Are You Making These Common Small Business Advertising Mistakes? (Part 1)

In my work as a copywriter, clients sometimes ask me to review their ads to help them improve their sales results. In this series of mini-articles, I’ll talk about some of the most common small business advertising mistakes, so you can troubleshoot your advertising and get a better Return On Investment (ROI) from your marketing.

Layout

Too many small business ads read like a list:

Company name at the top (where there should be a benefit-rich headline). Dry, egotistical copy in the middle. No clear or compelling offer. Phone number and address at the bottom.

That layout will kill your sales right there, because your prospect doesn’t care about your company name (or a cute headline). He or she only wishes to know: “What’s in it for me?”

Here’s a better layout for selling that works well in almost any situation:

Headline at the top. (Don’t be tricky: just state the strongest benefit of your product or service.)

Coupon or contact number at bottom right (called the “anchor point” of the ad).

Company name and address at bottom left (where the prospect will find it once they’re convinced.)

Put headlines under photos or illustrations, so the reader’s eye goes from photo -> headline -> copy in that logical order. (Illustration layouts also depend on the size and concept of the ad)

A series of benefit-rich bullet points (long copy is also great, but much more difficult to write.)

How are your ads? Do they read like a shopping list, or a compelling story ending with a call to action? If the former, I know you’ll get great results from changing your formats.

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