Newspapers and magazines sell space. Apparently that’s all their display advertising reps want to sell. Because, the two most important elements – the Offer and the Call-To-Action – are missing from most print media ads.
I saw a cooperative ad for a downtown shopping district in a special supplement to a daily paper. There were 27 participating stores on a five-page spread. The ad rep did a good job of selling. Unfortunately, most of the ads were just business cards in both size and content. The ad sales rep probably told advertisers that the more businesses that participated, the more feet they’d see on State Street.
Just seven of the ads had a Call to Action and only five ads included any kind of offer. That means 75% of the businesses were just hoping some of the foot traffic would walk in their door to say hi.
I’ve sold advertising in newspaper, magazine and direct mail. While the formats and distribution methods are different, the marketing principles are the same. The AIDA formula (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) apply to all forms of marketing. And direct marketing methods can and should be used in every advertisement.
How do you know if an ad is working when there’s no offer? How do you compete with 26 neighboring businesses when there is no compelling reason to open your door?
And the call to action is simple, but so important. Direct marketers know that you can’t just put a phone number or web address or a reply form in a direct mail package. You must tell the prospect what you want them to do. CALL TODAY! GO TO WWW.! MAIL THIS POSTAGE PAID CARD!
The offer and call to action have been tested thousands of times by direct mail marketers. These are proven methods for improving direct mail response. These methods should be used in every display ad too!
What if all 27 of those ads had an irresistible offer and urgent call-to-action? There’d be many for feet on State Street.
Posted on October 18, 2011
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