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Atricle Dump - Seven Steps To Great Print Ads
Business cards are powerful little advertisements that you can effortlessly distribute among your friends and strangers alike. They will be a constant reminder to the receiver that you specialize in a certain product or service and are always ready to do business with them.These cards can be printed by yourself while you are still getting on your feet and do not have much of a cash flow. Once the business begins to flourish you can have them professionally printed so that they can get a new look. Make sure that the printer makes use of color and bold print so that they are eye catching and easy to read. Black and white cards can look very boring and does not compel the receiver to read them as color does.Never leave home without your cards so that they will always be handy when you want them. You must constantly be aware of the fact that you are your own business advertising manager. The more you hand out your cards the better.When you send out accounts or receipts always attach a card to them. Make sure that no mail leaves your office without a card being attached to. If you deliver goods attach a card some where on the parcel or package. Make sure that your clients all get a card at some stage or other. They will never b
3. Test the ad copy on humans.
In many ad agencies, creative teams work together to develop ads. The benefit of the team approach is that two heads — any two heads (human, that is) — are better than one. So, once you have written a copy draft or two, get two heads together. Show the drafts to someone who’s familiar with your business, your market, and the publication in which the ad will appear.
Take the reader’s seat for a moment and ask “why should I care?” Then read your ad. Is it clear what you promise, and how
The U. S. Department of Defense (DOD) owns and operates the Global Positioning System (GPS), including 24 satellites, each orbiting the earth every 12 hours, as the graphic above illustrates.GPS, a navigational system, computes the position and velocity of things in a highly detailed, three dimensional way.The GPS costs $400 million annually, and it is essential for our national defense.Civilian GPS usage is increasing rapidly. For example, many newer cars and boats have GPS navigation systems to show where you are, where you want to go, and how to get there.There are hand held GPS devices, too, priced around 100 dollars.Let’s apply this GPS principle—positioning--to your business.How broad is your present market positioning? Local, regional, national, international or global?What are your Business Plan goals? In what direction, and at what velocity, are you moving toward attaining your 21st Century business goals? And how are you getting there (strategies and tactics)?In most cases, your business should be moving toward a global position.Why limit your business to a neighborhood, town or city, region or just one nation? In the 21st Century, t
Who are you selling to? What are they buying — really? Choose the angle that will attract customers’ attention, stimulate their interest, and “hook” them on what you offer. Don’t be in a hurry to start writing your ad. There are several components to the creative approach that must be decided before creative work begins.
You’ll need to:
- Identify the target market.
- Define the offer — will you be promoting your overall brand, or a specific product or product line?
- Choose a benefit with emotional appeal. What problem are you going to solve? What disaster will you keep at bay? Substantiate the claim. Prove how the company, the service, or the product delivers the benefit promised. Support your brand. Consider how the tone or style of the ad reflects on the public image you’ve created so far. Be consistent.
- Before you start writing, jot down a few words summarizing each of these components of your creative approach. For more about the creative approach, see “Using your ad strategy to hook the ‘big idea’.”
2. Write compelling ad copy.
Shut the door. Unplug the phone. Don’t start to write — yet. Why? It’s easier to write great copy by sneaking up on it. To warm up your brain, try the “features-into-benefits” exercise, described in “Using your ad strategy to hook the ‘big idea’.” Next, look for the action. Action is the heart of any good story. What activity best conveys the problem and the powerful way your offering solves it? Like the man who sat down at the piano and astounded his friends, your story will convey a dramatic conversion from “before” to “after.” Copy, supported by photos or illustrations, must set up a believable context, describe benefits, and create a desire to take action. Imagine you are your target customer. Use the tools on this site to help you “get inside” their minds. Ad copy can take a number of approaches, from straightforward “reasons why” to storytelling to humorous puns and incongruous images. Which you choose depends on your skill as a writer and your brand identity. Explore several ideas before you decide.
Regardless of the copy approach, your ad should follow the same “AIDA” formula that has proven to be effective in all print and broadcast advertising. This mnemonic reminds you to:
A — get Attention
I — arouse Interest
D — create Desire
A — stimulate Action
If your ad moves a reader through this sequence, you’re on the right track.
How long should the ad be? For a complex offering, it might take hundreds of words to get from attention through interest to desire and finally action. For a simpler appeal, seven to 10 words might do it. The honest answer is: as long as necessary and as short as possible.
3. Test the ad copy on humans.
In many ad agencies, creative teams work together to develop ads. The benefit of the team approach is that two heads — any two heads (human, that is) — are better than one. So, once you have written a copy draft or two, get two heads together. Show the drafts to someone who’s familiar with your business, your market, and the publication in which the ad will appear.
Take the reader’s seat for a moment and ask “why should I care?” Then read your ad. Is it clear what you promise, and how y
Most African economies are considered to be unstable either due to political instability or lack of investor appeal. This factor alone (the instability of African economies) means that those in leadership have an uphill task in resuscitating ailing economies.Today, those in power have to consider external factors in their economic recovery strategies. If anything the measure of a country’s economic strength can be said to be a comparison of that county’s economy with others.So what are the advantages and disadvantages of globalization on African economies? Advantages Investors can invest in Africa without necessarily setting foot on the continent e.g. an investor who would probably not consider investing in the continent for security fears perpetrated by travel advisories and bad publicity can buy shares online. Due to globalization some major problems affecting some African countries have been shown to the world urging the west and east to lend in a hand e.g. instances where a country has lacked adequate resources to feed its population have been common in the past. International television stations have covered these stories which culminated in massive support from donor organizations
- Before you start writing, jot down a few words summarizing each of these components of your creative approach. For more about the creative approach, see “Using your ad strategy to hook the ‘big idea’.”
2. Write compelling ad copy.
Shut the door. Unplug the phone. Don’t start to write — yet. Why? It’s easier to write great copy by sneaking up on it. To warm up your brain, try the “features-into-benefits” exercise, described in “Using your ad strategy to hook the ‘big idea’.” Next, look for the action. Action is the heart of any good story. What activity best conveys the problem and the powerful way your offering solves it? Like the man who sat down at the piano and astounded his friends, your story will convey a dramatic conversion from “before” to “after.” Copy, supported by photos or illustrations, must set up a believable context, describe benefits, and create a desire to take action. Imagine you are your target customer. Use the tools on this site to help you “get inside” their minds. Ad copy can take a number of approaches, from straightforward “reasons why” to storytelling to humorous puns and incongruous images. Which you choose depends on your skill as a writer and your brand identity. Explore several ideas before you decide.
Regardless of the copy approach, your ad should follow the same “AIDA” formula that has proven to be effective in all print and broadcast advertising. This mnemonic reminds you to:
A — get Attention
I — arouse Interest
D — create Desire
A — stimulate Action
If your ad moves a reader through this sequence, you’re on the right track.
How long should the ad be? For a complex offering, it might take hundreds of words to get from attention through interest to desire and finally action. For a simpler appeal, seven to 10 words might do it. The honest answer is: as long as necessary and as short as possible.
3. Test the ad copy on humans.
In many ad agencies, creative teams work together to develop ads. The benefit of the team approach is that two heads — any two heads (human, that is) — are better than one. So, once you have written a copy draft or two, get two heads together. Show the drafts to someone who’s familiar with your business, your market, and the publication in which the ad will appear.
Take the reader’s seat for a moment and ask “why should I care?” Then read your ad. Is it clear what you promise, and how
Business Owners tend to identify themselves with their business. They show pride in the name, the function and the growth of their business. After all, it’s their ‘baby’. But there are three important reasons why your business and you should not be so closely identified: (1) Protection, (2) Privacy and (3) Capital Growth.Protection is Most Important.Millions of business owners make a splash about letting the world know that they and the business are essentially ‘one and the same’. This is often seen in the number of ‘Sole Proprietors’ out there who set up shop with a business checking account, some business cards and a fictitious business name (‘DBA’ or ‘doing business as’) filing with their County clerk. The risk, of course, in being a Sole Proprietor is that you and the business are legally ‘one and the same’ and thus all of your personal assets are at risk in the event of a business reversal or a lawsuit.By protecting your business inside of a legal entity, you are taking a step in the right direction to separate you and the identity of the business. Corporations and Limited Liability Companies are two much better ways to organize your business. For years, corporations have been ‘to
Regardless of the copy approach, your ad should follow the same “AIDA” formula that has proven to be effective in all print and broadcast advertising. This mnemonic reminds you to:
A — get Attention
I — arouse Interest
D — create Desire
A — stimulate Action
If your ad moves a reader through this sequence, you’re on the right track.
How long should the ad be? For a complex offering, it might take hundreds of words to get from attention through interest to desire and finally action. For a simpler appeal, seven to 10 words might do it. The honest answer is: as long as necessary and as short as possible.
3. Test the ad copy on humans.
In many ad agencies, creative teams work together to develop ads. The benefit of the team approach is that two heads — any two heads (human, that is) — are better than one. So, once you have written a copy draft or two, get two heads together. Show the drafts to someone who’s familiar with your business, your market, and the publication in which the ad will appear.
Take the reader’s seat for a moment and ask “why should I care?” Then read your ad. Is it clear what you promise, and how
OEM is short for Original Equipment Manufacturer. ODM is short for Original Design Manufacturer.What these manufacturers do is to custom make product for their clients. Factories that have the capabilities to make molds for product. The factory's R & D Dept. ( Research & Development ) and experienced design teams, supported by sophisticated manufacturing automation and in-process testing to deliver low cost, high quality solutions to its clients, will make a proto-type for the client.The factory does have their own mold making machines, plastic injection, etc.Upon approval from the client, the factory will go into mass production and produce that particular item. Once the order or orders have been filled, the manufacturer will see if there is still a need for that item on the market. If so, they will market it to their existing clients as well as seek new clients. Once there is no longer a market, the factory will either shelve the mold or sell it off. As well as sell off the machines used to produce it.And then it's on to the next product.A manufacturing factory has many production lines and produces product in bulk quantities.An OEM / ODM manufacture
Regardless of the copy approach, your ad should follow the same “AIDA” formula that has proven to be effective in all print and broadcast advertising. This mnemonic reminds you to:
A — get Attention
I — arouse Interest
D — create Desire
A — stimulate Action
If your ad moves a reader through this sequence, you’re on the right track.
How long should the ad be? For a complex offering, it might take hundreds of words to get from attention through interest to desire and finally action. For a simpler appeal, seven to 10 words might do it. The honest answer is: as long as necessary and as short as possible.
3. Test the ad copy on humans.
In many ad agencies, creative teams work together to develop ads. The benefit of the team approach is that two heads — any two heads (human, that is) — are better than one. So, once you have written a copy draft or two, get two heads together. Show the drafts to someone who’s familiar with your business, your market, and the publication in which the ad will appear.
Take the reader’s seat for a moment and ask “why should I care?” Then read your ad. Is it clear what you promise, and how
Trucking companies are one of the most cash hungry businesses in the transportation industry. There are driver expenses, equipment expenses and fuel expenses. However, trucking companies can also be very profitable, if cash flow is managed properly.One of the main challenges that trucking company owners face is that freight bills can take as long as 60 days to get paid. This puts them in a tough spot, because unless the company has a significant amount of cash in the bank, it usually cannot afford to wait to get paid.Usually, the owner will try to go to the bank to obtain financing hoping that a loan or line of credit might solve the problem. Unfortunately, banks will seldom finance businesses that have less than three years of audited financials that show consistent profits. Of course, if the trucking company could provide three years of financials that show profits, it would not need financing.A better solution is to use freight factoring. Freight bill factoring enables you to convert your slow paying freight bills into cash by selling them to a factoring company. This provides you with immediate financing and allows you to cover all your ongoing business expenses. Also, as opposed to bank lines of finance, freight bill
3. Test the ad copy on humans.
In many ad agencies, creative teams work together to develop ads. The benefit of the team approach is that two heads — any two heads (human, that is) — are better than one. So, once you have written a copy draft or two, get two heads together. Show the drafts to someone who’s familiar with your business, your market, and the publication in which the ad will appear.
Take the reader’s seat for a moment and ask “why should I care?” Then read your ad. Is it clear what you promise, and how you substantiate your claim? Is the benefit you promise one with plenty of emotional power? And finally, does the ad copy make it clear what you want the reader to do next? The “call to action” is critical. Do you want them to call? Say so. To visit your Web site? Offer an incentive: a bonus or contest waiting for them there. Test the copy against the creative approach you defined in step No. 1. Then, apply your pencil and eraser, to tighten and brighten. Try reading it out loud. Anything that’s hard to say will be hard to think. Re-write again. Much of good writing is really good editing after the first draft.
4. Design a clean, easy-to-follow ad layout.
There is only one great layout for any ad. Yes, that may sound like a gross exaggeration. But it’s true. The basic grid layout has proven its effectiveness over the years. Leaf through any magazine and you’ll find many slight variations on this tried-and-true formula. You’ll see a photo, then a headline, then copy, then at bottom the call to action and the logo, centered or to the right. The headline may come above the photo; the copy may be in one column or two. But the basic grid will be the same.
This formula leverages our natural tendency to view ads with an “S-curve” motion of the eyes, sweeping from top left around through the middle, coming to rest at the bottom right. Why mess with what works?
To lay out your ad, use a computer program such as Quark XPress. If you don’t have access to layout software, use your word-processing program to mock up the ad, then rely on the publication’s in-house production service to finish it. What visual imagery do you have in mind? Browse the stock photography available on the Web; you’ll find many options. Purchasing the right to use a photo or illustration will cost you less than $100 in most cases, and the quality is top notch. If you don’t find what you have in mind, talk to local photographers or illustrators, or search an online talent broker such as Elance or Guru.
5. Test the layout on humans.
Make a prototype of the ad that looks as much like the final ad as possible. Place it in the venue where it will be seen. If it’s going to run in a magazine, tape your prototype into a magazine. Then, test it on friends, colleagues, or better yet, typical customers. Big advertisers do considerable testing before they commit an ad to print. Consider holding a focus group to explore several ideas, or several executions of one idea. (For more on research techniques, see the article, “Do some customer research — or you’ll never know.”) What do readers recall about the ad after having read it? Ask questions, a
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