How You Can Create Advertising That SELLS!
Businesses spend too many dollars, however, on ads that simply
will not result in increased sales and profits. These ads are
poorly conceived, poorly written, poorly designed, poorly
targeted, and poorly placed.
Sounds like a poor way to do business, doesn’t it?
I often ask clients (as tactfully as possible), why they have
run a particular ad. I get a lot of blank stares. A few tense
moments will pass while the client tries to think of a clever
answer. “To get the company name out in front of the public so I
can get more business.” they reply, with some relief.
This poor soul has just described a lack of a well defined goal,
which leads almost inevitably to what I call an institutional
ad. An institutional ad can best be described as one which
identifies the advertiser and lists address, telephone number,
hours of operation, and (maybe) the company logo. That’s it.
What a terrible waste of money!
Unless your company grosses a billion dollars a year, you can’t
afford to do institutional ads. If your company does gross over
a billion dollars a year…you’re probably too smart to run
institutional ads.
Every ad you run must result in increased sales and profits and
an enhanced image for your company. Every ad should make the
customer a solid offer and give the customer sound reasons to
buy from you now. Remember, the customer is sitting back and
asking, “What can you do for me?” If you’re careful to answer
that question with a powerful offer and reasons to buy now,
you’re on your way to advertising success…which results in
increased sales and profits.
How can you improve your chances of increasing sales?
Let’s look at some profit-producing ideas…
SEEK PROFESSIONAL HELP
Very few businesses are prepared or qualified to produce quality
advertising. If you spend more than $2,000 per month in
advertising, you should seriously consider hiring a qualified
advertising professional. There are any number of skilled
freelancers who can develop strategy, and create your marketing
materials with a keen eye to using proven methods and techniques.
Good advertising talent always pays it’s own way through
increased sales and profits, improved cost-effectiveness,
reduced selling costs, and shortened selling cycles.
If your resources are limited, don’t feel lost. There’s no
reason why you can’t learn to write an effective ad. That’s what
the rest of this article is all about…how you can create
advertising that sells.
FOLLOW A PROVEN FORMULA
One of the oldest and most useful formulas for ad design takes
its name from the opera Aida by Giuseppe Verde. In this case the
letters A-I-D-A stand for ATTENTION, INTEREST, DESIRE, AND
ACTION.
In it’s simplest form this formula serves as a structural
blueprint. It guides us to: (1) Get the prospect’s Attention,
(2) Foster his or her Interest in your offer, (3) build Desire
for your product or service and (4) Generate some type of Action
on the part of the buyer.
As we expand on each of these elements individually, you’ll
discover for yourself how to apply the formula to your specific
situation.
ATTENTION (The Headline)
Hit your prospect right between the eyes with a magic wand. How?
With a powerful benefit headline. The headline is the most
important single element of your ad. You have two to three
seconds to stop the reader as he or she passes by. You must stop
the reader, and interest them in your benefit, if you expect
them to read further.
A powerful headline will (1) stop the reader (2) isolate and
qualify your best prospects, and (3) pull your reader into the
sub-heads and body copy.
How do you write the attention-getting headline? First,
carefully review all the benefits of-use of your product or
service. Second, take your most important benefit and weave that
benefit into your headline. Use action words to describe the
benefit to one individual reader.
Here are some examples…
“Save 50% On Office Supplies…Send For Your Free Catalog Today
!”
“How YOU Can Create Advertising That SELLS!”
“New! Amazing Techniques That You Can Use To Land A High-Paying
Job…Today!”
“How To Design Profit-Producing Web Sites That SELL!”
APPEALING TO BUSINESS EXECUTIVES
When writing your ad to a business-to-business audience you
should keep in mind the six key benefits most likely to get
attention:
1.Save Money 2.Save Time 3.Increase Sales 4.Increase Profits
5.Enhance Image 6.Boost cash flow
Most other benefits are subordinate to these key six. I call
them the”Business Benefit Six-Pack.” Show your customer how your
product or service provides these benefits, and you will
dramatically improve your results.
INTEREST AND DESIRE> (The Offer, Body Copy, Benefits-Benefits-
Benefits)
You build interest in your product or service (and the desire to
buy) by making the customer a compelling offer and by describing
as many benefits as possible in simple and interesting terms.
Tip # 1: Top ad pros always write the ad first, then buy
whatever space necessary to display the ad message with clarity
and power.
Tip # 2: Words sell…graphic design displays the words in a
visually appealing way. Don’t confuse the two. No amount of
trendy design will make a poorly written ad sell for you. Good
design reinforces good copy…it cannot take the place of it!
The implication for internet marketers is that content is king.
Avoid glitsy, moving graphics that only distract from your
message and increase load times. Good design and good copy
should work synergistically.
Tip #3: Long copy sells…as long as it’s good copy. I call it
“greased slide” copy. You get the reader on the top of the slide
when he reads a powerful headline, and he can’t get off until he
has taken the action asked for (i.e., ordered the product, made
the trip to the store, dialed the phone, clicked the
order/inquiry button, filled out the on-line order, etc.).
ACTION(Ask For The Order)
Now comes the moment of truth. You must ask for the order. Give
reasons for the customer to buy now…and make it easy for him
to do so. In direct response marketing, this will involve a
coupon for mail orders, a toll-free order line, an e-mail
address, an on-line order form, a fax order line..any means to
make it easy and simple to order!
Take the fear out of the purchase. Give solid guarantees. Offer
secure ordering for on-line customers. Show testimonials from
satisfied customers.
Show what the customer is going to lose if he doesn’t order now.
If you are a retailer, include a map to your store(s) (newcomers
love them). Show the credit cards you accept, list the hours of
operation, tell them about your friendly staff, include a
special coupon or other incentive. In other words, “Roll out the
red carpet.”
INVEST IN FUTURE PROFITS
So there you have it. A primer on good advertising. If I’ve
piqued your interest to learn more, then check out the other
articles available at this resource.
Remember, bad advertising…no matter what the media…is an
unproductive expense.
Good advertising is an investment in future profits!
Good advertising and good management go together. You can’t have
a successful business on-line or off-line—without both.
Thom Reece
http://www.articlesbase.com/copywriting-articles/how-you-can-create-advertising-that-sells-775.html
