Many times as business owners we throw advertising out there without it being effective. If you want results, there are three things you need to do to ensure you get a response:
No. 1 - Your headline has to catch their attention!
Most ads still fail to produce results even if they are created in the right media at the right time, because they fail to catch the attention of the prospective buyer. This is simply wasted money.
For your advertising to be effective, you only have a few seconds to catch the eye of the reader with your headline.
In an ever-increasing world of attention-grabbing media, your ad has to stand out and has to offer a benefit or promise a result that appeals to the pain or pleasure of your target market. Your headline should not say anything about your business but focus instead on the intended audience.
For this reason, many great ads have the word "you" in them. Perhaps your killer headline addresses something you listed above that consumers hate about your industry.
Victor Schwab, an advertising genius from the 20th century, made a list of 100 of the best advertising headlines. Look closely at some of them and notice how they are crafted:
The secret of making people like you;
A little mistake that cost a farmer $3,000 per year;
The last two hours are the longest and those are the two hours you save;
Why some foods explode in your stomach;
Why some people almost always make money in the stock market;
When doctors feel rotten this is what they do;
Whoever heard of a woman losing weight and enjoying 3 delicious meals a day?;
Discover the fortune that lies hidden in your salary;
Is the life of a child worth $1 to you?;
Does your child ever embarrass you?;
For the woman who is older than she looks;
Last Friday was i scared...my boss almost fired me.
No. 2 - Your body has to keep them engaged!
Your headline has hooked the reader, your prospective client. Now what?
Many people can catch your attention with a great one-liner but fail to keep the reader engaged with the details. In the body, tell them why you are dramatically different or, in other words, why your product or service is going to make such a big difference to them.
In his book Jump Start Your Business Plan, Doug Hall says that the key to this part of your ad has to be giving your audience a "real reason to believe." Some of my best advertising over the past 30 years has worked because I have included testimonials or stories that have given my readers information that is credible and proven.
Sometimes it's the guarantee that is all the difference.
Here are some things you can do to add credibility to your ads:
Talk about what is special about your product or service, perhaps ingredients, awards, processes, patents, licensing;
100 per cent money back guarantee is almost expected these days but there is no harm in stating it;
Guarantee something that your competition doesn't;
Think about guaranteeing a part of your product or service that is different;
Give your readers or listeners testimonials to consider. These might come from customers, experts, authors, government, your staff.
No. 3 - Call to action
There needs to be a call to action in your advertising. This means that you want to tell your customer what you would like them to do.
What is the purpose of your ad? Do you want the reader to buy your product now? Do you want them to go to your website? Do you want them to call for a brochure? Perhaps you want the reader, a prospective customer, to come into your business? Cut out the coupon? Come to your meeting?
If you don't explicitly tell your prospective customers, they have no idea what you want. Be clear and precise. Many businesses fail to do this and as a result the reader is left unsatisfied because they are not sure what to do next.
By helping them with this process you are improving your chances of success.
Dave Fuller, MBA, Certified Business Coach has spent over 30 years spending money on advertising and tracking those results. He helps business owners get better results in their business and can be reached at 250-617-7467
