Repeat, repeat, repeat. How long have you been running your ad? You need to keep your ad in the paper for at least two to three weeks. The longer the better: it takes around 15 to 20 exposures of your ad for people to notice it and read it. And you should have a long-running ad because although someone may not need your product one week, that same someone might need it the next week and will be looking for an ad just like yours.

You need a compelling headline. Your headline is one of the most, if not the most, important element of your ad. If your headline doesn't grab attention and get people to read on, your entire ad is worthless.

The best headlines include a benefit to the reader. If someone reads “Save money on your Internet service” they're more likely to read on to see how they can attain that benefit. Reading “Internet service available” isn't as exciting and doesn't give a specific benefit.

Does your ad include a call to action? You need to prompt people to take action to contact you in some way to seal the sale. Either tell them to call you, visit your store, visit your Web site, etc. It's best to include some kind of limited time offer to add some urgency to your ad. Urgency like “Call by Saturday for 20% off your purchase” is better than “Call soon for 20% off your purchase.” Everyone has a different interpretation of “soon.” Specific calls to action with limited timelines work best.

Don't use reverse, or inverted, text. Inverted text is white (or light) text on a black (or dark) background. Unless your text size is huge, like over an inch tall, inverted text will be hard to read.

Talk about benefits, not features. You have plenty of time to get into the nitty-gritty when the customer calls or visits your store for more information. Your ad should be used to entice people into your store, and the best way to do that is to talk about benefits. All of your ad should be focused on benefits, not just your headline.

Use color if you can afford to. You can either print your logo in color, use colored text or a colored image. Use colors that are either related to your brand, or related to your message. Red indicates action, so use red for “limited time only” sales and other urgent messages. Blue indicates trust, so use blue when you're talking about a guarantee or trust. Or, use any color that is in your logo as an accent color for your text.

Add graphics that get your message across. Don't just add graphics just to add graphics. Everything in your ad should contribute to whatever message you're trying to convey."