Advertising is BORING. It's annoying... and it's all the same.

Do you ever sit down and read advertisements for enjoyment? No?

That's what I thought. Neither do most sane people.

Well, this creates a serious problem for you as a business owner...

If no one reads your ad, you won't sell anything-no matter how good the ad is. No matter how good of an offer you came up with. No matter how many hours you put into to making the ad look "professional."

YOU MUST AVOID THIS ADVERTISING "SIN" AT ALL COSTS

Whatever you do in your advertising, you must not be BORING.

This doesn't mean everyone has to love your ads. It just means that the people who might want to give you money to solve a problem for them should be interested enough in what you have to say to at least skim your ad and find the call to action.

In order to do this, you must have a compelling headline in all of your advertising. The headline is basically "the ad for the ad."

Once you grasp this basic truth of advertising, all of the "clutter" becomes an asset to you. Here's why...

YOUR COMPETITION IS MAKING IT EASY FOR YOU

If you browse through a phonebook, or look at someone's business card, or their website, or whatever-you'll probably find that they don't really have a headline at the top. Most likely, it will either be the name of their business or a description of what they do, or else it will be some vague slogan like "We put people first" or "Innovative solutions for a new world."

Everyone says stuff like that - it doesn't mean a thing.

I visited a website the other day of an Internet marketing consulting company. Here's what it said at the top of the website in big bold letters:

"From search to success."

What does this even mean? What is success? How will I know when I have achieved it? What benefit will they deliver to me?

Or how about this one I saw for a yellow page directory?

"Go the shortest path from to-do..to done."

Alright. Sounds good. Sounds like a good life principle, but not something that makes me want to read the ad or call the business and have a chat.

Here's one I saw for a dentist:

"Your pathway to dental health."

Hmm... sounds like a riveting read. On second thought, it actually sounds rather painful. I think I'll go elsewhere...

HOW TO STOP BEING LAME AND START MAKING SALES

Now let me ask you something. Take a look at the advertisements you have for your own business. Look at what you have at the top of the ad. If you were reading your favorite magazine, or blog, or newspaper, or whatever media you consume, would you stop to read an article that was attached to that headline?

If the answer is "no," then you have identified the first critical factor of why you are not getting a good return on your advertising dollars.

Now, a lot can be said about what it takes to write a good headline, but the main thing is that it needs to communicate a benefit to the reader. For example, you are reading this article right now because the headline communicated to you that it might contain information that could be interesting to you.

Your headline should be attractive to the people who might give you money and repulsive to the people who won't.

For example, I have a special report that I give away as a lead generator. The title of the report is not "5 Cheap and Easy Ways to Make Money Fast." That would attract all kinds of sleaze balls that would be quickly disappointed as soon they found out they have to WORK and INVEST MONEY in order to make money.

I also didn't title the report "5 Low-Risk Ways to Make a Profit." It's a risky world. The highest profits goes to those who (wisely) risk the most amount of their capital. I don't want to attract people who are going to be cheap and just "play it safe."

Instead, I titled the report "5 Battle-Proven Secrets That Turn Advertising Costs into Profit (Borrowed From Renegade Millionaire Entrepreneurs)" This title suggests that if you are risking your capital in order to get your marketing message out in the world, there are smarter, proven ways to get better returns on your advertising costs that most people don't know about. It also suggests that it is contrarian and hard-boiled--no academic buffoonery here. The kind of person that would be attracted to a headline like that is the kind of person I want to work with.

Your goal of any headline should be to make it very difficult for people who might give you money to ignore your ad.

WHAT TO DO NEXT...
First, take a look at all the ads you have out for your business. Ask yourself honestly, "are these ads boring? Would I bother to read them if I was not the owner of the business?"

Or here's an even better test if your circumstances allow it:

Find some people you know who would qualify as your target audience. Ask them to give you feedback on your ad. If they all say "this ad looks really great" then you know you have a loser. Or if they only critique the design, layout, or wording. But if they say something like, "Gee, is there a way I could get a copy of what you're offering?" Then you know you have a winner.

Next, try to empathize with your target market. Pretend you are one of them. Then ask yourself some questions. What kind of headline would interest you? What would make you read an article if it was published on a blog instead of presented as an advertisement? What kind of solutions are you looking for?

After you have "gotten inside the heads" of your market, rewrite your ad. Make sure the headline appeals to what is really going on inside the minds of your target market. Make sure what you are offering them is the solution to the problem they are actually having.

Even if the only thing you change is your headlines in your ads, there is a good chance that you will immediately jump up to the top 20% in your marketplace in regards to how prospects perceive your business. Seriously, 80% of all advertising is that terrible.