Art
Siegel

Twelve Ways To Make Your Advertising Produce More Results

If you place an advertisement, and it generates more profit than the ad costs, consider it a success. The next step is to widen the margin between advertising cost and results. You can improve that margin by small increments through each of these Twelve Ways To Make Your Advertising Produce More Results. 

Advertising idea 1. Add Action To Your Headlines

An action verb makes a stronger headline.

"Make Your Windows The Focal Point Of Your Room." is more powerful than "Beautiful Windows For Every Room In Your Home."

"Beat Rising Energy Costs Six Ways." is more powerful than "New Energy-Saving Thermostat."

Advertising idea 2. Tell The Truth

If you say or imply something which people later learn to be untrue, you've lost them forever as customers. And if someone takes the time to come to your premises, only to find out you have misrepresented some important attribute, they are also likely to tell their friends to avoid your business. Lies and exaggerations nearly always cost a business more than any benefits they generate.

Advertising idea 3. Shorter Is Better

Short sentences, even if they are grammatically incorrect work better than long sentences. Short paragraphs work better than long ones. Short words work better than long words. ("fast cure" is better than "timely resolution"). When you write your ad, start by writing it out the way you think it should be. Then attack every sentence and find ways to delete words and shorten words.

Advertising idea 3. Talk Like A Real Person

Many people who do a great job of describing their business verbally produce less stunning prose when they sit down to write their ads. Since the best ads use the same language as normal people speaking, try this: using a tape recorder, describe what you have to offer in 50 words or less. Then transcribe the tape and edit it as little as possible.

Advertising idea 4. Enhance The Image

In general, professional-quality photos generate better results that illustrations, and illustrations perform better than text-only ads. Either way, professional photography and art work are better than amateur work. Every business is selling quality; professional images and text do more to imply your firm's high quality.

Advertising idea 5. Sow What You Want To Reap

Price ads bring out buyers for whom price is important. Ditto quality, service, expertise, etc. If you promote one of these in your ads, you cannot easily move most buyers to different attributes. Promote something you are very good at in your ad, then be prepared to offer other advantages to help you close.

Advertising idea 6. Tell Customers What Action To Take

It's not enough to make people want your product or service. You have to tell them the next step towards purchasing it. That's why the last thing in your ad is a statement asking the buyer to call, visit, e-mail, go to your Web site or take some specific action - and what will happen of benefit to them when they take that action:

"Call our toll-free number and we will mail your free booklet today."

Advertising idea 7. Offer Choices

Prescription drug ads do this all the time: "Ask your doctors, or go to your local drug store and buy . . " They know few people are going to make a doctor's appointment before buying an over-the-counter cold remedy, but the offer of a choice adds credibility.

Advertising idea 8. Make A Small Ad Resemble A Coupon

Many people, when they see an ad that interests them, set it aside to act on later. Research shows that if the ad is in the form of a coupon, they are more likely to clip the ad out. When people remove a coupon from a periodical, they are more likely to buy, because they have already taken an action towards purchase, and the clipped coupon serves as a steady reminder. Even if you don't offer a coupon, put a heavy dashed border around your ad to make it look like a coupon. More of your prospects will then clip it out.

Advertising idea 9. Get Professional Design Help

It costs only a few hundred dollars to have a skilled professional lay out and typeset your ad. A pro can help you communicate more in the same space, and will enhance your image, leading to more sales.

Advertising idea 10. Negotiate Media Pricing

An advertising medium's rate card is usually only a starting point for negotiation. There are frequently new advertiser specials or other concessions. The easiest to get is usually a volume discount - you receive the 12-time advertiser rate, but get a commitment that you can run your ad as few as 3 times without a penalty if you cancel. Make it clear you're not cheap. You just have a limited budget and if the ad works as promised, you plan to spend some of the proceeds on more and bigger ads in the future.

Advertising idea 11. State The Benefit

You know that a particular fact or specification is good, but do all of your prospects. For every fact, state the benefit.

"We have a dedicated group of service specialists, so you're in and out without delay."

"Every item is thoroughly tested in our labs. You know it will work perfectly the first time and every time."

Advertising idea 12. Make One Clear Point

Sure, there are lots of reasons why you're the best. But the more of them you include in your ads the more you diffuse your message. Use your most important advantage in your ad to get people to contact you. Then get to know their needs and tell them about the other benefits of doing business with you.

Plus One More Idea: Know What Will Happen Next

When ads produce poor results, the principal reason often has nothing to do with the quality of the ad; it has to do with what happens after the ad. For example: The ad asks people to call for a free estimate, but there aren't enough people manning the phones to handle all the responses, or they haven't been adequately trained to reinforce the messages in the ad. Another example: The ad invites people to ask for the free information, but the clerical staff takes over 2 weeks to mail out the literature.

When you run an ad, its main job is to trigger a specific action by your prospects, leading to some sales action by your staff. Unless everyone understands the mission of the ad, is fully trained on how they are respond, and all resources are lined up to respond quickly, many of your ad dollars will be totally wasted. Worse, your lack of proper response will ensure that some people who intended to buy from you never contact your company again.

SeaBird Associates Inc
3011 NE 7th Drive
Boca Raton, FL 33431
Phone: 561-750-9233
E-mail: Art Siegel

About Art Siegel