In the previous article I discussed the ATL and BTL advertising so you can choose one of them to advertising your business, this time I will discuss the best practice to create effective ads. Why should you advertising your business effectively? because everyday people receive enormous ads in all media (newspapers, TV, sms broadcasting, etc.). Many people feel flooded with ads that overwhelm their lives. Because of saturated, then they will be insusceptible to advertising and will continue to be resistant against advertising. So, you need to create effective ads to get people interested and willing to buy your product. 

Now, the question is, what is the fundamental characteristic or indication of effective advertising? Below are the answer.

Characteristic features of effective advertising

Get attention

You can calculate carefully, whether your advertising attract the attention of public or not. When you create an ad, make a good system so that you can tracking how many people's attention do you get. How can you track it? If you advertise in the newspaper, do not forget to write something like, "immediately send your questions via email with the subject: 'NP-asking". If you advertise on the radio, do not forget to say something like, "immediately send your questions via email with the subject: 'RD-asking". And so on. Then you will know from where prospect recognize your product, you just only see the email subject. By this means, you can measure how attracted the attention of your ads, whether is greater in the newspaper or radio.

There is a feedback

This is a step up from the point above. If your ad is effective, after getting the attention of prospective customers, then surely they will do the feedback. The first feedback is to ask information on everything about your product or ask your store location, and so on.

There is an action from potential consumers

This point is a step up from point to two. If you interact well with potential customers, then the feedback will be turned into action to buy. You have to fight hard in the second step, so that consumers decide to buy your product. I've written articles about how to convert prospects into buyers and buyers into loyal customers. One approach is by irresistible sensational offer, free samples, enticement copywriting, and others. You can search and look about these in my other articles.

Three of the above are a parameter to determine whether we make the effective advertisement or not.

You spend lots of money to advertise, but people consider it as junk because they are overwhelmed with thousands of advertisements every day. So, It is waste your time, effort, and money. You do not want this happen, right?

Advertising characteristics

According to Jefkins F (2000) the definition of advertising is impersonal, payable and addressed to the mass-market form of communication. 

As stated by Wright R (2000), below are the characteristics of advertising:

1. The substantial content of advertising is information. This information is directed to the target group of people (mass-market).

2. The majority of today's advertising focuses on the advertising of products or services.

3. The majority of advertising are used to promote companies or brands of products.

4. Advertising is a kind of mix consisting of advertising campaigns, PR, public and personal selling process.

The purpose of advertising

As reported by McRury I (2009), advertising is the tool used to increase sales, distribute information or education. 

The main function of advertising is to fill the communication needs. An addition to this, the other functions of advertising are:

1. Create awareness about company, brand, product, service.

2. Inform, educate, and implement.

3. Strengthening, reminders, opinions.

4. Persuade and manipulate.

5. Introduction of products.

6. Promotion of other forms of advertising campaign.

7. Support sales of products and services.

OK, now I discussed about best practice advertising your business effectively. In order to get people's attention, you have to make tempting copywriting, powerful images, color harmony, which will make people stop and read your ad. Good copywriting is composed of two terms, the first is raise potential problems that exist in the consumer, and the second is a write the solution of this problem. Write a sensational offer in the solution of the problem. The thing to remember is to focus on what is in the hearts of consumers.

Once people are interested in your ad, then what else? As I wrote in an article titled “between marketing and psychology”, in the first stage people interested in your product emotionally, after that they usually justify what they are feeling with logic. So, the effective way is combining the emotional and logical. To get people justify statement in your advertising is to increase the statistical data to support your product. And also add testimonials from famous people who have tried your product.

Finally, check your ad draft before your ad spread through various media. Things to be checked is the tagline, phone, email, website, testimonials, and sentence / picture. Now, you have known about advertising your business best practices. Please implement it and happy creating effective ads.

Related article :  Advertising techniques
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