Ask John Smiley

Sometimes it’s better to focus on the positive even if there isn’t much there.

When you have a choice, it’s usually better to tell people what they can do rather than can’t. Here are three examples:

Jamie Smart of Salad Seminars wrote an e-book titled, “The Top Ten Secrets of Instant Wealth.” If I hadn’t recently got some flash cards from Salad, I probably wouldn’t have given it a second thought.

Better questions are the key to getting what you want. Most people stop at the statement that they can’t afford something. Instead ask, “How can I afford it?” When you use that kind of language with your audience, your results will change as well.

The second example is that I sometimes see marketers bad mouth “hypnotic techniques.” Here’s a quote from an article in the Early to Rise e-zine (July 31st Issue):

“Don’t try to be a copywriter. Just explain what you’ve got and why anyone should care - and then just get out of the way.

“In other words, don’t mess around with mystical, manipulative tactics that are supposed to magically vacuum money out of your prospects’ wallets while they grin stupidly in a hypnotic trance.

“Just talk to people. Be interesting. Be respectful of their time. Share value. Make your pitch. And shut up.”

The point I think the author was trying to make was to not make the amateur mistake of making it sound like you’re trying too hard or using hype. He’s telling you to do exactly what a copywriter tries to do but then starts out telling you not to try to be a copywriter.

The one tenth part of this is that the writer must not know how to use hypnotic language patterns well. That just means there’s more opportunity for those of us that do.

This post was prompted this last example. I went to see a movie at our IMAX last week. The theater is inside a state history museum. While everyone was waiting in line, one of the museum employees made an announcement with an interesting one tenth full twist.

He announced that food and drinks were allowed in the theater as long as they were water with screw top bottles and candy bars still sealed in their wrappers. There’s no doubt that this approach was better received than telling people that no food or drinks were allowed except bottled water.

It reminds me of the saying attributed to Henry Ford that you could have any color of Model-T car as long as it was black.

I don’t know how many people noticed the approach at the museum but I found it humorous. That was actually much less than one tenth full but you get the point… be affirmative as much as possible for best results.

Without effective ad copy, your product or service wont seem valuable to the person that it was designed for your target consumer demographic. Ads that lack basic essential information dont contain any photos or graphics, or ads that overwhelm the online user with excessive graphics that take forever to load are the ads that are overlooked. Dont let your ad be one of them keep reading for tips on writing ad copy that sells.

What is your target demographic? In other words, who are you trying to sell to? If you are trying to convince people to stay at your bed and breakfast, in other words, you will probably focus on its proximity to beaches, attractions, and specials that you may be running, such as free meals for children, if you are trying to target vacationing families. If you are trying to persuade couples to spend their honeymoon or romantic getaway at your bed and breakfast, you will want to emphasize other things, such as complimentary room service, themed room packages, etc.

There are several things that every ad should include. Basic information, such as the name of your business, the address, the type of business that you have, the type of service that you provide, etc. should be clearly stated within the ad. Otherwise, consumers will question the professionalism of your business, and even more importantly, wont be able to contact you if they decide that they want to try your product or service.

Your title is the first impression that readers of your ad will have so make sure that it is distinctive. Dont say Vacation Property For Rent when you could say Vacation Property For Rent”Steps From The Beach, Shopping And More. Generic titles are just that, generic. It is equally important to hook your reader in with the first sentence, which a lot of effective ads do by posing a question, i.e. Looking For Unique, Affordable Accommodations Just Steps From The Beach?

After your title and crucial opening line, it is your job to explain in the most clear and concise way, exactly what products and services you are offering and how you differ from your competition. Dont be discouraged if you dont see a lot of responses to your first ad. Many people find that they hit on the perfect formula for ads after a few trial runs.