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
A lot of small businesses ads end up reading like a list; this is not a good format.
I'm sure you've seen these ads; company name at the top rather than a compelling headline. Dry copy which doesn't manage to get your interest. There is nothing to induce you to do business with this company, even remember it. No call to action is given, just the company address and phone number.
We all know these ads don't work. They just don't get people's attention. Readers want to know one thing: what's in it for me?
Here's a far more effective layout which is almost universally applicable:
You need a headline to lead in, it doesn't have to be all that clever, just clearly state the biggest benefit of your product or service to the consumer.
The bottom right (known in the business as the "anchor point") should have a contact number and coupon, if you are using coupons in your 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 there are illustrations or photos in your ad, follow them with headlines. This will create a narrative structure to your ad and keep readers moving down the page.
It's a good idea to outline the benefits of your product or service with bullet points. Long copy is great, but it's a lot harder 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
Tracking advertising response is as easy as asking callers where they heard about your company. As you publish more ads and test one ad against another, you'll need to get a little more sophisticated with your tracking by implementing one or more of the following?
Coded coupons in your ads Different coloured reply-paid postcards Different department numbers Asking your callers to mention an offer or ask for someone by name etc.
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 and Price
Headlines are the most important part to test, work on these first. If you find an approach that gets results, keep at it until you find an even better tactic. This is the approach which can maximise your marketing ROI.
Simply making your ads sell harder can boost your business massively, start by testing and tracking your ads, and consider hiring a good copywriter, a small investment in professionally written copy will makes your advertising dollars work much harder.
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.
Guarantees put your customers at ease about buying from you. Your confidence in your product or service will increase their confidence as well.
This is how to incorporate guarantees into your ads effectively:
1. Your guarantee should be a specific promise of performance or 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:
"If you don't love our product, we'll pay you to go to our competitors"
" 50% increase in traffic to your site in 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
Being a small business consultant and copywriter, I spend a lot of time helping clients to come up with attention getting guarantees for their advertisements. Many business owners are nervous about making money back guarantees, fearing that they will lose money if too many people take advantage of these guarantees. However, I can tell you that in practice, the amount of additional business which a strong guarantee can bring in dwarfs the outlay you'll see in refunds. Track the response to your ad and compare it against the returns. If the guarantee is working for your business, continue offering it.
In almost every case, a good guarantee will bring in much more in sales than you'll end up paying out in refunds. Fine tune your guarantee (wording, conditions and so on). You may see a huge difference in sales between a 30 day and 60 day guarantee.
3. Make your guarantee highly visible
Make your guarantee a headline, you want prospective customers to see this.
What can you offer prospective customers in terms of a guarantee that will make them more interested in doing business with you?
Layout
A lot of small businesses ads end up reading like a list; this is not a good format.
I'm sure you've seen these ads; company name at the top rather than a compelling headline. Dry copy which doesn't manage to get your interest. There is nothing to induce you to do business with this company, even remember it. No call to action is given, just the company address and phone number.
We all know these ads don't work. They just don't get people's attention. Readers want to know one thing: what's in it for me?
Here's a far more effective layout which is almost universally applicable:
You need a headline to lead in, it doesn't have to be all that clever, just clearly state the biggest benefit of your product or service to the consumer.
The bottom right (known in the business as the "anchor point") should have a contact number and coupon, if you are using coupons in your 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 there are illustrations or photos in your ad, follow them with headlines. This will create a narrative structure to your ad and keep readers moving down the page.
It's a good idea to outline the benefits of your product or service with bullet points. Long copy is great, but it's a lot harder 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
Tracking advertising response is as easy as asking callers where they heard about your company. As you publish more ads and test one ad against another, you'll need to get a little more sophisticated with your tracking by implementing one or more of the following?
Coded coupons in your ads Different coloured reply-paid postcards Different department numbers Asking your callers to mention an offer or ask for someone by name etc.
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 and Price
Headlines are the most important part to test, work on these first. If you find an approach that gets results, keep at it until you find an even better tactic. This is the approach which can maximise your marketing ROI.
Simply making your ads sell harder can boost your business massively, start by testing and tracking your ads, and consider hiring a good copywriter, a small investment in professionally written copy will makes your advertising dollars work much harder.
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.
Guarantees put your customers at ease about buying from you. Your confidence in your product or service will increase their confidence as well.
This is how to incorporate guarantees into your ads effectively:
1. Your guarantee should be a specific promise of performance or 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:
"If you don't love our product, we'll pay you to go to our competitors"
" 50% increase in traffic to your site in 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
Being a small business consultant and copywriter, I spend a lot of time helping clients to come up with attention getting guarantees for their advertisements. Many business owners are nervous about making money back guarantees, fearing that they will lose money if too many people take advantage of these guarantees. However, I can tell you that in practice, the amount of additional business which a strong guarantee can bring in dwarfs the outlay you'll see in refunds. Track the response to your ad and compare it against the returns. If the guarantee is working for your business, continue offering it.
In almost every case, a good guarantee will bring in much more in sales than you'll end up paying out in refunds. Fine tune your guarantee (wording, conditions and so on). You may see a huge difference in sales between a 30 day and 60 day guarantee.
3. Make your guarantee highly visible
Make your guarantee a headline, you want prospective customers to see this.
What can you offer prospective customers in terms of a guarantee that will make them more interested in doing business with you?
About the Author:
Author: David B. Ascot has valuable knowledge regarding sales lead generation methods that will assist your business grow through online lead generation.
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