Advertising – some do's and don'ts

Do – Stop your advertising if you can’t measure how effective it is.
Don’t – Place adverts in the local newspaper because you feel that you have to.

Do – Focus on advertising a special offer or a specific benefit of your product. This is known as direct-response advertising.
Don’t – Create an awareness advert telling the reader about your business. This is known as brand advertising used by Coca-Cola, McDonalds etc.

Do – Think about who is going to read your advert. Is it going to be new customers or existing ones?
Don’t – Use an everlasting advert. Readers will become board with looking at the same design.

Do – Create an urgency for the reader to react quickly e.g. include a closing date on an offer.
Don’t – Rush into making a decision about placing an advert because someone is offering you a deal.

Do- Think about a run of at least three adverts in your chosen pubication.
Don’t – Just book one advert as you will dramatically limit the number of potential readers.

Do – seriously consider whether advertising is the most cost-effective solution to promote your business.
Don’t  - advertise just because your competitors are. Think of a new approach that they may not be using.

Do – Think about the media that you are intending to use. Is there an opportunity for you to focus on a more specific journal targeted at your customers?
Don’t – Believe that if a journal has 80,000 readership, then 80,000 people will read your advert. It's more likely to be 80.

Do - Think carefully about your design. It needs to be simple and to the point.
Don’t – Try to be too creative and flashy with your design. The message may be difficult to find.

Do – Spend most of your time coming up with a catchy headline.
Don’t – Include your company name in the headline. You will almost certainly increase the response rate if you leave the name out and sell the benefits.

Do – Always make sure that your advert is on the right-hand page.
Don’t – Ever place your advert on the left-hand page. The readers eyes are always drawn to the right-hand side of the page when they flick through a magazine or paper.

Do – Negotiate with the journal on pricing. Rate cards are often inflated.
Don’t – Pay the normal rate. Haggle with the salesperson. They are used to it.

Do – Consider using Apple Pie marketing for the content and booking of your advert.
Don’t – Forget to ask us to measure the results of your advertising or, any of your other marketing activities.

Apple Pie can help with all of your advertising needs. You may just want an advert created ready for printing that will create impact and drive customers to your business, or you may want a complete advertising strategy for the year.