Is your advertising font choice properly kerned? Has it been checked for “orphans” and “widows?” Does it make your business or event appealing?
If not, the ad might be doing more harm than good, Alpine Chamber of Commerce members learned on Jan. 23 at “Content Creation for Advertising,” the first 2019 free Chamber workshop for members.
“Always design for your audience,” Chamber Executive Director Alex Ward advised during two seminars in the Alpine Library at 1752 Alpine Blvd. “Think about your design. Too often we’re seeing unengaging ads.”
Ward quickly covered ways to provide an ad or flyer that helps a business or organization attract customers, clients, new members and the public.
Kern refers to adjusting the space between letters, he said, and “widows” and “orphans” are stray words or phrases in a body of text that can be distracting,
Making a good grid first to properly fit an ad saves time and money, the Chamber leader said..
“Before you start, just draw it on a piece of paper,” Ward explained.
Christine Connell of the Alpine Library Friends Association (ALFA) told Ward about the need to get the public’s attention so people will shop at the ALFA book store in the new library. The bookshop’s proceeds support the library.
“Now it’s like we’ve got the new library and we’re doing wonderful things with it, but nobody knows we’re here,” Connell said.
Familiar with marketing, the media and the needs of Chamber members, Ward covered numerous issues and solutions that affect providing or buying the best advertising.
“When we’re talking about advertising, we’re talking about (getting) milliseconds of people’s time,” he said. “Don’t put out an ad unless it speaks to the quality of the business. You might turn people off.”
And some publishers who sell advertising might not tell people what’s wrong with their ads, Ward pointed out.
Ward kept ALFA’s problem in mind as he addressed members’ concerns. He also handed out a list of 41 free resources for marketing.
“It was really helpful to see how we can improve our connection with the community,” Connell said later.
The next free Chamber members’ workshop will be April 24.
