10 Steps To Profitable Print Advertising

Unless you spend more than $10,000 a year on advertising, the experts say, you probably don’t need an advertising agency. But professional help with writing and art can make your ad stand out from the "home-grown" variety often seen in local papers. What’s a budget-conscious salon owner to do?

Experts recommend staying away from newspaper advertising departments. Avoid them like the plague and your ad will look just like all the other ads in the paper.

Freelance help is a better choice. Freelance writers and artists work on a per-project basis at a fraction of what you would pay for an agency. You can sometimes find these independents just by checking the Yellow Pages, but chances are you’ll have to look a little harder. A few sources to try:

• Local advertising clubs or trade associations

• Your Chamber of Commerce

• The advertising, journalism, or art department at a local college

• Local printers

Adweek magazine, published nationally in regional editions, includes a weekly directory of freelancers. Most freelancers will be happy to visit your office and provide a free portfolio showing. Find out their fee and look at work they’ve done for others. Do you like what you see? Have they worked for other tanning salons? Also ask what results the ads had for clients. And before any work begins, get a written agreement specifying what services the writer or artist will provide, delivery dates, and the fee you will pay.

Even if you hire a freelancer, knowing what goes into good copy is an essential part of successful advertising.

Copy needs to emphasize benefits, not features. A feature is what the service is or what it does. A benefit tells customers what’s in it for them. State your offer in clear terms. Appeal to your target audience’s desire for style, status, popularity, savings and fun. Tell them how your services will make their lives better.

Spend at least as long working on the headline as you do on the body copy. The headline and illustration have to work together-combined they are about 60 percent to 75 percent of the ad’s effectiveness.

Your headline should not tease the reader. Don’t say, "Looking for the ultimate in tanning?" Say, "Enjoy a summer tan year-round. Open 7 days!" Remember, your purpose is to bring customers into your store, not to entertain.