Now That I Know My Advertising ROI, How do I Improve It? Part 2:

Creating Productive Ads

We are bombarded daily and incessantly by advertising. Think about how many ads you see or hear in an average day. Do you wake up to a clock radio? If so, it’s possible that 50% of the time you wake up to an advertisement. Do you listen to the news as you get ready to go to work? – More advertising. As you drive to work – more advertising on the radio, on billboards, on buses that you pass, etc. You log onto your email – more advertising; and it’s only 8:30 am!  Get the picture? Are you numb yet?

As an advertiser for your business, how do you break through all of the ad noise and be noticed? Last week we talked about the importance of measuring your return on investment (ROI) for your advertising pound, and the importance of a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) and guarantee. Today we are going to discuss how to create ads that provide a good ROI.

Creating ads that work

No matter the type of advertising, trade ads, direct mail, signs, radio, TV, etc., the first thing that we must do is to get the attention of our target audience. We have to interject something into the swirling cacophony of ad noise that stands out and causes our target to pause, even if but for a few seconds, and take notice that our message exists and might be worth their interest. In other words, we need to get someone’s attention. That is the first step in the valuable advertising acronym AIDA:

Attention – cause them to pause

Interest – draw them in to learn more

Desire – Create or elevate desire for your USP

Action – Provide a compelling reason to act

Attention

Your opening statement (verbal) or headline (written) is by far the most important part of your advertising, and as such, should be given commensurate attention. Let me state it another way; your opening must be so compelling and attention grabbing that you can break through the numbness for an instant, and in that instant, draw them in to read or listen. Let’s discuss print ads for a moment. What is the most frequent gaffe made in Yellow Page, newspaper, or magazine advertising? What is usually the first thing you see? Isn’t it the name of the company? Who cares about Joe’s Plumbing except for Joe and Joe’s mother! A good opening or headline is all about USP & guarantee stated in a way that appeals to WIIFM (What’s In It For Me), the reader.

Because your headline or opening is so important, if in print, it should consume 20 – 25% of the ad space and represent 75 – 80 % of your ad creation thought time. The words “How to” are some of the most powerful headline words known. For example: “How to Avoid the Biggest Mistake You Can Make in Building or Buying a Home” or “I’ll show you HOW TO hit golf shots as straight as you can point, or this video golfing lesson is free…and I’ll pay you £25 for wasting your time! (Jeff Paul).

Interest & Desire

Once you have a great headline (through testing and measuring various headlines in small ads), the next paragraph should draw them in, give more impact to your headline, motivating them to continue to read or listen. This is where you hit the highlights of the benefits for them and the resolution of your target’s pain, while at the same time building trust because most are sceptical at this point. Make it human, personal, conversational, in a story format. People want to do business with a person they trust, not a faceless company. This can be in small font to save space.

Address the pain and/or frustration that your product or service relieves. Create desire for that relief by contrasting that pain with a vision of the relief they will experience once they have your product or service. Focus on the emotions associated with each. Pain relief is the number one reason people buy. People make emotional decisions to purchase and then justify that purchase with logic.

Action

Now it’s time for action! This should occur at the end of the ad. This is where you provide a compelling offer that must be acted upon quickly. Tell your audience exactly what they need to do in order to fulfil that desire created in the ad and to take advantage of your time-limited valuable offer. Make it easy. Clearly communicate the steps that you wish them to take – call this number, log onto this website, come into this store, or send in this coupon, etc. before such-and-such a date. As I stated in Part 1 of this series, “The offer should appear generous, but have a low pound cost to you, the business owner. Be specific rather than general. Give people what they want! Include a guarantee to remove fear and/or frustration.”

Remember your company name that used to appear at the top of your ad and in large font? Unless you have established a well known brand (which usually takes a decade to accomplish) insert it here, in a size that is large enough to be noticed but not overpowering the ad.

By using AIDA, USP, a powerful guarantee, and testing & measuring in small quantities to determine the best ad, you will create a powerful return on your advertising pound that will rival the best investments out there!