Part 2 – Ways to Write More Effective Ads
Emphasize Benefits, Not Features
What are features? They are descriptions of what qualities a product possesses.
And what are benefits? They are what those features mean to your prospects.
The point is to address the benefits of the product, not its features. And when you do that, you’re focusing on your reader and his/her interests, his/her desires. The trick is to highlight those specific benefits (and word them correctly) that push your reader’s emotional hot buttons.
Push Their Emotional Hot Buttons
This is where research really pays off. Because in order to push those buttons, you need to first know what they are.
Ask the kinds of questions that will tell him/her which buttons to press on the fly. When you’re writing your copy, you don’t have that luxury. Therefore, it’s very important to know upfront the wants, needs, and desires of your prospects for that very reason. If you haven’t done your homework, your prospect is going to decide that he or she rather keep their money than buy your product. Remember, copywriting is salesmanship in print!
It’s been said many times: People don’t like to be sold.
But they do like to buy.
And they buy based on emotion first and foremost. Then they justify their decision with logic, even after they are already sold emotionally. So be sure to back up your emotional pitch with logic to nurture that justification at the end.
Incorporating Proof and Believability
When your prospect reads your ad, you want to make sure he/she believes any claims you make about your product or service. Because if there’s any doubt in his/her mind, they won’t bite, no matter how sweet the deal. In fact, the “too good to be true” mentality will virtually guarantee a lost sale…even if it is all true.
So what can you do to increase the perception of believability?
1. If you’re dealing with existing customers who already know you deliver as promised, emphasize that trust. Don’t leave it up to them to figure it out. Make them stop and say, “Oh, yeah. This Company has never done me wrong before. I can trust them.”
2. Include testimonials of satisfied customers. Be sure to put full names and locations, where possible. Remember, “A.S.” is a lot less believable than “Andy Sherman, Voorhees, NJ.” If you can also include a picture of the customer and/or a professional title, that’s even better. It doesn’t matter that your testimonials aren’t from somebody famous or that your prospect does not know these people personally. If you have enough compelling testimonials, and they’re believable, you’re much better off than not including them at all.
3. Pepper your copy with facts and research findings to support your claims. Be sure to credit all sources, even if the fact is common knowledge, because a neutral source goes a long way towards credibility.
4. Include a GREAT return policy and stand by it! This is just good business policy.
5. Reveal a flaw about your product. This helps alleviate the “too good to be true” syndrome.
6. If you are limiting the offer with a deadline “order by” date, be sure the deadline is real and does not change.
7. Avoid baseless “hype.”
That’s all for now… =)
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- Don’t Retarget Existing Customers | Display Advertising : XA.net
Internet MarketingEffective Ad Writing, How To Write Ads, Ways To Write Ads, Write Effective AdsFebruary 28, 2010
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