If your products or services aren’t selling…sometimes it’s all about the ad-copy.

Here are a few points to keep in mind when writing copy for your marketing materials:

1. Decide on your overall message. What is the one point you want to convey? Your marketing will always be more effective if you don’t flip-flop between different messages.

2. Keep your message simple and to the point. It’s important that you understand that it’s always in your best interest to be clear and concise. Keep your writing style simple and easy to understand…your prospects will thank you.

3. Understand your audience. Who are you talking to? If you want your prospects to connect to your marketing message, then it’s essential that you talk directly to them. Are they men? Women? Small business owners? The more specific you can be about your target market, the more successful your advertising campaign will be.

4. Choose each word wisely. Words can be very powerful tools in your marketing toolbox. Choose each word with care to ensure that it delivers the desired impact.

5. State exactly what you mean. Too many marketing campaigns hem and haw and aren’t crystal clear in their intentions. Always remember that it’s always better to be clear than clever.

6. Make promises. Promise your prospects that they will receive a desired result by using your products or services. However, it’s important that you under-promise and keep expectations low, otherwise your prospects will be naturally skeptical.

7. Ask questions. Ask the tough questions that your prospects struggle with. But, make sure that only your service can provide the answer.

8. Make a deal. Let your prospective clients and customers know that you can create a relationship that benefits each other:

• If you give me 5 minutes, I promise to make it worth your while…

• Simply email your address and you will receive our FREE ebook…

9. Talk directly to your prospect. Always write your ad-copy as if you are having a one-on-one conversation with your prospect. Use the word “you” throughout your copy and use it often.

10. Flatter your prospect. Sometimes it’s appropriate to flatter your prospect and make them feel good (even great)  about themselves.

• We would like you to become a member of our elite team…

• As a discriminating buyer…

11. Use power words. There are a number of words in the advertising world that ensure that your prospect will pay attention to what you are saying:  FREE, YOU, CANCEL AT ANY TIME. Use these words everywhere in your ad-copy.

12. Include a call to action. Make sure that you always tell your prospect exactly what you want them to do.

• Supply you with their email address

• Call a 1-800 number

• Download a free ebook

• Purchase your product or service

Therefore, the next time that you are struggling to sell your products or services, take a look at your ad-copy…that could be the culprit!

If you’re going to write an ad that generates a dynamic and powerful response, follow the ten tips below to ensure your success:

1. Highlight a Single Benefit. It’s important to create focused ad-copy so that your prospects don’t become confused and overwhelmed. Choose a single benefit of your product or service that you wish to highlight above everything else. This is your “principle selling position” or PSP.

In order to create a PSP, ask yourself how your product or service is different than your competitors. Are you faster? More reliable? Provide better customer service? Make sure to paint a picture that shows your potential clients and customers exactly how your product or service will improve their life or solve their problems.

2. Write A Compelling Headline. Today’s consumers are exposed to thousands and thousands of ads every day, so in order to process all this information, they generally skim over information. If your headline doesn’t instantly grab their attention, you’ve most likely lost them. To create the most powerful statement, base your headline around your PSP.

3. Highlight Your Strongest Selling Points. The first few paragraphs in your ad-copy are incredibly important. You want to create a strong desire for your product or service by highlighting some of the most compelling benefits. Put together a bulleted list of the benefits your customer will receive by doing business with you.

4. Write Directly To Your Target Market. Always imagine exactly who you are writing for and then right directly to them. Are you writing to women? Men? Teenagers? Individuals struggling with their weight?  It’s important that your language suits your intended audience so that they are better able to relate to you.

5. Use The Power Of Multimedia. As our audiences become more and more distracted, we need to create better ways to capture their attention. Using audio and video in your ads, engages more of the senses and, as a result, creates a much more interactive experience for your potential clients and customers.

6. Create Emotional Connections. Write copy that creates emotional connections through targeted benefits. For example, imagine that you’re selling facial cream. A feature might be that it contains retinol. However, that isn’t going to elicit any sort of emotional response. Instead, you should say, “Eliminates Wrinkles!” or even better, “Use Acme Cream and Instantly Look Ten Years Younger!”  You have now turned a boring feature into a strong emotional benefit linked to people’s strong desire to look younger.

7. Use Testimonials. Obviously, it’s much more important what other people say about you and your small business than what you say yourself. So, make sure to include real and convincing testimonials of clients and customers singing your praises. Ask for permission to include their full name and a link to their website if applicable.

8. Write In A Natural Voice. The best way to write is in a very natural and unaffected tone.  In fact, just write it exactly how you would say it. You want to make sure that your prospects feel comfortable reading your copy.

9. Incorporate A Call To Action. End by telling the reader what to do; e.g. “Ring now” or “Click here to order now for immediate delivery!” Needless to say, ordering details must be clearly visible and simple to follow.

10. Ask For The Sale.At some point, you will need to come out and ask your prospect to purchase your product or services. When you do, make sure to incorporate one of the following three items:

- A Great Deal: “40% off!”

- A Sense Of Urgency:  “Only Ten Slots Available!”

- Risk-Free: “Backed By Our 30-day, No-Questions-Asked, Money-Back Guarantee!”

So, the next time that you are faced with writing an ad (whether it be a sales letter, brochure, newspaper ad or the likes), make sure to incorporate these ten tips for the best possible results.

Internet readers read differently than print readers. Most web readers don’t read every word of your website, blog and sales letters and instead, scan your adcopy quickly and efficiently.

The internet readers who land on your website are in a hurry. They’re looking for specific information and don’t have the time to hunt through screen after screen of text to find what they’re looking for. If your web copy is a hassle or struggle to read, your readers will quickly abandon you and move on.

Therefore, when you are writing for today’s internet audience make sure that your information is easy to understand, easy to find and easy to follow.

Here are 10 Golden Rules when writing for the internet:

1.  Always include a compelling headline. You only have three short seconds to capture your prospect’s attention, so spend plenty of time creating a headline that sells itself.

2.  Make sure to include the most important information at the very beginning of your page. Think of this as an “inverted pyramid.” Internet readers need to find out why your product or service is important to them immediately.

3.  Write short sentences of 20-25 words.

4.  Your paragraphs should only consist of 3-5 sentences each.

5.  Break up your content with bullet points, dashes, numbered lists, etc.

6.  Use sub-headings within your writing to separate ideas for the reader. This keeps your pages more scannable and it is easier for readers to move from idea to idea.

7.  Use action words to keep your writing actively moving forward.

8.  Avoid hard-to-read italics and mixing too many fonts.

9.  Write directly to your reader.

10.  ALWAYS proofread and spell check your work.

Successful marketers understand that all ad-copy, whether it is part of your website, emails, or sales letter, starts with a compelling headline. That simple, little headline at the top of your page is absolutely vital to your success, for its job is to reach out and grab your reader’s attention and keep them reading.

Well, there’s good news and bad news. Here’s the bad news: you only have three seconds to grab your reader’s attention. If your headline isn’t exciting, intriguing and interesting, your reader will stop reading and soon forget about you.

But, here’s the good news: I am going to share with you seven “headline templates” that have proven to work time and time again, producing eye-popping results.

Here they are, in no certain order:

1) The “How-to” Headline
“How To Stop Smoking In 7 Days”

2) The Testimonial Headline
“I Was Able To Tap Into Pam’s Marketing System and Double My Profits Overnight!” – John Brown, Lansing, MI

3) The Headline That Offers a Benefit
Find Out The Secrets of Throwing Away Your List Of Tired Old Leads and Instead Have Prospects Chasing You!”

4) The Question Headline
“Do You Toss and Turn All Night Long?”

5) The Headline That Provides a Solution
“Your dandruff will disappear after one shampoo”

6) The Personalized Headline
“Mary, How Would YOU Like To Lose 5 Pounds This Week?”

7) The Headline That Offers A Guarantee
“I Guarantee That You Will Make An Extra $500 Or I Will Personally Write You a Check For Double Your Money Back!”

Another simple trick is to use “power words” in your headlines. These words create an emotional connection with your readers and dramatically increase the success of your headline. Caution: only use these power words if you are looking for BIG results!

• Amazing
• Announcing
• Advice To
• At Last
• Bargains
• Breakthrough
• Discover
• Do You
• Enormous
• Facts
• Finally
• Free
• Great News
• Guaranteed
• Here
• How Much
• Inside Secrets Of…
• Innovative
• Love
• Only
• Proven
• Sale
• This
• Which
• Yes

 So, the next time you sit down to write a headline for your landing page, online newsletter or blog, take the time to create a dazzling headline that instantly captures your reader’s attention.