Over the 13 plus years that I owned and operated a direct mail community magazine, one of the most frequent questions I heard from advertisers was, “Why am I not getting responses to my ad.” As I pondered this question over the years, I have reached a conclusion which has become very clear to me.
Put simply, most ads do not have the three key ingredients necessary for an ad to be effective and generate desired results. Assuming that your ads are targeted at the proper audience, these keys are:
1. Is there a headline (or other attention-getter) that will cause prospects (your audience — readers, viewers, listeners, web visitors, etc.) to look at (or listen to) your ad?
2. Is there a compelling message for your prospects?
3. Is there a call to action or an offer in your ad?
If you do not have an attention grabbing headline or image, your prospects will not bother to look at your ad, regardless of how great your product or service may be. This is probably the most important factor as you want your prospects to look at what you are offering. Keep in mind that people are most attracted to people and animals (animate objects) rather than “things.” This can definitely help attract prospects to your ads.
If your message is not compelling, why would prospects look any further to your offer or call to action?
Finally, if you do not ask prospects to take action, they will not. Be sure to emphasize how prospects can contact you (and of course, where you’re located).
Business owners are very good at what they do within their business; however, this talent normally does not carry over to ad design. Therefore, it makes sense to take advantage of those who do, in designing your ads, i.e., the resources at the advertising medium you choose.
Ads utilized by competitors in your field, preferably in markets other than your own, are another great resource in designing your ads. I have seen many clever and effective ads over the years in other publications in other locales.
However you decide to design your ad, make sure you address these three key factors. Remember, the goal of your ad is cause your prospects to take action and contact you.
Please feel free to submit questions about your business and I will address them in future columns.
Don Kyle is the CEO and Founder of Small Bizz MBA, a company which assists businesses with their marketing, branding and advertising needs. (404) 580-6331, dkyle@smallbizzmba.com
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