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Effective Display Ads
1.
Here's how spiritual marketing
works for display ads
by Barbara Casey
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Get clear about the purpose of
your ad. Do you want your ad to generate: (a) leads; (b) mail order or phone
sales; (c) store or website visits?
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Using the Law of Attraction,
select your target audience (what you see in your mind as your “perfect
clients”).
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Craft a soul-stirring headline
that makes your targeted prospects want to read further. You have about 2
seconds to catch their interest.
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Focus your ad’s message on just
one of your prospects’ needs or wants and show how you can help.
Multiple choice in an ad is confusing.
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Write simply and from the heart.
Let readers feel your energy.
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Include testimonials to make
prospects feel safe about contacting you.
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Indicate clearly how you wish
readers to respond: (a) call for free report, more information or to make an
appointment; (b) visit your store or website, (c) send check with order.
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An attractive ad feels good when
you look at it. Design is important.
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Give readers an incentive to
respond: (a) free gift; (b) free information; (c) free sample; (d) money
back guarantee.
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Before mailing your ad, meditate
with it, projecting into it your energy and your intent that it succeed in
its purpose. The Law of Attraction handles the rest.
(c) Copyright by Barbara Casey.
2.
7 Ways to Increase
Response Rate to your Display Ads
by Barbara Casey
Have you ever thought
that your display ads should be pulling in more clients or selling more
products? If you're less than satisfied with the results of your current
advertising program, here are some pointers that might be of help:
1. If you own a small or home-based business, consider appealing to a niche
audience to improve the cost-effectiveness of your marketing. T
2. Visualize your "ideal" client and research the publications he or
she reads most frequently. You could survey your current clients to help you
acquire this information. Your library's reference desk can also steer you to
directories of magazines and newspapers. Then test your ads in these
publications to see which bring the best response.
3. Know the mission of your ad.
Is it meant to: (a) sell products directly, (b) generate sales leads, (c) build
brand (product) awareness or (d) build your company's image?
(a) If you are trying to sell something in your ad, you'll need great writing,
lots of space and many ways in which your prospects can order from you. Your ad
needs to do a complete selling job in order to result in a purchase.
(b) If you are attempting to acquire sales leads -- responses from prospective
buyers who wish more information -- your ad needs to tantalize buyers to contact
you for more complete details, which you can give in person, by phone, by mail,
or through your website.
(c) If you want prospects to become more aware of a particular product or
service you offer, you'll need to create an impression that "sticks in
their minds." What "position" do you want your product or service
to claim in the marketplace? Is your product the first, fastest, cheapest, most
luxurious, most accurate, biggest, most unusual? Is your service the most
expert, most sympathetic, most cutting edge, most believable in your field? What
category do you want to own? You'll want to get this message across in your ad.
Remember what happened to "The Real Thing" when it tried to become
"The New Thing." For generations, Coca Cola's ads succeeded in
establishing its position in the marketplace. Coke must have forgotten that it
already owned the concept "the original real Cola" in the minds of its
customers. This was so entrenched that people could not accept the newer, modern
version, even though it won many taste tests over the "real" version. What
ONE thing do you want people to remember YOU for?
(d) A corporate ad works to build your company's image. If you have a new
business, or if you are trying to re-position your business, you might try an
informational ad about your company or practice. Just be aware that unless you
word your ad to generate a response, your ad will simply "sit there"
on the page.
4. Make sure your headline gets the attention of the right people by:
-- appealing to your prospects' self-interest
-- announcing news they will be interested in
-- piquing their curiosity
-- offering a quick, easy solution to their problem
-- offering free information
-- identifying your target market in the headline
-- using proven headline grabbers such as: "introducing, announcing, new,
now, special offer, free, how to."
5. Emphasize the positive more than the negative. Talk about the healing, rather
than the pain; about the improvement rather than the problem. Show the positive
benefit to be gained by using your product or service.
6. Use photos or illustrations that add sales value to your ads. Make sure
people know what you're offering. If it's yourself and your professional
services, a professionally made head and shoulders photo works very well. If you
don't have a really good product photo or illustration, you're better off trying
to sell with well-chosen words.
7. To make it easier for people to respond to your ads, offer a number of
different ways they can reach you. Use a combination of: phone number, mailing
address, e-mail address, website URL and clip-out order form. The more options
you provide, the more credible your business looks. Also...some people prefer to
write rather than phone for information, so make sure to include your mailing
addresses when you can (postal and e-mail).
(c) Copyright by Barbara Casey.
3.
10 Ways to Increase the
Effectiveness of Your Display Ads
by Barbara Casey
If your display ads aren't pulling in as many
responses as you would like, here are ten tips for making them more effective.
(1) Determine your target market -- who are the people you want to attract?
Advertise in publications you know they read and word your ad with your ideal
client's needs and wants in mind.
(2) Decide on one purpose for your ad. Do you want to generate: (a) leads, (b)
mail order or phone sales, (c) store or website visits? The purpose will
determine the points you emphasize in your ad.
(3) Do you wish to attract people new to your field, people who have never tried
your type of service before? If so, make sure to keep your ad wording concrete
and jargon-free. Create a word picture they can relate to.
(4) Use an attention-grabbing headline. One of the marketing e-zines I subscribe
to recommends studying the ads in publications such as The National Enquirer.
Apparently these ads draw a huge response and are written by some of the top ad
copywriters in the business.
You have mere seconds to catch the interest of people scanning the ads in a
publication. To make sure they stop at yours, speak to their wants and needs.
For example:
(Dieters Market) Safe, natural diet really works!
(Business Market) Do you need more walk-in business traffic? Case histories
prove Feng Shui brings in customers.
(Spiritual Seekers Market) Did you ever wonder where Heaven is? Church of _____
has answers.
(Business Opportunities Market) Are you still waiting for your ship to come in?
Success coaching can help speed it along.
(Alternative Health Market) Lengthen your pet's life.
Do you see how each headline shows the benefit to be gained by reading further?
Also, each headline is written to catch the attention of a specific target
market -- the people who are likely to be interested in reading the rest of the
ad.
(5) If you have a picture that illustrates your product or service, use it to
draw readers into your ad. Make sure the picture ties in with the message of
your ad.
(6) Stick to one business focus in your ad. A shopping list of services can
leave readers confused about how you can help them.
(7) State very clearly the key benefit of using your product or service. Make it
believable with facts, figures and testimonials. Tell the readers "what's
in it for them."
(8) Tell your readers what you want them to do:
(a) call toll free, (b) mail in a coupon, (c) visit a website, (d) come to a
store, (e) schedule an appointment.
(9) Give readers an incentive to do what you ask:
(a) free gift, (b) free information, (c) free sample of your product or service,
(d) best prices in town, (e) money back guarantee.
Even if you're the best/most experienced/most respected practitioner in your
field, the reader won't know this unless (a) a friend refers him or (b) he tries
your service for himself.
(10) Use easy-to-read type that invites the eye to keep reading. Professionals
recommend using a minimum number of fonts in each ad. A larger size and bold
face can be used for emphasis, especially for headlines and subheadings.
(c) Copyright by Barbara Casey.
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