In this week’s article I’m covering two essentials you must have in your advert for any chance of it being read in the first place.
I’m sure there’s been times when you’ve placed an advert and
wondered if it even got published, as the response was so, well, underwhelming!

So the very first thing that must happen to even have a chance of it being read,
is for the reader to actually see your advert. To do that it must grab their attention.
So before you even place your advert in every publication you know, here are some
thoughts to consider:

1. Which newspaper/magazine/publication should you advertise in?

2. How can make my advert noticeable?

3. What result do you want with this advert?

There is no one publication that suits everyone. Often I get asked, Which publication is
the best place to advertise? Well the best place to advertise is in a publication that your
ideal client reads. May sound obvious, but when you get advertising agents calling you
with their deadlines, with great offers, its easy to forget that. Always be thinking, will
it be likely that my clients are reading this or that publication? What’s next? Once you’ve
got the right publication, now you have to make it noticeable. Size, colours, images, logos,
fonts all make adverts more or less noticeable. Going too small is often just a waste of money.
Colour is more expensive but if you’re one of the few using colour then your advert will
stand out more. An image is more eye catching too, than just text, and fonts like Arial, Verdana, etc
are clearer and less clutterred looking fonts. But at the end of the day, it is your headline is the
make or break of an advert. A headline is the emboldened text, usually in larger type, so is going
to be read first.

Most people will read a headline first. And that headline will determine whether they keep
reading or not. It is THAT important. But it can’t just be any headline.

What type of headline will catch more attention?

Well problems attract attention. A problem that your client is suffering from. Solutions attract
attention too but less so. If you have the name of your therapy the headline, even less so
again. Because people are basically problem oriented. Problems are what people think about.

They are thinking, I wish this headache would go away, my back hurts, gosh I’m so tired etc etc.

So if your headline is about the problem your client is suffering from, and if it’s in a publication
that your ideal client is reading, then you’re going to make it esier for them to notice your
advert. So a good start. And while only a start, at least they’ve seen you advert.
Big hurdle jumped!

So you’ve connected with the reader with the problem, then you present them with the
solution. The benefits of what you do. Combine this then with last week’s strategy – changing
the focus of your advert – and make them an offer they they can respond to.

More targetted, More Read, Better Results!