Remember that billboard you pass every morning on your way to work? You know, the one that’s been there for months? At the intersection, on the right side of the road. Sure you do. No?
Maybe that’s because that billboard has become just one more part of the background, no different than the tree, the driveway or the hundreds of other ordinary things you pass along the way.
Even a well-placed, well-designed ad has only seconds to deliver your message. Unfortunately, for many businesses, stagnant advertising becomes no more than wasted space, wasted money and wasted business opportunities.
If you want to get the attention of prospective customers, give them something to notice. Refresh you advertising on a regular basis. While developing completely new ads can involve an expense, there are ways to refresh your ads without significant expense or time commitment:
7 Ways to Refresh Your Ad
Change a photo: Think variety. For example, if you’re advertising shoes, change your focus each time, from high heels to work boots, flip flops and sneakers. Each type resonates with a different audience, and each one evokes a different response. Regularly adjust your focus and broaden your reach. It can be as simple as that.
Select a varied color scheme: You can vary the color of fonts, borders and graphics without sacrificing your branding (that is, select colors that don’t compete with your company name or logo).
Use a new font style and size: Don’t get too crazy (some fonts are difficult to read), but this simple way to refresh the look of your ad. Again, be sure to protect your branding by selecting fonts and sizes that don’t overshadow your company name and/or logo.
Pay tribute to a particular holiday: Veteran’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, the 4th of July – each of these holidays presents an opportunity for you to refresh your ad and create a purposeful focus.
Create a local community tie-in: Remember the people you serve. What resonates with them? If the community is having a New Year’s Day parade, get on board. If your city is digging out of an unusually bitter winter, find a way to connect. If a local sports team is going to the finals, become a supporter.
Reference a limited-time offering: Consider tying a unique promotion to your ad – a 20% discount for military personnel in November, a giveaway for teachers in August, and so on.
Repurpose your ad: A single ad design can be used to generate many different advertising opportunities, such as a newspaper print ad, an online banner ad, B2B flyers, a Facebook post and so on.
Case Study
We recently worked with an eye doctor and successfully refreshed and repurposed his ad. Here’s how: He was publishing the same black and white ad every week in a weekly publication, and the results had fallen off. We freshened the ad by switching to a full color ad and only ran it twice a month. Every month, the focus of the ad is changed to reflect seasonal eye safety issues. We then repurpose this same ad in other publications and tie the same theme in with his newsletter and social media. Not only do his patients now comment on his ads, his business has grown by over 30% during the course of the past year.
About the author: Autumn Edmiston is the CEO and owner of the Edmiston Group. The Edmiston Group is a multifaceted Pittsburgh based marketing consulting firm providing senior level marketing management services to businesses and non-profit organizations on a short or long term basis. Core areas of service are business development, marketing, strategic planning and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business growth.