Effective advertising can propel a business to greatness.  What makes a good ad? Impact.  And marketers have a matter of seconds to make an impression. With this in mind, we’ve created some advertising basics that can help any business, even if you aren’t ready for an ad agency just yet.

1.) Pass the “blink test”

Use visually compelling faces, colors and product shots to grab attention.

2.) Keep copy clear and simple

Don’t clutter the ad with text. No need to make the sale or outline all the features within the ad. Just get people to the next step.

3.) Always have a strong call to action

Ads are usually designed to make people do something, whether it’s getting them to go to your website , opting-in to your emails or following you on your socials, make sure the action statement is clear.

4.) Pay attention to environment

Use what you know about the audience or platform to customize elements of the ad (offer, image, call to action). Example: Swapping imagery to reference a cruise destination based on your audience/location targeting (Caribbean vs. Alaska).

5.) Test and learn

Different copy, images, calls to action (CTAs) can have a dramatic impact on creative performance. Try different versions and see what works best.

Header Photo by Joshua Earle