It has been said many times that men rule with words. The meaning of that is that you don’t have to have a totally unique product to be successful. More than ninety percent of the most successful affiliates use products that are not unique. What you will have to do to be successful is create the perception that your product is unique or different, and emphasize it in your advertising.
Advertising will provide potential customers. Building effective ads is an art that many go to school to learn how to do and then do for a living. This article will show you how… without all four years of school…
The strongest holder stands alone
I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that your ad will be among many others that might offer the same or a similar product. The good news is that people looking for ads are looking for something. Some experts have said that the wording of your headline counts between 70% and 80% of the effectiveness of your advertising. It makes sense considering that your headline is the initial customer contact. The person who will get the business is the person with the strongest, most interesting and captivating headline.
- Be direct, not general You must be specific in all your ads. Being general makes your ads seem made up and unreal. Being specific makes your ad more credible. Instead of saying “Get more sales in less time” use “Make up to 10 more sales a day”. Instead of “Get big checks delivered to your home fast,” say “Get up to $5,325 after your first month of business.” See the difference? Exact numbers are easy to connect and should ALWAYS be used whenever you can. Without them, your headlines will look like lies that will always be overlooked.
- Get their attention Studies have shown that ad headlines that are framed in quotes get 28% more attention. It gives the impression that someone is actually talking to the customer, and that alone makes your headlines more effective and more likely to be read. Also, focus on who you’re targeting with your ad. What are your wishes? What are your fears? Exploit them and you will have written a successful advertisement.
- Use professional typefaces/fonts (does not apply to PPC advertising) Whenever possible, always use Times Roman, serif, or a sans-serif font for your ads. It gives them a professional look. We recommend Times Roman. On a written page it is easier to understand. On the Internet, use Arial. In a place where there are many other ads, understanding your ad is key. Strive for an editorial appearance. People are more likely to pay attention to things that don’t scream “I’m an advertisement!” Prepared that way, it lends itself to credibility and will produce more sales.
- Make the Ad Promising There are words that make your headline prompt a question and then allow the body to answer that question. “How”, “here it is”, “these”, “which of these”, “who else”, “where”, “when”, “what”, “why” are all examples of this. “How to Win Friends and Influence People” was the headline announcing the book of the same name. Also, exact amounts like number of days, evenings, hours, minutes, dollars draw the reader into the body of your ad.
-
The point of “you”
The power that the words “you”, “your” and “yourself” have is phenomenal. A study once showed that given a fountain pen and a blank sheet of paper, 96 percent of 500 college women wrote their own names. Also, when shown a map of the United States, 447 out of 500 men search for their hometown first. It is obvious that we are all the “peak of the mountain” when it comes to what we perceive to be most important. “I. I am the first”, is the thought of his client. Your ad should satisfy that feeling and “you” whenever possible.
-
Out with the old…
Inside with the new. Our society does not have what is called “neophobia”, or the fear of the new. We automatically associate new ideas or products with being “better.” Therefore, our desire for the “new and improved” is stronger than our ties to the “tried and true.” Remember, you are trying to create a unique perception about your product. Use the novelty (or perceived novelty) of your product to capture attention and sales.
Let’s take a look at some tried and true headlines that use these tips (see how some of these ads use the techniques I just mentioned):
“A little mistake that cost a farmer $3000 a year”
What mistake did he make? This announcement and the corresponding article were published in an agricultural magazine. There are certain cases where the idea of the negative can actually bring positive results. The idea of reducing or eliminating a loss is more attractive than a possible gain. Most people would work harder to keep what they have already earned than to possibly gain something of greater value. This is the “protect what I have philosophy”, and it applies to everything we own. They also believe that losses are easier to prevent than to generate new gains.
“Don’t buy a desk—until you’ve seen this sensation from the business show”
This ad gains control of the read by command copy (which will be discussed further in Part 2). The words “Buy No Desk” make the reader stop and ask, “why not?” From then on, the client is his to input whatever “feels” he has to offer.
“When doctors ‘feel bad’, this is what they do”
This ad only got half the response when it was changed to “When doctors don’t feel up to it.” Because? The second headline fails to stop people. The wording of it is so simple. There is no rule that says you have to be correct or politically correct in your language (except for the use of profanity). Slang words and surprise phrases bring your ad to life and give it a down-to-earth quality that people will relate to. They are more likely to trust you, and trust means orders to you. The phrase “feeling rotten” has that effect. Another example that uses the stopping power of uncommon words is “Do you have a ‘tummy ache’ from what you cook?” Can you guess which word in that ad is stopper?
“Suppose this happened on your wedding day!”
This ad is in a narrative format. It does not ask a question or offer any information. Instead, you give him just enough to draw him in, but then he pauses until he reads the article or the rest of the ad, or maybe he has to buy something to find out the rest. The reader has to ask the question “did it happen to me or could it happen to me?” This is very effective, because everyone wants to be part of the norm and not part of the abnormal. Another example of this is “Thousands have this priceless gift, but never find out!” The reader wonders: “What is this gift? If ‘thousands’ have it, maybe I have it too.” The idea of the undiscovered has HUGE appeal.
“Discover the fortune that is hidden in your salary!”
This ace is similar to the one just above it. It takes the allure associated with the undiscovered and puts it in your face. It also goes further and twists the previously mentioned “keep what I have” perspective and tweaks it to say “get more out of what you already have”. This headline also gives the impression of being a news headlines (this format is mentioned a bit further down). I pause to discuss the power of the word. “discover” (and words and phrases like that like discover, reveal secrets, find ___ hidden for a long time, etc.). It works best when you mean discovering something they already have (remember the “protect what I have” philosophy). There is not a person in this world who is not willing to find some information that he can benefit from. Your customer is outside of himself. We live in a selfish society. It’s sad but true. Your job is to exploit that egoism, use it to your advantage, and satisfy your client’s egotistical curiosity. The word “discover”, when used appropriately, allows you to do all of that.
“Who else wants a screen star figure?”
The emphasis here is on “who else.” The sentiment conveyed has a “join the bandwagon” effect. The ad reads: “They’re here for the taking… who wants one?”
“Do you do any of these 10 embarrassing things?
Direct question. One of the 3 most used formats for ads is the question format. This ad asks a question that requires a yes or no answer. When people read it they ask, “What are the ten things?” and “Do I do any of them?” It also appeals to the emotions, because nobody likes to be embarrassed. A similar headline reads: “Do you make these mistakes in English?” Do you get the idea?
“How to do wonders with a small earth!”
Another commonly used format for advertisements is the instructional format. This ad lures readers in by promising them how to do something spectacular that they don’t know how to do yet. Other examples of this are “How to plan your home to suit you” and “How to improve your memory in 1 night”.
The easiest headline to write is as headline. All you have to do is fill in the blanks:
How ______________________ and __________________…
In the white spaces should be the greatest benefits for the client. If nothing else, this headline will get an average response. He plays with it. start by enumerating all the benefits that your product has, even if you think the customer would not be interested in them. It can be its usefulness, its low price, its size, or even its guarantee (be careful with that). list them all. Then come up with as many headlines about your product as you can. Before you know it, you’ll have more headlines than you can use. Don’t worry too much about the length of your headlines. In general, they should be shorter in length. Obviously, it’s probably bad design to make them longer than their purpose demands. However, if they’re longer than “normal” (and depending on who you’re talking to, that varies), that’s fine, as long as the headline hits the readers’ most important points of interest, is well spaced, and is easy to understand. Making it clear and understandable is extremely important. A reader or customer will not continue reading your ad to understand it. They’ll just move on to the next ad that catches their interest, and you’ll never make money that way. You are now ready to write your ads for your product. Lastly, look at your competition and study what they do. Don’t just look at a web search or a week of classified ads. Examine them over a period of time. The most successful ads are the ones you see most often and the ones that have been running the longest. That means they must be getting answers. Most publications will tell you how long a certain ad has been running if you call and ask. Find the best ones and copy or improve them. Remember, don’t reinvent the wheel. Locate…then duplicate!