In my work as a copywriter, I am often asked by clients how they can improve the return they get on their investments in marketing and advertising. I'd like to tell you about the mistakes which small businesses tend to make in their ads so that you can avoid making them yourself.
Layout
Many small business ads look like a shopping list, this is the biggest mistake to avoid.
They'll put the company name at the top instead of an attention getting headline and follow with dry copy which simply does not hold the reader's interest. No compelling reason is given to follow up; and the ad concludes with a phone number and address.
These ads are ineffective; they don't get prospective customers to care about your company. Your reader wants to know one thing: what's in it for him or her.
Here's a better layout for selling that works well in almost any situation:
Headline at the top. (Don't be tricky: just state the strongest benefit of your product or service.)
Coupon or contact number at bottom right (called the "anchor point" of the ad).
Your company name and address should go in the bottom left corner. Your reader will look for it once you have made your case.
If you are using photos or illustrations, place headlines underneath them to keep your reader's eyes moving down the page. Make your headlines and photos part of a narrative.
A series of benefit-rich bullet points (long copy is also great, but much more difficult to write.)
How are your ads structured? Do they look like a list, or do they tell a story and give a call to action? If your ads read like a list, then you'll see better results by changing things up.
Failing to Test and Track Ad Response
You should always test and track your ads. Even a slight change can generate many more sales for the same product or service. Testing and tracking can help you to cut out what isn't working and keep what performs well.
How to Track Advertising Response
It's very simple to track your ads. For instance, you can ask callers how they found out about your business. If you have a lot of different ads out there, you can track things with more complex methods such as the following:
Use colour coded coupons in print ads, or track coupons with codes. You can also have callers mention a special offer to track the success of your ads.
If you're advertising online, it's even easier, you can use tracking software to compare response rates between different ads.
One of my clients a while back tracked their advertising response rates and found that their expensive print ad campaign was bringing in almost no responses, while a nearly free flyering campaign was generating a lot of business. They were able to drop the print ads and save a lot of money while having a more effective advertising and marketing campaign.
What To Test
You should test these things in your ads:
Headlines Offers Body Copy Guarantee Price
Headlines are the most important, test and fine tune these first.
If you hit on something which works well, stick with it until you find something which works even better.
Just making sure that your ads are working well can dramatically increase your business; you may want to think about taking on a in-house copywriter. This can make a lot of difference in your advertising return on investment.
Not Making The Most of a Powerful Guarantee
A lot of small businesses fail to offer a strong guarantee in their ads. You need to do this, since a guarantee can increase your response rates by 50% and up.
Gurantees work because they remove the risk of purchase from your customer, making it easier for them to buy. When you guarantee your product or service, you're showing confidence that it will produce the result you claim, customers respond to that.
Here are a few tips for successfully incorporating your guarantee into your ads:
1. Your guarantee needs to make specific promises as to results.
Don't use boilerplate phrases like "Satisfaction Guaranteed" or even "Money-Back Guaranteed". While these are probably better than nothing, they don't have a fraction of the effect of a specific promise like:
"Be thrilled with your treatment or we'll pay you to go to the competition"
" Enjoy a minimum 50% increase in website traffic within 60 days or your money back"
"Send $45 to [Your Company Name and Address]. If you're not satisfied, we'll send you back $50."
2. Test Your Guarantee
In my work as a small business marketing consultant and copywriter, I often work with clients to develop a powerful guarantee. Sometimes the business owners are hesitant, what will happen if customers try to take advantage of a money-back offer? The simple answer to this is to test. Test small at first (one ad with the guarantee, versus one ad without). Keep track of the difference in sales results and any returns or refund requests. If it works, keep doing it!
I've always found that a strong guarantee generates more than enough additional sales to cover any returns or refund requests.
Also test different aspects of your guarantee (e.g. wording, time period, conditions etc.) The difference in sales generated by a 30 day and 60 day guarantee can be significant.
3. Make your guarantee highly visible
If you have a strong guarantee, don't hide it away where it won't be seen. Strong guarantees make great headlines. Visual devices such as a "Money-Back Guarantee" rosette also work well but remember to enlarge on your guarantee statement.
What can you offer prospective customers in terms of a guarantee that will make them more interested in doing business with you? - 15790
Layout
Many small business ads look like a shopping list, this is the biggest mistake to avoid.
They'll put the company name at the top instead of an attention getting headline and follow with dry copy which simply does not hold the reader's interest. No compelling reason is given to follow up; and the ad concludes with a phone number and address.
These ads are ineffective; they don't get prospective customers to care about your company. Your reader wants to know one thing: what's in it for him or her.
Here's a better layout for selling that works well in almost any situation:
Headline at the top. (Don't be tricky: just state the strongest benefit of your product or service.)
Coupon or contact number at bottom right (called the "anchor point" of the ad).
Your company name and address should go in the bottom left corner. Your reader will look for it once you have made your case.
If you are using photos or illustrations, place headlines underneath them to keep your reader's eyes moving down the page. Make your headlines and photos part of a narrative.
A series of benefit-rich bullet points (long copy is also great, but much more difficult to write.)
How are your ads structured? Do they look like a list, or do they tell a story and give a call to action? If your ads read like a list, then you'll see better results by changing things up.
Failing to Test and Track Ad Response
You should always test and track your ads. Even a slight change can generate many more sales for the same product or service. Testing and tracking can help you to cut out what isn't working and keep what performs well.
How to Track Advertising Response
It's very simple to track your ads. For instance, you can ask callers how they found out about your business. If you have a lot of different ads out there, you can track things with more complex methods such as the following:
Use colour coded coupons in print ads, or track coupons with codes. You can also have callers mention a special offer to track the success of your ads.
If you're advertising online, it's even easier, you can use tracking software to compare response rates between different ads.
One of my clients a while back tracked their advertising response rates and found that their expensive print ad campaign was bringing in almost no responses, while a nearly free flyering campaign was generating a lot of business. They were able to drop the print ads and save a lot of money while having a more effective advertising and marketing campaign.
What To Test
You should test these things in your ads:
Headlines Offers Body Copy Guarantee Price
Headlines are the most important, test and fine tune these first.
If you hit on something which works well, stick with it until you find something which works even better.
Just making sure that your ads are working well can dramatically increase your business; you may want to think about taking on a in-house copywriter. This can make a lot of difference in your advertising return on investment.
Not Making The Most of a Powerful Guarantee
A lot of small businesses fail to offer a strong guarantee in their ads. You need to do this, since a guarantee can increase your response rates by 50% and up.
Gurantees work because they remove the risk of purchase from your customer, making it easier for them to buy. When you guarantee your product or service, you're showing confidence that it will produce the result you claim, customers respond to that.
Here are a few tips for successfully incorporating your guarantee into your ads:
1. Your guarantee needs to make specific promises as to results.
Don't use boilerplate phrases like "Satisfaction Guaranteed" or even "Money-Back Guaranteed". While these are probably better than nothing, they don't have a fraction of the effect of a specific promise like:
"Be thrilled with your treatment or we'll pay you to go to the competition"
" Enjoy a minimum 50% increase in website traffic within 60 days or your money back"
"Send $45 to [Your Company Name and Address]. If you're not satisfied, we'll send you back $50."
2. Test Your Guarantee
In my work as a small business marketing consultant and copywriter, I often work with clients to develop a powerful guarantee. Sometimes the business owners are hesitant, what will happen if customers try to take advantage of a money-back offer? The simple answer to this is to test. Test small at first (one ad with the guarantee, versus one ad without). Keep track of the difference in sales results and any returns or refund requests. If it works, keep doing it!
I've always found that a strong guarantee generates more than enough additional sales to cover any returns or refund requests.
Also test different aspects of your guarantee (e.g. wording, time period, conditions etc.) The difference in sales generated by a 30 day and 60 day guarantee can be significant.
3. Make your guarantee highly visible
If you have a strong guarantee, don't hide it away where it won't be seen. Strong guarantees make great headlines. Visual devices such as a "Money-Back Guarantee" rosette also work well but remember to enlarge on your guarantee statement.
What can you offer prospective customers in terms of a guarantee that will make them more interested in doing business with you? - 15790
About the Author:
About the author: David B. Ascot has important information regarding sales lead generation strategies that will assist your company expand through online lead generation.