Welcome to the world of marketing.
In this industry, 30-second sales pitches are quite the norm. Of course, the sales pitch may come in the form of a newspaper print advertisement rather than a face-to-face meeting, but the premise is just the same.
Studies show that the average reader spends only a few seconds looking at an advertisement before turning the page. Those few seconds are crucial to capture the reader’s interest and entice them to continue reading your advertisement.
Hence, the “Elevator Pitch” — a term referring to delivering a sales pitch within the short timeframe of a typical elevator ride. This concept is used to assure that an ad is succinct enough to give over a basic message to the reader accurately and quickly without losing their attention.
Often, an advertisement will be cluttered with headlines, sub-headlines and lots of text in an attempt to provide the reader with every bit of information about a company or product. But as the old adage goes, less is more.
A good ad often starts with an idea that can be relayed via a visual image or clever sentence — and sometimes through both. The visual can be a photo of the actual product, a person interacting with the product or an end result that occurs because of the product. The sentence can be a provocative headline, a humorous pun or general message relating to the product or service being advertised.
The Yated has been running a summer advertising campaign — created by Bottom Line Marketing Group — that has generated fantastic feedback and an impressive response. So why not use that as an example of how to create a winning ad?
The layout of this Yated ad (an actual copy is featured alongside this column) is user-friendly and straightforward. The advertisement displays a photo evoking the image of a summer getaway. A catchy headline on top grabs the reader’s interest by highlighting the problem that many businesses face in the summertime and offers a practical solution.
When the reader has been adequately informed about how the Yated can help them boost summertime sales with great advertising deals, their eyes then shift to the prominently displayed phone number on the bottom that directs them to call and find out more. The Yated’s fax and e-mail address is also listed, allowing viewers to use the contact method of their choice.
Best of all, readers are persuaded to learn more about how the Yated can help their business with authentic testimonials from satisfied business owners who’ve benefited by advertising in the paper.
Lastly, the advertisement is produced in full-color, which according to numerous studies, has a 40% higher readership score that standard black and white advertisements.
But that’s not all.
We’ve just touched upon one small element involving the creation of a successful advertisement. Stay tuned for next week as I take you behind the scenes and share the secret that practically guarantees successful results from your advertising campaign.
Bottom Line Action Step: 1. Advertise! 2. Keep message concise. 3. Save all the details for your company’s brochure and website.
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Yitzchok Saftlas is the CEO of Bottom Line Marketing Group, a premier marketing agency recognized for its goal-oriented branding, sales, recruitment and fundraising techniques. Serving corporate, non-profit and political clientele, Bottom Line’s notable clients include: Mike Bloomberg for Mayor, Dirshu and TeachNYS.
Readers are encouraged to submit their marketing questions to: ys@BottomLineMG.com
