6 Ways to Get More Sales From Your Advertisement

by Paul Curran

Published on this site: July 26th, 2005 - See more articles from this month

To bring great sales success, a great advertising technique is not the only parameter. You must know what it is that your customers are actually buying. They are not buying your product or service, they are buying what it will do for them. Use the answers to this to set up your advertising masterpiece.

1. Offer an impressive benefit for the client
   
   It must not be related to the product or service on offer. This is the most important of the 6 ways. It must be a primary customer benefit for the person. For example a free garage inspection; emphasise the safety benefits for the family etc. If you're selling books on 'Computer Accounting Systems' focus on the reduced accounting time the purchaser will achieve and not the features of the product.
   
   Frame the major benefit in a storyline with the customer involved. Make it really clear what is involved, i.e what's in it for them. Be specific, spell it out. It should be immediately understood. Include the product.
   
   Attract good customers through high level benefits for them. Your main message must make the customer say. 'This is important to me, I must found out more'.
   
   
2. Make The Customer Believe Your Claims
   
   What you state could be true, but a lot of potential customers don't tend to believe advertisers. Over bragging can kill the ad. Keep the claims honest and reasonable. It will pay off in the long run.
   
   
3. Make The Layout & Design Reader Friendly
   
   Layout:
   
   
   • Don't wrap around a photo, i.e. put blocks of text around it.
   
   
   
   • Emphasise specific phrases by putting more white space around them.
   
   
   
   • Base your layout on the fact that most people look at the 2nd quarter of the page from the top, first.
   
   
   
   • Use your single most important benefit as your headline.
   
   
   
   • Put a benfit laden caption under the photo as 80% of readers will read that first or instead of the copy.
   
   
   
   • Don't use more than four secondary benefit messages.
   
   
   Typography:
   
   
   • Use Serif typeface (e.g. Garamond) for copy, stylish headings and sub-headings.
   
   
   
   • Sans Serif (e.g. Helvetica) can be used for headlines, sub-headings, captions and labels.
   
   
   
   • Consider larger font size if your target audience is older people.
   
   
   
   • Print out alternatives and have them test read by others.
   
   
4. Stress What Is Unique
   
   Re-emphasise services that are unique or may have been hidden from or taken for granted or assumed by the reader. Define your Unique Selling Point. What makes you stand out from the crowd? What makes you better than your competitors.
   
   
5. Attract Attention With Something New
   
   Be inventive here. Is there something new that will be of interest to your customer's needs? Fresh benefits, new services or product features. E.g. 'You now have access to our outlets all over the country'. 'You can now obtain your account details online without visiting our offices'.
   
   
6. Keep The Reader Involved
   
   Put the reader in your advertisement and get personal. Use the present tense for the customer experiencing their benefits. Don't put them in the future and use the future word 'will'. Get them feeling like they are part of your advertisment story

Paul Curran, CEO of Cuzcom Internet Publishing Group and webmaster at http://www.wealth-building-secrets.com, brings you sales & marketing strategies, promotional marketing products and advice for personal and business success.