4 Steps to Designing Print Ads that Actually Work

With all of the talk out there about word-of-mouth, social media, search engine optimization and other new-fangled client grabbers we might forget that the more traditional forms of reaching our market can still work for us. Because most of us are small, local businesses we should take advantage of the fact that we usually only have a small geographic region that we need to reach.

Did you know that most people will need to see your name, images, or hear about you at least 6 times before they will remember you?

One of the best ways to reach these people on a local level is print advertising. There is a lot of argument out there about the value of print but I am still a major supporter on the local level. I have worked in the industry for years and see the incredible results you can get from running a simple, purposefully-designed ad on a regular basis.

Of course, half the battle is choosing a good publication, but for now I just want to look at some of the things you will need in your ad to help it be more effective.

1. An Eye-Catching, Problem-Solving, Benefit-Providing Headline

   The headline is one of the most important parts of a print ad. In one phrase you need to capture the attention of the reader and persuade them to read the rest of the ad. Focusing on a benefit your product provides or how it solves a problem for the customer are necessary parts of a good headline. Copyblogger has some really great tips about writing headlines. They are intended mostly for bloggers but can definitely apply to advertising as well.

2. A Beautiful Body

   The body of the ad should contain relevant information or images that further draw the reader in and really push your message. Obviously, as photographers, we tend to think of using photos in our ad as the only option. Have you considered attempting an ad that doesn’t contain any of your photos? Just as your logo doesn’t have to be a camera, you can portray your image and what sets you apart without photos. I think this would be a great challenge and would help you really nail down your specific message.

3. What to do, what to do?

   A “Call to Action” is one of the most neglected, yet most important, parts of an effective ad. Call Now! Come in Today! These seemingly unimportant, short phrases do more for the impact of an ad than just about anything else. By simply telling the customer what to do you can increase the response of your ad greatly. What do you want them to do? Tell them!

4. How to Reach Me

   So you’ve persuaded them to stop and look, told them all about yourself, and told them what to do. What’s left? Contact information. Don’t make the fatal mistake of creating a powerful ad with no way of contacting you. Some basic information to consider including: your name, address, phone number, map to studio, web address, email address, Facebook address, and Twitter profile.

Disclaimer: Advertising design is a complicated topic that deserves a much more involved post. I understand this and hope to revisit it in a later post(s). For now, these tips will get you headed in the right direction.

So that’s it! If you have followed these steps you have just created an advertisement that will get results.

Have you used print advertising?