Information Technology Marketing Headline Animator

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

10 Tips For Writing Ad-Copy That Sells

If you’re going to write an ad that generates a dynamic and powerful response, follow the ten tips below to ensure your success:

1. Highlight a Single Benefit. It’s important to create focused ad-copy so that your prospects don’t become confused and overwhelmed. Choose a single benefit of your product or service that you wish to highlight above everything else. This is your “principle selling position” or PSP.

In order to create a PSP, ask yourself how your product or service is different than your competitors. Are you faster? More reliable? Provide better customer service? Make sure to paint a picture that shows your potential clients and customers exactly how your product or service will improve their life or solve their problems.

2. Write A Compelling Headline. Today’s consumers are exposed to thousands and thousands of ads every day, so in order to process all this information, they generally skim over information. If your headline doesn’t instantly grab their attention, you’ve most likely lost them. To create the most powerful statement, base your headline around your PSP.

3. Highlight Your Strongest Selling Points. The first few paragraphs in your ad-copy are incredibly important. You want to create a strong desire for your product or service by highlighting some of the most compelling benefits. Put together a bulleted list of the benefits your customer will receive by doing business with you.

4. Write Directly To Your Target Market. Always imagine exactly who you are writing for and then right directly to them. Are you writing to women? Men? Teenagers? Individuals struggling with their weight? It’s important that your language suits your intended audience so that they are better able to relate to you.

5. Use The Power Of Multimedia. As our audiences become more and more distracted, we need to create better ways to capture their attention. Using audio and video in your ads, engages more of the senses and, as a result, creates a much more interactive experience for your potential clients and customers.

6. Create Emotional Connections. Write copy that creates emotional connections through targeted benefits. For example, imagine that you’re selling facial cream. A feature might be that it contains retinol. However, that isn’t going to elicit any sort of emotional response. Instead, you should say, “Eliminates Wrinkles!” or even better, “Use Acme Cream and Instantly Look Ten Years Younger!” You have now turned a boring feature into a strong emotional benefit linked to people’s strong desire to look younger.

7. Use Testimonials. Obviously, it’s much more important what other people say about you and your small business than what you say yourself. So, make sure to include real and convincing testimonials of clients and customers singing your praises. Ask for permission to include their full name and a link to their website if applicable.

8. Write In A Natural Voice. The best way to write is in a very natural and unaffected tone. In fact, just write it exactly how you would say it. You want to make sure that your prospects feel comfortable reading your copy.

9. Incorporate A Call To Action. End by telling the reader what to do; e.g. “Ring now” or “Click here to order now for immediate delivery!” Needless to say, ordering details must be clearly visible and simple to follow.

10. Ask For The Sale.At some point, you will need to come out and ask your prospect to purchase your product or services. When you do, make sure to incorporate one of the following three items:

- A Great Deal: “40% off!”

- A Sense Of Urgency: “Only Ten Slots Available!”

- Risk-Free: “Backed By Our 30-day, No-Questions-Asked, Money-Back Guarantee!”

So, the next time that you are faced with writing an ad (whether it be a sales letter, brochure, newspaper ad or the likes), make sure to incorporate these ten tips for the best possible results.

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