Despite what your momma told you, folks really DO judge a book (or a product or advertisement, for that matter) by its cover.

Advertising is all about perception — and, when it comes to consumers, their perception is their reality. Let’s assume for a moment that you’ve invented the best widget that the market has ever seen. You envision it lining store shelves all over the nation, or maybe even the world. You can almost hear the “ching!” of the cash register. Oprah better make room on the Forbes list for you, right?

Maybe.

Joe Consumer approaches the store shelf, where he is greeted by several widget options. One is packaged in a bright, colorful box — one that offers plenty of product information, instructions, features and benefits. His second option is packaged in shrink wrap, with a simple label that features limited information, and a company mailing address. Which one is he more likely to choose?

You guessed it – he chose the first widget.

That’s not to say that there won’t be some consumers who wouldn’t be inclined to purchase the second widget. But, the more likely scenario is that consumers will make a judgment about the product based upon the way that it looks. Joe, like most of us, will assign a higher value to the package that looked better.

Now, let’s go back to advertising. Small businesses rarely have the resources to outsource ad agencies to create their promotional materials. The good news is that you can still create effective and eye-catching advertising, even if you’re operating with a limited budget.

If designing an ad is outside your area of expertise, seek the services of a professional to do it for you. The process of finding a designer has become much simpler, due in large part to the growing number of sites promoting freelancers. You can hire a designer halfway around the world with the same ease as hiring one across town. Do a simple Google® search on “freelance graphic artists“, and you’ll see what I mean.

Once you have your designer in place, remember to be smart in creating your promotional piece. If you are looking for a piece that you can use as a brand-builder, you’ll want to select something that has longevity to it — something that you will be able to get some mileage out of. Look for images that can illustrate your product or brand, but give you some flexibility with the ad copy. You’ll find some great resources by scouting out these sites:

• istockphoto.com
• dreamstime.com
• bigstockphoto.com
• photos.com
• artzooks.com
• shutterstock.com

The first option in the list, istockphoto.com, is a great source for finding short stock footage for use in video promotions as well. Costs start at $1.00 per credit. Sites like Artzooks.com are a great way to search multiple stock photo collections at once, and offer a great value if you are in the market for a CD image collection within the same theme. Finally, sites like shutterstock and photos.com offer a number of membership plans, which are especially handy if you are in need of multiple images for print and web use.

Remember to always get the source files from your designer. If you should happen to lose touch with them, or decide to go with another service provider down the line, your new designer can easily work with the original files, and even edit them to future needs. Having the source files will also allow you to supply them to your chosen printing source. Some designers may charge a bit more for the source files, but it is an expense that is well worth it.

Cool…but what about video?

Unless you’ve been living in a cave somewhere, you’ve noticed the growing popularity of videos. Let’s suppose you’ve got a burning desire to promote your widgets on YouTube®. No need to panic — these days, you don’t have to be Martin Scorsese to produce high-quality videos. There are tons of freelancers who create promotional videos. Again, head back to Google®, and do a quick search.

What if you aren’t feeling inspired? Isn’t there an easier way?

Yup – you betcha. Enter Spot Runner.

Spot Runner is a service that allows you to create videos based on stock footage, which can be customized with your script, logo, text, etc. Best of all, Spot Runner can also help you score some airtime on cable television. Now, I’m not talking about sponsoring some little-known cable-access show, either. We’re talking about major networks, such as: HGTV, Spike, CNN, CBS, Lifetime, and many others. And, with clients like Disney®, Jenny Craig®, Dupont, and Coldwell Banker® on their resume, you can rest easy knowing that the folks at Spot Runner aren’t a bunch of talentless hacks, either.

Best of all, with the money you can save using these advertising resources, you’ll have more money to spend on therapy. Won’t that make momma proud?