At every one of my jobs I have encountered the same situation: It’s a half-page ad. The client wants it to look great and contain as much information as possible. And that usually means they want the ad to contain too much copy.
Hey, I understand wanting to get your money’s worth for your ad, especially these days. And, as a writer, I love copy. Just ask my boss. Every so often he has to rein me in and gently remind me to tighten up my copy. And he’s right.
A print ad must achieve several things: It should visually capture the reader’s attention and draw them in. If it accomplishes this, then they will move to the next step: reading your ad. If your copy piques their interest or speaks to their current needs and wants, then they will take the final step and seek out your website for more information.
The designer’s job is to make an ad visually interesting to command attention. But the copy and the design must work together. Neither can overtake the other, or your ad won’t be effective. If you try to cram everything about your company or product into an ad, then your design will suffer. More importantly, your ad won’t be effective. People today want information quickly; they don’t want to make a big commitment to reading lengthy copy, especially if it’s an ad.
Think about how you respond to print ads: Do you read the ones that are copy-heavy and look like they’ll require three minutes of your time to get through as you’re flipping through a magazine or newspaper? Probably not. Your audience is no different.
You want to make your point, though, and this requires tight, clever copywriting. Your approach depends on your industry and the industry you serve. For example, if you’re trying to sell fraud detection systems to financial institutions, then your copy shouldn’t be cute and lighthearted.
Consider the following ways to entice people to read your ads:
• Get to the point, keep it short and sweet, and direct your audience to your website for more information.
• Tease your readers with something irresistible; then direct them to your website to learn more.
• Take a tip from Apple and keep it ultra-simple. One of Apple’s first iMac campaigns was for the fruit-colored, egg-shaped iMacs. The ad featured multicolored iMacs arranged in a circle. The ad copy was simply “Yum."
Here are a few tips to keep your ad copy engaging and make the most of your ads:
• Get creative with your copy and draw in your audience.
• Keep the copy brief; make every word count.
• Don’t try to fit every detail into an ad. Focus on one or two key points that the audience wants or needs to know, and then use the ad to drive them to your website for more information.
• Use a print ad to drive people to your website, where they will learn more about your company and your products.
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