Part 2: Advertisements

Many of us have long-running advertisements to promote our business, whether it’s a repeat advert in the Metropol magazine or even your ad in the Yellow Pages directory.

It’s quick and easy to delegate the design of your ad to the company that’s actually printing the ad. All you do is give them your logo and your contact details and leave them to it. Job done. But all too often, that’s what you get back! An ad with your logo and contact details and nothing else!

Take charge of your marketing

Should we really be going into this so half-heartedly? How much is your advertising budget this year? How much of that is going to this one publication? Some publications charge like wounded bulls for their ad space so we have a strong incentive to take control of what they’re doing to our branding and marketing message.

If we’re going to get the most out of our marketing in 2010, it’s essential to take charge of the message that our promotional materials are putting out there for the world to see.

With that in mind, what are the essentials when it comes to designing a quality advert?

Well the most obvious start is to draw the reader’s attention with an eye-catching design. Your ad’s just taking up space and chewing up your budget if no one takes the time to read it! Once you have the reader’s attention, you need to convince the reader that your company is worthy of a call (or your website worthy of a visit depending on your call to action). This can only be done with:

1. A compelling headline (see our article on how to write headlines that get read)
2. Persuasive copy (see our article on how to write good print ads)

When you’re approached by an advertising provider there are some essential questions that you must ask yourself before going into a potentially expensive long-term contract. Our article, “Advertising – is it right for your business?” goes into more detail.

Finally, never underestimate the importance of working with a graphic design company that understands marketing and takes the time to get to know you and your business – a professional company that works with you to ensure your money is spent intelligently on the design of an advert to get maximum return for your investment.

Posted on February 18th, 2010 by Wendy Riley-Biddle
Filed under: Environmental