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Six Easy Steps to Creating a Killer Ad Campaign.

Six Easy Steps to Creating a Killer Ad Campaign.

So you think your company may need to do some advertising to drum up business in this down economy?

Smart idea.

But before you hire an ad agency, or do it yourself, I’d like to arm you with some information that will make your job easier, and your ads more effective.

Keep it simple.
A cluttered ad screams “small-time.”  Savvy advertisers know that people don’t remember a complicated message.  If you give them more than one main point, or throw a bunch of graphics and copy into the mix, chances are pretty good they will either skip it, or quit before you get a chance to ask for the sale.  Keep your message, your headline, and your visual clean, simple, and singular.

Exude brand personality.
All brands develop personality, whether you want them to or not.  Which is why smart marketers make sure their brands reflect the personality they specifically craft.  What is your brand personality?  Your ads – and all your advertising and marketing materials – should always reflect your brand personality so that your  target audience will have constant reinforcement of your well-crafted, deliberately thought out brand.

Cut through the clutter.
The average American is exposed to hundreds of commercial messages every day – some experts say as many as 3,000!  So you want to do everything you can to make sure your ad is the one that gets noticed.  Do this by having a great offer, keeping your ad simple with lots of white space, and having a memorable and creative concept that exudes your brand personality.

Keep it strategic.
There are basically two kinds of ads:  1) ads that have a specific offer, and 2) image-building ads.  Both types of ads are important and should be used in conjunction with each other.  While the first type of ad is designed to have fairly immediate benefits (such as sales or attendance to an event), the second type of ad is designed to give you long-term benefits by creating top-of-mind awareness so when your target has need of your service or product, you’re the first company they think of.  My advice is to use both as part of your overall strategic marketing plan.

Look professional.
Very few things hurt your brand like an amateurish ad.  People viewing the ad will perceive your company as being second-rate.  So I strongly encourage you to  think very carefully before doing the ad yourself, or letting the newspaper design it for you.  Think seriously about hiring a professional to create an ad campaign for you with a look and feel that will last for at least a year.  Consider having them develop four different ads that you can easily have resized for different publications and rotate throughout the year.  Also, think about having a “template” ad developed that can work for special sales or invitations to events.

Give them a reason to buy.
Whether you’re creating an offer ad or an image ad, be sure you give your target a great reason to chose your company, product, or service over your competitors.

Now more than ever, advertising is a smart idea.  Use these tips and you will create ad campaigns that cut costs…and the clutter.


© Copyright 2009, BusinessBurrito.  All rights reserved.





Six Easy Steps to Creating a Killer Ad Campaign - To learn more about this author, visit Donna Williams's Website.

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Stephanie Robey
Stephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals.

She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com   Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences.  Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University.

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Donna Williams
(Visit Donna's Website) Donna Williams is a 25-year veteran creative director, multi-award-winning copywriter and broadcast producer, and former corporate advertising / marketing executive. She is also founder and creator of BusinessBurrito.com, a website dedicated to helping small businesses grow to their maximum potential. Donna began her career as a junior copywriter in the Tulsa area, quickly advancing up the corporate ladder. In 1999, she became one of the founding partners of ThompsonMurray – an advertising / retail marketing firm - heading up the company's creative department and building a tremendous base of talented art directors, copywriters, and graphic designers. As executive vice president / creative director, she helped take TM from a start-up with 18 employees to one of the region's largest ad agencies with over 160 employees and some of the world's biggest brands, including Procter & Gamble, Wal-Mart, and Coca-Cola. After Saatchi & Saatchi bought TM in 2004, Donna left to form her own freelance advertising and marketing firm specializing in small business and non-profit organizations. A couple of years later, she created BusinessBurrito.com.

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