I’m sure most people have recognised the death knell of a relationship upon hearing the words “It’s not you… it’s me.”
It’s a universal phrase which positions itself in any conscious or unconscious coupling you may be partaking in – and that includes advertising.
Let me set the scene. Mrs Loadsamoney is in the dentist’s waiting room waiting to be summoned for root canal treatment. To calm her nerves she picks up a magazine to read. The magazine contains both editorial and adverts and Mrs Loadsamoney flicks through giving each page a cursory glance.
At this stage, you have a chance to woo Mrs Loadsamoney, but if your point isn’t immediately obvious the chances are Mrs Loadsamoney will move on.
If you want Mrs Loadsamoney to buy, you need her to envision how she will be unable to survive without your product/service (well perhaps not that dramatic, but you get the gist?). Everything else is secondary. That’s why it’s important to remember an advert should always be produced with the prospect in mind i.e. IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU, IT’S ABOUT THEM.
With this in mind, starting an advert with your name and address is not going to help Mrs Loadsamoney to see where you fit into her life. So be brutal – ditch the address and any (out-of-date) awards – throw them onto the metaphorical scrapheap of text with relish.
Now you have more room so you can think about introducing a headline. These are about as close to a magic bullet as you’re going to get therefore if you’re going to be perfect in only one place do it here. Lead with a strong (and verifiable) benefit; take a look at the following and see the difference:
“Beauty Boosters Clinic”
doesn’t cut the mustard as much as:
“ERADICATE FINE LINES IN 4 WEEKS WITHOUT SURGERY!”
Once you’ve hooked them with the headline you need to tell them why they should choose you. Using the Beauty Boosters business as an example, let’s add a persuasive argument as to why they should choose you:
ERADICATE FINE LINES IN 4 WEEKS WITHOUT SURGERY!
Beauty Boosters specialises in Invisible Scissors non-surgical procedures which have been proven to remove fine lines in 4 weeks. We offer a free consultation so you have nothing to lose – apart from the chance to get rid of your wrinkles.
Then the final hurdle is to get people to understand WHY they should choose you over and above any other local businesses. This may be because you are the only business offering the service; but if you’re not unique then you need to differentiate yourself from other businesses offering the same e.g. because you have an unrepeatable offer. So, returning to Beauty Boosters…..
ERADICATE FINE LINES IN 4 WEEKS WITHOUT SURGERY!
Beauty Boosters specialises in Invisible Scissors non-surgical procedures which have been proven to remove fine lines in 4 weeks. We offer a free consultation so you have nothing to lose – apart from the chance to get rid of your wrinkles.
Beauty Boosters is THE only North London clinic that provides this treatment – call today to make your appointment.
Or
Book before 31/8/14 to receive an exclusive 10% discount on this treatment.
Remember, it’s not about you – it’s about them. People don’t want anti-wrinkle serum or the quarter-inch drill you’re selling – they want wrinkle-free skin or a quarter-inch hole. Your advert’s job is to show how you can help them achieve those aims.
OVER TO YOU…
If your advert hasn’t worked in the way you’d hoped, revisit it and see how you can tweak it along these lines. If you’re struggling, email your issue to [email protected] and I’ll see how I can help.
Blog originally published here.