How to Create a Print Advertisement

Advertisements are an integral part of any marketing plan. They are the "face" to your message and need to stick in the mind of the prospective customer to draw them into your store or towards your product. The business of creating a print ad is deceptively simple, if you know the right steps. Read on to learn how to create a print advertisement.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. First, you need to decide what the objective is of your ad. Be specific about what it is you're trying to say and make sure it's a message that can be obvious to all of your audience.

2. Next, you need to clarify who your audience is. Is it your normal demographic or are you targeting your ad towards a specific group to see if you can stimulate business in another area? Knowing your audience is crucial before you can decide how your message will best reach them.

3. Once you've decided on your market, you can now choose the format for your ad. Will it be a glossy magazine ad or are you looking for a newspaper ad? Will a poster work? Maybe you're going to work with postcards or another medium. Your budget may play a large part in your format, but keep in mind that even a small, black and white ad in a newspaper can draw plenty of attention if the message is clear and your audience will see it.

4. Now it's time to develop the concept of your ad. This is the "how" part, based on your data about your audience and your medium. The concept is the driving force behind your message and should stay consistent throughout your ad campaign.

5. The visual aspect of your ad involves your graphics and text and their locations in the ad. Seventy percent of most readers are drawn in by a picture or graphic while 30 percent read the headline first. Another important factor about the visual is that more readers will be drawn in by a photograph other than a cartoon. Keep this in mind when you design the ad layout.

6. When considering your headline, the best rule of thumb is K.I.S.S.--Keep it simple, silly. But even the simplest of headlines can be powerful and personal, touching the emotions of the reader. Try to convey simple truths that will have an impact on your target audience.

7. The copy of your advertisement is your argument backing up your headline. It's the "point" of your ad. Be clear and specific, and try to keep it short. An ad with a lot of text can defer a reader's attention.

8. The layout of your ad brings all of your previous work together. Try several different placements of text and graphics, move the headline and add more white space if you can to get at least three possible options of layouts. Text can flow from the top of an ad to the bottom or from left to right. Get creative and then decide which ad draws the eye to the critical headline and copy of your ad.

Tips & Warnings

• When working on your layout, try to avoid too much clutter. Use white space as a tool in the ad to draw the eye to your crucial ad elements.

[OldWestCowgirl]

on 9/24/2008 Great article. Very accurate!