Effective ads are made up of various elements and today we will focus on one of them – Images.

The key value that imagery represents for marketing is that it can attract people’s attention, maintain, guide, and successfully convey the ad’s message. Photos are clear at a glance, while other elements (such as text) are almost impossible to achieve that same quick, eye-catching effect. They are essential to a successful advertising strategy.

How should an image be utilized in an ad?

An ad should include one or two striking images that illustrate the business, product, service or offer. Consumers tend to respond better to images of people than they do to an image of a generic product or service. Ideally, an image should portray a person using the advertised product or service. For example, a dental ad using an image of a happy person with beautiful teeth in a dental office will send a strong and concise message to the reader of the ad’s content; a dental ad using a picture of an empty dental chair or piece of equipment may bore the viewer and even leave them with questions. Your images should be enticing and relevant to the target audience. The image should tell the story of the ad at a glance.

Offers that contain an image showing a product are more likely to convert. The idea is to help a reader visualize what they would be getting. In situations where the offer is for a service, an image of a happy person or satisfied customer will be most effective.

When choosing an image for an ad, keep in mind the age and the resolution. As technologies in photography progress – image clarity, quality, color, and trends like fashion tend to show an image’s age. Low-resolution images will appear blurry and can hurt the effectiveness of an ad.

Stay tuned to learn about other elements that make up an effective ad. Happy advertising!