Avoid Print Ad Mistakes With These 9 Last-Minute Advertising Checks
Print ads offer a simple and elegant form that is hard to match. But these same qualities often lead to problems in the advertising creative process.
One problem is laziness. Compared to a direct mail package with all the bells and whistles, a print ad seems easy to write and design. It’s tempting to just turn it on and move on to larger projects.
An opposite problem is fixation. While direct mail is a disposable medium, people often keep postings. Print ads can stay for years. So you might be tempted to endlessly play with every word, overload the design, or force your ad to do things it was never designed to do.
Here are some ways to get perspective and double check an ad before placing it:
- Take a break. You cannot objectively evaluate anything at the moment you create it. Put your ad aside and look at it again when it’s fresh. Is it still as good as you thought? Have you forgotten something? Is there a problem you didn’t see before? You will be surprised how clear your vision becomes after a few hours or days.
- Use the 5 second test. Show the ad to a few people who are not in the ad business, preferably those whom the ad is intended to attract. If they don’t understand it at a glance (within about 5 seconds), it’s not going to work. Don’t play with the body of the text. Check out the big stuff. Make your headline clearer and more direct. Make sure the graphics cable your message. Highlight your offer.
- See how it looks placed. After all, people won’t see your ad plastered on the art director’s wall. You will see it in magazines or newspapers along with many other advertisements and editorial material. Mock the ad and embed it in some of your destination posts. See how the ad works in context.
- Try the Stop-or-Go test. Generally, you should speak in the second person, using words like “you” and “your.” And you should avoid talking too much about yourself with words like “we” and “our.” So circle all the words that refer to your reader with a green pen. Then, circle all the words that refer to you with a red pen. If you see a lot of green, your copy is done. If you see a lot of red, stop and edit.
- Compare your ad with your goal. What do you want the ad to accomplish? Are all the elements of your ad leading to that goal? If something doesn’t belong, delete it. If something is missing, add it. And don’t let the designer dictate the message or the length of the copy. Words sell.
- Consider another way to write the ad. Even if you have a successful formula, there are always other approaches that will work. If you keep an open mind, you might find a better way. Or you may discover improvements that you can incorporate. One advantage of writing a second ad after completing the first is that you will feel free to experiment and try something different.
- Make a list of all the negatives. What’s wrong with the title and the copy? Design? The illustrations? The coupon? The look or the tone? Be brutal and honest. Don’t get attached to particular words or images. After all, this is not art. It is not your personal vision. They are business. So if something needs to be changed, change it.
- Ask a consultant for a copy analysis. It gives you a level of objectivity that you just can’t get from staff and employees. And since there are as many ways to write an ad as there are writers, you’re sure to get some good ideas. Even a small improvement can mean the difference between success and failure.
- Make corporate ads work. If you’re taking the trouble to position your company or products, why not distribute some brochures and give your salespeople some leads at the same time? Offer a free data kit, video, brochure, report, or anything to generate a response. This does not harm your image. Show that you want to make a connection and that you want to help.
