In the fast-paced, high-tech culture of the 21st century, you might feel tempted to experiment with flashy ads for your products or services. But, don’t give into the temptation. More often than not, the flashy and cutesy touches in advertising don’t work.
What does work is a message that matches the needs, desires, and values of the people you’re trying to motivate. For example, if you drive down the street of any city or suburb you’ll undoubtedly see several pizza places. If you want to capture the attention of people with an ad for your pizza, you should put strong emphasis on the wide selection of toppings you offer. The ad could say something like this: 400 Pizza Toppings! More Than Any Other Pizzeria in Town!
That’s not very colorful or cutesy, but if a lot of people start buying pizza from your shop over and over again, what do you care about winning advertising awards?
Once you have identified your target market, you can then design your ad with the specific needs of that population in mind. For example, if you are selling health supplements, such as vitamins, you can assume that your prospects are health-conscious. You could write an ad that offers a free trial workout at the local health club for the first 25 customers. Or, with each purchase you could include free samples or coupons from a health store.
By making such offers, it may seem at first that you are actually losing money, but if these giveaways and bonuses generate interest in your product or service, the long term financial rewards for your business will be well worth the initial sacrifice.
Don’t be afraid to go into detail in your ad. Detail is key, especially if you are serious about making a profit. As long as the information your are presenting is relevant, that is, it addresses the needs of the people you want to serve in a manner that is appealing to them, don’t worry about length. They will be enticed by your free offer and keep reading.
Which brings us to the end of the ad. Now that you have captured their attention, and stimulated their interest and desire, your readers will be looking for the address or phone number to contact your for more information about the product or service. Place this information in a highly visible position, just as the headline is the first thing your readers notice, this will probably be the last, so make it memorable.
By thinking of your ad as a work in four parts, one to grab attention, one to create interest, one to promote desire, and the last to prompt readers to action, you will be able to design a very successful advertisement.
Always remember that your job is not over once the ads are running. Even if they are a success, and they do generate business for your, to remain competitive you must constantly update your advertising techniques and strategies. Don’t forget about your most valuable asset, your customers!
Make an effort to talk to your customers. Find out where they heard about your business. If it was from an ad, ask them what in particular attracted them to your product or service. It’s important to get feedback from your customers because their opinions are the ones that count the most.
Just because an ad isn’t flashy doesn’t mean the ad can’t be distinctive or visually appealing. Even if your ad is flashy, the most appealing and attention-grabbing graphics in the world won’t disguise a lack of substance. You have to be able to back up any fancy graphics with great offers of products and services.
The key to successful advertising is to always test your ads. Test one headline against another. Test one offer against another. Test one guarantee against another. Test one placement against another. Never test more than one variable at a time. The marketplace will always tell you which ad is the best.
When you write an ad with a message that has a good headline, has a great offer, and matches the needs, desires, and values of your target audience you will have a winner as long as you continually test.
Copyright?2006 by Joe Love and JLM & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.
Joe Love draws on his 25 years of experience helping both individuals and companies build their businesses, increase profits, and achieve total success. He is the founder and CEO of JLM & Associates, a consulting and training organization, specializing in personal and business development. Through his seminars and lectures, Joe Love addresses thousands of men and women each year, including the executives and staffs of many of America’s largest corporations, on the subjects of leadership, self-esteem, goals, achievement, and success psychology.
Reach Joe at: joe@jlmandassociates.com
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