Print advertisements typically involve several parts.

Headline

Headline is the most important element of a print advertisement. If it fails to grab attention of the reader rest of the things just go unnoticed. Headlines may appear on the topic or mid or side of the advertisement. Most of the times it is used above the picture, as it’s believed that pictures grab attention faster than the text. The headline may be the strongest part of the advertisement or may be secondary to a strong visual. A perfectly crafted headline could entice lot of interest and excitement about the ad. Headlines can be of many forms – statement, question, issuing warning, testimonial, news sort etc. It should relate to its target audience. It may use emotional or rational or moral appeal to convince the target audience.

Subhead

Generally, subhead comes just below the headline. It is an answer or support to the question or curiosity that the headline evokes. The subhead ideally talks about the product benefit, carries the mood set by the headline and expands upon the headline idea.

Bodycopy

Bodycopy follows the subhead. This part generates the detail information about the product, highlights product features and key benefits, rationally provides supporting facts or quotations, convincingly establishes superiority of the product and stimulates the desire to purchase.

Artwork

There are various types of visual elements of an advertisement. It can be in any form – photograph, hand-drawn illustration, graphics. An ad may have a single strong self explicit visual or many pictures instead of one. Some advertisements may have no visual in it, but carry few visual elements like decorative border or bullets or a shape. Often visuals carry captions below them like ‘Before’, ‘After’, ’20 years ago’. Such captions help the illustrations to put the message across.

Closure

End of the advertisement is not to be ignored either. This is the part which provokes action that is purchase decision. Closing idea should be striking. It should put the motivation to buy. Several closing ideas can be used like – ‘act now’, ‘visit our dealer’, ‘send enquiries, ‘buy now’, ‘hurry before the stock ends’, ‘limited stock, rush now’ and the like.

Contact information

An effective ad should always carry contact information like – logo, brand name, address, phone numbers, road direction, website url etc. Such details are generally furnished towards the bottom of the ad.

Extras

Certain promotional advertisements may also carry extras like – tear-out coupon, free sample attached, business enquiry form.

Print advertisements have always remained a major tool of communication. Print ads have great impact on the target audience as it brings along credibility, long life and detail information.

Use emphatic headlines

The goal of a headline is not to sell the product, but to push the audience to read further by generating interest in them. When writing a marketing copy or copy for print ads then write headline in such a way that audience get curious after reading this and decide to read further.

Use descriptive sub-heading

The purpose of the subheading is to explain the promise made by the headline and push the reader to read the body copy.

Write focused body copy

This is where you need to sell your stuff. Your body copy should fulfill the promises made by the headline and the sub-heading. Use a conversational tone, do not preach your target audience. They hate it like anything. Each word of the body copy should lead you to the next word, and the next word to the next word, and so on. You can achieve this only by using measured words.

Tips for writing body copy

• Use short sentences.
• Write the body copy using active voice.
• Keep the writing jargon-free. No one likes to read technical details.
• Express the benefits not the features.
• One size doesn’t fit all, therefore, right body copy with the target audience in mind. The copy you will write for a doctor who is 26 years of age and an artist of the same age will be different. Keep this subtle difference in mind.
• Talk, do not preach.
• Tell the reader, how you can help him solve his problem.
• Use direct sentences.

Add Call to action

The marketing copy will fetch no result, if there is no call to action included at critical juncture in the marketing copy. A call to action tells the user what is expected of him. What action you want from him. This is very, very important.

Conclusion

Marketing copy writing is as much a science as it is an art. You cannot achieve anything meaningful by just making the writing flowery. Always remember, you are not writing a birthday card, its marketing stuff that you are writing.

With the economic crisis right here, right now, many businesses are diverting their funds from payroll (very unfortunately) to marketing and advertising with the idea that that is the best investment for their immediate and future growth.

The past:
Newspapers (print ads): Great eye catching graphics and slogans. But aren’t we all now trying to “go green”? How many of us still get the paper delivered to our door? Isn’t it easier and quicker to “go online”? Why bother thumbing through all those pages when we can just type in a keyword and click search.
Television advertisements (commercials) range from a few seconds to several minutes (also program-length infomercials). Advertisements like this have been used to sell every product imaginable over the years. And can cost millions! But so many of us would rather use our favorite tool, the REMOTE, to channel surf, or at least mute those dreaded minutes of commercial time.

Food for thought:
We are in crisis mode, and that is when people turn to brands they know and trust, which translates to value. So, companies will be looking for more cost-effective ways to reach their target audiences. And that is online marketing, with almost instant feedback as to what is working and what isn’t, via the web pages you search, the newsletters you sign up for, the ads you click on, etc…

Many companies now have forums or blogs which create feedback from consumers so the new buyer can get that very important recommendation from the end user, much like a recommendation from a friend or family member.

The future (NOW):
Many experts predict that internet advertising in the USA will continue to rapidly increase within this economic downturn forcing a reduction in overall advertising spending. Many companies will be transferring much of their marketing budget from traditional (TV and print) to the new online media, which will most likely become the major avenue of advertisement over the next few years at a very high rate.
The snowball effect:
Online audiences watch what they want to watch, when they want to watch, and where they want to watch. It’s not just your grandmother’s PC anymore! Cell phones, Blackberrys, Iphones, MP3’s, etc… This audience is sure to increase as technologies progress and becomes more and more available.
There’s no turning back now…online advertising IS the future.