Effective Ad Copy is Critical

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Effective Ad Copy is Critical

All marketing boils down to communication whether it is
traditional or not. Advertising is meant to convey to
potential customers some benefit for choosing a company
product or service. There are lots of competitors out there
and all you need to accomplish with your marketing efforts
is to convince people why your services are superior.
Although Internet marketing has indeed permitted advertisers
an unparalleled ability to reach target markets and secure
qualified leads, the message will still determine who thinks
about buying your products and services and who simply goes
on down the line to listen to what your competition has to
offer. Writing effective ad copy is still the backbone of
any marketing effort. Here are some ideas to help you craft
compelling copy that will draw the customers in:

Including a call to action may seem like a no-brainer but
you might be surprised by the number of ads that do not do
so. If your ad copy does not tell people to buy your
services or at least fill out a simple questionnaire--guess
what--they are not likely to do so! Do not take all the
time to explain the benefits your company has to offer
without telling the customer to take action and use your
services.

People are always looking for a better deal. This does not
always mean a cheaper price. You need to create a unique
selling position. This may be the price but it could also
be another facet of your service that is superior to your
competition. Your ad must tell your customers that your
service stands out from your competitors by offering
something unique. This may be referred to as a 'hook'.

The 'hook' may not be directly related to the main product
but it must compliment your overall product or service. If
it is completely unrelated, then it will simply not attract
the attention of your target market. Many companies use the
word 'free' in their ads as a simple means to get people
through the door and provide an opportunity to sell their
true wares. The word 'free' is a very powerful one and is
often used in ad copy as an attention grabber. In banner
ads and email marketing campaigns, customers may be offered
and incentive to click the banner or link to increase the
effectiveness, or click through rate, of the campaign. This
could be a time-sensitive offer for a better price or free
bonus that will grab the attention of the client and
increase the chance of taking action at the site.

A successful ad is the core of any successful Internet
marketing campaign. The ad must immediately express the
benefits of the service. It is a good idea to try and
use your headline for this effect. There is little
point in placing the benefits at the end of the copy
if the customer is unlikely to read on past the headline.
Don't forget to prompt the customer to take action and to
take it now. If your ad has some kind of 'hook' to grab
the attention, has the unique benefits of your service
expressed immediately in the copy and has a clear call
for the customer to take action, then it is likely you
will get the results that you are looking for
-- more sales!

Desmond Mantor is the Marketing and Sales Manager for
Have Traffic a business specializing in traffic generation for
for commercial websites. Please visit
http://www.havetraffic.com for information about our
revolutionary web site promotion service