Sunday, August 16, 2009

8 WAYS TO WRITE ADS THAT HOLD INTEREST

Your advertisement is competing with millions of others on the WWW. People have little time to spare. Which explains the vital importance of stopping the reader with an interesting headline -- something that touches a nerve, grabs attention, and presses the "hot button" that makes a sale.

But once you've captured readers' attention with the headline, then what?
How do you hold further interest throughout your ad -- so that your copy eventually sells?
1. Start the copy with a question. Then answer it. If the question is important to readers, if it reflects a need, you'll be on the way to a sale.
2. Play up your strongest benefit. Don't talk about "features." Talk about benefits. Rewards! What's in it for the reader? Itemize the best ones.
3. Avoid generalities. Be specific and concrete. Vague copy soon makes people lose interest.
4. Stick to buying points -- not selling points. Sell 'advantages, not things.
5. Try to find an emotional appeal, rather than merely cold facts. Nobody does anything unless they have an "emotional" reason for it -- whether it's to regain health, be a better husband, increase comfort, or to make more money.
6. Don't waste space and clutter up your ad with minor claims. Emphasize the most important facts, the greatest appeals to the most people.
7. Put as much showmanship, personality and human interest in as you can. People like buying from "people," not impersonal organizations. (This is by far the most important of all!) Convey the feeling of warmth, friendliness, person-to-person relationship.
8. Make the ad entertaining. Research shows many people even read the classifieds to be entertained, enlightened, given a smile or two. Give your ad the touch of humor worth reading. Sure enough, they'll eventually buy from you.

Now test yourself ...
First, print out a few of the most recent ads you've run.
Then, compare your ads with this following check-list, to see how many of these devices for making an ad hold attention you've used.

Start copy with a question
Begin with the strongest benefit
Avoid generalities
Stick to buying points
Avoid making minor claims
Put in lots of emotional appeal
Put in some human interest
Make your sales-story entertaining

(Keep this list handy and refer to it whenever you're creating ads in future.)

Friday, August 14, 2009


TELL 'EM WHY YOU'RE WRITING, AND WHAT YOU EXPECT TO HAPPEN NEXT.
Surveys of top executives made by the American Management Association have repeatedly found the most important expectation of memos, reports, and advertisements is -- Why are they written, and what result is expected?
How many times have you received a memo that does not reveal its purpose until the last paragraph, or even the last line? Or ever? Nothing is more disconcerting or irritating, than to read a memo that has a nasty surprise sprung: at the end. Or to scan though advertising copy, then not be able to figure out what response is expected as a result? It seems a rule that the more reluctant the writer is to state has/her purpose, the lengthier the document gets. State your intent and expectations right up front. Say them first - in direct declarative English.
Don't waste everyone's time by "throat-clearing" before you get to the point. In the case of memos or reports, it helps readers to know right off the bat whether it is for information only, requests the reply of an opinion, or expects some other action as a result. All advertising copy should not only present product features and advantages, it should offer persuasive reasons to buy, and how to do so. If you adopt this straight-forward style, people will start reading your memos/reports with better understanding, and your advertising copy will pull better results. Best of all, you demonstrate respect for the reader's time.

Thursday, August 13, 2009


SPEND LESS TIME TALKING TO PEOPLE
Offices are chatty places; the main social milieu of many people. But, the sad fact is, the warmer the conversational atmosphere, the greater the risk of dilly-dallying; of wasting valuable time. (Yes, chatting is fun, but it can steal enormous amounts of valuable time from each working day.)
So here are some ways to spend less time talking to people during business hours.
I. One-on-one discussion is-often more productive than a group meeting.
2. Urge people to come to the point quickly.
3. Politely cut short people who ramble.
4. If your impressions are unfavorable during interviews, do not prolong conversation.
5. Don't discuss important issues until after you've been briefed in writing.

PRINCE CHARLES PRATTLES IN GOBBLEDEGOOK TO PROMOTE BASIC ENGLISH
The heir to the British Throne wrote the foreword to "A Decade Of Jargon & Gobbledegook." Book is published by the Plain English Campaign to emphasize some of the worst examples of "officialise" during the past ten years.
Prince Charles' contribution was couched in deliberately verbose language that deliberately took forever to make clear that he backs more plain English and less nonsense in bureaucratic writing.
"Due to a frequent regrettable inability to prevent my presence in other locations, I find that I must convey to you goodwill in a correspondence format", he wrote. "How many of us, I wonder, when, faced with pretentious gobbledegook and, empty jargon, experience a kick-start into despair mode? My feelings to you all are, attitudianally, those of enormous encouragement ..."
Which confirms that pompous prose gives everybody a Royal pain.
>

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

IF YOU WERE BORN BEFORE 1945.

Consider all the social changes you have witnessed in your lifetime -- and beware of present-day changes in meaning of words that could inadvertantly affect what you write to readers and prospects in the 21st. Century.
Folk born before 1945 arrived before television, and the Internet; before polio shots, frozen foods, Xerox, plastic, Web porn, contact lenses, Frisbees, and the Pill.
We were born before credit cards, split atoms, laser beams and ball-point pens; before pantyhose, dishwashers, clothes dryers, electric blankets, air-conditioners in our homes, drip-dry clothes, and before man walked on the moon.
We got married first and then lived together. How quaint can you be? Back then, a "gay" marriage just meant a happy one. Political correctness meant you knew which party you voted for. In our time, closets were for clothes, not for "coming out of."
Bunnies were small rabbits, and rabbits were not Volkswagens. Designer jeans were scheming girls named Jean or Jeanne. Having a meaningful relationship meant getting along well with our cousins. We thought that fast food was what you ate during Lent, and climate change was what happened in spring, summer, fall, and winter.
We were before house-husbands, gay rights, computer-dating, dual careers and commuter marriages. We were before daycare centers, group therapy and nursing homes.
There were not yet any computers, text-messaging, FM radio, tape decks, electric typewriters, artificial hearts, word processors, yogurt, and guys wearing earrings. For us, time-sharing means togetherness, not computers or condominiums. A "chip" meant a piece of wood. Hardware meant, well, all kinds of metal stuff you bought at a hardware store, and "software" wasn't even a word.
In 1940, "made in Japan" usually meant junk, and the term "making out" referred to asking how you did on your exam. Hitting on somebody suggested punching them. Pizzas, McDonald's, Starbucks, and instant coffee were unheard of.
We hit the scene when there were 5 and 10 cent stores, where you bought things for five and ten cents. Ice cream cones sold for a nickel or a dime. For one nickel, you could ride a bus, make a phone call, buy Pepsi, or enough stamps to mail one letter and two postcards. You could buy a Chevy Coupe for $600.00, but who could afford one? A pity, because gas was 11 cents a gallon at the time.
In our day, cigarette smoking was fashionable. GRASS was mowed, COKE was a cold drink, and POT was something you cooked in. ROCK MUSIC was a Grandma's lullaby, and AIDS were helpers in the Principal's office.
We were certainly not before the differences between the sexes was discovered, but we were surely before sex-changes. We made do with what we had, because we had to. And we were the last generation that was so dumb as to think that you needed a husband to have a baby.
No wonder there is still such a generation-gap today, that could affect audience understanding of advertising copy or even your next novel.

Sunday, August 09, 2009

8 WAYS TO HOLD READER-INTEREST IN YOUR AD COPY

Your ad is competing with millions of others on the WWW. People have little time to spare. Which explains the vital importance of stopping the reader with an interesting headline -- something that touches a nerve, grabs attention, and presses the "hot button."
But once you've captured readers' attention with the headline, then what?
How do you hold further interest throughout your ad -- so that your copy eventually sells? Here are eight ways to do it.

1. Start the copy with a question. Then answer it. If the question is important to readers, if it reflects a need, you'll be on the way to a sale.
2. Play up your strongest benefit. Don't talk about "features." Talk about benefits. Rewards! What's in it for the reader? Itemize the best ones.
3. Avoid generalities. Be specific and concrete. Vague copy soon makes people lose interest.
4. Stick to buying points -- not selling points. Sell 'advantages, not things.
5. Try to find an emotional appeal, rather than merely cold facts. Nobody does anything unless they have an "emotional" reason for it -- whether it's to be gain health, be a better husband, increase comfort, or to make more money.
6. Don't waste space and clutter up your ad with minor claims. Emphasize the most important facts, the greatest appeals to the most people.
7. Put as much showmanship, personality and human interest in as you can. People like buying from "people," not cold impersonal organizations. (This is by far the most important of all!) Convey the feeling of warmth, friendliness, person-to-person relationship.
8. Make the ad entertaining. Research shows many people even read the classifieds to be entertained, enlightened, given a smile or two. Give your ad the touch of humor worth reading. Sure enough, they'll eventually buy from you.

Now test yourself ...
First, print out a few of the most recent ads you've run.
Then, compare your ads with this following check-list, to see how many of these devices for making an ad hold attention you've used. (Afterwards, keep this list handy and refer to it whenever you're creating your ads in future.)

Start copy with a question
Begin with the strongest benefit
Avoid generalities
Stick to buying points
Avoid making minor claims
Put in lots of emotional appeal
Put in some human interest
Make your sales-story entertaining

Saturday, August 08, 2009


HOW TO SET YOUR FEES FOR CONSULTING, WRITING, AND DESIGN.

Whatever your expertise is as a creative consultant/supplier in any field of freelance service, one of your most important marketing skills is the ability to negotiate profitable fees with prospective clients. Regardless of the amount, fees should be based on what you feel your time, efforts, and talents are worth. When first starting out, make the effort to determine what other consultants are charging for similar services, and then match yours accordingly.Here are the various methods commonly used to calculate fees.Flat-Rate Charges. One way to charge for an assignment is on a flat-rate basis, meaning you commit yourself to do the job for a stated number of dollars. Clients love this arrangement, because it tells them up front exactly what they are going to have to pay. But the problem with it for suppliers is that the actual cost of most assignments is completely unpredictable at the outset. So after a fixed price is agreed to, clients often have no hesitation about changing the job requirements later on, and feel free to demand extra work from the consultant. So a fixed price for a job can end up requiring increased time and effort and much less profit for you, the supplier. If a prospect insists on a fixed price being quoted, make the best of things by presenting a "best-guess" up-front estimate of time and charges, but making clear these would be charged according to time actually spent to complete the assignment. Never quote an estimate or accept a job contract that does not allow charging for any extra work caused by repeated client changes.Page-Rate Charges: Another method of charging is based on a page rate, when you quote a certain price per finished page of a written document or segment of design. Many tyro writers and consultants follow this policy, charging widely different fees from (say) $45 to $125 typewritten page. Even if this sounds better than flat-rating, it does not decrease dangers for free-lancers. Its main drawback is that it makes no allowance for job complexity or the number of rewrites that a client demands.Hourly-Rate Charges: The best rate structure is an hourly basis in which you charge a specific number of dollars per hour. The obvious advantage is that you get paid for your actual effort. Less obvious is that hourly charging discourages clients from wasting your time. The arrangement makes clients realize they risk needing to pay out additional money for arbitrary and unnecessary late changes on a consultant’s work, or otherwise wasting billable time. Determining an hourly charge can be tricky, but it still should be based firmly on what you think your skill and time are worth. A highly skilled writer/designer/consultant for either marketing or technical projects should be able to command from $50 to over $100 an hour, depending on the going standard rates in the market either on-line or off-line. Less skilled consultants starting out may have to limit themselves to $15 to $30 an hour. However, newbies are well advised to not try to compete with the many overseas competitors who offer remarkably low fees.Miscellaneous “Plus” Charges: As a consultant, you also have to consider cost factors beyond the actual rate itself. All your directly related expenses should be billable to the client in addition to your fee charges for work you performed. Also you are entitled to hold the client responsible for expenses for outside suppliers, such as typographers, photographers, and artists. Do not pre-pay such vendor costs yourself, because if a client defaults on paying your bill, it leaves you being obligated to pay those suppliers. In the case of any client making late “rush” extra demands, remember to charge up to double your regular rates. It is best to inform your client of this early on, to cut down the number of last-minute requests and ensure you get properly awarded for last-minute efforts.In summary, just be guided by commonsense awareness that it is unwise to charge much higher or much lower than the average rate your competitors offer for the same talents and services. Many companies now hiring are becoming less impressed by low-bidders, and instead tend to select consultants who offer a mid-range price and a proven track record of experience. Consultants who quote unusually high fees seldom get hired, just as those asking very low rates are considered likely to be incapable of doing the job properly.Sidney Allinson.

Wednesday, August 05, 2009


OGILVYISMS

David Ogilvy was quite likely the finest advertising copywriter in history. I had the great privilege of working with DO during my years as a creative director with his agency, Ogilvy & Mather International. Along the way, I made note of some of his memorable sayings and aphorisms. Here are just a few of his shrewd and often humourous "Ogilvyisms:"

Tourists do not travel thousands of miles to see things which they can see next door. For example, people who live in Switzerland cannot be persuaded to travel five thousand miles to see the mountains in Colorado. Advertise whatever is unique [to each particular audience.]
[Excerpted from Confessions of an Advertising Man]

When people aren't having any fun, they seldom produce good work. Kill grimness with laughter. Encourage exuberance. Get rid of sad dogs that spread gloom.
[D.O.'s talk to McKinsey & Company, February 1972]
If you tell lies about a product, you will be found out by the Government, which will prosecute you, or by the consumer, who will punish you by not buying your product a second time.
[Excerpted from Confessions of an Advertising Man]
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 [mental]images.
[from Ogilvy on Advertising]
"If you always hire people who are smaller than you are, we shall become a company of dwarfs. If, on the other hand, you always hire people who are bigger than you are, we shall become a company of giants."
[from Ogilvy on Advertising]
"If you ever find a man who is better than you are, hire him. If necessary, pay him more than you pay yourself."
[from Principles of Management]
It has taken more than a hundred scientists two years to find out how to make the product in question: I have been given thirty days to create its personality and plan its launching. If I do my job well, I shall contribute as much as two hundred scientists to the success of this product.
[From Confessions of An Advertising Man]

-- Sidney Allinson.