Magazine advertising means a lot of different things to a lot of different people.
You might think of the glossy front cover of Vogue or perhaps ads in your chosen supermarket publication. It could be that you picture a niche magazine focused on a specific interest, such as home interiors, air-fryer recipes or something else entirely.
Or maybe it’s free local magazines that drop through people’s letterboxes.
Whatever it is, when you’re thinking of advertising, you’re probably considering how you can make the most of your investment.
So, what is the best practice for magazine advertising?
Do’s And Do Not’s
There’s no golden rule for what makes a successful magazine advert. Any advert or advertising campaign can only be measured in terms of its own goals and whether it’s met them, is meeting them or is on the way to meeting them. Or… not, as the case may be.
But there are some things that will increase your chances of success… and at the very least, increase the chances of getting your advertisement noticed.
Understand Space!
Firstly, one of the most important things you can do is understand the dimensions and space you’re working with.
Some ideas might look great on a billboard… but when you shrink it down to A5, it doesn’t pack the same punch..
Which is why you need to design an advert for the space you’re working to include all the vital bits such as your website, company name/logo, phone number and any other key info to communicate what you’re promoting.
Whether you’re a dab hand at design or just looking for something to be put together that gets your name out there, layout is still going to play a big role in how your advert is perceived.
It’s An Image Game
Advertising is an image game. Let’s face it, if it’s not grabbing your attention straight away, it’s unlikely to do so second time around.
Advertising in print HAS to be eye-catching and that means using images, photos, and graphics to your advantage.
Long gone are the days of Word Art and black and white flyers to get the job done (although something is always better than nothing), which means you need to find the right imagery to convey the message you want to get out there.
Is there a story you’re trying to tell? Perhaps it’s that you’re a family business and have been for 50 years.
Or maybe it’s that you’ve got hundreds of 5-star reviews, which instantly provides reassurance that you are legit in what you are offering. Leaning on Trustpilot is a great example of adding immediate credibility to your ad – it’s an instantly recognisable logo and you can direct people to hear first-hand from satisfied, happy customers.
Because the noise of the internet and sheer volume of content, even in people’s email inboxes, means that you can get lost in the shuffle.
But these days, people get MUCH LESS mail through the letterbox and when they do, it’s inevitably from the bank, HMRC, the energy company, insurance company or the local takeaway.
Which leaves you in a great position to get noticed by people who can buy from you in your area.
Every Word Counts
We’ve alluded to this already, but every word counts.
That means keeping things concise without missing key messaging is the aim of the game.
Go too far one way or the other and you miss the sweet spot – that goes for size of text, to the amount of copy and just about everything.
Use the space available but don’t feel like you need to fill every space on the page – give it room to breathe.
The important factors will be a strong headline, a subheading that gives more detail and adds colour about who you are and why you’re trustworthy and credible. That’s where if you’ve got history or experience behind you, it’s time to shout about it ‘Keeping windows sparkling in Localville since 1985’ is an easy win.
A question is a good way to engage the audience here, too. It draws them into the conversation rather than feeling like reading a fact sheet about you.
Then it’s all about features and benefits before you give them a call to action – give us a call, visit our website, book a free show round or whatever it may be.
Call To Action (CTA)
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In Summary
Best practice for magazine advertising might be down to interpretation, there are always things you can do to maximise your chance of success.
A big part of that is working out who is doing what, where you need a bit of help and defining what success looks like as part of your magazine advertising campaign.
Where are you going to advertise? Do you have design capability? Do you have an offer you want to push out? How long will you advertise for?
The good news is that there’s more than one way to climb a tree and sometimes having that initial conversation helps clarify what it is you’re trying to do.
First and foremost, though, advertising is always going to be beneficial as long as you’re clear on your goals and align those with the activity you do, making sure you’re consistent and always measuring what the return is.
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