While advertising should account for at least a small part of your marketing budget, growing companies can get more bang for their buck advertising in local media — one of the latest marketing trends gaining momentum. Even regional media are too broad, unless you’re advertising in cooperation with other businesses. Community newspapers, as well as free and paid-circulation publications, are surprisingly widely read. Radio works in almost every market, but can be costly. Television works if you’re very targeted, but it can be expensive to determine which stations work best.

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In his best-selling book Ogilvy on Advertising, David Ogilvy says what really influences consumers to buy or not to buy is the content of your advertising, not its form. Exposure isn’t enough. The determining factor as to whether your ad will be noticed or not is what you say, and how you say it. Here are some general rules of thumb to consider when creating an advertisement:

• Grab attention. Make a bold statement or create an eye-catching image.

• Ask a question. “In pain? This pain reliever will have you feeling better in no time.”

• Sell benefits. Tell your audience the problem your product or service solves.

• Talk to your market. “Teenagers, pay attention!” “Fiftysomethings, this service is for you.”

• Identify your company. It sounds obvious, but a surprising number of advertisers don’t prominently display the company name.

• Headlines should stand alone. Most body copy doesn’t get read, so the headline needs to say it all.

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