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The most important aspect of any business is selling the product
or service, Without sales, no business can exist for very long.
All sales begin with some form of advertising. To build sales,
this advertising must be seen or heard by potential buyers, and
cause them to react to the advertising in some way. The credit
for the success, or the blame for the failure of almost all ads,
reverts back to the ad itself.
Generally, the "ad writer" wants the prospect to
do one of the following:
a) Visit the store to see and judge the product for himself,
or immediately write a check and send for the merchandise being
advertised
b) Phone for an appointment to hear the full sales presentation,
or write for further information which amounts to the same thing.
The bottom line in any ad is quite simple: To make the reader
buy the product or service. Any ad that causes the reader to
only pause in his thinking, to just admire the product, or to
simply believe what's written about the product - is not doing
its job completely.
The "ad writer" must know exactly what he wants
his reader to do, and any ad that does not elicit the desired
action is an absolute waste of time and money.
In order to elicit the desired action from the prospect, all
ads are written according to a simple "master formula"
which is:
l) Attract the "attention" of your prospect
2) "Interest" your prospect in the product
3) Cause your prospect to "desire" the product
4) Demand "action" from the prospect
Never forget the basic rule of advertising copyrighting: If
the ad is not read, It won't stimulate any sales; if it is not
seen, it cannot be read, and if it does not command or grab the
attention of the reader, it will not be seen.
Most successful advertising copywriters know these fundamentals
back wards and forwards. Whether you know them already or you're
just now being exposed to them, your knowledge and practice of
these fundamentals will determine the extent of your success
as an advertising copywriter.
CLASSIFIED ADS:
Classified ads are the ads from which all successful businesses
are started. These small, relatively inexpensive ads, give the
beginner an opportunity to advertise his product or service without
losing his shirt if the ad doesn't pull or the people don't break
his door down with demands for his product. Classified ads are
written according to all the advertising rules. What is said
in a classified ad is the same that's said in a larger, more
elaborate type of ad, excepting in condensed form.
To start learning how to write good classified ads, clip ten
classified ads from ten different mail order type publications
- ads that you think are pretty good. Paste each of these ads
onto a separate sheet of paper.
Analyze each of these ads: How has the writer attracted your
attention - what about the ads keeps your interest - are you
stimulated to want to know more about the product being advertised
- and finally, what action must you take? Are all of these points
covered in the ad? How strongly are you "turned on"
by each of these ads?
Rate these ads on a scale of one to ten, with ten being the
best according to the formula I've given you. Now, just for practice,
without clipping the ads, do the same thing with ten different
ads from a Sears, Wards or JC Penney's catalog. In fact, every
ad you see from now on, quickly analyze it, and rate it somewhere
on your scale. If you'll practice this exercise on a regular
basis, you'll soon be able to quickly recognize the "Power
Points" of any ad you see, and know within your own mind
whether an ad is good, bad or otherwise, and what makes it so.
Practice for an hour each day, write the ads you've rated
8, 9, and 10 exactly as they've been written. This will give
you the "feel" of the fundamentals and style necessary
in writing classified ads.
Your next project will be to pick out what you consider to
be the ten "worst" ads you can find in the classifieds
sections. Clip these out and paste them onto a sheet of paper
so you can work with them.
Read these ads over a couple of times, and then beside each
of them, write a short comment stating why you think it's bad
Lost in the crowd, doesn't attract attention - doesn't hold the
reader's interest - nothing special to make the reader w ant
to own the product - no demand for action.
You probably already know what's coming next, and that's right,
break out those pencils, erasers and scratch paper - and start
rewriting these ads to include the missing elements.
Each day for the next month, practice writing the ten best
ads for an hour, just the way they were originally written. Pick
out ten of the worst ads, analyze those ads, and then practice
rewriting those until they measure up to doing the job they were
intended to do.
Once you're satisfied that the ads you've rewritten are perfect,
go back into each ad and cross out the words that can be eliminated
without detracting from the ad. Classified ads arE almost always
"finalized" in the style of a telegram.
EXAMPLE: I'll arrive at 2 o'clock tomorrow afternoon, the
15th. Meet me at Sardi's. All my love, Jim.
EDITED FOR SENDING: Arrive 2 pm - 15th - Sardi's. Love, Jim.
CLASSIFIED AD: Save on your food bills! Reduced prices on
every shelf in the store! Stock up now while supplies are complete!
Come on in today, to Jerry's Family Supermarkets!
EDITED FOR PUBLICATION: Save on Food! Everything bargain priced!
Limited supplies! Hurry! Jerry's Markets!
It takes dedicated and regular practice, but you can do it.
Simply recognize and understand the basic formula - practice
reading and writing the good ones - and rewriting the bad ones
to make them better. Practice, and keep at it, over and over,
every day - until the formula, the idea, and the feel of this
kind of ad writing becomes second nature to you. This is the
ONLY WAY to gain expertise in writing good classified ads.
DISPLAY ADVERTISEMENTS:
A display or space ad differs from a classified ad because
it has a headline, layout, and because the style isn't telegraphic.
However, the fundamentals of writing the display or space ad
are exactly the same as for a classified ad. The basic difference
is that you have more room in which to emphasize the "master
formula." Most successful copywriters rate the headline
and/or the lead sentence of an ad as the most important part
of the ad, and in reality, you should do the same. After all,
when your ad is surrounded by hundreds of other ads, and information
or entertainment, what makes you think anyone is going to see
your particular ad?
The truth is, they're not going to see your ad unless you
can "grab" their attention and entice them to read
all of what you have to say. Your headline, or lead sentence
when no headline is used, has to make it more difficult for your
prospect to ignore or pass over, than to stop and read your ad.
If you don't capture the attention of your reader with your headline,
anything beyond is useless effort and wasted money.
Successful advertising headlines - in classified ads, your
first three to five words serve as your headline - are written
as promises, either implied or direct. The former promises to
show you how to save money, make money, or attain a desired goal.
The latter is a warning against something undesirable.
EXAMPLE OF A PROMISE: Are You Ready To Become A Millionaire
- In Just 18 Months?
EXAMPLE OF A WARNING: Do You Make These Mistakes In English?
In both of these examples, I've posed a question as the headline.
Headlines that ask a question seem to attract the reader's attention
almost as surely as a moth is drawn to a flame. Once he's seen
the question, he just can't seem to keep himself from reading
the rest of the ad to find out the answer. The best headline
questions are those that challenge the reader; that involve his
self-esteem, and do not allow him to dismiss your
question with a simple yes or no.
You'll be the envy of your friends is another kind of "reader
appeal" to incorporate into your headline whenever appropriate.
The appeal has to do with basic psychology: everyone wants to
be well thought of, and consequently, will read into the body
of your
ad to find out how he can gain the respect and accolades of his
friends.
Wherever and whenever possible, use colloquialisms or words
that are not usually found in advertisements. The idea is to
shock or shake the reader out of his reverie and cause him to
take notice of your ad. Most of the headlines you see day in
and day out, have a certain sameness with just the words rearranged.
The reader may see these headlines with his eyes, but his brain
fails to focus on any of them because there's nothing different
or out of the ordinary to arrest his attention.
EXAMPLE OF COLLOQUIALISM: Are You Developing A POT BELLY?
Another attention-grabber kind of head-line is the comparative
price headline: Three For Only $3, Regularly $3 Each! Still another
of the "tried and proven" kind of headlines is the
specific question: Do You Suffer From These Symptoms. And of
course, if you offer a strong guarantee, you should say so in
your headline: Your Money Refunded, If You Don't Make $100,000
Your First Year.
How To headlines have a very strong basic appeal, but in some
instances, they're better used as book titles than advertising
headlines. Who Else wants in on the finer things - which your
product or service presumably offers - is another approach with
a very strong reader appeal. The psychology here being the need
of everyone to belong to a group - complete with status and prestige
motivations.
Whenever, and as often as you can possibly work it in, you
should use the word "you" in your headline, and throughout
your copy. After all, your ad should be directed to "one"
person, and the person reading your ad wants to feel that you're
talking to him personally, not everyone who lives on his street.
Personalize, and be specific! You can throw the teachings
of your English teachers out the window, and the rules of "third
person, singular" or whatever else tends to inhibit your
writing. Whenever you sit down to write advertising copy in tended
to pull
the orders - sell the product - you should picture yourself in
a one-on-one situation and "talk" to your reader just
as if you sitting across from him at your dining room table.
Say what you mean, and sell HIM on the product your offering.
Be specific and ask him if these are the things that bother him
- are these the things he wants - and he's the one you want to
buy the product...
The layout you devise for your ad, or the frame you build
around it, should also command attention. Either make it so spectacular
that it stands out like lobster at a chili dinner, or so uncommonly
simple that it catches the reader's eye because of its very simplicity.
It's also important that you don't get cute with a lot of unrelated
graphics and artwork. Your ad should convey the feeling of excitement
and movement, but should not tire the eyes or disrupt the flow
of the message you're trying to present. Any graphics or artwork
you use should be relevant to your product, its use and/or the
copy you've written about it. Graphics should not be used as
artistic touches, or to create an atmosphere. Any illustrations
with your ad should compliment the selling of your product, and
prove or substantiate specific points in your copy.
Once you have your reader's attention, the only way you're
going to keep it, is by quickly and emphatically telling him
what your product will do for him.
Your potential buyer doesn't care in the least how long it's
taken you to produce the product, how long you've been in business,
nor how many years you've spent learning your craft. He wants
to know specifically how he's going to benefit from the purchase
of your product.
Generally, his wants will fall into one of the following categories:
Better health, more comfort, more money, more leisure time, more
popularity, greater beauty, success and/or security.
Even though you have your reader's attention, you must follow
through with an enumeration of the benefits he can gain. In essence,
you must reiterate the advantages, comfort and happiness he'll
enjoy - as you have implied in your headline.
Mentally picture your prospect - determine his wants and emotional
needs - put yourself in his shoes, and ask yourself If I were
reading this ad, what are the things that would appeal to me?
Write your copy to appeal to your reader's wants and emotional
needs/ego cravings.
Remember, it's not the "safety features" that have
sold cars for the past 50 years - nor has it been the need of
transportation - it has been, and almost certainly always will
be the advertising writer's recognition of people's wants and
emotional needs/ego cravings. Visualize your prospect, recognize
his wants and satisfy them. Writing good advertising copy is
nothing more or less than knowing "who" your buyers
are; recognizing what he wants; and then telling him how your
product will fulfill each of those wants, Remember this because
it's one of the "vitally important" keys to writing
advertising copy that does the job you intend for it to do.
The "desire" portion of your ad is where you present
the facts of your product; create and justify your prospect's
conviction, and cause him to demand "a piece of the action"
for himself.
It's vitally necessary that you present "proven facts"
about your product because survey results show that at least
8% of the people reading your ad - especially those reading it
for the first time - Will tend to question its authenticity.
So, the more facts you can present in the ad, the more credible
your offer. As you write this part of your ad, always remember
that the more facts about the product you present, the more product
you'll sell. People want facts as reasons, and/or excuses for
buying a product - to justify to themselves and others, that
they haven't been "taken" by a slick copywriter.
It's like the girl who wants to marry the guy her father calls
a "no good bum." Her heart - her emotions - tell her
yes, but she needs facts to nullify the seed of doubt lingering
in her mind - to rationalize her decision to go on with the wedding.
In other words, the "desire" portion of your ad
has to build belief and credibility in the mind of your prospect.
It has to assure him of his good judgement in the final decision
to buy - furnish evidence of the benefits you've promised - and
afford him a "safety net" in case anyone should question
his decision to buy.
People tend to believe the things that appeal to their individual
desires, fears and other emotions. Once you've established a
belief in this manner, logic and reasoning are used to support
it. People believe what they "want" to believe. Your
reader "wants" to believe your ad if he's read it through
this far - it's up to you to support his initial desire.
Study your product and everything about it - visualize the
wants of your prospective buyers - dig up the facts, and you'll
almost always find plenty of facts to support the buyer's reasons
for buying.
Here is where you use results of test conducted, growing sales
figures to prove increasing popularity, and "user"
testimonials or endorsements. It's also important that you present
these fact - test results, sales figures, and/or testimonials
- from the consumer point of view, and not that of the manufacturer
Before you end this portion of your ad and get into your demand
for action, summarize everything you've presented thus far. Draw
a mental picture for your potential buyer. Let him imagine owning
the product. Induce him to visualize all of the benefits you've
promised. Give him the keys to seeing himself richer, enjoying
luxury, having time to do whatever he'd like to do, and with
all of his dreams fulfilled.
This can be handled in one or two sentences, or spelled out
in a paragraph or more, but it's the absolute ingredient you
must include prior to closing the sale. Study all the sales presentations
you've ever heard - look at every winning ad - this the element
included in all of them that actually makes the sale for you.
Remember it, use it, and don't try to sell anything without it.
As Victor Schwab puts it 90 succinctly in his best-selling
book, How To Write A Good Advertisement: Every one of the fundamentals
in the "master formula" is necessary. Those people
who are -easy' to sell may perhaps be sold even if some of these
factors are left out, but it's wiser to plan your advertisement
go that it will have a powerful impact upon those who are "hardest"
to sell, For, unlike face-to-face selling, we cannot in printed
advertising come to a "trial close" in our sales talk
- in order to gee if those who are easier to sell will welcome
the dotted line without further persuasion. We must assume that
we are talk- ing to the hardest ones - and that the more thoroughly
our copy sells both the hard and the easy, the better chance
we have against the competition for the consumer dollars - and
also the less dependent we will be upon the usual completely
ineffective follow-through on our advertising effort which later
takes place at the sales counter itself.
ASK FOR ACTION DEMAND THE MONEY!
Lots of ads are beautiful, almost perfectly written, and quite
convincing - yet they fail to ask for or demand action from the
reader. If you want the reader to have your product, then tell
him so and demand that he send his money now. Unless you enjoy
entertaining your prospects with your beautiful writing skills,
always demand that he complete the sale now, by taking action
now - by calling a telephone number and ordering, or by writing
his check and rushing it to the post office.
Once you've got him on the hook, land him! Don't let him get
away. Probably, one of the most common and best methods of moving
the reader's to act now, is written in some form of the following:
All of this can be yours! You can start enjoying this new
way of life immediately, simply by sending a check for $XX! Don't
put it off, then later wish you had gotten in on the ground floor
Make out that check now, and "be IN on the ground floor!"
Act now, and as an "early-bird" buyer, we'll include
a big bonus package - absolutely free, simply for acting immediately!
You win all the way! We take all the risks. If you're not satisfied,
simply return the product and we'll quickly refund your money!
Do it now! Get that check on its way to us today, and receive
the big bonus package! After next week, we won't be able to include
the bonus as a part of this fantastic deal, so act now! The sooner
you act, the more you win!
Offering a reward of some kind will almost always stimulate
the prospect to take action. However, in mentioning the reward
or bonus, be very careful that you don't end up receiving primarily,
requests for the bonus with mountains of requests for refunds
on
the product to follow. The bonus should be mentioned only casually
if you're asking for product orders; and with lots of fanfare
only when you're seeking inquiries.
Too often the copywriter, in his enthusiasm to pull in a record
number of responses, confuses the reader by "forgetting
about the product," and devoting his entire space allotted
for the "demand for action" to sending for the bonus.
Any reward offered
should be closely related to the product, and a bonus offered
only for immediate action on the part of the potential buyer.
Specify a time limit. Tell your prospect that he must act
within a certain time limit or lose out on the bonus, face probably
higher prices, or even the withdrawal of your offer. This is
always a good hook to get action.
Any kind of guarantee you offer always helps to produce action
from the prospect. And the more liberal you can make your guarantee,
the more product orders you'll receive. Be sure you state the
guarantee clearly and simply. Make it so easy to understand that
even a child would not misinterpret what you're saying.
The action you want your prospect to take should be easy -
clearly stated - and devoid of any complicated procedural steps
on his part, or numerous directions for him to follow.
Picture your prospect, very comfortable in his favorite easy
chair, idly flipping thru a magazine while "half-watching"
TV. He notices your ad, reads thru it, and he's sold on your
product. Now what does he do?
Remember, he's very comfortable - you've "grabbed"
his attention, sparked his interest, painted a picture of him
enjoying a new kind of satisfaction, and he's ready to buy...
Anything and everything you ask or cause him to do is going to
disrupt this aura of comfort and contentment. Whatever he must
do had better be simple, quick and easy!
Tell him without any ifs, ands or buts, what to do - fill
out the coupon, include your check for the full amount, and send
it in to us today! Make it as easy for him as you possibly can
-simple and direct. And by all means, make sure your address
is on the
order form he's supposed to complete and mail in to you - your
name and address on the order form, as well as just above it.
People sometimes fill out a coupon, tear it off, seal it in an
envelope and don't know where to send it. The easier you make
it for him to respond, the more responses you'll get!
There you have it, a complete course on how to write ads that
will pull more orders for you - sell more of your product for
you. It's important to learn "why" ads are written
as they are - to understand and use, the "master formula"
in your own ad writing
endeavors.
By conscientiously studying good advertising copy, and practice
in writing ads of your own, now that you have the knowledge and
understand what makes advertising copy work, you should be able
to quickly develop your copyrighting abilities to produce order-pulling
ads for your own products. Even so, and once you do become proficient
in writing ads for your own products, you must never stop "noticing"
how ads are written, designed and put together by other people.
To stop learning would be comparable to shutting yourself off
from the rest of the world.
The best ad writers are people in touch with the world in
which they live. Every time they see a good ad, they clip it
out and save it. Regularly, they pull out these files of good
ads and study them, always analyzing what makes them good, and
why they work. There's no school in the country that can give
you the same kind of education and expertise so necessary in
the field of ad writing. You must keep yourself up-to-date, aware
of, and in-the-know about the other guy - his innovations, style
changes, and the
methods he's using to sell his products. On-the-job-training
- study and practice - that's what it takes - and if you've got
that burning ambition to succeed, you can do it too!
QUESTIONS ANSWERS:
l) WHAT'S THE MOST PROFITABLE WAY TO USE CLASSIFIEDS...
Classifieds are best used to build your mailing list of qualified
prospects. Use classifieds to offer a free catalog, booklet or
report relative to your product line,
2) WHAT CAN YOU SELL "DIRECTLY" FROM CLASSIFIEDS...
Generally, anything and everything, so long as it doesn't cost
more than five dollars which is about the most people will pay
in response to an offer in the classifieds. These types of ads
are great for pulling inquiries such as: Write for further information,
Send $3, get two for the price of one. Dealers wanted, send for
product info and a real money-makers kit!
3) WHAT ARE THE BEST MONTHS OF THE YEAR TO ADVERTISE...
All twelve months of the year! Responses to your ads during some
months will be slower in accumulating, but by keying your ads
according to the month they appear, and a careful tabulation
of your returns from each keyed ad, you'll see that steady year
round advertising will continue to pull orders for you, regardless
of the month it's published. I've personally received inquiries
and orders from ads placed as long as 2 years previous to the
date of the response.
4) ARE MAIL ORDER PUBLICATIONS GOOD ADVERTISING BUYS...
The least effective are the ad sheets. Most of the ads in these
publications are "exchange ads," meaning that the publisher
of ad sheet "A" runs the ads of publisher "B"
without charge, because publisher "B" is running the
ads of publisher "A" without charge. The "claimed"
circulation figures of these publications are almost always based
on "wishes, hopes and wants" while the "true"
circulation goes out to similar small, part-time mail order dealers.
Very poor medium for investing advertising dollars because everybody
receiving a copy is a "seller" and nobody is buying.
When an ad sheet is received by someone not involved in mail
order, it's usually given a cursory glance and then discarded
as "junk mail."
Tabloid newspapers are slightly better than the ad sheets,
but not by much! The important difference with the tabloids is
in the "helpful information" articles they try to carry
for the mail order beginner. A "fair media" for recruiting
dealers or independent sales reps for mail order products, and
for renting mailing lists, but still circulated amongst "sellers"
with very few buyers. Besides that, the life of a mail order
tab sheet is about the same as that of your daily newspaper.
With mail order magazines, it depends on the quality of the
publication and its business concepts. Some mail order magazines
are nothing more than expanded ad sheets, while others - such
as BOOK BUSINESS MART! Strive to help the opportunity seekers
with on-going advice and tips he can use in the development and
growth of his own wealth-building projects. Book Business Mart
is not just the fastest-growing publication on the mail order
scene today, it's also the first publication in more than 20
years to offer real help anyone can use in achieving his own
version of "The American Dream" of building one's own
business from a "shoestring beginning" into a multi-million
dollar empire!
5) HOW CAN I DECIDE WHERE TO ADVERTISE MY PRODUCT...
First of all, you have to determine who your prospective buyers
are. Then you do a little bit of market research. Talk to your
friends, neighbors and people at random who might fit this profile.
Ask them if they would be interested in a product such as yours,
and then ask them which publications they read. Next, go to your
public library for a listing of the publications of this type
from the Standard Rate & Data Service catalogs.
Make a list of the addresses, circulation figures, reader
demographics and advertising rates. To determine the true costs
of your advertising and decide which is the better buy, divide
the total audited circulation figure into the cost for a one
inch ad: $10 per inch with a publication showing 10,000 circulation
would be 10,000 into $10 or $.10 per thousand. Looking at the
advertising rates for Book Business Mart, you would take 42,500
into $15 for an advertising rate of less than THREE TENTHS OF
ONE CENT PER THOUSAND. Obviously, your best buy in this case
would be Book Business Mart because of the lower cost per thousand.
Write and ask for sample copies of the magazines you've tentatively
chosen to place your advertising in. Look over their advertising
- be sure that they don't or won't put your ad in the "gutter"
which is the inside column next to the binding. How many other
mail order type ads are they carrying - you want to go with a
publication that's busy, not one that has only a few ads. The
more ads in the publication, the better the response the advertisers
are getting, or else they wouldn't be investing their money in
that publication.
To "properly" test your ad, you should let it run
through at least three consecutive issues of any publication.
If your responses are small, try a different publication. Then,
if your responses are still small, look at your ad and think
about rewriting it for greater appeal, and pulling power. In
a great many instances, it's the ad and not the publication's
pulling power that's at fault!