Posted on: Wednesday, June 11, 2003

Don't omit details when writing ads

By Rhonda Abrams
Gannett News Service

"We're moving online!! Blow out sale at our store location. Phone orders welcome." That's what was on the postcard.

This advertisement was sent to me by Teresa, one of my readers, who humorously was nominating the ad for "Worst Use of Marketing Resources."

Why did Teresa find this particular ad funny? Not because of what the ad said, but because of what it did not mention:

• What the company sold.

• The store's location.

• What the new Web site address is.

Few things are more frustrating to a customer — and more wasteful for a business — than when vital information is left out of an advertisement, flier, or brochure. Yet, I'm surprised at how often basic details are overlooked.

A few days after I received Teresa's letter, for instance, I was reading a newspaper when an advertisement for a big sale at a business caught my eye. Once again, the ad didn't mention what the company sold, its location, a phone number, or its Web address.

And I could have told you Kmart was going to be in trouble long before they entered bankruptcy. Why? A few years ago, I needed a patio set. I saw a set that interested me advertised by Kmart in a glossy, 4-color insert in my regional Sunday newspaper. Not knowing where the nearest Kmart was, and because no locations were printed on the ad, I called the 800-number on the insert.

Imagine my frustration when Kmart didn't answer their phone on Sundays. Needless to say, I bought my patio furniture somewhere else.

Details. Details.

One of the most common reasons for omitting necessary details is that the person writing the ad takes basic information for granted. After all, you already know what city you're in or what your area code is, so you forget that it's not obvious to the reader.

It's easy to forget details, so clip out this column and before you print any ad, flier, or brochure, go over this checklist of essential details:

1. Name of the company.

2. The nature of your product or service. Unless you own Macy's or Microsoft, don't assume readers automatically know what your business sells.

3. Your location. Include the city and state (perhaps even country if doing business internationally or online). This is critical if you're in retail, but even if not, it helps customers relate to you.

4. Hours and days you're open or hours and days of the sale.

5. Web address. You do have a Web site, don't you?

6. Phone number with area code. If you're not going to be available to answer calls, record a message with vital information. Include country code if you do business internationally.

7. E-mail address. This can be omitted if you're never going to answer e-mails.

8. Special terms or limitations, if any. In other words, are the discounts not applicable to certain types of items or services, or does the offer expire after a certain date?