By Jim Knake
What is good for one person may not be good for another. Design is an art and like all art is subjective. The question that should be asked for advertising purposes is, what will catch the viewers eye? Mostly, it is a call to action as the main point. Why should someone choose your business over someone elses? Are your prices lower? Do you have what others don’t? Are you open later or have longer hours? These are main points that can catch a readers eye. When designing an ad, less is more. The more complicated an ad is, the less likely that the reader will actually look at it. People have short attention spans, therefore, get them in quick. Hook them with a great opening line or clever graphic, then build on that with what you can offer them, that the competition can’t.
When building an ad, the more you cram into the space and the more cluttered the ad is, the more likely a viewer will pass over the ad. Don’t put in all the deals you have, select the best ones or the ones you think people will want. Clean, Clear and Confident. That is what you want to portray to potential clients.
Many people run one or two ads and ask "why am I not getting any calls?" Unless you have an "Unbelievable Deal" You may not see a quick return on an ad. Frequency in newspapers or magazines is what builds a client base and brand. They may not see your ad the first or second time, maybe they saw it but it wasn’t something they needed. The more they see your ad, the more likely they are to remember your name, By the fifth time seeing your ad, they may now relate your company to the service. Once they know you for that, the more likely they will be to call you once they need your services.
Think of big brand name companies….. They don’t stop advertising even though people know who they are. The reason why is simple! If they were to stop all together, someone else would take their place at the top.
Be consistent with your advertising, build clean, simple ads and don’t stop advertising in a down market or just because you are now seeing customers.
"Good advertising does not just circulate information, It penetrates the public mind with desires and belief" – Leo Burnett (Pioneer American Ad Executive, 1891-1971)
Tags: advertising, design
