Does that sound boring? If so, stick with me—it gets better! Some years ago Bruce Barton shared this story:

"One day when I was young in advertising, I slipped a piece of paper into my typewriter and wrote an advertisement for a life insurance company. It was addressed to young husbands and fathers. One of coupons received in reply came from a traveler in Rio de Janeiro, whose home was in New Jersey. He was 38 years old, married, and father of three children. He wanted information on a policy that, in case of his death, would guarantee his family an income of $3,000 a year." (I told you this was written some years ago!) "On man's return to New Jersey, policy was written and first payment made. A few days later he went to his dentist to have a wisdom tooth extracted. Somehow cavity became infected, infection spread and he died.

"That incident made a deep impression on me. Many times in intervening years I have been reminded that somewhere in New Jersey there are a mother and three children, now grown up, who, without slightest suspicion of my existence, have had their whole lives changed by fact that one day I put together some words that were printed in a magazine, and read in a faraway country by their husband and father, who was influenced to do what I suggested.

"It is a terrific power we wield, we men and women in advertising; it needs to be handled carefully, truthfully, sometimes even prayerfully. It is one of most potent of all forces that, for better or worse, can influence and change human lives."

Mr. Barton deserves kudos for his recognition of kind of power that advertisers and marketers possess. And while we are recognizing that power for tremendous force that it is, we also need to be sure that each of us is wholly aware of awesome responsibility that accompanies this power.

Marketing your business on Internet is a lot like going fishing. There are millions of potential customers ("fish") surfing around out there, but there's no guarantee you'll hook any of them by end of day. Just like fishing, you'll have to use a variety of ads ("bait") and some marketing skills ("fishing techniques") to make a catch.

When we went fishing, my Dad taught me that to catch different kinds of fish, you needed to use different kinds of bait. Marketing online also requires you to use a variety of "bait", depending on kind of "fish" you want to catch.

Your ads are your bait and you will need to use different ads to attract different customers. Writing ads is a skill you will definitely want to master before you "go fishing".

I've done a lot of research on how to write a "good" ad. But what pros consider good and what actually works can be two different things. Sometimes what experts might consider a bad ad is actually one that works! That's because different writing styles appeal to different people.

Sizzle and razzle-dazzle ads work for some people, serene and sensible ones work for others. You may be always writing your own ads in style that appeals to you as a buyer. Therefore, you’ll want to try writing in a different style, even if it doesn't appeal to you. For example, here's a work from home ad written in two different styles:

STYLE 1 - Razzle Dazzle