Three keys to effective print advertising

MRI Starch, the venerable market research company that has been measuring the effectiveness of advertising for more than four decades, recently completed a survey to find out what makes a print ad sell. The findings include a number of valuable take-aways professional services marketers can use to improve our own positioning and branding efforts. Here’s what Starch learned:

1) Editorial environment matters: Ads that mirrored the editorial focus of a publication are more effective. Starch found, for example, that ads that focused on wellness products appearing in health magazines were better received than say ads for cars or resorts. What this tells professional marketers is that you need to pay close attention to the editorial calendars of your target publications. Just because a publication is read by an audience you want to reach, your ads are going to have more recall and recognition when they are in synch with the editorial.

However, if you have an article appearing in a publication do not run an ad in that issue. It will create the impression in the mind of the reader that you had to pay for the ad to get your article placed. Wait until a later issue to place your ad when that area of practice is covered again.

2) Price Counts: Ads that include a call-to-action should offer a product or service that is a no-brainer for your target audience, like a complementary white paper, webinar or seminar. Your goal is to get a prospect in the door so you can demonstrate your thought leadership and knowledge in a particular area and raise awareness of your firm’s capabilities and expertise.

3) Brand perception is king: Before Starch asked any questions about specific ads, they asked about the brands being advertised. What they found is that if your brand already has a strong position in the market there is a much higher chance that the reader will purchase the product or service being advertised. With this in mind, professional service firms need to make sure that their advertising supports all of their marketing efforts. The market already has a perception of your firm, whether you like it or not. To begin to change or strengthen that perception takes time and advertising can be a highly effective tool. Use it wisely.