It’s essential for business owners to understand the basics of how to create an engaging advertisement, as every business needs promotion. We’ve seen millions of dollars wasted on ineffective, poor, or even failed advertisements, and we at Al Omari Agency want to help you overcome these mistakes.
But more importantly, we want you to grow your business, as good advertising in all its forms is essential.
Ultimately, you need new customers, because without them, your business will fail. The good news is that the basic principles of how to create an engaging and effective advertisement apply to any promotional tool you might want to use.
The Basics of How to Create an Engaging Advertisement
This includes, but is not limited to:
Brochures
Emails
Leaflets and printed materials
Magazine and newspaper ads
Online ads (such as display ads)
Postcards
Websites, including those used in online advertising
And more.
It may take some trial and error to create an effective ad or campaign, but following these 11 proven tips will help you achieve the results you desire.
Top Tips for Creating an Attractive Ad
1. What Sets You Apart from Your Competitors?
Knowing how to create an attractive ad will help you stand out. What makes you different from your competitors? People are constantly exposed to ads from all types of businesses. What would motivate potential customers to choose your product or service over one of your competitors?
This is what you need to discover and focus on in your ad. Show your potential customers why your company is the best option and why they shouldn’t consider your competitors. If you do this, there’s a good chance they’ll make the decision in your favor.
What I’m talking about here is known in marketing circles as your “Unique Selling Proposition.” In his excellent book, “Reality in Advertising,” author Rosser Reeves defines a unique selling proposition (USP):
Every advertisement should present an offer to the customer, not just words or flashy advertisements. Every ad should tell every reader: “Buy this product for this specific benefit.”
The offer should be something competitors can’t or won’t offer. It should be unique, either in the brand or in a claim other advertisers aren’t making.
The offer should be powerful enough to engage audiences—that is, attract new customers as well as potential customers.
2. Use a Powerful Headline: Grab Their Attention!
Getting attention takes skill and practice, as people tend to scan quickly, and they’re exposed to so many ads every day that they can’t read the entire thing.
That’s why you need to ensure your ad grabs and keeps their attention. You do this with an effective headline, while knowing how to craft a compelling ad.
As the most famous man in advertising history, David Ogilvy, said, “On average, five times as many people read the headline as read the ad copy. When you write the headline, you’ve spent eighty cents of your dollar.”
3. Make them an offer they can’t refuse!
Consumers love a good deal, so offer one that will keep them coming back again and again. Whether you offer an unbeatable price, a free trial, free shipping, or a bundled package, offering your customers an attractive deal will help you succeed.
4. Focus on the benefits: What’s in it for them?
Your ads should focus on the benefits. Explaining the features of your products or services is important, but explaining the benefits to the customer is even more important. People care more about what they’ll get from your services than what you offer.
5. “Call to Action” and urge them to buy or take action!
When applying the method of creating an attractive ad, it’s not enough to tell your potential customers what your company offers. You must motivate them to take action. Directly ask them to click on your ad, purchase the product, or request the service.
For example, a “call to action” can motivate people to send an email for more information, fill out a form to learn about your services, subscribe to a weekly or monthly newsletter, or purchase the product or service.
It can also direct users to click on your ad, which will take them directly to your website rather than simply viewing the ad.
To achieve this, use compelling words and persuasive language to provide the extra incentive to take action.
Here’s an example from one of the most successful ads in history: a 1937 magazine ad selling the popular book “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” It clearly demonstrates the call to action and encourages risk-taking.
6. Make the offer urgent: Give them a reason to buy now!
It’s not enough to just plant the idea in people’s minds through ads; you need to get them to take action and buy the offer now.
When people see an ad and consider trying a company later, they may actually mean what they say. But people often go about their lives and forget about the ad or product they might have been interested in. That’s why you should encourage people to make a decision now, not later.
You can create this sense of urgency in several ways. For example, you can limit your attractive offer to a limited time. If people see they have a limited amount of time, such as a few hours or days, to take advantage of a special offer, they’ll be more likely to make a decision now rather than waiting.
Additionally, you can link urgency to an upcoming season or a specific event that makes the product or service useful at that time. Regardless of your method, you should communicate to potential customers that the time to buy is now.
7. Use Customer Testimonials
Customer testimonials are a powerful tool for building trust and interest in your company, and they’re one of the most important ways to create an engaging ad.
Remember that people in this day and age feel a lot of doubts, especially when dealing online, so it is important to build trust in your products and services so that they know that your company is
