Gary Dahl. Advertising for Dummies

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Generating your graphics

Whether it’s photography, fine art, line art, cartoon, or typography, the

graphic element of your ad is there to attract the readers’ eyes and interest

them enough to read your body copy. Your graphic, together with your head-

line, is there to encourage readers to invest a little time to actually absorb

what it is you’re trying to sell. The graphic element usually calls attention to,

or complements, the headline — the two elements work together to create

the overall ambience of the ad.

Make sure your graphic element is relevant to what you’re selling. A photo of

a girl in a bikini isn’t the best way to sell anything except bikinis. Health and

fitness spas are always using bathing suit babes as their central graphic. (Are

some people really dumb enough to believe that those women are actually

members?)

If your ad is for a straightforward, no-holds-barred clearance sale, your

graphic element may be nothing more than a very large headline spelled out

in a bold, readable typeface that says, “Get In Here!” If, on the other hand,

your ad is meant to announce a new product, then a quality photo or drawing

of that product, along with a subtle headline, will do nicely.

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It’s an ad, not an encyclopedia

The primary mistake made in many print ads is

verbosity. The philosophy seems to be: Why use

5 words when 500 words will do? Readers aren’t

interested in how to

make

a fine Swiss watch.

They’re only interested in how much money

they can save if they buy the watch from you.

A brief headline is particularly important. A

headline reading, “50 PERCENT SAVINGS” is

better than one reading, “Everything storewide

has been marked down 50 percent.” Making

your headline brief, intriguing, and easy to

grasp, most certainly, enhances your ad’s effec-

tiveness. Trying to fit too much information into

the headline can be self-defeating. Use the sub-

head or the body copy for the nuts and bolts of

your sales pitch.

Keep your body copy brief and your graphic ele-

ments relevant and bold. That way, you make it

easy for your readers to grasp what you’re

trying to say and what you’re striving to sell.

Just because you’ve spent a fair amount of

money to buy the ad space doesn’t mean that

you have to fill it wall-to-wall. An ad that’s easy

for the reader to understand may be rewarded

with the reader dropping into your store or con-

tacting you, credit card poised and at the ready!

Do what I do: Write your ad, and then go back

and see how many superfluous words you can

eliminate until your copy is as tight as it can pos-

sibly be. In print copy, less is more!

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Newspapers can sometimes mangle a good photograph in the printing

process — and unless you’re paying big bucks, the graphics will probably be

black and white. When a photo is reproduced in a newspaper, it always runs

the risk of appearing too dark, too light, or too cloudy (especially if one of the

pressmen has neglected to re-ink the rollers). Newspapers do strive for good

quality in their printing process, but to avoid frustration and irate clients, I

usually avoid using photos in newspaper ads. A black-and-white line drawing

usually reproduces much better.

Lines, shapes, borders, symbols, and clip art are available to you on your

computer right alongside a few dozen different type fonts. You shouldn’t have

any trouble creating a good print ad complete with a clever headline and an

arresting graphic by using nothing more than your word-processing program.

Of course, if you aren’t all that comfortable with a computer, you may want to

employ the services of a good graphic designer. Hiring a professional to do a

professional’s job, regardless of what the job is, always pays in the long run.

But whether you’re able to hire a pro depends on your budget.

The newspaper in which you’re advertising can also provide you with design

help. If you feel comfortable with their abilities, you may want to just let the

newspaper’s design department handle the whole enterprise of producing

your ad. This service is called pub set (which means the publication sets the

ad), and it’s usually free. Keep in mind that, as with anything in life, you get

what you pay for.

Don’t forget the layout!

The design and layout of an ad is everything. Print ads are often very poorly

designed. These ads are easily ignored because they don’t attract the eye to any

particular feature or element, and they certainly don’t sell anybody anything.

Figure 7-2 illustrates a sample layout for a magazine ad. If you stick to this

kind of layout, you can’t go wrong.

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Getting the help you need

The artists who work in the retail design and

layout department of your local paper are prob-

ably overworked, underpaid, and not always

diligent in their efforts. But they

are

capable of

doing good work if you insist on it (if they didn’t

have talent they wouldn’t have been hired by

the publication in the first place). Ask for their

help, and don’t accept an ad that you feel could

have been done much better.

Remember:

Don’t be adversarial in your deal-

ings with the newspaper staff, but do let them

know that you have definite ideas on what a

good ad layout is. These artists, like anyone

else, would rather do work they can be proud of.

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You can do good print advertisement designs by using various computer art

programs. But if you’re not sure whether you’re the best person to handle the

layout of your ad, hire a professional to do it for you. The extra money spent

will come back to you in the form of increased attention to your ad and cus-

tomer response. If you’re using the publication’s designers, stay on top of

Getaclue.

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Figure 7-2:

Layout is

an all-

important

part of your

print ad’s

success.

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them until they bring you an ad layout that adheres to all the prerequisites in

this chapter. Don’t hesitate to insist on good design, even though you’re get-

ting it for free. To find freelance professional designers, you can look in your

local Yellow Pages under “Graphic Designers” or “Graphic Services.” Another

possibility is to ask some of your local printers for references.

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Image is everything

A clean, well-designed, and orderly print ad can

go a long way in telling readers that your busi-

ness is also clean, well designed, and orderly.

By making your point in clear, concise terms,

you’re doing the readers a favor. They can see

at a glance whether you’re selling something

they need. You haven’t taken much of their time,

and they appreciate that.

Whether you’re buying a full-page or a one-

column two-inch ad, your ad must focus the

reader’s eyes on the most relevant information

as quickly as possible. Every other ad in the

publication is competing for the reader’s atten-

tion. Your ad may even be stacked atop the ad of

your direct competitor (if it is, get the newspa-

per to give you a

make good,

in which you get

another ad free of charge). Give yourself a

chance by designing and writing a superior ad

that cuts through all the clutter and gives the

reader a reason to stop for a moment.

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Chapter 8

Radio: Effective, Affordable,

and Fun

In This Chapter

 Telling your listeners what they need to know

 Using sound effects and music tracks to spice things up

 Finding the right person to read your spot

 Getting the spot aired on radio stations

itting before a blank piece of paper or an empty computer screen and

attempting to write a 60-second radio commercial that can effectively

and memorably motivate listeners to buy your product or service can be an

intimidating task. How do you separate yourself from the herd? What magic

words can you use to describe all the wonderful reasons why consumers

should hire you or buy from you instead of from the dozens of other busi-

nesses out there trying to convince them of the same thing? How can you

turn hard facts into clever copy that cuts through the clutter and stops listen-

ers dead in their tracks?

Writing radio ads is a process, like anything else, and it gets easier the more

you do it. In this chapter, I lead you through the process one step at a time

and, with any luck whatsoever, by the end of this chapter, you’ll be writing

spots like a pro. To pack a thousand seconds of information into a 60-second

bag isn’t as hard as it appears if you follow these guidelines.

Summarizing Your Business

in 60 Seconds

You may think it’s a daunting prospect to tell your customers everything they

need to know about your business within the limited time frame of one

minute. But a minute is quite a long time, actually. Look at your watch and let

a full minute go by. Tapping your fingers or fidgeting in your seat isn’t

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allowed. Concentrate on the second hand (or the seconds ticking off on your

digital watch). See what I mean? A minute is a long time. Sixty excruciatingly

slow clicks. Just think of all the wonderful information you can squeeze into a

spot within that huge amount of time.

The trick here is to concentrate on the relevant information you want to

impart and to discard everything else. You simply can’t summarize an ency-

clopedia’s worth of information in 60 seconds, but you can tell the world

quite a lot about yourself in that length of time. Writing radio 60s, as they’re

called, is good practice for you because, if you’re ever interested in writing

ads for television, you need to do this in 30 seconds — or even 15. Whew!

So what information do you need to convey in your ad? Okay, here it comes,

folks, a professional copywriter’s secret, a revelation so incredible, so astute,

so amazing that you’ll likely say to yourself, “Humph! I knew that!” It’s the

same basic informational formula used by journalists — namely: Who, what,

when, where, and why (otherwise known as the five Ws).

When arranged in a radio spot, the five Ws don’t always fall in a particular

order, of course. Including them all is a good idea, but you can arrange them

any way you like — within reason.

In this section, I uncover how the five Ws apply to you and how you can use

them to create memorable radio ads.

Who are you?

The first thing you want your listener to know is who you are, so you need to

mention the name of your business within the first line or two. I hear com-

mercials all the time that drone on and on and never seem to think that the

sponsor’s name is important enough to mention until somewhere around the

last five seconds. This format is a big, fat, money-wasting mistake because by

then it’s too late. Listeners never hear every word of your commercial. It

doesn’t matter whether they hear it 20 times, or even 100 times, they don’t

listen carefully to each and every word. Instead, they hear bits and pieces of

it. They may recall some elements of it. They know they’ve heard “some-

thing” that appeals to them. They may even respond to it (at least you hope

they do). But listeners are never able to recite your ad word for word. So

telling them who you are immediately is very important.

What are you selling?

The next thing you want listeners to know is what you’re selling. Which of

your products or services are you featuring in this spot? Don’t try to sell your

entire business in one 60-second spot. It just doesn’t work — you can confuse

listeners even more than they already are.

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Instead, target your message to one or two important elements. Give the lis-

tener a fighting chance to remember what the heck you’re talking about.

If you have too much information to squeeze into one spot, write two differ-

ent spots and rotate them 50/50 on the air.

Consumers are being deluged with advertising information, both audio and

visual, each and every waking moment of their lives. The first thing they see

in the morning is advertising on the toothpaste tube, then on the cereal box

and milk carton, then on the coffee can, then on the labels of their clothes,

and only then, after subliminally absorbing dozens of advertising messages,

do they pick up their newspapers, or turn on the radio or TV, all of which

bury consumers in advertising.

All you’re trying to do in your spot — all you can hope to do — is get your

foot in the door with one juicy tidbit of information, so your audience recalls

at least something of what you’re saying. Target your message very carefully

and succinctly. Narrow your message to simple, hard-hitting, important facts

that listeners can remember and act on.

When do you want consumers to act?

You can’t expect your listeners to act if they don’t know when to do it. When

does your special sale price take effect? When does this offer go away? When

is your store open? This W is a great area into which you can insert your calls

to action, such as the following:

 “This offer absolutely ends midnight Saturday.”

 “Hurry in today!”

 “Call now!”

 “We’re staying open until 10:00 every night to keep up with customer

demand.”

 “Sale ends Thursday.”

If you can insert an element of urgency into your commercial, you give listen-

ers just that much more to think about and a good reason to act.

How can customers get in touch with you?

You definitely want to tell your listeners where you are and how they can find

you. Although this sounds rather basic, you may be amazed at how many

spots wait until the end of the ad to mention it — or even forget this all-

important information altogether!

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You want to include your phone number (preferably, a toll-free number, so

customers won’t have to pay for the call!) so customers can call for informa-

tion or for directions to your nearest store.

For your business location, give the address and phone number, but be care-

ful here: Listeners can’t be expected to remember too many numbers or com-

plicated directions. Chances are they hear your spot while driving or doing

something else, and they aren’t inclined or able to jot down any information.

When was the last time you were so blown away by an advertising message

that you pulled your car off the road and wrote down the advertiser’s name

and address? Probably never.

The simpler, the better. Include a phone number rather than an address. Be

sure to repeat the phone number a minimum of two times. If you absolutely

must include an address, write something like, “Located on Main Street near

First,” instead of expecting anyone to recall “36452 East Main Street.”

If you have a Web address, use it in your spot instead of the phone number.

Don’t mention them both — remembering that many numbers and letters is

just too much to ask of your listeners.

Why should customers

hire or buy from you?

And now the most important of all the elements of a commercial, the why.

Ask yourself the following questions before drafting your copy:

 Why should the customer buy from you rather than from somebody

else?

 Why should the customer hire you or your company instead of someone

else?

 Why is your deal the very best deal that customers are ever going to

find?

 Why should anyone go out of his way to seek out your product or ser-

vice when buying it somewhere else may be much more convenient?

Sell your expertise; a great price and terms; a friendly, family-like atmos-

phere; a closeout price that’s irresistible; or any number of other points. The

why part of your ad is very likely the reason you’re advertising in the first

place. It’s your hook, your reason for being, your unique product difference.

This area separates the successful businesses from the also-rans.

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Putting the five

s to use

If your head is spinning from the thought of

incorporating the five

s into one radio spot,

here’s an example of how you can even incor-

porate them into one sentence that opens a

60-second radio commercial:

CALIFORNIA DINETTES

(Who),

PURVEY-

ORS OF FINE CASUAL DINING FURNITURE

(What),

IS HAVING ITS ANNUAL SPRING

DECORATING SALE

(Why)

BEGINNING

FRIDAY

(When)

AT ITS BEAUTIFUL SHOW-

ROOMS IN SAN JOSE, SAN CARLOS, AND

PLEASANT HILL

(Where).

This sentence would be a good opener to a 60-

second spot because it tells listeners nearly

everything they need to know right off the bat.

It also leaves 50 seconds in which to get more

specific (for example, to add a broad descrip-

tion of the furniture items on sale, what the

prices and terms are, the telephone number, the

sale deadline, and so on). But if listeners only

hear the first few words of this spot, the first

sentence gives them all the truly important

information about this furniture sale.

This spot is also a completed 10-second spot,

which stations sometimes call

billboards, I.D.s,

promos.

If your media buy includes 10-

second spots (which are often included at no

charge), then this spot is what you want to air.

Listeners may not even hear your 60-second

spot, but they may hear one of your billboards.

Try to include everything they need to know

within those first ten seconds.

You can expand this spot into the complete 60-

second version as well. Add more specific infor-

mation and dress it up with adjectives and a call

to action. See if you can identify the five

s in

this spot. They’re all there — and more than

once.

CALIFORNIA DINETTES, PURVEYORS OF

FINE CASUAL DINING FURNITURE, IS

HAVING ITS ANNUAL SPRING DECORAT-

ING SALE BEGINNING FRIDAY AT ITS

BEAUTIFUL SHOWROOMS IN SAN JOSE,

SAN CARLOS, AND PLEASANT HILL. WE’VE

BEEN BUSY GRABBING UP FABULOUS

DEALS ON CASUAL DINING FURNITURE

FROM THE NATION’S BEST MANUFAC-

TURERS. RIGHT NOW THE CALIFORNIA

DINETTES SHOWROOMS AND WARE-

HOUSE ARE BULGING. WE NEED TO GET

THIS FINE FURNITURE OFF OUR FLOORS

AND ONTO YOUR FLOORS RIGHT AWAY,

SO WE’VE SLASHED PRICES. CHOOSE

FROM THE LATEST DINETTES IN IRON

AND GLASS, NATURAL WOODS, AND

LAMINATES — WITH ELEGANT TABLE-

TOPS OF GRANITE, CORIAN, AND WOOD

INLAYS — ALL AT 15 TO 50 PERCENT OFF!

NEED BARSTOOLS? ALL BARSTOOLS

REDUCED AN EXTRA 30 PERCENT. SO FOR

SUPER DEALS, COME AND GET ’EM

DURING SPRING SAVINGS DAYS AT THE

CASUAL DINING SPECIALISTS — CALI-

FORNIA DINETTES, CONVENIENTLY

LOCATED IN SAN CARLOS, PLEASANT

HILL, AND SAN JOSE. HURRY IN TODAY

FOR BEST SELECTION!

Notice that the complete 60-second spot men-

tions the name of the store three times and its

locations twice. It describes what furniture is on

sale, lists the many whys, and inserts two calls

to action (“Come and get ’em” and “Hurry in

today for best selection!”). If listeners hear only

the first sentence or the final sentence, those

listeners have heard enough to know that some-

thing interesting is going on at California

Dinettes.

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