Newspaper advertising apparently may appear like a cake walk but that may not be the case every time or in the case of every advertisement. A number of advertisers need to advertise too many times to drive a single relevant response while some do not receive any response in spite of so much effort. So as an advertiser, you must be aware of the dos and don’ts of newspaper advertising so as to ensure better responses and higher returns for your advertisements.
But to advertise in any newspaper there are a few things you must keep in mind:
- Newspaper classified ads are categorised under different Categories such as
- Matrimonial
- Property
- Recruitment
- Announcement
- Obituary
- Change of Name
- Public Notice & Tenders
- Business
- Education
- Services
- Travel
- Retail
- Astrology
- Computers
- Wedding Arrangements
- Personal
There are 3 newspaper ad formats
- Classified Text-Text ads measured in terms of number of words/lines/characters used with enhancement charges
- Classified Display– Classified ads with the use of images priced as per the ad size in terms of per sq. cm unit
- Display-Big Budget ads measured in terms of size, ad placement and position
Below are 10 of the best newspaper advertising tips to be followed for an effective newspaper advertisement:
- Clear Specification of Desired Objective
Objective of Advertising
An advertisement must be able to convey the desired message effectively and clearly to the concerned audience. The reader or the concerned audience must know whether a product, service or event is being promoted through the ad. The newspaper ad must also convey that it is a part of a series of ads or it’s a teaser or an individual ad. The readers should be able to gauge through your ad, whether it’s a public notification or a personal classified ad seeking individual responses from the readers.
- Decide upon a tone and Theme for the ad
When an ad is planned and prepared for release, the tone of the ad must always be kept into primary consideration. An advertiser must determine the theme of an ad as emotionally effective, a decision-influencing instrument or a simple notification. The tone of the ad should be determined as quirky, serious, funny, romantic, sophisticated, direct or satirical based on the theme of your advertisement. This can be done by choosing the fonts, terminology and images in the ad in the coordination of the theme.
- Maintain Consistency in Ads for Better Recall
Maintain Consistency in Newspaper Ads
Newspaper ads are most effective when they are run multiple times of a similar ad campaign. Always maintain a similar style and flow in your newspaper print ads to make it convenient for the readers to relate to and recall your earlier ads so as to impose the effect and popularity of the brand. Try and use similar logos and graphics so as to make the image of your ad and association of your brand memorable.
- Compose a Catchy Headline
The matter of your advertisement is one of the most important elements and needs maximum attention and scrutiny as you need to make sure that it is catchy yet comprehensible. A well thought of tagline not executed well is of no use for a reader and in turn for an advertiser. To make your headlines catchy, you must use short sentences with words that invite action on the part of the readers. You can even make references to popular local proverbs or ask questions to the readers to make your approach more local or personal and catch the attention of readers instantly.
- Make Your ad easy to spot
The placement and positioning of an advertisement are the most important factors to ensure the prominence and visibility. While advertising in a newspaper, keep one thing in mind that there are 3 different formats under which you can publish your ad. Although in case of classified advertisements you cannot really influence the positioning or placement of your as they are published in dedicated classified pages under specific headings, but you can make special requests to place them at a more visible position. You can even make use of enhancements like thick screen borders, bold texts, ticks, highlighted backgrounds top make the ad appear more prominent than other ads.
In case of display ads, you can pay a little extra and determine the page on which you intend to publish your advertisement, such as the Front/Back/Third/any page and also position your ad in the lower right-hand corner of a page which is the most easily visible spot of a newspaper.
- Know the role of Fonts
Font sizes can determine the prominence quotient and highlight factor of your advertisement. It can also affect the size of your advertisement and thereby affect the price of it. The choice of fonts sets the tone and conveys the theme of the ad. An advertiser should also keep in mind that there should not be more than 3 different fonts in an ad to ensure a clean look of the ad.
- Incorporate a Call-to-Action
Your ads must drive a reader to take some sort of an action after taking a look at your advert. It is highly essential to include a ‘call-to-action’ in your ad matter driving the readers to either call you or visit your store or take part in the event being promoted. Ask them to preserve a cut-out of the ad to your store for discounts, provide them with discount codes which they can refer to for availing offers at your retail chain or use as tickets for event visits etc.
- Know the Effect of Colours
Importance of Colours in a Newspaper Ad
Colours have a huge impact on the mind of the readers and also help set the tone and theme of the ad. Different colours entice different emotions and whichever colour you intend to implement in your advertisement, make sure that you have researched its effects on the readers. For instance, if you intend to set the tone of your ad as serious, then choose ‘blue’ as the base colour of your ad and for a Valentine’s Day ad, pick red as the base colour as it promotes love and so on.
- Strategic Use of Space
Make sure that the ad space is well utilized. Try not to cram it with too much content or too many images as it makes the reader lose their focus and finally the message of your ad is lost. Keep ample space towards the lower region of the ad space for providing your contact details and keep the headline in bold without any defocusing images or symbols or text around it. This will not only make your ad look clean but will also make it more prominent compared to other advertisements in the same newspaper.
- Proofread and Review Multiple Times
Proofread Your Ad Copy
The means to a perfect advertisement is to proofread, edit and re-edit it as many times unless you are exhausted of making changes and no better ideas come out of your head. Make multiple copies and review each copy unless you settle down on the best one. This will provide you with many options and also several chances to improve upon the ad to reach a perfect copy.
Hope these Top 10 newspaper advertising tips will be of help to you and assist you in achieving your goals and reaching your target audience to drive appropriate responses. For any further assistance with the booking of your classified or display advertisements in the choice of your newspaper, please email us at book@releasemyad.com or call us on 09830629298.
