this point you may be thinking "Okay. We need one message. That message should be to get my potential customers to buy something, hire my services, donate money, become a volunteer, etc. Right?"

Well?

For one thing, that's a pretty big leap for your potential customers. Getting potential customers to buy without first developing a relationship with them is, again, asking an awful lot for one little print ad. You might be better off inviting potential customers to take one small step in the buying process. For instance, stopping in the store for a free gift, logging on to your Web site to enter a contest, putting their names on your mailing list, trying a demo version of your product, etc. Let them get to know you.

3. Keep your target market in mind. Your message should be focused on your customers' needs, not your own. Getting customers to buy your products and services is YOUR need. How your products or services solve your customers' problems is THEIR needs. See the difference?

That's why so many retail stores have sales. They're effective because they're solving a need (saving customers money). But saving money is not the only need. There are many others.

You should also think about ways to add value without bargaining on price (this position can backfire). Contests, free gifts, free reports, free food -- stuff like that. Think outside the box. And use that value as a way to set yourself apart.

Creativity Exercises -- Learn by example

One of the best ways to learn how to craft successful print ads is to study what's out there.

Get out a newspaper or a magazine and open it. See where your eyes go. What ads attract your eyes? What ads drive them away?

Which ads have headlines that intrigue you? Graphics that capture your attention? Copy that encourages you to find out more? Why?

Now look at ads that do nothing for you. Why don't you like them? Are they too cluttered? Too difficult to understand? Have a headline that makes you yawn?

Sometimes you can learn as much, if not more, from bad examples as you can from good ones.

Michele Pariza Wacek owns Creative Concepts and Copywriting, a writing, marketing and creativity agency. She offers two free e-newsletters that help subscribers combine their creativity with hard-hitting marketing and copywriting principles to become more successful at attracting new clients, selling products and services and boosting business. She can be reached at . Copyright 2004 Michele Pariza Wacek.

In The News:

CBC.ca
GM says Super Bowl ads too expensive and bows out
Philadelphia Inquirer
The Detroit automaker said Friday that it won't be advertising on the Feb. 3 spectacle because of a steep price hike demanded by CBS, the network broadcasting the game. "We understand the reach the Super Bowl provides, but with the significant increase ...
GM Drops Another Advertising Bombshell -- On the Super BowlForbes
GM Says It Won't Advertise During Next Super Bowl GameBloomberg
Recommended: GM won't advertise on next Super Bowl, report saysmsnbc.com

all 307 news articles »

Christian Science Monitor
Advertisers and Facebook face an uphill battle. But it could be worth it.
Christian Science Monitor
General Motors' decision to invest significantly less advertising dollars in Facebook inspired some to suggest that the world's most popular social network needs to grow up. By Megan Riesz / May 18, 2012 Facebook increased the size of its initial ...
Is Advertising on Facebook Worth the Expense?TIME
Companies ask: Does advertising on Facebook pay?Seattle Post Intelligencer

all 13,671 news articles »

Dragas Mortgage Company Selects JASE Group LLC as Advertising Agency of Record
PR.com (press release)
JASE Group LLC (jasegroup.com) will serve as the Inbound Marketing & Creative Advertising agency of record for Dragas Mortgage Company (dragasmortgage.com) of Virginia Beach, VA. Virginia Beach, VA, May 20, 2012 --(PR.com)-- Dragas Mortgage Company ...

and more »

USA TODAY
GM Says Facebook Ads Don't Pay Off
Wall Street Journal
By SHARON TERLEP, SUZANNE VRANICA and SHAYNDI RAICE General Motors plans to stop advertising on Facebook after the company's marketing executives determined their paid ads had little impact on consumers. Sharon Terlep has details on The News Hub.
Facebook's biggest problem is that it's a media companyWashington Post
Facebook sparks divide: GM, Ford advertising strategies divergeDetroit Free Press
Do Facebook ads work? IPO, GM spotlight issueUSA TODAY
Chicago Tribune -San Francisco Chronicle -Forbes
all 939 news articles »

CIO Today
Does Advertising on Facebook Pay?
CIO Today
By Peter Svensson And Tom Krisher GM's advertising spending is a tiny fraction of Facebook's total 2011 advertising revenue of $3.15 billion. But the automaker's decision to cease advertising on the social network could be symptomatic of Facebook's ...
Facebook Advertising Shows 'A Lot Of Potential But It's Not A Slam-Dunk'Huffington Post
Advertisers weigh in on the value of Facebook adsExaminer.com
Ahead of IPO, GM to Quit Advertising on FacebookNew York Times
Forbes -AdAge.com -San Francisco Chronicle
all 204 news articles »

Oakfield marketing students dive into advertising
Fond du Lac Reporter
Marketing students at Oakfield High School delved into the world of "Mad Men" recently by creating an advertising campaign for a local business. Fondy Sports Park teamed up with the high school's marketing department to give students a realistic ...

ClickZ
7 Big Facebook Advertising Stories Before the IPO
ClickZ
Facebook's anticipated IPO today is just the latest chapter in an already fascinating 2012 for those watching the social media giant's advertising-related moves. The company's developers have been pushing out new ad products as well as iterations of ...
Facebook now has a public faceNashua Telegraph
What does Zuckerberg's big day mean for the rest of us?Timesonline.com

all 1,193 news articles »

Presidential TV advertising onslaught begins, but is Pennsylvania really a ...
The Republic
The advertising onslaught of the fall presidential election has begun in Pennsylvania and a handful of other states that may be up for grabs between President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney. Republicans and Democrats both ...

and more »

TV networks woo advertisers as threats to viewership intensify
Los Angeles Times
(Evan Agostini, Associated Press / May 16, 2012) By Joe Flint, Los Angeles Times NEW YORK â€” Every May the broadcast networks take over midtown Manhattan to promote their new shows and ply advertisers with shrimp and champagne. It's a business expense.

and more »

TechCrunch
Silicon Valley Can Do Better Than Facebook
TechCrunch
Facebook sells advertisingâ€”it may be the most effective advertising platform since Google, or notâ€”but that's not the best use of the brightest minds of our generation. Advertising doesn't improve our balance of trade. It doesn't lift people out of ...

and more »

Google News