By Tom Cranston
Whether you are thinking about hiring a professional copy writer to write your ad or you want to craft a new skill by writing it yourself, here are some pointers you might want to consider when you start writing.
1.) Offer your prospects a benefit. Next time you get a spam in your email, quickly scan the email and see what's in it for you. Unless it is something you need , chances are you will delete it. You will miss the bulls eye unless your ad explicitly sells a product or service that that will benefit the customer.
2.) Always keep it simple. One acronym that is widely known in the advertising industry is K.I.S.S. or Keep It Simple Stupid. Complexity in an ad leads to no sale. Remember that the whole purpose of an ad is to gage the attention of the viewer. You have about two seconds to catch their eyes or else you miss.
3.) Be different and unique. Almost all beer tastes somewhat the same. The makers of Budwieser beer knows this and so the three frogs were born. Okay, you tell me, what is the relationship between a frog and a bottle of beer. Absolutely nothing! But the point is, it catches your eyes. Budwieser is the only beer company in their industry with huge billboards on the freeway with a "frog".
4.) Paint a picture in their mind. This point is not so different from the last one, but I can still remember seeing the billboard with a frog and a beer logo that I don't even like. Get the point. BTW, get me a bottle of Samuel Adams while your roaming around in the kitchen.
5.) Don't beat around the bush, be specific. Instead of saying, " we have many subscribers...". Say, "we have 574 subscribers to our MLM newsletter" or "we have over 90% repeat sales".
6.) Imagine yourself in your customer's shoes. MediaOne is the new wave of high speed Internet connection for people who have grown sick of logging on your local ISPs'. Just last year, they sponsored a walk-a thon for MS (multiple sclerosis) in the Boston area. According to the media, many of their employees participated in this charitable event. This is a great way for potential customers to find out about MediaOne services. Consequently, the name of the company and the cause will stay in the minds of potential customers for quiet some time.
7.) Make your ad believable. You know the old adage, if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. Recently, Pepsi Cola Co. and a television ad they ran, jokingly promised a jet fighter if a certain number of points was collected. It seems impossible to do, but someone did it! The moral of the story, don't over promise your customers but promise only what you can give.
8.) Sell one point. It's almost impossible to try and sell all the good points about your product or service. Significantly, it is best to sell one strong point. Once you sold the customer on this strong point, use the remaining points to reinforce your strongest point.
9.) Always remember to ask for the order. I've received hundreds of emails soliciting a product or service but after carefully skimming through it, I wasn't quite sure what to do next. Oh well, no sale. Use "Place your order now!" or "Order now!" or "Order today." Be creative but sensible.
10.) Test your ad. Ask an email friend to read your ad and see what he or she thinks about it. This action will help you catch some grammatical or spelling errors that you might've miss. As always, it's important to make a good first impression.
Tom Cranston is the Marketing Director for ImexOne, Inc. We publish a free ezine that is geared exclusively towards home-based businesses.
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