In the past, I have spoken about newspaper ad positioning, so it gets the best readership. Now I’m going to reveal to you how to maximize the ad’s effectiveness. And the secret to ad effectiveness is simple…
Don’t make your ad look like an ad!
Confused? Let me explain. Make your ad look like a news story; an editorial. Editorials get more readership than ads do, because the presentation of an editorial is much more believable than an ad. You get the ‘full’ picture with an editorial NOT an ad.
Here are a few tips to create your “ad” or editorial…
To make this work you have to get back to basics, and the first thing you have to do is re-train your brain from “expert-at-my-job” to the “successful-marketing-person” type of thinking.
With this mindset, you create the content. You firstly need to write about your massage, by answering this simple question: “why do people want to come to me for massage?” And answer it as the full experience they have with you from the start to finish.
Too often, we look at our massage business from OUR point of view and not our client’s. It’s time to change my friend. Now take these points and make them into an article.
To finish the editorial, use the same font and layout as a news story in the newspaper. Don’t use cartoon pictures of hands or drawings or sketches.
And forget logos completely! Logos are for Coca Cola and McDonalds. People don’t come to you for your logo!
Put all your contact details clearly at the bottom of the news piece.
Now once your ad is created you will need to know the following, which will save you money in the end.
• Always choose editorial over an ordinary “ad.”
• If offered a full-page ad space make sure they run it at the front or the very back of the paper.
• Include a ‘client beneficial’ headline and subheadings, about what your clients are looking for.
• Don’t spend money that you can’t afford to loose.
• Test with a small ‘ad’ first.
So that’s it, now you can get cracking on your news piece.
Amy Roberts is a massage therapist and massage therapy business coach. Her Web sites, www.MassageTherapySuccess.com and www.MassageTherapyMarketingSuccess.com teach massage therapists around the world how to get more clients quickly and easily, and keeping them coming back. Amy has regular business video tutorials available on her marketing Web site.
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