Advertising may be your most expensive form of promotion

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It certainly won’t be the cheapest, so make sure you get your advertising right. And I don’t just mean the content. You need to make sure enough of your target customers get a chance to see your ads. Then you need to make them take action!

At my last count there were over 10,500 books on Amazon.com with "Advertising" in the title. So it’s obviously a popular subject that’s been covered at huge length. I’m not even going to attempt to distil everything you could learn from all these books! However, I will give you some helpful pointers I’ve learned from some of them and point you in the direction of more detailed resources.

An advertisement will only pay for itself if the reader is drawn in and persuaded to read it. It must then promise them something they want. You must then prove you can do it. Finally, ask them to take action and contact you. Use the "AIDCA" formula:

• Get their Attention
• Give them a reason to be Interested in what you have
• Make them Desire what you’re offering
• Prove your Credibility
• Compel them to take Action.

Some people recommend just the "AIDA" formula, but I’m convinced the "Credibility" factor is so important it cannot be ignored.

Many ads just say "Here we are" without promising the reader any benefits. They say "Established over 10 years". Does that mean they’re any good? Do they have any satisfied customers? Have they got what you want?

Here are my top five advertising rules:

Rule number one: if your advertising isn’t working then either STOP IT or CHANGE IT! People sometimes run adverts because they feel they have to, whether it’s profitable or not. Maybe they’ve always done it, or it’s what their competitors have always done. You may need to be somewhat brutal in killing off some of your worst-performing ads.

Rule number two: The only purpose of an advert should be to persuade the reader that you have what they want and to ask them to contact you - NOW. Large corporations can afford "awareness" or "brand" advertising. We can’t. Make them call that freephone number or clip the coupon RIGHT NOW.

If it doesn’t pass the ‘so what’ test, get rid of it. Look at every part of your ad. If any element could be challenged with "so what?" then it’s not compelling enough. Not explicit enough. Not worth keeping. Change or remove it.

Apply the same rules to all your advertising in the following media:

• Directories
• Newspapers
• Magazines
• Magazine inserts (loose or stitched-in)
• Door-to-door leaflets

Copywriting can be fun. It’s not just the preserve of the advertising agency. You can write your own compelling ads. Remember the four key elements:

• Headline. Draw them in with the biggest benefit you can find. What will the reader gain from your product or service? State it as a "you" message, not a "me" or "we" message. Remember your USP (Unique Selling Proposition). This should appear in the ad somewhere. It may be appropriate for the headline.
• Benefits. Keep your sentences short and punchy. Spell out what the reader can gain by using your product or service. Don’t dwell on the product features unless they are vital in your line of business.
• Proof. Tell them what you’ve achieved, not how long you’ve been around. If you can’t offer proof, offer a risk-free trial instead. Ideally, do both!
• Action. Make it easy for them to respond. Call the freephone number. Send the coupon to a freepost address, no stamps required.

Rule number three: Advertise on a right hand page. In newspapers or magazines your eyes favour the right hand page as you browse. A right hand page potentially gets twice as much "eyeball" as a left hand page, many of which aren’t scanned at all!

This can make the difference between a profitable campaign and an unprofitable one.

Rule number four: Never, never, never (and I repeat, never) pay the "rate card" price for advertising. Publications will ALWAYS negotiate. Again, if they can’t accommodate YOUR rate this week/month they will always let you know when they do have space available at that rate.

Demanding an acceptable rate can make a HUGE difference to the profitability of your advertisements. You can often negotiate a 50% discount (or more) on the standard rate. Insist on a minimum of 25%.

It’s also worth knowing that an advertising agency would take 10-15% of the standard price. Therefore your starting price should be 85-90% of the standard rate if you’re booking direct, rather than through an agency.

The closer to publication deadline, the better deal you’re likely to get. This can yield fantastic discounts, but may also have the risk that there is no space available.

Rule number five: Don’t follow the herd! Just because your competitors advertise, don’t assume they’re making a profit.

A Low-cost Advertising Action Plan

1. If you already advertise, take a look at your existing ads using the above guidelines. Don’t criticise what you’ve done in the past. Move forward and decide how you’ll do it the next time. A small change in the emphasis of your ad can make a big difference to the response.

2. As an exercise, design a small ad like the examples on the previous pages. Remember your USP. Choose your biggest benefit and turn it into a headline to grab the reader. Concentrate on what’s in it for the reader. Give them an easy way to take action.