There's a secret formula to great advertising, a process by which an ad is conceived and comes to life. We all know that a great ad can bring dozens of new customers and thousands of dollars in new revenue to a business, but how do you breathe life into your advertising? How do you hit an advertising home run?
Begin With the End In Mind
The process of designing a great ad begins long before the headline is written. Before your ad can come to life, you must “begin with the end in mind.” You must know what its purpose is going to be and how you are going to attract a new customer.
When developing an ad campaign, we always begin by organizing a strategy session with the client, during which we write down a summary of the client's needs, a precise description of what they are promoting, and most importantly, the results they expect from the ad.
Sell The Sizzle Not The Steak
Your advertising must always sell at least one major benefit (and hopefully more) to a prospective customer. In the ad business, a benefit can be defined as something about the product or service that helps or is advantageous to the customer. For example, the benefit of owning a car equipped with an airbag is that you are protected from injury in an accident.
Always remember one of the most often overlooked rules of advertising: benefits motivate people to buy, not the inherent characteristics of a product or service. Charles Revson, the founder of Revlon, once wrote, “In the factory we make cosmetics. In the store we sell hope.”
Only by providing a compelling reason to choose your business will your ad succeed in attracting new customers. There's a famous phrase in advertising folklore that summarizes this lesson: “sell the sizzle, not the steak!”
But to “sell the sizzle” you must first determine what your primary benefit will be. Ask yourself: what one thing makes my business different from my competitors? Why would a customer choose my product or service first? What exactly will the customer get by responding to my ad?
Break Through The “Ad Clutter”
The world is chock full of advertising. People are constantly being bombarded by sales messages, as many as several thousand a day, and the competition for a customer's attention is fierce. Only a blockbuster headline will help your ad to stand out and stand clear of all the rest.
Since so much of the ad's success depends on the headline, it is crucial that you get it right. As advertising legend David Ogilvy once wrote, “The ad for the ad is the headline.”
To break through the ad clutter, your headline must sell your most important benefit to a prospective customer. And this benefit must be unique. It must be different from what's advertised by your competitors.
The headline should be full of punch. It should literally jump out and proposition the customer. In a world of limited attention spans, shorter is always better as long as you don't sacrifice clarity.
We love using “power words” in our headlines: new, free, why and announcing - words that attract attention. Make sure you give the headline the prominence it deserves. In print ads, for example, headlines should be at least 20% of the ad size. And use a bold, easy-to-read font to make the headline clearly legible from a distance. In radio or television, music or sound effects should be used to “announce” the headline and get the audience's attention.
Have A Conversation With The Customer
The best ads have a one-on-one conversation with the customer. The headline is the introduction to this conversation, and using quotation marks around the headline or adding an exclamation point will increase the immediacy and excitement in the conversation. Once the stage has been set by the headline, the conversation should continue in the rest of the copy.
Write Compelling Copy
A great ad tells the customer a really interesting story - the story of the headline. Be brief. Write believable copy. Keep your story focused on the benefits of your offer. Use verbs that incite action. Don't overindulge in adjectives that describe your service. Stick to words that clarify, inform and excite without exaggerating.
Avoid being cute or imitating Jay Leno in the copy. What seems funny to you may not be as well-received by a prospective client reading or listening or watching the ad.
And like all stories, your story has to have a conclusion. There must be a call to action at the end of your ad which invites the person to respond. Ask yourself: what do you want the customer to do after being exposed to the pitch in your ad? Have you enticed him or her to call your business or visit your store?
Give The Ad A Chance To Work
Like most things in life, an ad has a life expectancy. It will appear in a certain number of spots and take up a certain amount of space. This life expectancy will be mostly determined by your budget.
Remember, like all living things, an ad must be allowed to “mature.” A new ad rarely brings about an immediate response. In fact, it usually takes an average of nine exposures to generate a response from a motivated buyer. So be patient! Don't become a leaf in the wind, allowing your ads to appear randomly, here, there and everywhere.
Think Repetition, Repetition, Repetition
Advertising is a contact sport, a game of repetition. Don't be tempted to blow your budget on one or two large ads. You will be better rewarded by spreading the same amount of money on smaller ads over a longer period of time. Similarly, don't try to advertise in every possible venue for a short time. Choose a small group of media and stick with them. Sun Tzu, the famous ancient Chinese warlord, taught that there is huge power in a concentrated, focused effort, a lesson as true in advertising as on the battlefield.
Design The Ad To Beat The Competition
When you advertise, it's not just your product or service that goes head-to-head with the competition; so does your advertising. Make sure that your ads are better than your competitors. Also be sure that you know what, where, when and how your competitors are advertising.
Go Where Your Target Audience Is
It's not good enough to reach a lot of people; you've got to reach the right people. Opportunities for advertising are many and varied, and choosing the right place to advertise can be an intimidating task, even for the most experienced advertiser.
You must consider all your options, factoring in your budget and a detailed knowledge of the habits and whereabouts of your target market. Last February, during university reading week, an Ottawa computer company looking for electrical engineering grads sent recruiters to the beaches at Daytona, Florida! You've got to go where your audience is.
Get The Best People On Your Team
Smart entrepreneurs always surround themselves with the best people they can find for a key assignment. Similarly, it's worth drafting the best team possible to work on your advertising.
Whether you choose an advertising agency or create your own ads, recognize that it takes both time and skill to produce a great ad. A client once asked our firm to design an ad the same day it was due at the printer! This kind of approach simply does not work. Sitting down, out-of-breath, minutes before a looming deadline is not the way to create a successful ad.
Despite the millions spent on advertising in Canada, the fundamentals of great advertising are still not widely known. The creation of a “great ad” is a delicate craft, to which many are called, but few are chosen. Your advertising is an integral part of the future prosperity of your business. Be sure you are treating it with the time, effort and respect it deserves.
Marketing Breakthroughs Inc., is a breakthrough marketing, branding and advertising company specializing in helping businesses grow and succeed. For a breakthrough advertising solution, phone 613-721-3335 or email steve@marketingbreakthroughs.com.
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