Last week I told you the top five mistakes I see internet marketers make. One of the mistakes I touched on was planning an event instead of a campaign. Successful marketers know that consumers need to see an advertisement four plus times to reach their peak conversion rate. They also know that spicing up the format of the ad will increase brand recognition and ultimately sales.
What makes an advertising campaign successful?
Creating a successful advertising campaign isn’t hard if you know what you’re doing. Throughout my many years in business I’ve tried a myriad of techniques and followed the advice of others. By trial and error I have come up with a checklist of six elements that every advertisement I put out must contain in order to be successful.
1. Style
I could write a book about the dos and don’ts when it comes to style. Since this is only one section I’ll stick to the highlights. Content is king. Anything that impedes the consumer’s ability to read an advertisement will lower the success rate of it.
If you advertisement contains text, use short sentences and paragraphs. This is not the time to explain every little detail.
Use bolded font, italics or punctuation to emphasize a point. Not all three. Bolded text when accompanied by excessive italicized words and exclamation points is very annoying !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Stick to black text upon a white background. Don’t get cute and add in flashy graphics or try to switch it up with colorful text and images. If you do, your efforts to stand out will backfire and the readability of your message will plummet.
2. Statement of benefits
People are selfish. They care about what you can do for them. Not the other way around. When crafting an advertisement be sure to show what your product or company can do for them. Will they become smarter? Will they make more money? Will they get skinnier? Tell the customer what they are gaining from your product.
Don’t confuse this with the list of features your product or service has. This is not the same thing as explaining to readers what you or your product can do for them. Before creating an advertisement go through the list of features and write out what each feature will do for the consumer. Think in terms of how your product will help them gain pleasure or avoid pain. For example if you are an accountant you can say your services help consumers avoid tax audits (avoid pain) or save them money on their taxes (gain pleasure). Studies have shown people respond better to fear or loss than they do to the promise of gain.
3. Language
This point is an extension of my last point. While you are listing the benefits the consumer will get from your product, service or company make sure to use words like “you” and “your”. This puts the emphasis on them instead of you. By doing this you are communicating to you readers you are thinking only about them. Avoid using words like “I” or “me” which shifts the focus away from the consumer.
4. Attention Grabber
In a sales letter the attention grabber is the headline. In a print ad the attention grabber is usually a graphic. No matter what form your advertisement comes in you must grab the reader’s attention so they will read what you have to say and buy your product or service.
Luxury brands like Prada, Coach Gucci, etc. do this in print ads with images. They show pictures of models or celebrities posing sexily with their product. The images arouse emotions that hopefully persuade consumers to buy them.
Sales letters, banner ads and other online advertisements use headlines to capture a reader’s attention. A common tactic is to write a headline that begs a question. Something like, “How to Make Money while you Sleep.” The point is to make the statement intriguing and leave the reader wanting to figure out how to do something.
Always make sure your attention grabber relates back to your message. Luxury brands use celebrities in their ads because they want their products to seem opulent and exclusive. Headlines in text advertisement usually state a benefit of their product in an exciting way.
5. Call to action
Never assume that your audience knows how to get in touch or order from you. Even if your company name or product name is also your web address do not presume readers will know that and go online to order. Spell out to consumers what they must do to get what you are offering. If they have to call, then plaster your phone number across the ad. If they have to click a button, fill out an order form, or send a money order then be sure to tell them that in words easy to understand.
Most of all make it as easy as possible for potential customers to do what you want them to do. People won’t do anything that requires work on their part. It’s best to allow them to contact you in several different ways so they can choose whatever method is easiest for them. Provide web addresses so they can order from you online, phone numbers so they can call in their order, fax numbers so they can send over completed order forms, etc.
6. Sense of urgency
Consumers love to delay purchases for as long as they can. That’s why it’s essential to include reasons why they must make their purchases immediately. Don’t tell your customer the offer will run throughout the month. If you do they will wait to make their purchase and a certain percentage will wait so long they forget to place their order at all!
A great way to do this is to use fear to get consumers to make their purchases immediately. Fear is one of marketers’ most effective tools. Craft a statement that instills fear into the consumers mind that if they don’t buy this right now they will miss out on the benefits your product provides. Something like, “Only 5 copies remain!” or “I can only help the next 10 callers!”
No matter what format your advertisement comes in (text, space, banner, print, sales letter, etc.) know that these elements are crucial to its success. Examine any successful ad and you will find each of these elements addressed in them. If you are ever in doubt about an element of your ad, leave it out. Print out this checklist and make sure anytime you put out an advertisement it contains all of these ingredients.
Good luck!
