Professional Advertising
Seriously Effective Print Advertising
Professional Advertising
Seriously Effective Print Advertising
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How To Succeed With Newspaper Advertising With newspaper advertising [and with all other types of media], Consistent Advertising = Familiarity = Trust = Customers. People won’t buy from you until they trust you. Trust and confidence take time to build up. To be
successful with newspaper advertising, you need persistence, patience, and a
budget to keep your newspaper advertising running to build that trust. Your ad should appear in the same place in the
newspaper at least weekly for an indefinite period [forever]. Expect to run your
newspaper advertising for two months before you see an increase in sales. It
takes some time to build trust. And if you quit, you have to start all over
again. Don’t waste your money starting a newspaper advertising program if you
can’t give it time to work. A Few Newspaper Advertising Facts Fifty-seven percent of adults in the U.S. read a daily newspaper. Sixty-seven percent read a Sunday paper. They spend almost 45 minutes per day reading at least one paper, and over an hour on Sunday. Newspapers get the biggest share of advertising revenue in this country. Almost 22% of all ad dollars go to newspapers. Over 85% of that money is spent by local advertisers. There are over 1,600 daily papers in the United States with a circulation approaching 58 million. The are over 7,000 weekly papers with a circulation of over 50 million. When
and Where Your Ad Should Appear Your newspaper advertising strategy
will depend on your type of business. The key question is: “When and where
[what newspaper sections on what days] do your customers look for your type of
business?" Here are some general placement guidelines: 1. A smaller advertisement run repeatedly will do better than a larger ad run less often. Familiarity = trust. 2. Shoppers read the Friday, Saturday and Sunday papers to plan their weekend shopping. Saturday is the most important of the three, but Sunday is the most widely read. If you are a retail store, you probably want your newspaper advertising to run on these days. 3. The public knows to read the paper on certain days of the week to get certain information. If your competitors are all running their newspaper advertising on Wednesday in the same section, there is a reason. Shoppers know to look there for information about your type of business. If you change your ad and your customers
don’t recognize it, you will have wasted all of the trust you have built up
over time. Many companies never change their basic newspaper advertising
design. This is a good strategy as long as the ads are working. Attention You will see us repeat this idea over and over. Your ad has a zero percent chance of succeeding if your prospect doesn’t read it. Attention is everything in newspaper advertising. Don’t be shy. You want the biggest ad that makes economic sense, and the most stunning presentation you can design. Your ad must stand out from [contrast with] all of the others on the page. Conservative ads won’t even get noticed. Think about it. Direct
Response Newspaper Advertising Once
you get their attention, your newspaper advertising needs to motivate your
customers to respond now. A direct response ad is written to get
attention, interest, desire, and action immediately. Think of it this way: Where
will that newspaper be in 24 hours? [In the recycle bin.] Now,
think about that huge mountain of inertia you must overcome with your customers
to get action. You want them to take a financial risk, clip your ad, get in
their car, drive to your store, deal with your staff, buy your products, carry
them home, assemble and install, etc. etc. etc. All they want to do is sit in
their chair and peacefully read their newspaper. How are you going to get them
to respond? You
use direct response newspaper advertising, and you create professional
advertisements using professional marketing techniques. You
need to make your customers squirm, or wince, or laugh, or cry. You need them
excited, exhilarated, and ready. Make them feel danger. Fear. Heat. Sex. Hunger.
Desire. Stoke them up, and then tell them how to get what they want. Fulfill
that desire. Quench that thirst. Eliminate that pain. Easy. Fast. Free. So,
can your diaper delivery service do this? You'd
better, or no one will call. Actually, this may be a bad example, because there
is a certain built-in motivation to get someone else to clean your dirty
diapers. But no matter what your service or product, you need to build real
motivation in your customers if you want them to respond to your newspaper
advertising. More
Direct Response Newspaper Advertising Let's
see if we can help you to better recognize effective direct response advertising
when [or if] your designer shows it to you. Direct
Response Advertising Example “Hungry?
Try Our .99 Double Cheeseburger” This
ad achieves one-on-one communication, and it motivates the reader to recognize a
problem [hunger] by asking a stimulating question. “Hungry?”
[“Yes”, the reader replies, “That’s me.”] The ad then offers an
immediate, highly desirable solution. “Try Our .99 Double Cheeseburger”
[problem, solution, value, desire, satisfaction.] The
ad gets visual attention simply by using special fonts. It gets attention,
identifies a problem [stimulates interest], creates desire, and demands
immediate action. Notice
that this newspaper advertising does not ask the reader to try the
product - it tells the reader to try it. And if the reader is actually
hungry, this ad can stimulate a physical reaction in their stomach and in their
mouth. Using the right colors in the ad will increase this physical reaction. A
full color photo of the product could make your stomach grumble. Get the idea? This deceptively simple newspaper advertising works. It is written to get a response, and it does. A
Direct Response Advertisement: 1. Gets attention through design, ad size, placement, and timing. 2. Stimulates
interest by touching on human emotions, desires, and needs. 3. Creates
desire by offering solutions [benefits] to emotions, problems, or needs. 4. Gets
action by making the solution highly desirable yet affordable and easy. This
is professional newspaper advertising. Use it. A
Warning For Professionals:
If you are a doctor, an accountant, a lawyer, or any professional, and you are
thinking: “I want to be very professional in my newspaper advertising. I
just want to put my name out there. I don’t want to sell”, then your
newspaper advertising costs will be exponentially high [$10 x $10 x $10…].
Your newspaper advertising must be classy and professional, but it also must get
attention, spark interest, create desire, and ask for action. And ultimately, it
must show a return on your investment. That is what professional direct response
ads are designed to do. Increase
Your Response Rate There
is only one way to increase the effectiveness of your newspaper advertising. You
have to measure the response rate, and test variations of the ad to improve on
that response rate. You
only get what you measure. In one test, some smart marketing pros discovered
that just by changing the headline in the ad they got a five-hundred-percent
increase in response. 500%! How did they do it? They changed the headline, and
measured the results. So
test different headlines, offers, copy, themes, ad sizes, photos, illustrations,
and when and where your newspaper advertising runs. Measure the results. It’s
worth the work. Here some additional ideas on increasing response: * Your headline is 70% responsible for the
success of your ad. You want it to promise the biggest benefit, or
to ask a provocative question. “Loose 10 pounds in 2 weeks” is a benefit
promise headline. Your Headline Must Be Great. * Write a few different strong headlines, and
try them out. An improved newspaper advertising headline could triple the
response rate to your ad, or more. Same ad - different headline - three times
the response. How do you do it? You test different headlines, and measure the
response. * You want your newspaper advertising to
awaken strong emotions in your customers. Emotions are triggered by clear and
powerful benefits. Give benefits, not features. Touch on human desires and
needs, and offer the solution to the problem. * People will justify their emotional
decisions later. Newspaper advertising is not the place for a logical argument
or justification. The job of the ad is to get a response. * Twice as many readers will look at your
graphic than will read your headline. By using a graphic or a photo, you are
getting the attention of twice as many people with your newspaper advertising. * 60% of consumers believe ads that
offer a money-back guarantee. 57% believe ads that carry an official third party
endorsement. 46% of consumers believe claims based on survey results. * * Offer a limited number of free
consultations or special deals per month. “Only the first 50 people….”
This gets people to respond now. * About
1/3 of readers will stop reading your newspaper advertising after the first 50
words. An additional 25% will stop reading after 200 words. Put the benefits up
front. * People believe testimonials. Use them if
you can in your newspaper advertising. * Be careful when measuring the response to
your newspaper advertising. Many unpredictable things can go wrong or right that
have nothing to do with your ad. Current events, the weather, and competitor
actions can help or hurt you in the short run. You may get great placement and a
great response, or the exact opposite. Just average it all out. Ask your
customers where they saw your ad, and be persistent. Good luck or bad, it’s
time and patience that will pay off with your professional newspaper
advertising. * Set goals and measure your progress. Are inquiries becoming clients? What is your return on investment for your newspaper advertising? * Are you getting repeat business? Find out
why customers are, or are not, coming back. * Are you attracting customers you don’t
want? Not every client is profitable or desirable. * A half-page advertisement will pull 70% of
the business a full-page ad will. A quarter-page ad will pull 50% of a full
page. Is the cost difference worth it? * Tell your customers to respond now. Tell
them what to do and how to do it. Make it as simple as possible for them to
respond to your newspaper advertising. [Offer credit, discounts, delivery, 800#,
web information, directions, map, etc.] * Response devices work. [Coupons, phone
#’s, return cards, directions.] Make sure it is easy for your customers to
respond. * Use the problem – solution format in your
newspaper advertising. And always ask questions that get a “Yes, that’s
me” reply. * Buy a bigger ad. Effective newspaper advertising requires space. If you need to include a lot of information in your ad, don’t try to cram it all into a little box. * Your newspaper advertising also needs to
work with the reader's physical eye movements. The point of attraction for the
eye, and the subsequent movement or natural reading progression, needs to lead
the reader toward the response devise. Copywriting Here are a few things to keep in mind about copywriting. Advertising copywriters get paid for a
reason. They study their craft for years. This is the truth – if you are
an engineer, or a lawyer, or a craftsperson, or anyone other than a professional
sales copywriter, then you are not a sales copywriter. You may the best
advertising writer in the world – but the odds are against it. Think about what is at stake here.
Words sell. Everything depends on effectively communicating to perfect strangers
who will give you exactly one second of their attention. You get one glance, and
then they are gone. At
the very least, have other people who will tell you the truth read over your
work. And then have a marketing professional review it. Listen, watch, and note
all of the reactions and feedback you get. Take the criticisms and make the
changes. It’s your advertising budget. It’s your money. Don’t waste it
just to see your words in print. In the meantime, here are just a few
ideas about how copywriting relates to newspaper advertising. 1. Get to the point. Put the big
benefit in the headline. We are not kidding that people will give you one second
of attention before moving on. Your headline must PROMISE a BENEFIT. 2. Use the right words – words that
sell. Words like FREE. Yes. Instantly. Truth. Last Chance. New. Guaranteed.
Dramatic. Easy. Secrets. Magic. Announcing. Hurry. Money. Words are powerful if
you find the right ones. 3. Break the rules in your category.
For example, a bank is having a sale. They need to “move out last years old
$100 bills, to make room for this years new $100 bills”. They have put money
on sale. It’s a wonderful campaign because they have broken the rules in their
category. It makes for great newspaper advertising. 4. Use benefits, not features. Saving
someone an hour is a feature. Having an extra hour to spend with your children
is a benefit. What does the feature do for the customer? That is the benefit. 5. Excitement. Excitement! EXCITEMENT!
If you are not excited about your product or service in your newspaper
advertising, why should anybody else be? 6. Your newspaper advertising should
get the customer to physically nod their head and think, “Yes, that’s me”.
“Yes, it’s time to fix this problem.”
If your newspaper advertising can keep them saying yes, then they are
more likely to call when you tell them to. 7. Tell them to call. Now. Right now.
Call immediately. Remember where that newspaper will be in 24 hours. [And would
you please bookmark this web page NOW so that you can find Professional
Advertising when you need us.] 8. Solve problems. Use your newspaper
advertising to remind prospects that they have the problem, and then offer the
solution. 9.
The problem – solution format works in newspaper advertising
because you get an immediate, positive response to your question. Consider: Hungry?
Overworked? Are
you tired of paying high bank fees? Need
a vacation? Are
you underpaid? Design
Tips Our goal is not to make you into a designer, but to empower you to know when your designer is doing a good job. Here are some general design ideas for newspaper advertising. 1.
Your newspaper
advertising has a zero percent chance of succeeding if your prospect doesn’t
notice it. Attention is everything in newspaper advertising. You need visual
impact [photos], white space, a distinctive border, font, angles, or whatever it
takes to stand out on the page. You newspaper advertising must be distinctive,
unusual, and it should contrast with the other ads on the page. Be different. 2. Paste
your ad into the newspaper to get an idea of whether or not it will stand out. 3. Where
your ad is placed absolutely matters. If your quarter-page ad falls against the
fold of the paper, your readership will be cut by half. Poor placement just cost
you one half of your customers. Buy a different shape ad that will guarantee you
an outside placement. What is the paper offering? Run of
press [ROP] positioning means that the publisher is free to place your ad
anywhere in the normal pages of the paper. With a preferred position, your ad
goes in a specific section, or near the top of a page that has reading matter on
it. A near reading [NR] position is placement anywhere on a page near reading
matter. This is better, because people reading the paper spend more time on that
page. You want your ad to be on a page
where people spend time reading. The longer they stay on the page with your ad
the better. You normally will pay a premium of 10% - 50% for good position, but
it’s probably worth it. 4.
Use
only serif typeface for copy. It
boosts reading speed, and can increase comprehension by up to 300% over other
fonts. 5.
Editorial style advertising increases readership by over 50%. With
editorial style advertising, the copy is laid out like a regular news story. The
word "advertisement" always appears above the copy. If you have a
story to tell, think about using editorial style advertising. 6. Your
newspaper advertising should be easy to look at and easy to read. Poor use of
capitalization, bolding, or italics will decrease reading comprehension by 50%.
Bad sentence structure will also reduce comprehension. 7.
Use #12 font for copy. Use #14 font if your customers are senior citizens. 8. Don’t
use technical jargon. You will lose way too many readers. 9. Reversed
copy gets attention in newspaper advertising, but it is hard to read. If you use
it, keep the copy very short, and the font very big. 10. Make
sure photos face into your ad, not toward a competitors ad. 11.
Make sure your newspaper advertising looks different from your competitor's.
Don’t advertise for them. 12. Vary
sentence and paragraph length. Eight words per sentence will get the highest
readership. 13.
A smaller ad should have a single focus – one solution for one problem. 14. Busy
layouts often work better than clean, balanced ads because they keep the reader
involved. 15. Use
benefit captions under your photos in all of your newspaper advertising. These
will get read. 16.
Word your offer carefully and clearly. Your offer is a promise about the level
of service you will deliver to your customer's. Your offer will set your
customers expectations, so you want to be very clear. 17. Coupons
get the highest response rate for all printed marketing materials. Use one if
you can in your newspaper advertising. The Newspaper
Advertising Measuring System Understanding how newspapers measure
space is a little confusing. Newspapers use picas and points to measure column
widths. One pica is one sixth of an inch. One point is 1/72 of an inch. So six
picas = one inch. 72 points = one inch. Points and picas convert to font size.
A 72 point font means that one font character = one inch. A 36 point font means
one character = ½ inch. A 12 point font, like the one you are currently
reading, = 1/6 of an inch per
character. Most newspapers are six columns wide.
Normally, each column is 12 picas, or 2” wide. The number of columns times the
height of the ad in inches = total column inches. So an ad that is 3 columns
wide x 6 inches high = 18 column inches. The actual size of the ad is 6” x
6”. And it is not really as easy as that.
Column widths change. One column normally = 12 picas, or two inches. Two columns
= 25 picas, or 4 ¼”. Three columns are 38.5 pica, or 6.4375” wide, etc. Your designer should work out all of
the measurement requirements for your newspaper advertising. But if you want to
do this yourself, contact your paper for a size chart. They should provide you
with a guide to figure out the size of your advertisement. Also, newspapers will not normally
shrink or expand your ad to fit the space you purchased. [And you don’t want
them to.] So double-check their requirements before you send in the ad. Ask
for Help As always, we strongly recommend that you hire a quality graphic designer, and ask a marketing professional to help plan and review the work. Also ask the marketing professional to review your current newspaper advertising and your newspaper advertising strategy. It’s a cheap investment for something you are going to show the whole world every Sunday morning over coffee.
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