Better Print Advertising
Posted on July 31, 2008 - Filed Under Business
1. Headline: On the average, five times more people read the headline than the body copy. If consumers like the Headline they will go on to read the body copy. The Headline is what brings them in. The headline must be easy to understand and state the reason why the consumer should continue on and read the body copy.
2. News and headlines: Consumers read news stand magazines or news papers to get news. Real news or innovations can be placed in the headline, consumers may even find it a service. They very well could increase readership.
3. How many words in a headline? Research conducted with cooperation from a large department store found that headlines of ten words or longer sold more products than short headlines. In terms of recall, headlines between eight and ten words work the best. On average, long headlines sell more goods than short ones - headlines like David Ogilvy’s “At 60 miles an hour, the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock.” have been remembered for years.
4. Speak to Your Prospects: When trying to reach a specific groupt; Speak to them in your headline - Parents, bald people, CEO’s?
5. Purchasers Read Long Copy: Non Buyers quit reading by the 50th word, between 50 and 500 words are where you must sell the product to potential buyers. They will read longer into an advertisement. Get their interest with the headline, Give them a reason to buy in the copy. Make sure the copy sticks so they do not substitute brands when they get to the retail store.
6. Before and After Ads: Before and after ads are above average at grabbing the consumers attention. Contrast tends to work well. Readers also seem to have an above average understanding of what the ad is saying.
7. Photographs vs. drawings: Photographs work better than Art almost all the time. People like to feel thins are “real.” The photograph should help pull readers in. Plus it must be pertinent to the product you are selling. The photograph must have story appeal.
8. Captions: Twice as many people read the captions under photographs as read the body copies. Never place a photo without a caption. Because Associated Press Style calls for captions under photos people expect it.
9. News layout vs. Art Style Layout The more the ad looks like the news in the publication generally the higher the readership. Though people do tend to look for the ads in trade publications. The arty layout is much easier to get approved by the client A good ad agency will take the time to explain to the client that the ad must have long copy to make sure the consumer buys the product.
10. Test and Retest Readership has been known to increase with repetition. Continually test new ads against the old ones and run the winner.
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