Nobody Reads Advertising the Way You Think They DoWhen a business owner looks at an advertisement, they tend to look at everything. They read the headline, check the phone number, study the photograph, look at the logo and notice all the details that went into creating it.
Customers don’t usually do that.
Most people don’t sit down and carefully read an advertisement from top to bottom. They scan it. Their eyes move quickly across the page or screen, looking for something that catches their attention. It might be a photograph, a large headline, a price, a familiar logo or simply a few words that happen to relate to something they need.
That first glance can determine whether they keep reading or move on.
This is why visual hierarchy is such an important part of advertising. Visual hierarchy simply means arranging the elements of an advertisement so the reader naturally sees the most important information first, followed by the next most important information.
It sounds simple, but it’s one of the easiest things to get wrong.
A business owner understandably considers a lot of information important. The business name needs to be prominent. The phone number needs to stand out. The address matters. The website matters. The list of services matters. The sale price certainly matters. Before long, everything has been made bigger and bolder in an attempt to make sure nothing gets missed.
Unfortunately, when everything in an advertisement is competing for attention, nothing really wins.A good advertisement gives the reader a clear place to begin. There should be one element that catches the eye first. From there, the design should naturally guide the reader to the next piece of information and then the next.
One simple way to evaluate an advertisement is what we call the three-second test. Look away from the ad, then look at it for only three seconds. Look away again and ask yourself what you remember.Could you tell what was being advertised? Did you notice the main offer? Do you remember the name of the business?
If the most important message wasn’t obvious during that quick glance, the advertisement may be asking the reader to work too hard.
Size is one way to create visual hierarchy, but it isn’t the only way. Color, contrast, placement, photographs, typography and even empty space can help direct a person’s attention.
In fact, sometimes the best way to improve an advertisement isn’t to add something. It’s to take something away.
Businesses often feel obligated to fill every available inch of an ad because they paid for the space. That can lead to an advertisement packed with so much information that the reader doesn’t know where to look.
White space is not wasted advertising space. Used correctly, it helps separate information and gives the most important parts of the advertisement room to stand out.
Before creating an ad, a business should answer one important question: If someone remembers only one thing from this advertisement, what should it be?
Maybe it’s a 50 percent off sale. Maybe you’re announcing a new location. Maybe you want people to know you offer storm damage repair. Maybe you’re introducing a new product or service.Whatever that one message is, don’t make the customer search for it.
Once you’ve identified the first thing you want someone to see, decide what they need to know next. Then decide what comes third. That creates an order for the information instead of forcing every element of the advertisement to compete equally for attention.
It’s also important to remember that customers don’t have the same knowledge about your business that you do. You already know what your company sells, where you’re located and what your logo represents. Someone encountering your business for the first time may know none of those things.Try looking at your advertisement from that person’s perspective.
Can they quickly tell what you’re selling? Is there a reason for them to care? Is it obvious what they should do next?
An effective advertisement doesn’t necessarily convince someone to read every single word. It makes sure they see the right words.
That’s an important difference.
Because whether an advertisement appears in a newspaper, on a website or in someone’s social media feed, it’s competing for attention. The businesses that understand how people actually look at advertising have a much better chance of getting it.
ANESA K. CHASTAIN JONES, General Manager/Graphics Director, 918-285-1314, graphics@oklahomaschoiceweekly.com
When a business owner looks at an advertisement, they tend to look at everything. They read the headline, check the phone number, study the photograph, look at the logo and notice all the details that went into creating it.
Customers don’t usually do that.
Most people don’t sit down and carefully read an advertisement from top to bottom. They scan it. Their eyes move quickly across the page or screen, looking for something that catches their attention. It might be a photograph, a large headline, a price, a familiar logo or simply a few words that happen to relate to something they need.
That first glance can determine whether they keep reading or move on.
This is why visual hierarchy is such an important part of advertising. Visual hierarchy simply means arranging the elements of an advertisement so the reader naturally sees the most important information first, followed by the next most important information.
It sounds simple, but it’s one of the easiest things to get wrong.
A business owner understandably considers a lot of information important. The business name needs to be prominent. The phone number needs to stand out. The address matters. The website matters. The list of services matters. The sale price certainly matters. Before long, everything has been made bigger and bolder in an attempt to make sure nothing gets missed.
Unfortunately, when everything in an advertisement is competing for attention, nothing really wins.
A good advertisement gives the reader a clear place to begin. There should be one element that catches the eye first. From there, the design should naturally guide the reader to the next piece of information and then the next.
One simple way to evaluate an advertisement is what we call the three-second test. Look away from the ad, then look at it for only three seconds. Look away again and ask yourself what you remember.
Could you tell what was being advertised? Did you notice the main offer? Do you remember the name of the business?
If the most important message wasn’t obvious during that quick glance, the advertisement may be asking the reader to work too hard.
Size is one way to create visual hierarchy, but it isn’t the only way. Color, contrast, placement, photographs, typography and even empty space can help direct a person’s attention.
In fact, sometimes the best way to improve an advertisement isn’t to add something. It’s to take something away.
Businesses often feel obligated to fill every available inch of an ad because they paid for the space. That can lead to an advertisement packed with so much information that the reader doesn’t know where to look.
White space is not wasted advertising space. Used correctly, it helps separate information and gives the most important parts of the advertisement room to stand out.
Before creating an ad, a business should answer one important question: If someone remembers only one thing from this advertisement, what should it be?
Maybe it’s a 50 percent off sale. Maybe you’re announcing a new location. Maybe you want people to know you offer storm damage repair. Maybe you’re introducing a new product or service.
Whatever that one message is, don’t make the customer search for it.
Once you’ve identified the first thing you want someone to see, decide what they need to know next. Then decide what comes third. That creates an order for the information instead of forcing every element of the advertisement to compete equally for attention.
It’s also important to remember that customers don’t have the same knowledge about your business that you do. You already know what your company sells, where you’re located and what your logo represents. Someone encountering your business for the first time may know none of those things.
Try looking at your advertisement from that person’s perspective.
Can they quickly tell what you’re selling? Is there a reason for them to care? Is it obvious what they should do next?
An effective advertisement doesn’t necessarily convince someone to read every single word. It makes sure they see the right words.
That’s an important difference.
Because whether an advertisement appears in a newspaper, on a website or in someone’s social media feed, it’s competing for attention. The businesses that understand how people actually look at advertising have a much better chance of getting it.
ANESA K. CHASTAIN JONES,
General Manager/Graphics Director,
918-285-1314, graphics@oklahomaschoiceweekly.com
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