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Advertising By De Girolamo
1. 12 Research-Proven Ways To Create Advertising That Sells Turning Stone Marketing Director candidate Turning Stone Marketing Director candidate Turning r candidate Turning Stone Marketing GEORGE DEGIROLAMO Turning Stone Marketing Director candidate TTT Turning Stone Marketing Director candidate
2. From my corporate marketing, public relations, local, national and international advertising agency experience, here are a few things I have found work best in creating advertising that sells. 12 Research-Proven Ways To Create Advertising That Sells
3. 1. Positioning is the most important decision. Positioning is placing the single most important thing about your company, products and services in the minds of your target audiences. The success of your advertising on achieving marketing goals depends more on this decision than on any other. The positioning statement is a concise, written statement of what you want people to think whenever they see or hear the name of your company, products and/or services. 12 Research-Proven Ways To Create Advertising That Sells
4. 2. The second most important decision is your promise. An advertising promise is not a claim, a theme or a slogan. It is a benefit for the consumer of your products and services. What is the most unique benefit you can promise your audiences? How does it stack up against your competition's promise? 12 Research-Proven Ways To Create Advertising That Sells
5. 3. Convey a consistent identity and image. Each advertisement should work to help contribute a recognizable and consistent visual identity and "brand image" or personality of your organization, products and services. In advertising, "identity" is how your company, products or services look - the visual or graphic appearance. "Image" is how people perceive your company, products or services to be. 12 Research-Proven Ways To Create Advertising That Sells
6. 4. Be innovative, while focussing on your message. Advertising that follows fashionable or imitative fads is seldom successful. Graphic layout that draws attention to its design rarely focuses attention on your products or services. It pays to blaze trails by starting trends, because it helps establish a leadership position. But, be aware - there are risks involved in being original. You can "look before you leap" into a major campaign based on innovative creative by relying on marketing research to test the effectiveness and long-term results. However, keep in mind it is only the opinions of people who fit the profile of your target audience that matter - not friends, relatives or associates. 12 Research-Proven Ways To Create Advertising That Sells
7. 5. Headlines: long, short, clever, simple - what works best? From our many years' experience and advertising research, here are some of the things we know about creating headlines that work best: A. An average of five times as many people read the headline as those who read the body copy. So, if you don't sell in the headline, you've wasted 80% of your advertising dollars. B. Headlines that include your name and your promise sell more than those that don't. C. Because consumers have been shown to be attracted to what is new, it pays to include news about your company products or services in the headline. 12 Research-Proven Ways To Create Advertising That Sells
8. D. Readers do not stop to decipher the meaning of obscure headlines. So, your headline should broadcast what you want to say in simple language. E. How long? In retail headline tests, ten words or longer have sold more goods. F. More recall is achieved with headlines between eight and ten words. G. In direct mail advertising, headlines between six and twelve words get the most response. In short, long headlines sell more than short ones. H. What's more - in local advertising it pays to include the name of the city or geographic area in your headline. I. When advertising to a special or identifiable group, it pays to "flag" that group in your headline or in an "eyebrow" (a statement placed above the headline in a smaller size type). 12 Research-Proven Ways To Create Advertising That Sells
9. 6. People read long copy. Research shows that readership falls off rapidly up to fifty words, but drops very little from there, if the copy is informative to the reader. Copy that includes trade jargon without explanation bores readers, and, as we all know, no one was ever bored into becoming a paying customer or client. 12 Research-Proven Ways To Create Advertising That Sells
10. 7. Photographs work better than illustrative artwork. Photographs work better than illustrations, almost invariably. Photographs present reality, while illustration suggests fantasy - something that doesn't really exist. Photographs are more believable, more appealing, better remembered and almost always sell more - but there is no substitute for first-class, professional photography. When the story appeal of your photography presents a contrast to the headline, the reader asks "What goes on here?" - then, readership, memorability and response go up. 12 Research-Proven Ways To Create Advertising That Sells
11. 8. Photo captions help to sell. On average, twice as many people read captions under photographs as read the body copy. So, captions should deliver your name and promise. 12 Research-Proven Ways To Create Advertising That Sells
12. 9. Editorial layouts. Editorial layouts get higher readership than "addy" layouts or conventional advertisements. Short sentences and short paragraphs written in conversational style work best to keep the reader's attention. Use subheads and graphic visuals or photographs (with captions) to provide frequent breaks in longer copy. This technique keeps the reader's eye moving forward. An advertising campaign is a series of advertisements with a single purpose. Readership research shows that people pay more attention to advertising they know. Building familiarity is the first job of a campaign. 12 Research-Proven Ways To Create Advertising That Sells
13. 10. Campaigns are dollar-stretchers. Campaigns work to keep all your creative on track, deliver a consistent message, establish familiarity and memorability and make every advertising dollar spent work harder than a series of unrelated one-time shots. 12 Research-Proven Ways To Create Advertising That Sells
14. 11. Similarity is the essential ingredient of a campaign. A. Visual similarity. The visual style of each advertisement contributes to a consistent identity. B. Verbal similarity. This is most often a memorable set of words that sums up the most important benefit and your "brand" image or personality. C. Similarity of attitude. Your advertising should express a distinct and consistent attitude in presenting your messages. D. Similarity of sound. A distinctive sound can make television and radio commercials more memorable. It can be a unique voice, a song or musical theme or any sound that has a natural relationship to your business, products or services. 12 Research-Proven Ways To Create Advertising That Sells
15. 12. How long should you stay with one campaign? The first people to get bored with advertising are, unfortunately, the advertisers. Not the target audience. Too many campaigns are discarded before they reach their growth potential. The answer is, "As long as it's working, stay with your campaign". 12 Research-Proven Ways To Create Advertising That Sells