Understanding The Basics Of Advertising
I get the L.A. Times delivered to my door every day, but I don't
read it for the articles. It is a Pulitzer Prize winning
newspaper, but the articles just don't interest me. Unlike most
people, I read the paper for the advertisements because there is
a lot to learn from them.
Over 90% of the ads run in the Los Angeles Times are horrible!
Most of the ads I see are either ego-driven, have no headline,
have no call to action, don't appeal to what the buyer is truly
looking for or needs help with, or they're trying to be clever
for clever-sake, and fail miserably.
When writing copy, I live by this premise:
"The purpose of advertising is to sell something."
Advertising is like an investment that you hope to get a great
return on. However, most people treat it like they're playing
Roulette in Vegas and bet all their money "on black."
The basics of good copy is to think in terms of words that sell.
Following are some basics in advertising that should help you
make your advertising more effective.
1. Concentrate on your prospects. In the end you must persuade
him/her no matter what method you use. And to do that, you must
understand how he/she thinks.
2. Know your product - its materials, its manufacturer, its use,
etc. Know its features inside and out.
3. Find the problem your product solves. The solution would, of
course, be the benefit. It may be a mental, spiritual, physical,
or financial benefit, but as advertising legend Maxwell Sackheim
once said, "your product must have an excuse for its existence."
4. Never start writing your advertisement until you're totally
excited about the task at hand. If you're not excited about your
product, it will come out in your writing, and hence, the lack
of results your ad produces.
5. Advertising is essentially news. Your ads must inform,
educate, enlighten, inspire, or promise a reward for taking
action. Apply your USP (Unique Selling Proposition) to your news
angle. The USP works great as a news angle because if you're the
ONLY one in town that does , isn't that news? If you have
the lowest price in town and you tell them why you can beat
every one else, isn't that news? It sure is. Ads should educate
and inform, as well as persuade and move people to action.
Understanding these basics of advertising will put you head and
shoulders above your competition. Why? Because in my blunt
opinion, 90% of all advertising stinks! And, most business
owners (and some advertising agencies) don't understand that
"the only purpose of advertising is to sell something."
To learn how to write hard-selling copy and to master the basics
of advertising from a world-class copywriter, get Joe Vitale's
new course, "Advanced Hypnotic Writing" at:
http://www.roibot.com/adhyp.cgi?R29882~_campaign