Small business owners are often stuck in a tough place when it comes to their advertising. Either they design their own ads or they rely on advertising salespeople to have their company’s “art department” create the ad for them. And, unfortunately, the resulting ads are frequently not effective.

Why? Either they have something missing or just aren’t compelling enough to drive awareness and action from your prospects. If you don’t want to be the victim of weak ads, it’s important that you give proper attention to each of the following ad components:

A Headline – An advertising headline is a lot like a newspaper headline; it has a large, bold, font size and is designed to get your reader to continue reading (or get them to want to learn more). The headline of the ad could make or break your entire advertisement efforts, so you must pay special and close attention to it.

An Image – Unless it’s on the radio, advertising is visual, and in order to compel your customers, you need to have a good quality image that speaks to your customers. The right image plays a critical part in telling the “story” of your ad and brand message.

Incorporating Your Brand – Being able to incorporate your brand into your company or product advertisement is one of the most essential things for the future of your company. This brand will not only help your business grow by creating a memorable impression in your customers’ minds, but it will also be one of your most valuable business assets. If you are repeatedly marketing to a local market (or the same market anywhere), having your brand image become instantly recognizable can be a huge advantage to you.

The Offer – Surprisingly, many ads do include an offer. That may be fine for major brands who are simply investing in a brand recognition campaign, but for most small businesses, include local restaurants, the exclusion of a specific offer can be a huge waste of money. If you want prospects to take action on what they see – it must have an appealing offer. This offer can be in the form of discounts or promotions or virtually anything that will speak to the needs of your target audience.

A Call to Action – Finally, while developing an advertisement, you must always add a call to action. Ads which include a call to action tend to result in higher response rates, for the obvious reason that prospects have been instructed exactly what they need to do next in the process of engaging with your business. If a prospect has read your headline, seen your image and connected with your offer, a call to action is the next logical step in getting them to do something. It doesn’t need to be pushy, just a direct statement about what they should do to move forward in getting what they want.

So there you have it, the formula for exactly what to include in an effective ad for your business. For examples of headlines, images, and calls to action, along with details on some of the mistakes local businesses should avoid in their advertising, download my free report at http://baeronmarketing.com/7mistakes.

Remember that advertising is a vital part of the economic success of most businesses. Don’t overlook the importance of structuring the right ad, with the right components to ensure the best success for your business advertising.

Source by D. Baer