Putting Some Pizzazz In Your Ads

The media bombards us with thousands of images, messages, and logos everyday. In fact, the average person in the United States watches between two and four hours of television on a daily basis. (www.mediafamily.org) Does it surprise you that we start to tune out advertisements after awhile?

This makes it a lot harder for people trying to market their business come up with ideas that stand out in the frenzy of ad pitches. Unless Britney Spears happens to be singing jingles on national broadcasts about your company, your ad campaign is probably going to have to work a little creativity in there. Here are some common advertising methods and ideas to give them some sparkle.

Classifieds: Classified advertising is one of the oldest forms in the book. Tons of people look through their Sunday paper in search of apartments, jobs, or anything else you might ever want. Smaller local publications are now also offering a classifieds section, not to mention that the world of online classifieds is at its peak.

So many places to find, place, and ignore classifieds. So how do you prevent potential customers from skimming right over your ad? Grab their attention from the get go, and chances are they'll read your ad, thanks to a great opening line. There are three types of opening lines that work well with classifieds: Informative, enticing, or challenging lines.

If you tell your reader in the first statement what you're offering, they'll know whether or not they want to keep reading. "Learn How to Quickly Generate Hot, Hungry, Targeted Traffic!" is a great opening line, because it tells readers that the product has to do with increasing website traffic. Right away your reader knows whether or not that ad is for them.

Secondly, you can entice readers into your ad by using images in your opening line. "TRY LIGHTING FIXTURES BEFORE YOU BUY!" Although this line doesn't give any specific detail, it does give the reader a nice mental picture of being able to see their lighting fixtures in place before they ever put any money down. Offer your reader something they want: "BRING PEACE BACK INTO YOUR LIFE! In today's hectic world, who could resist?

Finally, if you challenge your reader to do something, they will be more willing to see what the ad has in store. "TIRED OF ANSWERING TO YOUR BOSS? START YOUR OWN SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS!" or "SAVE YOUR DRIVING RECORD AND STOP PAYING A FORTUNE FOR INSURANCE!" The incentive is there, and more often than not, the reader will be motivated to see what else in store.

The body of a classified ad should be short and to the point. Once you've gotten your main point across, readers will follow up if they're interested. Leave your contact information at the end of the ad, in clear type.

Remember that you should devise a method for tracking your classified ads. If you place three different ads in three different places, you want to know which ads or which publications are bringing the most business. This is so you can continue a similar ad campaign to further your business.

Ezines: Most ezine subscriber lists currently have 100,000 to 300,000 readers per issue. That's a lot of potential business! Furthermore, most ezines are specifically targeted at a certain audience. If you have a great business opportunity that needs to be declared to the world, a biz opp ezine is a great place to put an advertisement. Check out http://www.bizguru.com for top ezines that reach millions, for less than two hundred dollars.

Most other ezines are also pretty inexpensive. The bigger ones charge about $35 to $150, but there are smaller ezines that run ads for much cheaper, too. Granted, smaller ezines only reach about 2,500 to 5,000, but that still a few thousand people that you're reaching, and all for a relatively small price.

Remember that if you choose to advertise in an ezine, you need to be marketing a product that can be shipped easily anywhere in the world. If you product are breakable or expensive to ship, to might want to consider advertising in your local area.

Local Media: With the advancement of the Internet, many newspaper, radio and television stations realize they are in a fierce competition. It doesn't cost as much as you might think to place ads in these ever present media sources. Not only is it cost effective, but a great way to get your name out in your immediate community.

Let's face it. It's not exactly easy to add attention grabbing flair to a radio or television ad on a limited budget. You don't have to hire the cast of Friends, however, to get people to listen to you.

Listen to the ads that are already out there. You know what you like, and it's probably the same sort of stuff that's going to grab the attention of potential customers, too. Try to use components of ads that have affected you, and see what you come up with.

Don't forget that while bizarre ads can be a little, well,... bizarre they can also have a lasting effect on people. There's an ad out right now that features an array of singing belly buttons. I was a little freaked out the first time I saw it, but I still tried on a pair of the jeans advertised the next time I was shopping for new pants.

Using a little creativity will get your ad noticed far more than the boring ones, no matter where you place them. Target your audience and track ad placement, and you will be well on your way to having an awesome ad campaign.

About the author: Ana Ventura writes sizzling ads for DrNunley's http://BizGuru.com See her super Ezine Ad Package that gets your ad in front of 55 million people without spamming. Reach Ana at mailto:ana@bizguru.com or 801-328-9006.