21 Ways
To Increase The Pulling Power of Your Ads
by
Kris Mills - Words that Sell
Copyright 2000 - 2002 Kris Mills
If
you’re re-building an engine, doing your taxes or baking
a cake, you follow a set process and everything happens
in a certain order. It’s the same with advertising.
Great
copywriting is about knowing who your prospect is, what
they need, what they REALLY want and how your product
will give it to them ... specically, specifically, specifically.
Like
any piece of written material your ad should have a
title, a beginning, a middle and an end.
You
have a split second to grab their attention and hold
it. That's what the headline is for - to arouse their
curiousity, get their attention, lure them with exciting,
very specific benefits and get them hooked enough to
want to spend time reading your ad.
The
next most important part of your copy is the opening.
It needs to be as punchy and attention grabbing as the
headline. It needs to be powerful enough to make your
reader want to read on. The minute your copy becomes
boring or braggish, your reader will switch off. The
key is to make each paragraph exciting enough to make
your reader want to read on to the next paragraph.
Make
each paragraph flow onto the next and identify more
and more benefits that specifically relate to your prospect.
And
finally, the ending must have a climax and then a specific
ending where you ask for the order.
Here
are some specific tips that help you do that:
1.
Know your objectives.
How
many enquiries do you want? How many sales do you want?
Can you sell directly off the page or do you need a
2 step approach?
2.
Remember advertising is salesmanship in print and remember
that the more you tell, the more you sell.
3.
Always ensure your promotional efforts are measurable
so you know exactly how much "bang" you're getting for
your buck.
4.
Remember, specifics sell. For instance, 49 is more believable
than 50.
5.
Use a headline that flags your reader down based on
who they are or what their interests are
eg.
"Doctors ... Here's a " or "Garden lovers ... "
6.
Identify with their problem or need.
eg.
"There's no doubt about it. Being in business is tough.
Burning the midnight oil etc.etc.
7.
Hint at a solution.
eg.
"Now there's an easy way to ..."
8.
Explain how you're going to solve their problem.
eg.
"At xyz company we have a widget that does this that
and the other so you ..."
9.
Show them proof by giving specific results, mentioning
testimonials and mentioning a guarantee. This dissolves
scepticsim and therefore lowers the barriers to doing
business with you.
10.
Articulate your "point of difference" ... what sets
you apart from your competitors. Shout it from the rooftops.
Eg. delivered in 30 minutes or it’s FREE.
11.
Offer free information, such as an information pack
or catalogue. Describe that free information and why
it is so useful. Give it an interesting title, such
as ‘56 ways to increase your wealth using just $56’.
11. Tell them to act by making an offer and stressing
urgency. Simply ask them to ring, fax, or write to post
an order. Make it a limited offer.
eg.
"Offer ends April 4, 2001 so call now".
12.
Include your address in the last paragraph of copy,
beneath your logo, and in your response device, in and
easy to read font.
13.
Include a toll-free number in extra large type in your
ad.
14.
Use a coupon or response device, it increases responses
by 25% to 100%.
15.Give
plenty of room for readers to fill out the coupon details
and give it a headline like "Yes, I'd like to learn
how to cut my mortgage interest bill in half."
16.
Give lots of options in your response device. These
may include getting a report, a free consultation, a
phone call from a salesperson etc.
17.
Put a dashed or cut along the dotted line border on
an ad less than ¼ page. It gives a coupon-like appearance
and makes people cut it out and keep it. You can even
say "cut out this ad and send it to us for more information."
18.
A reply paid device can double your responses because
it makes it that much easier for people to respond.
19.
Put in a reference number to make testing and measuring
easier. Have the reader made aware they should quote
the reference number when they call.
20.
The layout must be (first and foremost) easy to read.
"Serif" (Times New Roman) typefaces are easier to read
than "sans serif" (Arial).
21.Look
at the ads that have worked best for you to see if you
can distinguish a common theme in them.
Kris
Mills of Words that Sell ( http://www.wordsthatsell.com.au
)is a top selling copywriterand respected author of numerous
publications. For more copywriting and direct marketing
tips, visit http://www.synergie.com.au/explosion.htm |