Even though Time Magazine is downsizing in the wake of lost print readership, magazines aren’t quite dead yet. E-readers have breathed new life into digital-format magazines, which makes magazine advertising a lucrative investment for any size business. It’s how you grab a reader’s attention before they flip – or swipe – the page that makes a difference, and there are three sure-fire ways to do it.
Simplicity is Key
The worst print ads are the ones that use up every single bit of white space in the ad. It may be painful, knowing how much the ad is costing you, to leave some of it blank, but it helps build contrast and gives your message room to “breathe.” Keep fonts reader-friendly (NOT ALL CAPS), and only use one or two fonts in the ad. The same goes for accent colors; sometimes, more is just noisy and distracting in an already visually stimulating medium.
Use Balance to Please the Eye
In advertising, balance comes from arranging the weight of the ad – the graphic elements – so that the eye isn’t hit with something that looks like it might fall off the page. It distracts from the message. Centering elements isn’t always a clear winner, either; most people are more drawn to ads that feature all elements aligned to the right or left.
Inspire Action
Advertising is meaningless without a call to action. Lure readers in with simplicity, balance and a clear message, but then ask them to visit a website or call a phone number for more information. This is the part where QR codes that people can scan with their smart phones can stand alone as a call to action. Those little irresistible squares just beg for a web site visit, which also makes it easy to track the efficacy of your advertising media mix.
Once you’ve found that perfect mix of balance and message to appeal to potential customers, consider holding onto it with a custom wall plaque to highlight your achievement. Great ads deserve space on your brag wall, too. See how your article will look in a custom frame today from That’s Great News with a FREE, online preview.
