Four Essential Tips for Great Advertising Copy
Even in this age of multimedia advertising, you still need compelling copy to convince consumers that your product or service provides the highest value for the money they will pay. Using the proper images will set the right mood but it’s the copy that usually seals the deal. This holds true for all mediums including print ads, websites, email marketing, direct mail and television marketing. Here are four essential tips for creating great advertising copy.
1. Use an Attention Grabbing Headline – You need a headline that will compel people to stop and read more about the product or service you’re offering. The importance of a good headline can not be over stressed. It is the key part of your ad that determines whether someone ignores your copy or reads on. It’s important to choose the right words for your headline so that it will grab the attention of your target market. Look at the most successful ads in the market today and you’ll easily see which ads have success headlines because they are the ones you’ll stop and read.
2. Craft the Copy to Your Target Audience - To be most effective, your copy needs to be tailored to the the consumers you’re trying to reach. Copy intended to sell to business executives needs to be written differently than copy intended to reach engineers or sell to retail consumers. Different advantages and features need to be stressed. Each group has a different perspective. They each will have different questions your copy needs to answer; and each have different needs even though all of them may benefit from what you’re offering.
3. Stand Out from the Competition – Stress the advantages you offer over your competition. Study both your business and that of your competition to discover the positive attributes that differentiate your business. Then turn these advantages into irresistible selling points. Look at even the smallest things you do or features your product offers. Do you use an old family recipe, provide an extended warrantee, or offer on-time delivery? Find what you do best and use it to create added value.
4. Get People to Take Action – Great copy convinces people to take action. All advertising is useless if it doesn’t get people to pick up the phone and call you, stop in to your shop, or request more information. This call to action has to be properly written to avoid the look of a hard sell. The potential client needs to feel good about taking the next step to buying what you’re offering. It is a common and often fatal mistake to forget to include a call to action or next step in your advertising.
Years of advertising research show that these are critical aspects for creating copy that sells. Try using these tips in your next ad campaign to get a better return on your ad dollars. Send me an email at jpaine@twoaz1.com and let me know how these tips have worked for you.
