I get L.A. Times delivered to my door every day, but I don't read it for articles. It is a Pulitzer Prize winning newspaper, but articles just don't interest me. Unlike most people, I read paper for advertisements because there is a lot to learn from them.Over 90% of ads run in Los Angeles Times are horrible! Most of ads I see are either ego-driven, have no headline, have no call to action, don't appeal to what buyer is truly looking for or needs help with, or they're trying to be clever for clever-sake, and fail miserably.
When writing copy, I live by this premise:
"The purpose of advertising is to sell something."
Advertising is like an investment that you hope to get a great return on. However, most people treat it like they're playing Roulette in Vegas and bet all their money "on black."
The basics of good copy is to think in terms of words that sell.
Following are some basics in advertising that should help you make your advertising more effective.
1. Concentrate on your prospects. In end you must persuade him/her no matter what method you use. And to do that, you must understand how he/she thinks.
2. Know your product - its materials, its manufacturer, its use, etc. Know its features inside and out.
3. Find problem your product solves. The solution would, of course, be benefit. It may be a mental, spiritual, physical, or financial benefit, but as advertising legend Maxwell Sackheim once said, "your product must have an excuse for its existence."