A hardworking print ad doesn’t try to be clever!
Let’s take a look at a few principles for writing and designing effective print ads. And instead of rehashing “classic” ads that you always see in advertising and marketing textbooks, let’s just pick an ad out of the newspaper. That’s where a lot of the ad dollars go anyway.
Here’s one I ran across today in my local paper. It’s not pretty. And it ain’t Shakespeare. But it’s a damn good ad. Why? Mostly because it’s all business. The copywriter isn’t trying to entertain. The designer isn’t trying to impress. Take a good look.
The ad copy here is doing smart things:
1. The headline selects the audience and identifies a problem.
2. The subhead promises a solution.
3. The body copy suggests the solution is easy.
4. The offer is simple and direct. And it’s free!
5. The title of “Dr.” and the testimonials establish credibility.
The ad design is smart as well:
1.The headline and subhead are big and bold.
2. The illustration ties directly to the headline.
3. The body copy is in large type and bulleted to make reading easy and scanning effortless.
4. The offer and call to action are highlighted and cannot be missed.
5. There is not one hint of cleverness to distract from the message.
This print ad won’t win a single award. Most ad agency copywriters or designers couldn’t bear to be in the same room with a print ad like this. But this is solid advertising. This is the sort of ad that works!
Coupon myths and the importance of marketing research
I’ve said it a thousand times. In marketing, you don’t know anything until you do testing or have research results. And here’s an article from BtoB Magazine that proves it.
Top 10 myths about coupons debunked shows that apparently commonsense ideas, such as short-term expiration for offers (which work well in other contexts), may not make so much sense after all. This report details findings of a study based on 20 years of store coupon data.
Be careful with how you apply this information. This study is about the redemption of retail coupons only. The rule for most direct marketing offers still stands: Short deadlines tend to spur action better than long deadlines.
A revolution in advertising design? You decide.
A direct mail company has introduced a printing technology they call “ReadSmart.” Here is their description:
ReadSmart automatically formats text through subtle manipulation so that the printed page reflects the structure of language. Text becomes easier to read, maintaining the overall normal appearance of the page without changing any words, fonts, grammar, or punctuation. ReadSmart can also customize formatting to match certain demographics of intended readers, further increasing the appeal and impact of copy. Source: Direct Group
They cite research that claims huge increases in comprehension, response, and profits. Does it work? It appears to me that the technology is grouping phrases in the copy, which is exactly what reading studies have shown to be an efficient way to read. But the grouping is very, very subtle. So I suppose it’s possible, though the claims seem pretty dramatic.
If you’re curious, here’s a sample pdf showing before and after copy. Decide for yourself. And if you know anyone who’s tried this, let me know. I’m curious.
The secret of great copywriting has nothing to do with writing!
Edmund Burke, a British statesman, once said, “Facts are to the mind what food is to the body.”
Exactly right. Facts are the beginning for clear thinking and for powerful copywriting. To create effective direct mail or ads, you have to have something substantial and relevant to say. Puffery and empty technique just don’t cut it.
That’s why I always go through a set of basic questions when I’m starting a copywriting project. In fact, I have a standard advertising and marketing questionnaire to help collect the information I’ll need. This questionnaire covers the product, the prospect, and the promotion.
Here are a few examples:
- What is the product, service, or cause?
- What are the features? Which are most important?
- What are the benefits of these features? What problems are solved? What needs are met?
- What is the unique selling proposition? How is this better, bigger, cheaper?
- Who is the prospect? Demographics? Needs? Beliefs? Work titles?
- What are the common objections from buyers, customers, donors?
- What is the objective? Inquiries? Direct sales? Donations?
- What is the offer?
- What is the budget? (You’re joking!)
- What is the deadline for creative? (You want it when?!)
- How are orders/responses accepted? Mail? Phone? Fax? Web?
- What is the guarantee?
Read the full questionnaire at my main site. This is really just a starting point. I can easily ask over a hundred questions. The more information, the better.
For many copywriters, the temptation is to start writing immediately. That’s a huge mistake. The best work is always based on facts. And facts take time to find and understand.
When people ask where I get ideas for headlines or sales letters, I say, “I don’t know.” I really don’t. What I do know is that they generally pop into my head as I’m slogging through tons of information.
A hodgepodge of marketing ideas from the Web
Do people like advertising? Many would have you believe the answer is “no.” But I think differently. And I keep seeing statistics that prove me right. Like this report showing DRTV spots being watched on TiVo. It basically says that direct response spots are the least fast forwarded. Maybe because they’re interesting rather than merely entertaining like so many other TV spots?
Words that give your legal department a headache is an interesting article that hits home with me. Some of my large, corporate clients give me headaches. I think corporate lawyers worry way too much about low probability lawsuits and too often get in the way of good selling copy. And I do NOT believe that lawyers should have the last word on what is acceptable in marketing. Input, yes.
Message Believability - Does Tiger Woods Really Drive A Buick? I doubt it. And those commercials always make me laugh. Not that there’s anything wrong with Buicks. But somehow I can’t see Tiger driving one. But even though he was dropped, according to this article, I just saw a spot last night with Tiger being amazed that OnStar would unlock his car. I guess they need time to line up another spokesman. Maybe Donald Trump? Yeah, that’s believable.
No matter the market, people are at different levels of knowledge about problems and products. The Blogger’s Guide to Indirect Selling is aimed at bloggers, but the principles of reader awareness apply to any sort of copywriting or selling.
Is SEO copywriting a good idea for direct marketers?
There’s an ongoing debate between traditional direct response copywriters and the new breed of online copywriters about the importance of SEO (search engine optimization).
In a DM News article, Bob Bly writes about why he doesn’t believe in SEO copywriting. His point is simply that good copywriting should come first and that thinking about keywords is secondary, if you think about them at all. He says “forget the search engines” and “never change a word of strong selling copy.”
Then you have, well, just about everyone on the Internet, who say that SEO is the only way to go. Aaron Wall, for example, is the author of SEO Book and maintains that choosing the right keywords and using them in the right way can rocket you to the top of the search results and boost your traffic and sales.
Who’s right?
This debate is like the direct marketing versus mass marketing debate. It’s two groups of people, each with a different marketing model, trying to lay claim to the ultimate truth.
The traditional direct response guys generally use direct mail or e-mail marketing to drive people to their sites, so they don’t care as much about search engine results. The SEO guys generally use keyword tactics to pull people into their sites, so they care very much about search engine results.
The two are not incompatible. In fact, they can be complementary. It’s just that each has chosen a different way to create traffic.
My view? Why not use both? Does it matter HOW you get results? Smart marketers use any and every tactic that works. Besides, if you really understand SEO copywriting, it’s really about understanding what people are looking for and using the right words to connect to them. Isn’t that what good direct response copywriting is supposed to do?
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