 How To Buy Advertising -
From Concept to Creation
By Illiki Rai of Rising Women Magazine
Buying advertising is one of those “tasks” that every
business owner has to miraculously know how to do without prior training. Unfortunately
however, from my experience, most business owners blunder through the advertising buying
process hoping the result will be a catchy, professional advertisement that generates an
outstanding response. Does this sound familiar?
Much like creating a gourmet dish, advertising - done effectively -
requires that you follow a certain recipe and use certain ingredients for “Iron
Chef” results. Since I suspect most of us don’t have a copy of this sought after
recipe, I have written this article to offer a few key tips about the advertising process.
This information will make you a better advertiser whether or not you create your own ads
or rely on an outside source to build them.
The Message - The most important element
within a print advertisement is the message. If you are serious about creating a campaign
that has immediate impact, I advise you to hire a professional copy writer. Yes, most
print venues will offer you free design and set-up of your ad, but take note: they are
graphic designers not trained copy writers. It is well worth your investment to hire a
professional copy writer because it is their speciality to source out what makes your
target audience tick and to write copy that motivates them to react. By all means, use the
free design service, but supply the text!
Even with a professional copy writer on board, it is also important for
you to understand a bit of the science behind effective ad copy. Following are a couple of
tricks of the trade:
a) Your message needs to spell out what is in it for the reader and
what will solve their “problem” in 30 seconds or less. For example: “Free
Booklet...” “Look 10 Years Younger by the Weekend!”, “Destination
Relaxation”, “Natural Gifts For Your Children.” Keep the message bold and
the layout simple.
b) Try to refrain from simply listing your services and try to create a
campaign that offers incentive. For example, it’s not like we don’t already know
that “ABC Dry Cleaners” does alterations or the “XYZ Diner” has a
brunch special. What makes your services/product stand out from the competition? And most
importantly, what else can you offer that will differentiate you from your competitors?
For example: ABC Dry Cleaners may offer free movies from Rogers Video with every order
over $50. XYZ Diner will pack the place on Sunday if they offered free breakfasts for
children under 10. Both the movie and the breakfast may cost the bottom line a few
dollars, but the incentives are invaluable when comparing how these businesses will beat
out their competition.
The Design - Another common dilemma I have
experienced is that most businesses owners playing the roll of advertising buyers
don’t understand what ad specs are and how important they are. A little basics in
graphic design can go along way towards saving time and money, as well as getting that
more professional look. Following is a checklist of common elements to pay attention to
when creating or having an ad created:
1) Size - The size is the most important element in the design and copy
writing process. It gives the designer and/or writer a visual template to work within.
Each publication, newspaper, etc., has their own specific size specs for their display
ads. For instance, a “business card ad” in Rising Women it is 2” high x
3.38” wide, not 2” x 3.5” wide (standard size of a common business card).
This is due to our design area and printing process. An ad sized incorrectly, even out by
.12”, cannot be simply squished into place, nor can text set up for a quarter page
fit in a “business card” space. Pay extra attention to the guidelines and design
specs defined by the publisher.
2) Understanding Color - In print there are two choices: black/white
and color. Black/white often means that all text is black and graphics are grey halftone
images. Color can be “full color” like a camera snapshot or “spot
color” where color(s) do not blend into each other.
With halftone and full color images the quality of the original graphic
image sets the precedence for the visual outcome of the advertisement. If the original
image is blurry, bitmapped, too dark, too contrasty, to small, etc., chances are the image
cannot be fixed even with photo editing. When it comes to supplying digital or hard copies
of your logo or graphics for design purpose, ensure that you have high quality, large
copies available.
3) Design Transfer - When sending a completed ad design, or sending
design elements such as a logo or picture as an attachment or on CD, it is vital that you
understand the requested transfer specs. Here are some basics:
a) A Macintosh is much different than a PC platform and transfer of
graphics requires that the file be converted for readability of the specified platform.
When saving/exporting a file, convert according to the computer platform that will be
reading the file next.
b) The file extension is also important. An extension, simply put, is a
format that the file is saved in so it can be read in a professional design program. The
most common extensions are .tif, .jpeg, and .eps. Ask the publisher for their preference.
c) When creating your own graphics, please realize that unless created
in a professional design program most publishers cannot use the file and/or have to
recreate it. Microsoft Word is acceptable if you are just sending a basic layout or
concept to be reworked, however remember to also send the graphics in their native file
format (i.e: .tif, .jpeg).
A final tip: your advertisement is your companies first public
impression, so be sure to invest into whatever it takes to get your message attracting
your desired audience and projecting a professional image.
Illiki Rai is the Owner of RWM. She says, “Seven years
of publishing equals seven years of sales. Need I say more?” Interested in working
with RWM? Please contact 228.7874. publisher@risingwomen.com
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