How to write compelling ad copy for your blog or website to get the best result? What is the difference between writing advertisement copy online as compared to print ads? What is the most important part of an ad copy?
The main purpose of advertising is to make sales. Advertising is salesmanship in print. It may appeal to thousands while the salesman talks to one. A salesman mistake may cost little. An advertising mistake could cost thousand times more especially in print ads
Ads are not written for amusement. Avoid humor and unique literary style. They take attention from the subject. Any hard selling creates resistance and suspicion that an effort is made to sell. Successful salespeople are plain and sincere who knows their customers and use words that convince, so it is in ad writing.
Any word you write must help to sell. Ask yourself, “Would this help me sell if I meet and say it to the buyer face-to-face?” When you write an ad, imagine before you a typical buyer. You have a blurred view when you think of people in the mass. Think of a typical individual who is likely to be interested in your subject. Think and say to that single person just what you think a good salesman should say. A good salesman is sincere. There is no boasting, entertainment, or useless talk.
To say, “Best in the world,” is only your claim and it has no value. Such a statement lends readers to disregard all the statements that you make in your ad copy. Tell the truth and be specific. Use facts to prove your claims.
A good advertising copy should be about the buyer and not the seller. The prospects are not interested in your product or service. They are interested only in themselves. Successful offer always provide a reason for ordering today. Reasons can be price, premium, limited time or quantity. The more believable you make your offer, the more success you will have.
Avoid saying too much in details. Your reader will enjoy more reading your copy if you allow him or her to think, than when you are too obvious. You don’t have to explain everything in details. Let your reader create more pleasurable mental image.
The perceived value of your offer is very important to justify the purchase. You have to make sure that your prospects really feel they’re getting value.
The feeling of involvement or ownership is a great sales tool. Some companies use this technique by allowing people to keep a product for free for a short period.
The entire ad copy has to be credible. If you present a dishonest claim, the consumer will see right through it
Don’t offer too many choices to your prospects except in a catalog or online. When the consumer has to make a choice, the offer loses its impact. When you complicate an offer, you’re going to confuse your prospects. A confused mind always says no to any offer.
A sense of curiosity is very important factor that can help you in your advertising campaign. The consumer cannot touch and hold the product. A curious mind wants to see or figure out the end results and the only way to do it is to buy it.
Most successful sales people are very warm and friendly. They try to get the consumer to say yes from the beginning. They know that getting the consumer in that state of mind makes their work much easier to close the sale.
Most people don’t take the time to read every word of an advertisement; they scan-read particularly on the Web. Most people, if not all, only just look at the headline, and only if the headline grab their attention and make them interested, they will scan the text of your ad and read the first paragraph.
The headline is the most important part of any advertising copy. If you fail to capture the attention of your target market, the best sales copy will not be read.
Before writing your headline, you must know what your potential customers really care about. People don’t waste time on things they don’t care about. Your headline and copy should be directed to your target market. Be clear about who you are marketing to.
1. Headline must be directed to your target audience and grab their attention by pointing out the biggest benefit or the big promise related to your product or service you plan to offer.
2. Remember the basic formula for writing copy that sells: AIDA-Attention, Interest, Desire, Action.
You must first get reader’s attention with a powerful headline, and then keep them interested by asking questions, giving examples, and stating benefits. Next, stir their desire by demonstrating to them all the advantages of owning the product or service you are offering. Finally, you must ask for the order and make it urgent and easy for them to place the order now.
3. After the headline, your first paragraph or first line of copy must capture the reader’s interest right away and make the reader curious enough to want to read the second paragraph. If your content is not clear, you will lose a huge percentage of people almost immediately. You must communicate complex information in a simple and clear manner. Remember to always lead with the strongest single benefit for your target market.
4. If necessary, say the same thing several times from different angles to make sure that the reader clearly understands your point. Repetition helps to make your point clear and avoid misunderstanding.
5. Use “you” copy. Write in a simple, easy to understand conversational tone as if you were writing to a friend. Remember that one person at a time read your ad. Good advertising copy is always sincere, honest, and direct. Try to develop “you” copy, not “I” copy.
6. Your entire copy must appeal to emotions and not intellect. Fact-filled copy alone would not work in advertising copy. Emotional appeals and the promise of personalized benefits will increase your response rate far more than ad copy that is purely logical. Use emotional words and paint a picture for your prospects believing and to see themselves utilizing and enjoying the benefits of your product or service. Remember that people buy based on emotions and justify their purchases based on intellect.
7. Use keywords that people respond to, such as you, your, guarantee, new, health, love, success, easy, simple, proven, save, safety, and so on.
8. Be specific with benefits. Real benefits are specific benefits. Don’t tell your prospects they can be thinner; tell them how much thinner they can be. You are not promising that everyone who uses your product will achieve the same results.
Turn every product feature into a buyer benefit. Always lead with buyer benefits, and only later follow with product features. A feature is a component of your product or what your product is made of. For example, features of information products include, but are not limited to:
For example, you might say, “you get 14 detailed ways in 44 thorough pages about how to decorate your home before making it available for a quick sale ….all with 26 full-color photos showing you how to make your home more appealing. Avoid any single tip… and your home can remain in the market unsold for a long time.”
9. Give reader some free information in your ad copy. Your free information might be news, predictions, advice, unusual facts, trends, how-to instructions, etc.
10. Your claims must be believable. Never exaggerate because you lose credibility with your readers. Always try to be honest.
11. Use testimonials in your copy. People tend to believe the real customer’s wording than purely advertising copy.
12. End each page with an incomplete sentence so the reader will scroll to the new page.
13. Restate the key benefits of your offer close to the end of your copy. Offer guaranty, a bonus gift, or whatever to make your offer sound urgent.
14. Use subheads throughout your copy. Subheads are mini headlines that draw the attention and make your copy easy to read.
15. Make your offer clear to your prospects, and ask for the order by giving clear instructions. The essence of Web link is to help people complete a task allowing them to move from one step in the task to the next. Avoid using “click here” or “download”. Links should be a call to action. Remember to make offers that get people to buy immediately.
16. Always write more copy than you need. If you need one page of copy, write at least two pages, and then trim it down to one page.
17. Testing is an important part of any successful copy. Always try to test headlines, first paragraph, subheads, offer and price. Be sure to test before committing your entire budget. However, don’t waste your time testing small details such as the color of font or small changes in price.
And finally, the more you learn about how to write advertising copy and marketing, the better chance you have in succeeding in your online or offline business.
By Paul Ziglar – 2019 – Update 2020
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For additional articles written by Paul Ziglar, see alliedpublishing.com/copywriting. Paul Ziglar is the author of How to Write Successful Advertising Copy That Make Money published in 2019.