Posts Tagged ‘advertising’

Whether you’re a professional copywriter, a marketer, a sales person or your business hires copywriters, marketing people or salespeople you’ll know that when it comes to promoting your product or service people often focus on trying to write copy or communicate only the benefits of a product … how the product or service will transform the buyer’s life in some way. How it will help buyers solve that problem.

Trouble is, not every product is perfect. In fact, many products have a flaw … a flaw that, if not written about or communicated in the right way, can detrimentally effect sales.

What’s the solution? Read the rest of this entry »

1. Inject your personality into everything you write including your Yellow Pages ™ ad.

You’ll be amazed at the response. No-one wants to read boring and stuffy legal-ease. It makes them switch off. But - if your copywriting is engaging to read, your reader will read it, even if it is on the wordy side.

2. A friendly copywriting style builds a warm and lasting relationship with your prospect.

People like dealing with people they like and won’t deal with people they don’t like so make them like you.

3. Write as you speak

When writing your Yellow Pages ™copy, tell your reader what’s in it for them. Your readers are selfish. They really don’t care who you are. They just want to know how you will improve their lifestyle. So …

4. Describe the features of what you’re selling as benefits.

Some benefits could be that they’ll save money, they’ll save time, they’ll be envied by their friends… the list goes on.
In your copywriting, paint a picture of how your product or service will transform their lives. Spell it out.

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Each year businesses spend a small fortune on Yellow Pages advertising. It’s perhaps one of the largest single investments you’ll make in advertising all year so it makes sense to ensure your ad packs the biggest punch — and gives you the very best return on your advertising dollar.

Doing this is simple if you know the right formula. I’ll share this formula with you inside this article.

Unlike with press advertising, people looking in the Yellow Pages are ready to buy right now. While on the surface of things that’s great news, the challenge is that you need to ensure that your prospect sees your ad first and acts upon it … amongst the sea of competitor’s ads.

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Claude Hopkins is clearly a legend in advertising circles. He was the author of Scientific Advertising and also the creator of the famous Schlitz Beer campaign that sent their sales through the roof and illustrated the importance of thorough research.

Here is just one of the pearls of wisdom that Hopkins shared over the years.

“Almost any question can be answered, cheaply, quickly and finally, by a test campaign. And that’s the way to answer them – not by arguments around the table.”

“Ad writers forget they are salesmen and try to be performers. Instead of sales, they seek applause.”

“Whenever possible we introduce a personality into our ads. By making a man famous we make his product famous.”

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Picture this …

One summer Sunday afternoon, four guys in their thirties were relaxing with a few beers watching the cricket at the local pub. They were having a great time “downing scooners”, yelling out their own play-by-play commentary of the televised proceedings.

When the cricket match stopped for lunch, two beautiful, blonde, promotions girls walked into the bar. They walked up to the guys and the most scantily clad of the two leant over them and said, “Hi fellas. Having a great time?”, with a big smile and a flirtatious look. “Would any of you like to buy a can of the new X brand Bourbon?”

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By Claude Hopkins and Kristina Mills

Claude Hopkins is widely recognised as the father of advertising. His insights are so simple yet so profound and they apply just as well today as they did decades ago when they were first used.

Here are three lessons, in Claude’s own words. Please note that due to the era that it was written in, the language may be a little dated and that he uses the word “man” instead of “people”.

1. An advertiser suffered much from substitution. He said, “Look out for substitutes,” “Be sure you get this brand,” etc. with no effect. Those were selfish appeals.

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