Your headline is the single most important piece of your sales copy. It is amazing how much advertising out there does not even contain a headline. Your customers are bombarded by over 5000 marketing messages per day. If you cannot grab them by the throat and get their attention with your headline, they will not stop for a second to read the rest of your ad. Your headline will make or break all of your marketing material. Here are 5 tips that you can use to help with your headline creation:
1. Do not try and win an award, be cute, or tell jokes in your headlines. People don't want to be patronized by "cleaver copy." The only thing they want to know is what the product or service will do for them. Not everyone will find your jokes funny, and you may create a piece that is so cleaver, no one understands it. Your headline needs to be written in very simple, straightforward language. The one and only reason to have marketing material is increase the bottom line of the business. You can be entertaining, but leave it out of your marketing material.
2. The sole purpose of the headline is to get the prospect to start reading the rest of the copy. You must capture their interest, but you do not have to sell the product in the headline. You just want the person to keep reading the next lines below it.
3. You must integrate your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) into your headline. Sometimes, your USP alone makes an excellent headline. Your USP is the foundation of your business and it's critical that it's integrated into all of your marketing materials. Your headline must echo the message that you are trying to give in your USP. This will tie your entire business image together in one package that a customer will always recognize no matter what kind of marketing material they are looking at. As soon as they read a headline and recognize your Unique Selling Proposition, if they are interested in your product, they will recognize you.
4. DO NOT USE ALL CAPS in your headlines. It makes them much harder to read. Use a combination of upper and lower case letters, just as you would to title an article or book. An exception to this rule would be if you had a one word headline, such as "NEW!" but most of you won't need to go there. Also, it's a good idea to put quotes around headlines. People look at that as a universal sign that someone is talking to them, and it appears as if you are quoting someone.
5. When writing headlines, every time you start a new project, you need to come with at least 100 headlines before you pick your final choice. Writing 100 headlines gets you warmed up and lets you try different renditions of things before it goes into your marketing. Save everything that you write. You 2nd best headlines can be used as bullets and sub-heads in your ad copy later, so you don't have to re-write when you start getting to the body of the sales piece.
Showing posts with label small business. Show all posts
Showing posts with label small business. Show all posts
Wednesday, 25 April 2012
Saturday, 14 April 2012
Turn Crappy Headlines Into Internet Gold
If you're a small business owner and you want to improve the effectiveness of your advertising you will need to know how to identify headlines that drive your customers wild. I'll tell you a powerful tip in just a minute that will blow your competition out of the water.
First, let me tell you something that you probably didn't know. Most so-called advertising experts don't know how to write powerful headlines. They write cute, catchy and easily forgotten phrases that fall far short of the mark. I don't have enough space or time to tell why this is so. Just know, that, anyone who knows how to use a pencil and paper can write powerful, moneymaking headlines...if they understand this one basic rule.
Don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying writing powerful headlines is easy. What I am saying is; if you put in a little effort, (a few hours a week), it won't be long before you are writing headlines that cause your prospective customers to want to do business with you.
This tip is especially important if you are working with an advertising agency, or, a local freelance writer. In fact, once you get the hang of this one concept, they will be amazed at how "creative" you are when it comes to writing headlines that grab your customers attention and moves them to action.
One more thing: There is no such thing as a free lunch. Right? Right. Unless you are willing to put some time in and practice, practice, practice, it doesn't matter how many tips I give you. You won't get anywhere. You have to take action in order for your newfound talent to take root and grow.
A WORD ABOUT HEADLINES:
The headline in an ad is 50-75% of the ad's effectiveness. Headlines in advertising are there for one reason. To attract the attention of a certain group of people who want to hear more about what you have to offer. People don't read a newspaper from cover to cover. They scan the headlines and read only those articles where the headline attracted their attention or peaked their interest. Your advertising headlines are no different. So, with that said, here's the tip I referred to earlier:
The Four Qualities of a Good Headline:
1. Self-Interest
2. News
3. Curiosity
4. Quick, easy way
Now, before you say, "I can't do that," I'm going to tell you how to get some free help. And, before you ask, No, I do not have any side deals nor am I getting paid an affiliate commission or any other compensation for telling you this. I have no connection whatsoever with any of the sources I am going to tell you about.
Why am I telling you this powerful information without getting paid? Because I was where you are at one point in my career and if someone would have just helped me learn what I needed to know then, it wouldn't have taken 25 years of my life. However, just because I'm giving you this information for free doesn't mean it is of little value. It will be the most important information you will ever get.
RESOURCES:
I was wrong about one thing. It will cost you something to get this information. Sorry, but you will have to take some action. You will have to visit your local library or go on line and find these three resource books. Study them, practice with them. Live, eat, breath, them for a few weeks. You will be amazed on what you learn and what an immediate impact it will have on your business.
A. Tested Advertising Methods - Fourth Edition- by John Caples
B. My Life In Advertising & Scientific Advertising - by Claude Hopkins
C. The Robert Collier Letter Book - By Robert Collier
Ok. I have just saved you thousands of dollars in wasted advertising, not to mention the thousands of hours wasted on downloading empty promises, re-packaged advertising gimmicks, and incomplete "how to" reports.
Don't spend another cent on advertising until you've read these three books. And, no, I don't have copies of these books to sell you. There is no catch. You either take action now or you don't.
First, let me tell you something that you probably didn't know. Most so-called advertising experts don't know how to write powerful headlines. They write cute, catchy and easily forgotten phrases that fall far short of the mark. I don't have enough space or time to tell why this is so. Just know, that, anyone who knows how to use a pencil and paper can write powerful, moneymaking headlines...if they understand this one basic rule.
Don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying writing powerful headlines is easy. What I am saying is; if you put in a little effort, (a few hours a week), it won't be long before you are writing headlines that cause your prospective customers to want to do business with you.
This tip is especially important if you are working with an advertising agency, or, a local freelance writer. In fact, once you get the hang of this one concept, they will be amazed at how "creative" you are when it comes to writing headlines that grab your customers attention and moves them to action.
One more thing: There is no such thing as a free lunch. Right? Right. Unless you are willing to put some time in and practice, practice, practice, it doesn't matter how many tips I give you. You won't get anywhere. You have to take action in order for your newfound talent to take root and grow.
A WORD ABOUT HEADLINES:
The headline in an ad is 50-75% of the ad's effectiveness. Headlines in advertising are there for one reason. To attract the attention of a certain group of people who want to hear more about what you have to offer. People don't read a newspaper from cover to cover. They scan the headlines and read only those articles where the headline attracted their attention or peaked their interest. Your advertising headlines are no different. So, with that said, here's the tip I referred to earlier:
The Four Qualities of a Good Headline:
1. Self-Interest
2. News
3. Curiosity
4. Quick, easy way
Now, before you say, "I can't do that," I'm going to tell you how to get some free help. And, before you ask, No, I do not have any side deals nor am I getting paid an affiliate commission or any other compensation for telling you this. I have no connection whatsoever with any of the sources I am going to tell you about.
Why am I telling you this powerful information without getting paid? Because I was where you are at one point in my career and if someone would have just helped me learn what I needed to know then, it wouldn't have taken 25 years of my life. However, just because I'm giving you this information for free doesn't mean it is of little value. It will be the most important information you will ever get.
RESOURCES:
I was wrong about one thing. It will cost you something to get this information. Sorry, but you will have to take some action. You will have to visit your local library or go on line and find these three resource books. Study them, practice with them. Live, eat, breath, them for a few weeks. You will be amazed on what you learn and what an immediate impact it will have on your business.
A. Tested Advertising Methods - Fourth Edition- by John Caples
B. My Life In Advertising & Scientific Advertising - by Claude Hopkins
C. The Robert Collier Letter Book - By Robert Collier
Ok. I have just saved you thousands of dollars in wasted advertising, not to mention the thousands of hours wasted on downloading empty promises, re-packaged advertising gimmicks, and incomplete "how to" reports.
Don't spend another cent on advertising until you've read these three books. And, no, I don't have copies of these books to sell you. There is no catch. You either take action now or you don't.
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