The most important aspect of any business is selling the product or service. Without sales, no business can exist for very long.
All sales begin with some form of advertising. To build sales, this advertising must be seen or heard by potential buyers, and cause them to react to the advertising in some way. The credit for the success, or the blame for the failure of almost all ads, reverts back to the ad itself.
Generally, the “ad writer” wants the prospect to do one of the following – to INFORM, TO REMIND and TO PERSUADE a potential or existing customer:
a) Visit the store to see and judge the product for him, or immediately write a cheque and send for the merchandise being advertised.
b) Phone for an appointment to hear the full sales presentation, or write for further information.
The bottom line in any ad is quite simple: To make the reader buy the product or service. Any ad that causes the reader to only pause in this thinking, to just admire the product, or to simply believe what’s written about the product – is not doing its job completely.
The “ad writer” must know exactly what he wants his reader to do, and any that does not elicit the desired action is an absolute waste of time and money.
In order to elicit the desired action from the prospect, all ads are written according to a simple “AIDA master formula” which is:
1) Attract the “attention” of your prospect.
2) “Interest” your prospect in the product
3) Cause your prospect to “desire” the product
4) Demand “action” from the prospect
Never forget the basic rule of advertising copy writing: If the ad is not read, it won’t stimulate any sale; if it is not seen, it cannot be read; and if it does not command or grab the attention of the reader, it will not be seen!
Most successful advertising copywriters know these fundamentals backwards and forwards. Whether you know then already or you’re just now being exposed to them, your knowledge and practice of these fundamentals will determine the extent of your success as an advertising copywriter.