5 Tips for Writing Advertising That Sells
Some adverts unwittingly 'un-sell' the product.
That is, they shrink sales.
Ouch.
In his book 'Ogilvy on Advertising', famous copywriter David Ogilvy tells a story to prove this.
George Hay Brown, one time head of market research at Ford, put adverts in every other edition of Reader's Digest.
At year end, people who had not seen the adverts had bought more Fords than those who had.
What's the point of being in advertising if you're not writing advertising that sells? So here are five tips for doing exactly that: Advertising that sells tip 1 Do your research: Study the product so you can write persuasive, factual copy about it.
You might also come across a nugget of information that you could use as your headline - the 'big idea'.
Find out what adverts your competitors have been running, and with what success.
Find out what consumers think about the product.
Think about copying the words they use to talk about the product in your advert.
What features of the product are most important to them? And what promise in your advert would be most likely to make them buy it? Advertising that sells tip 2 Position the product, that is, state what the product does and who it is for: Copywriter David Ogilvy could have positioned Dove soap as a detergent bar for men with dirty hands but instead he positioned it as a toilet bar for women with dry skin.
Some 50 years later, it is still successfully positioned as a beauty product for women to moisturise their skin.
Advertising that sells tip 3 Decide what image or personality you want for the product: Personality is reflected in name, packaging, price, style of advert, and type of product.
Adverts should be consistent with the personality of the product and consistent year after year.
People buy an image, not a product.
"Give people a taste of Old Crow, and tell them it's Old Crow.
Then give them another taste of Old Crow, but tell them it's Jack Daniel's.
Ask them which they prefer.
They'll think the two drinks are quite different.
They are tasting images.
" Ogilvy on Advertising Most products benefit from an image of quality.
Some 80% of people buy because of value and quality.
Only 20% buy because of a cheap price.
Advertising that sells tip 4 Write about a product that interests you: It is easier to make the product king (and sing) if you are interested in it.
If the product is no different than its competitors, you can only hope to explain the product's qualities better than your advertising rivals.
"If you and your competitors all make excellent products, don't try to imply that your product is better.
Just say what's good about your product - and do a clearer, more honest, more informative job of saying it.
" Joel Raphaelson.
Advertising that sells tip 5 Repeat an advert that works: Readership of an advert in a magazine remains the same for at least four repetitions of the advert, according to research.
Measure how effective an advert is and continue to repeat it until its effectiveness runs out.
For more blogs like this visit MH Copywriter
That is, they shrink sales.
Ouch.
In his book 'Ogilvy on Advertising', famous copywriter David Ogilvy tells a story to prove this.
George Hay Brown, one time head of market research at Ford, put adverts in every other edition of Reader's Digest.
At year end, people who had not seen the adverts had bought more Fords than those who had.
What's the point of being in advertising if you're not writing advertising that sells? So here are five tips for doing exactly that: Advertising that sells tip 1 Do your research: Study the product so you can write persuasive, factual copy about it.
You might also come across a nugget of information that you could use as your headline - the 'big idea'.
Find out what adverts your competitors have been running, and with what success.
Find out what consumers think about the product.
Think about copying the words they use to talk about the product in your advert.
What features of the product are most important to them? And what promise in your advert would be most likely to make them buy it? Advertising that sells tip 2 Position the product, that is, state what the product does and who it is for: Copywriter David Ogilvy could have positioned Dove soap as a detergent bar for men with dirty hands but instead he positioned it as a toilet bar for women with dry skin.
Some 50 years later, it is still successfully positioned as a beauty product for women to moisturise their skin.
Advertising that sells tip 3 Decide what image or personality you want for the product: Personality is reflected in name, packaging, price, style of advert, and type of product.
Adverts should be consistent with the personality of the product and consistent year after year.
People buy an image, not a product.
"Give people a taste of Old Crow, and tell them it's Old Crow.
Then give them another taste of Old Crow, but tell them it's Jack Daniel's.
Ask them which they prefer.
They'll think the two drinks are quite different.
They are tasting images.
" Ogilvy on Advertising Most products benefit from an image of quality.
Some 80% of people buy because of value and quality.
Only 20% buy because of a cheap price.
Advertising that sells tip 4 Write about a product that interests you: It is easier to make the product king (and sing) if you are interested in it.
If the product is no different than its competitors, you can only hope to explain the product's qualities better than your advertising rivals.
"If you and your competitors all make excellent products, don't try to imply that your product is better.
Just say what's good about your product - and do a clearer, more honest, more informative job of saying it.
" Joel Raphaelson.
Advertising that sells tip 5 Repeat an advert that works: Readership of an advert in a magazine remains the same for at least four repetitions of the advert, according to research.
Measure how effective an advert is and continue to repeat it until its effectiveness runs out.
For more blogs like this visit MH Copywriter