Communication is the key to successful marketing whether it is traditional or not. It is a simple case of expressing the benefits of company products or services through advertising and convincing potential clients the superiority of your services over your competitors.
It’s the message that is conveyed through your ad copy that will determine who thinks about buying your products. Internet marketing has permitted advertisers to reach target markets and secure qualified leads faster and easier than any other type of marketing but the principal of strong and effective ad copy is still the same. Your copy must be even more compelling in the Internet marketing medium since the attention span of the potential client is less. So here are a few ideas that will help:
You must not forget a call to action. Now, this may seem obvious but you would be suprised by the number of ads that do not do so. Your potential clients are not likely to purchase your product or subscribe to your newsletter unless you tell them to do so! Do not take this for granted. If you are spending a lot of time explaining the benefits of your company services without telling the customer to take action, then you are also wasting a lot of time.
People are always looking for the better deal. This does not necessarily refer to price. It can be a better product, superior service, and yes, the best price. Your ad must tell customers that there is something unique and valuable about your company and what it has to offer. Essentially, you need a “hook”.
The ‘hook’ may not be directly related to the main product but it must compliment your overall product or service. If it is completely unrelated, then it will simply not attract the attention of your target market. Many companies use the word ‘free’ in their ads as a simple means to get people through the door and provide an opportunity to sell their true wares. The word ‘free’ is a very powerful one and is often used in ad copy as an attention grabber. In banner ads and email marketing campaigns, customers may be offered and incentive to click the banner or link to increase the effectiveness, or click through rate, of the campaign. This could be a time-sensitive offer for a better price or free bonus that will grab the attention of the client and increase the chance of taking action at the site.
A sucessful ad is the core of any successful Internet marketing campaign. The ad must immediately express the benefits of the service. It is a good idea to try and use your headline for this effect. There is little point in placing the benefits at the end of the copy if the customer is unlikely to read on past the headline. Don’t forget to prompt the customer to take action and to take it now. If your ad has some kind of ‘hook’ to grab the attention, has the unique benefits of your service expressed immediately in the copy and has a clear call for the customer to take action, then it is likely you will get the results that you are looking for — more sales!
Desmond Mantor is the Director of Sales and Marketing for
Have Traffic
a company specializing in producing highly targeted website
traffic for commercial websites. For more details please
visit http://www.havetraffic.com
