Adverts which are the hallmark of all that pertains to business marketing are indispensable. No well-meaning and serious business can be operated without effective advertising. Of course the times we are now in call upon one to lay great emphasis on digital marketing. That does not negate the fact that other digital marketing adverts are still adverts. Since adverts are paramount I have decided to talk about them in this article. Marketing is so important that a millionaire by the name T. Harv Eker once said that you must devote about 80% of your business focus on marketing and sales. Here are 8 of some of the essential elements of a good advert:
Objectivity
An advert must display a clear message and intent. An advert must not be riddled with too many possible narratives otherwise people will miss exactly what it is that you intended to say. This means when putting an advert together you must know the exact theme or message that you want to put out there. If after seeing an advert someone fails to get the message then that would mean you failed to induce objectivity into your advert.
Grab attention but don’t mislead
In the online world, most of you must be familiar with that buzz phrase. I do appreciate that most people who apply this element usually mislead people. The ‘clickbait’ element simply means that your advert must be alluring enough to draw someone in. This means your headline must be catchy and literally impossible for one to ignore. Accompanying components such as thumbnails (where applicable) must also be very alluring.
Back to what I said earlier on; do not mislead people by using a headline or thumbnail that is not consistent with the actual content of the advert. Here is an example, suppose you say ‘Sign Up For Free To Get A $10 Gift Card’ yet you know before someone claims the gift card you will ask that they pay something. That would essentially mean by saying ‘free’ you misled people into clicking on the advert. So the bottom line is you must apply the clickbait element be it in online or offline but be honest; do not mislead people!
Relatability
This is the core of a great advert especially these days where story-telling is now king in making an advert. This is especially incorporable if you do an advert that is in the form of a storyline – which is most recommendable nowadays. When someone goes through the advert they must be able to relate to it. What do I mean by being relatable? People should find it easy to understand and must feel connected to it. Being able to strike relatability in an advert will unlock even more bonuses for you e.g. people’s emotions get engaged which increases the chances of ultimate purchases. It is usually the case that something relatable is very compelling. I personally hold Volvo adverts in high regard because most of them have this element. I would like to give you an example of one of their ads which is on their YouTube channel – kindly check it out. After watching it you will see how powerful an ad can be if it is relatable.
Unique Value Proposition
For an advert to be compelling it does not only have to be relatable but it must show a unique value or selling proposition. In propagating an advert you are fully aware of how you are competing for attention amongst prospective customers. People are easily drawn in by something unique and that offers value. So a good advert must emphatically communicate an exceptional value proposition. Why should people choose you over others? That is the question which must be cleared addressed in the content of your advert.
Visual Appeal
Depending on what you use either print or electronic media your advert must be visually appealing. The use of imagery and videos must be done in such a way that is very attractive. Before anyone even starts going through an advert they must have already been impressed by the visual design of the advert. Working with graphic designers can help you build adverts that have visual appeal.
Comprehensiveness
By this, I am referring to the advert having all the relevant details that anyone can possibly need. I am talking about details like product or service name, its characteristics, how to get it, pricing, payment methods and contact details amongst others. The amount of detail you can include in an advert differs but there must be sufficient details to inform people on pertinent things they ought to know.
Urgency
This is one of the psychological methods used to drive sales in business. People are generally loss aversive i.e. they spring into action if there is a possibility of losing or not getting something being offered. For instance, an advert can have a unique value proposition of being cheaper through a special offer e.g. 30% off all products in stock. To create the element of urgency you can then say, offer valid for the next 48 hours. If a sense of urgency is incorporated properly you can experience tremendous sales in a short period of time.
Call To Action
Supposing you have ticked off all the other items we have been discussing, what is next? The ultimate purpose of an advert is to make people act along the lines of making a purchase. It can be telling people to call, message, click or visit in-store and so on. An advert must have a clear call to action so that people act upon what you have presented in your advert. After people have seen your advert they must never be at a loss on what to do next.
If you ensure these 8 elements are encapsulated in your adverts then you will be set. Here is a little but powerful secret – adverts that are compelling these days are adverts that do not seem like adverts (especially through story-telling).
