If you are considering advertising, knowing who your target market is, what medium will work best for you that will best reach your target market and what you will offer to entice people to call you are important factors you need to take into consideration.

When designing your ad, consider the following:

1. Does it grab your attention?
2. Does it stimulate interest?
3. Does it create desire for your product?
4. Does it demand that the reader take action?

When you read headlines and ad copy, the best advertisements follow these main principles, which we recommend you take into consideration for your ads:

1. Don't be pretentious or use big words.
2. Don't use complicated messages, or flowery phrasing. Keep it simple. 
3. Don't be patronising and don't boast. Does your product answer the following question - "What can you do for me? How can you fulfil my needs and desires?"  
4. Write the way you speak - and speak clearly. 
5.  Be enthusiastic when you're writing. You love your product, so let it show through.  
6. Be specific. 
7. Be honest and believable.
8. Try not to be too "arty."

So how do you create an effective advertisement?

Grab the reader's attention in your headline
Think of how you go about reading a newspaper or magazine. Do you scan the headlines (and advertisements) for subjects that interest you? If the headline is interesting, you'll start to read on and keep reading, or you'll move on if it's boring.

Make your headline different, newsworthy, curious or unusual, so that it forces people to read your ad.

The headline also needs to express a benefit for the reader or those or skim through.

1. You can increase recall by more than 25% by putting your headlines in quotes. 
2. Longer headlines out-pull shorter ones. 
3. Here's a short list of "winning" words: Free... Proven... Now... You... Discovery... Amazing... Suddenly.... Introducing... Health. 
4. Use sub-headings throughout the copy, if it's long enough, to lead your readers, and to make it easier for them to follow your logic.

Now that you have their attention, how do you keep them interested?
By "talking" to them. And by using tried and proven, face-to-face sales techniques.

1. Explain the features of your product and services.
2. Outline the advantages of those features.  
3. Explain the benefits the reader will receive if they buy your product or service.

Now they're hooked.
Now you have to make them desire your product. How? Tell them how it will make them happier, more attractive, healthier, popular, richer, envied, loved, better educated etc.

Get them to take action.

1. Strong call to action - call you straight away, visit your website, email you etc
2. Make it easy for them to spring into action. For example "Grab your credit card and dial 1800 0000 now!" or "Call for a free sample" or "Visit the website to enter."  
3. Give them a reason to respond immediately. "This is a limited edition piece, so order now to avoid disappointment," or offer them a free gift if they buy before March 15.  
4. Have you arranged to get their names and addresses, if possible? This will make it easier for you to sell them something else later.

Get cracking on that ad now. For more information about advertising and marketing, speak to one of the marketing consultants at TA Fastrack today.