Marketing master Stuart H. Britt once said: “Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing, but nobody else does.”

He was right.

It’s indisputable that every business needs some form of advertising. That doesn’t mean every business needs an extensive, multi-million dollar campaign, but it does mean that it’s important to let consumers know your business is out there. The best way to do that is with eye-catching advertisements in print and online.

However nowadays, there’s an awful lot of advertising. To truly make sure customers are aware of your business, use these tips to gets noticed among the sea of other ads.

1. Choose Your Font Wisely

It might seem insignificant, but your typeface can have a surprisingly large impact on the success of your advertisement.

You could have the perfect product, great copy and an outstanding photograph, but if your font is inappropriate, people are going to notice your ad for all the wrong reasons. Choose from one of these fonts for the best results.

Tip: Fancy fonts are great, but make sure they’re readable.

2. Colors Matter

Just as with fonts, color may not seem that important, but it is.

The psychology of color actually plays a huge part in advertising and marketing. Choosing the wrong colors for your ads could be detrimental to your campaign.

For example, black might seem like an elegant, classy color choice, but most consumers actually associate it with mystery, evil and death. Those are all things you definitely don’t want that coming to mind when people think of your product or see your ads. Use this guide to help select colors that’ll make your advertisements eye-catching in the best kind of way.

3. Make it Original

Don’t copy other advertisements. It’s as simple as that.

It’s a great idea to put your own spin on a creative campaign idea. Just make sure your ideas are your own. People like originality. Come up with an original, creative idea, and your ad is sure to get recognized.

4. Make Sure It’s Related to Your Product

There’s nothing worse than flipping through a magazine and seeing an advertisement that’s completely unrelated to the product it’s trying to sell. This only confuses potential consumers.

Your advertising absolutely needs to be creative, but at the end of the day, you’re trying to sell a product, not a piece of art. Make it simple and easy to understand. Most importantly, make sure consumers know what they’re buying.

5. Advertisement Placement

This is one of the most important choices you’ll make with your ad campaign. Where you place your ads determines who will see them and when they’ll be seen.

Obviously you want your target audience to notice your advertising, and following all of the tips above will help with that. However, your target customers will never see your ads – no matter how eye-catching they are – if they’re not placed in the right medium.

For example, you could have the perfect ad for lipstick, but if you place this ad in Golf Digest, you’re not going to have much luck. Don’t forget about this extremely important step when creating a campaign.

Tip: You can check editorial calendars to find the best spot, or ask your sales rep for placement advice. 

Now that you know how to create an eye-catching and effective advertisement, start creating! Every business needs advertising, and there’s no better time than now to start your campaign.