© Copyright 1988/2003 Thom Reece All Rights ReservedA well-planned and properly executed marketing program should include a sufficient commitment of capital resources to an ongoing, well executed advertising program. Yes, this includes your business.
Businesses spend too many dollars, however, on ads that simply will not result in increased sales and profits. These ads are poorly conceived, poorly written, poorly designed, poorly targeted, and poorly placed.
Sounds like a poor way to do business, doesn’t it?
I often ask clients (as tactfully as possible), why they have run a particular ad. I get a lot of blank stares. A few tense moments will pass while
client tries to think of a clever answer. "To get
company name out in front of
public so I can get more business." they reply, with some relief.
This poor soul has just described a lack of a well defined goal, which leads almost inevitably to what I call an institutional ad. An institutional ad can best be described as one which identifies
advertiser and lists address, telephone number, hours of operation, and (maybe)
company logo. That’s it. What a terrible waste of money!
Unless your company grosses a billion dollars a year, you can’t afford to do institutional ads. If your company does gross over a billion dollars a year...you’re probably too smart to run institutional ads.
Every ad you run must result in increased sales and profits and an enhanced image for your company. Every ad should make
customer a solid offer and give
customer sound reasons to buy from you now. Remember,
customer is sitting back and asking, "What can you do for me?" If you’re careful to answer that question with a powerful offer and reasons to buy now, you’re on your way to advertising success...which results in increased sales and profits.
How can you improve your chances of increasing sales?
Let’s look at some profit-producing ideas...
SEEK PROFESSIONAL HELP Very few businesses are prepared or qualified to produce quality advertising. If you spend more than $2,000 per month in advertising, you should seriously consider hiring a qualified advertising professional. There are any number of skilled freelancers who can develop strategy, and create your marketing materials with a keen eye to using proven methods and techniques.
Good advertising talent always pays it’s own way through increased sales and profits, improved cost-effectiveness, reduced selling costs, and shortened selling cycles.
If your resources are limited, don’t feel lost. There’s no reason why you can’t learn to write an effective ad. That’s what
rest of this article is all about...how you can create advertising that sells.
FOLLOW A PROVEN FORMULA
One of
oldest and most useful formulas for ad design takes its name from
opera Aida by Giuseppe Verde. In this case
letters A-I-D-A stand for ATTENTION, INTEREST, DESIRE, AND ACTION.
In it’s simplest form this formula serves as a structural blueprint. It guides us to: (1) Get
prospect’s Attention, (2) Foster his or her Interest in your offer, (3) build Desire for your product or service and (4) Generate some type of Action on
part of
buyer.
As we expand on each of these elements individually, you’ll discover for yourself how to apply
formula to your specific situation.
ATTENTION (The Headline)
Hit your prospect right between
eyes with a magic wand. How? With a powerful benefit headline. The headline is
most important single element of your ad. You have two to three seconds to stop
reader as he or she passes by. You must stop
reader, and interest them in your benefit, if you expect them to read further.
A powerful headline will (1) stop
reader (2) isolate and qualify your best prospects, and (3) pull your reader into
sub-heads and body copy.