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How You Can Create Advertising That Sells
A well-planned and properly executed marketing program should include a sufficient commitment of capital resources to an on-going, well executed advertising program. Yes, this includes your business. 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 is CEO of Online Marketing Resource Center [http://www.E-ComProfits.com] and publisher of "Thom Reece's Web Marketing Strategies & Techniques Newsletter". Free subscripton at: http://www.WMSTDirect.com, mailto:thom@e-comprofits.com MORE RESOURCES: Why SharkNinja Is Spending Its $700 Million Advertising Budget on Creators and Product Placement Adweek Meta loses two execs overseeing the company's largest markets and key advertising verticals Business Insider Canada appeals directly to 'hardworking Americans' with anti-tariff billboards in 12 U.S. states National Post MAA Ad of the Week: 02 from VCCP More About Advertising Strike’s mission to lead French adland in a good direction Creative Review BIHUB Joins the shareholding of ADmefy, an innovative advertising management platform - FC Barcelona PRETTYBIRD's Ali Brown to Chair 2025 New York Festivals Advertising Awards Film Craft Executive Jury Little Black Book - LBBonline Meta announces suite of new AI-powered advertising tools Performance Marketing World Are advertising clients better off today than in the past? 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Little Black Book - LBBonline Angry parents in Sydney suburb up in arms over 'offensive' posters advertising gay hook-up app Daily Mail DoorDash announces new retail media advertising exchange Retail Systems e& explores hyper-personalisation in airport advertising Campaign Middle East M&C Saatchi restructure sees profitability rise by 294% Campaign India Tech troubles hit S4 Capital (again) More About Advertising Advertising forecast downgraded Moonshot News Q4 2024 Publishing and Advertising Revenues WhatTheyThink ASA Publishes Study About In-App Ads That Harmfully Objectify Women Mondaq News Alerts Positivity amplifies advertising performance says Pinterest ChannelX World Ampverse Pulse launches platform enabling advertisers to target mobile and PC gamers Animation Xpress Politics with Michelle Grattan: It’s on – tracking policies and truth in advertising in the 2025 election The Conversation We Are Witnessing The Next Phase Of Digital Advertising 03/28/2025 MediaPost Communications Council introduces new advertising policy banning junk food St Helens Star PokerStars slots video ruled in breach of UK advertising rules Gaming Intelligence Understanding Advertising: Context and Concerns - ASA | CAP Advertising Standards Authority Lana Del Rey’s and Brittany Mahomes’ Skims Posts Scrutinized by National Advertising Division Yahoo Lifestyle UK Community Radio: Advertising No-Nos - ASA | CAP Advertising Standards Authority InMarket Releases Its "Breakthrough Moments" Leaders of Top-Performing Advertising Campaigns PR Newswire US advertising group Stagwell plans M&A drive Financial Times No, the new ChatGPT update won’t replace advertising Fast Company Libsyn Joins Forces with Podcast Heat Network for Exclusive Advertising Partnership Across 12 Popular Podcasts ACCESS Newswire Let’s hear it for audio advertising – the hard-working channel that deserves a seat at every media planning table Performance Marketing World Efforts to Weed Out Fake Users for Online Advertisers Fall Short The Wall Street Journal AI Will Help Advertisers and Shoppers Practical Ecommerce Paramount offers exclusive brand partnerships Marketing Beat AI-lluminating the future: How artificial intelligence is changing advertising in India ETBrandEquity AI, advertising, and the policy landscape – CAP proactive monitoring Advertising Standards Authority What can 40 years of data on vacancy advertising costs tell us about labour market equilibrium? Bank Underground Baidu: AI Ambitions Vs. Advertising Reality - Why The Stock Remains Overvalued (NASDAQ:BIDU) Seeking Alpha Green Practices in Programmatic Advertising: The Way for Sustainable Digital Campaigns MarketingProfs.com New study reveals effective strategy to counter gambling advertising Swansea University Future-proof advertising event at the ASA. - ASA | CAP Advertising Standards Authority Bayer’s advertising campaigns focus on patient well-being, innovation, and sustainable practices PharmaLive |
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