Whilst online advertising may be growing the fact remains that a large proportion of existing advertising budgets will focus on more traditional media such as newspapers/magazines. In light of this I have put together a few tips to ensure that your ad has every chance of success:

1. Your headline has to contain a benefit to the reader. Why would they read on if they don't understand what it is that you are offering them - and why they need it?

2. A picture tells a thousand words. People will always look at pictures first, then read any words so if possible you should include a photo - and one that's appealing to the eye. Darley have become very well known for their very artistic shots (an approach that Magic Millions have also adopted for their 2005 yearling catalogue).

3. Branding is very important. The same look/feel plus the inclusion of your tag line and your logo are important as it allows people to recognize the ad is from you without actually having to read anything. It's the 'reminder' value that's so important. Some companies also choose a particular section of a magazine to advertise in eg. Woodlands often takes the back cover of a magazine; Coolmore/Darley often the first few pages; some smaller companies choose the same column in the listings; others always ask to be alongside a certain section of a magazine/newspaper (targeting)... it all just acts as a subtle reminder in the reader's mind.

4. Highlighting your ad is important. It's not as if yours is the only ad that will appear in the magazine. You should therefore consider including a border around your ad, an icon or bold text to make your ad stand out.

5. It can be good to include a time limit to make people act on any offer you're making rather than allow them to be persuaded by someone else's offer. Alternatively give them a reason to log on to your website or visit your office etc. What you want to achieve is the person actually doing something as a result of reading the ad.