10 rules of effective advertising continued...

By Nigel Temple

(You will find the first rules of effective advertising here)

Rule 7. Try out different offers
A marketing 'offer' can take many forms. For example, 'two for the price of one', additional information, 'freebies', etc. No matter how sophisticated your product or service is, there will be offers that you can create around it.

Your customers are all tuned into the same radio station: WIIFM ('What's In It For Me?').  I'm not saying that people are selfish or self centred.  I am saying that customers and clients operate from a position of enlightened self interest. So look at things from their point of view. Do as much market research as you can.  Try out lots of different offers. The results may well surprise you.

Rule 8:  Include multiple 'Calls to Action'
Having done all this great selling - you must let the reader know what you want them to do next.  This is called the 'call to action'.  For example, you might ask them to: call you, send off a coupon or visit your website.  My personal preference is to repeat the call to action (space permitting).

Rule 9:  Big is not necessarily better
Research by a certain Mr Strong, an American, as far back as 1914, produced some highly interesting results. However, whenever I ask my seminar audiences if the numbers 141, 100, 68, & 49 mean anything to them, they just stare back at me (mind you, I get this a lot, you understand).

Strong discovered that all ads are certainly not created equal. Imagine a full page ad. This was given a 'score' of 100 points, in terms of its effectiveness. Now imagine the same ad - but only occupying half a page. The half page ad would score 68 points in terms of impact and recall. He found that a quarter page ad would score 49 points.

Therefore, a quarter page ad has virtually twice the impact of a full page ad. Amazing, but true. True because in the decades since this research was undertaken, numerous other studies (including one conducted by the Gallup organisation) have confirmed the veracity of the original research.  They have all come within 2% of his findings.

However - do remember the key point that the actual content of the ad is the same in each case. If you have more space available - you can of course use it to say more. However, from the entrepreneurs' viewpoint, in this case it can be said that 'small is beautiful'.

If you think about this research - it's based on common sense really, isn't it? We all scan the newspapers for interesting items, don't we?  When you read - you actually take in a great deal more than you think you do.

I was trained to speed read by Vanda North, head of the international Buzan Centres. (Vanda is one of the most energetic trainers I have ever encountered!). She explained how the human eye typically scans a page in a 'Z' pattern (i.e. top left to bottom right).

Think about how you read a newspaper. Do you look (scan) for interesting headlines as you flip through the pages? We don't tend to sit there and read every single word on every single page, do we?

Because the ads are scattered throughout the paper, it's impossible to avoid them, isn't it? Therefore, what happens is that we tend to scan their headlines too - because this is the way that we read newspapers (by headline hopping).

So there are three key points:

• A quarter page ad is big enough to get noticed
• This size ad pulls the best 'pro rata' response rate
• You must have a show stopping headline in order to arrest attention

If the reader is in the market for your product or service - bingo! - they are highly likely to take a look at your ad.  

Rule 10:  Place your adverts effectively
There is much theory - and conflicting advice - with regard to this subject. However, here is a run down of the accepted wisdom:

• The front page is the best of all possible positions (but also the most expensive)
• The second best spot is the outside back page
• Next in line is the first right hand inside page
• Early pages are better than later pages
• Right hand pages produce a better response, rather than left hand ones
• 'Facing matter' means an advert which faces editorial - and this position may well command a higher price
• If you are using display advertising, try not to get lost amongst a crowd of adverts
• Study your target media carefully. Try to get your ads next to the popular editorial items
• If you are placing small ads - get them printed on the outside edge of the magazine - not near the central fold

Conclusion
Advertising works. Otherwise large companies wouldn't spend so much money on it. When you are on a restricted budget - you simply have to:

• Use your ingenuity
• Think more creatively
• Choose your media carefully
• Repeat your advertising
• Find out what works and what doesn't
• Refine the process

I wish you great success with your advertising. As the advertising guru Jerry della Femina said:

"Advertising is the most fun you can have with your clothes on."

Written by Nigel Temple, marketing consultant, trainer, speaker and author.

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