Nine Principles of Effective Advertising

Although companies spend a lot of money on the production and distribution of advertisements, as well as on the inspection and evaluation of advertising effectiveness, the "magic" that ensures the invincibility of advertising is still unknown.

Some companies and some ad copy succeed more than they fail, others have the opposite fate. Some ads work, some don't.

What tips can help you improve your next ad's chances of success, making it immediate and generating the sales you want? The following nine basic principles are for your reference.

The Right Audience, The Right Product

Getting the right product to the right audience may seem like a bit of a pedigree. However, there are a lot of companies that believe that good advertising is enough to sell any product to anyone. This is so wrong.

"Breakthrough Advertising," by Eugene Schwartz, writes: "Advertising does not in itself create a desire for a product, it only Be able to focus the audience’s existing consumption desire on a specific product. The task of advertising copy is to inspire and guide desire, not to create desire.” For example, no matter how amazing your ad is, vegans will never Went to your new restaurant for steak. But you can entice him to try your salad buffet with enticing words in your ad.

Charles Inlander of the People's Medical Society specializes in delivering the right product to the right audience. He wrote an ad for a blood pressure book: "Do you know the seven early symptoms of high blood pressure?" In three years, the ad ran in only about 10 times in Prevention magazine. The book, which sold for $4.95, sold more than 20,000 copies.

Inland explains the secret to his ad's success this way: "First, choose a topic; then, find a suitable place to place your ad. You should target an audience that matches your product's customer orientation. Magazine. That's important." In other words, launching the right product to the right audience.

Highlight the ad headline

The ad headline is second only to the choice of theme and publishing medium in an ad. The main role of the headline is to grab the reader's attention and keep his eyes on the ad long enough to read your ad carefully.

There are many ways to help you do this. For example, an ad in a newspaper had a catchy headline: Ladies with Thinning, Matte Hair, Big News!

This headline grabs the attention of potential customers for two reasons. First, it shows that this is some important news; second, it identifies who to serve (women with dull or thinning hair). As a result, more than 1,200 women a month clipped coupons and sent them to the advertiser for a free booklet on the hair-care process.

Text and graphics combined to convey the main idea

There should be a photo or drawing in the ad to convey the main meaning of the ad title on the screen. The combination of images and text should convey the message of the ad to the reader. "Every good advertisement is a fine poster," Alastair Crompton wrote in The Craft of Copywriting: "The reader does not need to read The content of the ad captures the gist of the ad at a glance."

Simple images are often the best images. Will Stone, of Hamilton Watch, said: "We had a collector who had a watch made in the 1920s and we copied it and tried to use it in two. There are two different mail-order ads promoting the product. One ad featured a large, punchy photo of the watch against a simple background; the other focused on showing the watch There is not much rendering of the product itself in the scene of the birth of the watch, the "prosperous 20s". What appears on the screen is a group of new girls of that era and a car. As a result, the first direct matching An ad featuring a photo of a product—that is, a product-focused ad—gets 3 times as many sales for us as the second ad."

Generally speaking, a simple image that directly shows the product or its purpose , rather than some fancy, creative idea. Because the latter will actually overwhelm the guest, thereby reducing the sales power of the ad.

Eye-catching layouts

What is an eye-catching layout? This is something that can only be described in words. Take a minute or two to browse through some of the ads, and you'll find that some ads look very comfortable and make people feel emotional; some ads seem to attract your attention and make reading a pleasure. This layout is exactly what you want. You should try to avoid making your layout difficult for readers.

It's important to remember that your ad must have a "focus". The so-called "focus" refers to the most conspicuous visual element on the entire page that attracts the reader's attention. The focal point is usually the ad title or screen. But it could also be a coupon you provide to readers, the opening paragraph of the text of an ad. Remember, if there are two or more equally prominent images in the same ad, competing for the reader's attention at the same time, the reader will feel confused and do not know where to start. So, be sure to make sure that one visual element in your ad is larger and more prominent than the others.

Organize body text around topics

What information needs to be mentioned in the body text and what doesn't? To make this decision, you have to list the points first, and then decide which ones are the most valuable and will impress readers the most.

Start by listing all the features of the product, along with the benefits that each feature can bring to people. For example, one feature of an air conditioner is an Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) of 9.2, which benefits customers by saving on electricity bills.

After a complete list of product features and their corresponding benefits to customers, rank them in order of importance. Then start by mentioning the most important benefit in the body of the ad, and then add other benefits in order until your ad is convincing enough. Now, you’ve highlighted the most important reasons to buy to your readers in a space-constrained ad copy.

Be specific and meaningful

Probably the most common mistake in the advertising industry today is that the ad copy is too lazy to take the time to do two things, one is to understand the reader; the other is to deeply understand the characteristics of the product And the benefits it can bring to people—that is, giving readers a reason to buy it, so the ad text they create is boring. Claude Hopkins wrote in his classic "Scientific Advertising" that "clichés and generalities will not be accepted, and such words cannot be reserved. Make any impression."

A good ad is effective primarily because it's specific and meaningful. Tentative advertising has two major benefits: first, it provides customers with the information they need before making a purchasing decision; second, it creates credibility. As Hopkins said, "People are more likely to believe a specific statement of facts than a pompous or general statement."

Does this mean that an ad is a list of facts and figures? of course not! But the fact that the ad planner can selectively use these facts to support his ad word is the best weapon at his disposal. The ad text below is brilliantly written, clear, and factual.

●Westinghouse air conditioner, model Mobilaire R 5000, weighs only 59 pounds, and has a maximum cooling area of 12×16 square feet. Buy one home and have it installed in minutes - it can be plugged into a power outlet like a light bulb.

●BluBlockers sunglasses can filter blue light to make the visual effect of objects clearer and have a strong three-dimensional sense. Blue is the shortest light wave in the light spectrum we can see, and its focal point is slightly in front of our retina (the focusing screen of our eyes). BluBlockers lenses filter blue light to protect your vision and make objects appear three-dimensional. Of course, the benefits don't end there...

The customer first, product second

The phrase sounds like a paradox, but it's not. There must be information about the product in the advertisement, and this information must be very important to the reader---he can find something interesting and attractive in it; he can find answers to many questions; his curiosity can be satisfied from it ; he will therefore believe what you say. In a word, this information motivates him to buy your product.

To the reader, his concerns and expectations are more important than your product, company, and goals. As world-renowned marketing expert and Worldprofit CEO Jeffrey Lant put it, good advertising must be "customer-centric, focused on potential customers, and how your product can help them. Solve the problem". The product is in a secondary position, and you only need to think about it when it relates to the needs, expectations, concerns, or some kind of benefit that the advertiser's audience wants to get. The company profile is third in advertising, and you only need to consider it if your potential customers tend to deal with well-known companies with good reputations and sound financials.

For example, instead of saying "the company has more than 50 service centers in the country", it is better to say "the company has more than 50 service centers in the country, any of which will provide you with timely , attentive service, and fast delivery of replacement parts to you." The latter clearly expresses the benefits that readers can get from it. Also, rather than "save energy", say "cut your summer electricity bill in half".

Succinct text, kind and natural

Business Marketing magazine's advertising critics group has opened a monthly column to comment on the dynamics of the advertising industry. In their eyes, good advertising text should be like The conversation between friends is as cordial and natural.

Indeed, ad text should not be flashy, giving a lofty, detached feel; or written in "company style", even in Mandarin. The most effective ad copy is plain, simple, and conversational—that's how a person will speak to you if he's sincerely giving you help or advice.

You can read advertisements from the mail order, health care, or finance industries that are styled and presented just the way you want them to be.

Drive customer action

Turning your ad into a marketing tool that inspires your readers requires three things. First, clarify what action you want them to take. Do you want your potential customers to call you or write to you, or clip a coupon and send it back to you for a corresponding offer? Do you want these readers to come to your store in person, ask you for a catalog or sales brochure, set a time to talk to a salesperson, try your product, or directly order the product you've advertised?

Second, push them to take action. You should clearly state the action you want readers to take in the last few paragraphs of your ad text, and give a good reason for it. For example:

●Cut and mail the coupon now or call toll-free and we will…

●Quickly dial 1-800-□□□□□□ to get in touch with our nearest distributor !

●Send this card (or this coupon), we will give you a free subscription, you can pay to subscribe after reading.

●An invaluable book on POP marketing, get a free copy of the masterwork: "33 Ways Every Marketing Director Should Know About Improving Your Storefront Display".

The third step is to provide readers with an avenue for feedback. You want to highlight this avenue in your ad layout to simplify the process for readers to get in touch with you.

Toll-free numbers appearing in print advertisements (usually printed in a large font size to attract attention), accompanying coupons, and feedback receipts embedded as inserts are all optional feedback avenues.

Even if your ad doesn't necessarily ask for feedback from the reader, it should give the reader an easy way to get in touch with you if he wants to do business with you. This means that you must include your address and contact number with your ad.

The following case can give us some interesting insights. The Long Island Lighting Company used to advertise on television that it offered users a free electricity literacy manual that viewers could get by calling the company's local office. However, the ad didn't even mention a phone number! Sadly, this farce is everywhere. Doesn't that mean preventing readers from contacting you and preventing customers from ordering your products?

Original text adapted from Robert Bly's Ads that Sell! article on www.bly.com with permission. Translated by Liu Yanqun.

Robert Bly is a freelance advertising writer with 20 years of experience in B2B and direct marketing. He writes direct mail ads for numerous publishing companies.