The best tips for doing successful business magazine advertising is to make all ads different, unique, concise, and targeted to potential customers. This means doing thorough research into both former ads presented by competitors as well as the audience an ad is trying to reach. Most often this means limiting advertising efforts to magazines the target market reads frequently. For instance, someone marketing a new mobility solution to seniors would place advertisements in magazines that are also aimed at seniors.
Good business magazine advertising combines appealing photos and graphics with a unique concept and well-written copy. All elements of the ad work together to create the overall message. Whether the ad should be innovative and flashy or subdued and simple will depend greatly on the type of product or service being advertised and the audience for that product or service. Business owners should keep this in mind when choosing photographs and writing copy. Being cute and clever may work well when writing an ad for clothing or a new fun technology, but it is generally better to stick with basic "to the point" messages when writing for something like insurance or medical care.
Business magazine advertising should include enough information to let consumers know what is being sold and why they should purchase it. How in-depth the ad is will depend on its size. A small sidebar ad or a business card-sized ad in the back of a trade magazine would be concise and to the point. These ads may include a headline, a small one or two sentence description of key product benefits, and contact information so customers can request more information. Larger ads may contain more written information, or may use photos and graphics more liberally.
It is also a good idea to focus on one key point when doing business magazine advertising. While every product or service undoubtedly has many features and benefits that could be discussed, it's best to choose only one to focus on in an ad. This chosen feature should be something different than what is offered by competitors, or a common feature displayed or discussed in a new way. Ad writers should focus on benefits in the headline and the beginning of all body copy. Customers don't usually want to know about a product's features unless those features directly relate to something they want or need.
For example, if a life insurance company is doing business magazine advertising, they would want to choose one major feature of their plans. They may have great coverage, low prices, excellent customer service, and fewer restrictions than some other companies, but it's best to choose a single focal point. Other points can be covered in additional ads or in more in-depth marketing collateral, such as a brochure or website. If the chosen feature is great coverage, the company would not focus on itself and the coverage they provide. They would instead focus on the peace of mind and security provided by the coverage.
