Successful ads should attract your readers’ attention, accurately convey the business and entice them to respond.

Attracting:
When your focal image, headline and offer(s) are strong and relate to one another, the design of your ad is kept simple and will support the overall marketing objective; the color(s) and fonts chosen for your ad should portray your business in an accurate manner, which will help convey the marketing message.

Accurate:
It’s important that your readers fundamentally understand (at a glance) what your business is, making it imperative that you clearly define your specific type of business. For example, if you own a diner that serves meals averaging $7 per person, it’s wise to depict your restaurant accurately rather than to “inflate” the perception by using a high-end image. Bottom line: Don’t try to be something you’re not; you don’t want to risk losing future customers who were disappointed by an uncharacteristic view of your business. Note: This example can be applied to any business; know who your average consumer is and make sure your advertising targets them appropriately.

Simple and Clean:
If an ad is cluttered, what does that say about your business? Is there a hidden agenda behind all that clutter? If your advertisement is clean and simple and looks professional, guess what?! You’ll catch their attention. There are other things beside copy in an ad that contributes to clutter. Keep your colors simple (using just one or two). The same principle applies to font usage. One main color and an accent color are enough for the ad. A headline font should be different from the one used for the copy, but limit the number of different fonts to two. This helps reduce visual clutter in your ads. Also, give your ad some breathing room – not all empty space has to be filled. This is important to let the readers’ eyes rest a little bit. The biggest mistake businesses make when it comes to advertising is that they think they have to put everything they do in an ad. Not so. Focus on what your consumers buy the most of – that communicates what people are interested in from you. Stick with one or two images in your ad, a strong headline and strong offer(s). The less copy you have in your ad, the more likely it is that the consumer will read it all. One or two strong focal points in your ad (whether an image or text from the headline) are enough to pull in a reader when used correctly. So, hierarchy in text is important, as well. In short, simple is better.

Your Readers:
When your ad is attracting, accurate, simple and clean, your readers will respond. Plus, they’ll have a greater appreciation in knowing exactly what your business is without taking too much time and effort. Help them understand what it is you do, quickly and efficiently; you will be rewarded with an increased customer base and sales!

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