HOW TO WRITE ADS THAT WORK Action Points

Transcription

1 HOW TO WRITE ADS THAT WORK Action Points 1. INTRO. Ads can be an amazing wealth tool o One good ad can transform your biz o Can keep running them - profit machine o But most ads don t work. o Because people haven t learned how 2. BRAND VS SELLING. 2 jobs and ad can do. o 1. Build the brand Gucci, BP, banks o 2. Sell product electrical goods stores, supermarkets, small businesses o Great ads do both. o I ll be concentrating on the second type 3. GET CLEAR ON OBJECTIVES. Branding? Selling? If selling, how much? What is success/how many products do you have to sell to break even? Must know your numbers. Most don t 4. KNOW YOUR MARKET. Who are your customers? a. Demographically - age, location, income, sex, family b. Psychographically - needs, wants, desires, feelings, mindset. Example: Shampoo - women aged 18 to 35, lower income, very style conscious

2 o Who are your competitors - Offering? Price? What do they say against you? 5. THE TWO PRIMARY DRIVERS Buyers driven by two things Fear- of losing/wasting money/ emotional or physical pain/ ridicule o E.G. Insurance: How will your family cope if you re gone? Desire- better life, easier, more popular, richer o E.G. Holidays. Imagine you were on this beach. Both work well. Include them. Even both. Which is stronger? Usually fear. 6. A STRUCTURE THAT WORKS Headline Offer - special deal/opportunity Deadline - make people act - time - sales ends Friday - quantity - only 20 available - popularity - real estate 7. POWERFUL HEADLINES Super important - Ogilvy 80% Spend most time Write Fin Review 300+/Finesse them Rules - Clear -WIIFM -Different -Offer 8. USEFUL HEADLINE WORDS How to o How save 40% on your xxxx. New o New vacuum cleaner cuts cleaning time in half Free o Free shirt when you buy xxx A question - Are you sick of paying a fortune for printer ink?

3 Outrageous statement - When I m horny I drop the price of all my furniture Testimonial - He was the quickest plumber I d ever seen News style Carpet cleaner changes industry with amazing discount offer Introduction - Introducing the biggest range of summer ties we ve ever had. At Last - At last. Beautiful curtains that don t cost the earth. Reasons - 5 reasons why you should train at Joe s gym 9. PERSUASIVE COPY Short sentences Lots of air Talking to one person/conversational Don t be afraid of long copy- Merrill Lynch - Timberland - use subheads Succinct - stop when you re finished. Fit the tone to the brand o Diesel/ Stella Artois Always have a call to action 10. DESIGNING YOUR ADS. Don t over design - keep it simple/neat o Limit typefaces o Look 20% different o Suit the message o Consider photos/ illustrations o It s not about the logo 11. DESIGN TRICKS Spot colour Doodles Captions Thick borders Reverse type Unusual shapes - long, tiny, L shaped 12. TEST DIFFERENT VERSIONS Can make big difference e.g - 2 for 1/ 50% off

4 Headlines, copy, size, day, color Blind man story 13. ADVERTORIALS Often more read People don t trust ads Do trust journalists Longer copy 14. GUARANTEES 1. Most people too scared 2. The #1 reason people don t buy 3. Risk wrong product/price/ can t afford 4. Guarantees eliminate that 5. Make it big 6. Make it special 1 year guarantee 7. Money back plus $ STORIES People love them Highly memorable History of company History of product About staff Reasons why having a sale What s happening at the company Don t have to be long Great for brochures/sales presentations too

5 16. THINGS TO AVOID Boasting - car ads Highly memorable Multiple objectives Including the unimportant Not testing Doing what everyone else does 17. SUMMARY Amazing wealth opportunity But most don t work Brand vs. selling Get clear on objectives Know your market The 2 primary drivers- fear/desire

6 MY NOTES