And noteworthy print ads are RARE. If you pick up a magazine at your local library or book store, you’ll find pages after pages of ads. They all have a catchy yet self-explanatory photo, a highlighted tag line, some bright colors (some are in black and white), and (if it’s really good), maybe even an offer (a.k.a. call to action).
This is how basically advertising is done. But unfortunately, most of the time it doesn’t work.
There’s an idea that just because you are advertising, it means that it's working or generating revenue. That’s simply not true.
Take the example of Gillette razors. They are part of the Proctor and Gamble family of brands and spend millions of dollars on ads over the years. Yet for the past couple of years, they’ve been losing market share notably at least in the US. And one of the brands growing is the Dollar Shave Club - which started with a video.
Simply put, spending on ads doesn’t always work. So what does work? What are the secrets of the famous print ad? And how do we use that learning in making successful digital ads?
Length
Some of the best print ads of all time are 300+ words. They are interesting to read. They tell stories and weave together storylines.
More than anything: they give you a solution. How often have you read an ad and felt smarter, wiser, or more informed? The best ads make you feel like you are missing something. And that motivates you to take action - explore the information you have gained through the ad to solve your problem.
Maybe you’ve heard that “nobody reads your content” or “no one visits your website”. But if you’re great at writing crisp yet useful content in terms of providing the right solution to the right audience at the right time, the small percentage of people who read it are exactly the people you want to connect with.
Story
In addition to length, these ads say something. It might be easy to write “nine reasons why..” or “five great tips..” like ad headlines. Or the most commonly used term “free” in ads. And these will often get clicked. But they rarely sell well.
Instead, stories get read.
When readers pick up a magazine or newspaper, they’ll certainly skim most of it. But they’ll read the things that are interesting to them. That’s how we operate - our brain operates. News sites get more traffic than ever as they tell/present stories interestingly than ever. You should do the same.
No law says an ad needs to look like an ad irrespective of certain character limitations we have to follow while crafting ads in digital space. However fundamentally, every successful ad (and the linked landing page) needs to tell a story to get clicks and ultimately sell anything.
Headlines
Headlines are the most significant part of a good ad. I won’t spend much time talking about them here, but if you make one part of your ad awesome, it should be the headline(s).
Simplicity
Most successful ad agencies from the last few years have focused on four elements: Headline, text, photo, caption. That’s it.
It’s tempting to make your advertising as flamboyant and complicated as possible.
Or to use puns or jokes.
This is seldom a good idea. Keep it simple stupid (KISS principle).
Black on White is Normal
It’s almost always better to print black text on white background from a UX perspective. It’s the way human brains are wired. No one prints white on black unless they want people not to read it. That means, study and adopt the common traits from your niche whenever is required to optimize your landing pages’ color definition.
Follow the Rules
I’m always looking for ways to be better, more efficient, and to find new ways to be better at digital marketing and ads.
But when I work with a client’s ad dollars and marketing budget, I want to find things that work - day in and day out.
We usually compete with giants in the advertising and marketing industry. It’s time to take some ROI-focused approach.
Good luck,
Partha
