Advertising is not about hitting the proverbial home run. For any advertising that a small business can afford, it needs to have time to work.

To have a successful campaign you need consistency. Your potential client may not need your product or service the first time they see your ad. They might not even the second time. But maybe they will the third time.

When you advertise, a certain amount should be considered as establishing the base for your campaign. That means getting your name out there in the back of people's minds so when they do need your service or product, they think of you and they know where to find you.

If you hop around every week with a different ad in a paper, or change your signs, or stop sending out mailers, when your customer is ready to come to you, they might not be able to find you.

1. Zero in on Your Best Prospects. Many small business owners make the mistake of thinking bigger is better when they choose a medium in which to run their ads and opt to spend their advertising dollars to reach a larger but less focused market. Be sure to zero in on your market. You will increase the likelihood that the readers who see your ad will actually have a need for your service.

2. Set Yourself Apart from the Crowd. Unless your business sells a product or service that is completely unique and faces no competition your ads need to set your products or services apart from the crowd of your competitors. Be sure the copy of your ads has the effect of making what you offer unique. Your highly targeted prospects will reward you by noticing the difference in your ads and buying from you.

3. Demonstrate Value. Another property of a highly effective advertisement is that it demonstrates the value your products and services provide. By demonstrating value in your advertisements you give your prospects a clear idea of the benefits you provide and a clear reason to buy from you. Demonstrating value can also help you set yourself apart from you competitors. How can you change your ads to demonstrate the value you provide? What special offers can you make to set yourself apart from the pack?

4. Focus on Client Problems. Consumers buy products and services because they fill a need or solve a problem. If your ad copy does not address your prospects' problems they’ll never know that you provide the solution they need.

5. Require Action. The final aspect of a highly effective ad is a call to action. If you've done your job up until this point, your prospect has read your ad. If your ad does not finish the job and inspire your prospect to contact you for more information or visit your store or your web site, it is not worth the money you spent to have it published. Don't assume that your prospects know what they should do next. You need to tell them to be sure they know. If you've gotten their attention, demonstrated your value and shown them that you are the solution to their problem, don't waste your good work by neglecting to instruct them to take the next step and contact you!

In any advertising program, professionals will tell you, it takes a least 5 to 7 exposures before someone may act on your ad.

First your ad must be in the proper vehicle for the audience you are trying to attract. In other words, you must target your market!

So let's assume you have attempted to target your market and you are not getting any responses. Does that mean you have picked the wrong vehicle? Not necessarily. How many times have you run the ad? One-time ads seldom produce many results–remember the Rule of Seven.