Not everyone is aware of what are text adverts? Text Adverts are a form of low cost advertising used by website owners to promote their website and services to a quality targeted audience.

Online advertising offers an outstanding opportunity to efficiently and effectively target your desired audience. Even a single impression allows for increased awareness and corporate image. Couple this impact with cost effective exposure rates, and there is a natural equation for success.

Text Adverts are a simple, polite, and inexpensive alternative to banners and other online advertising.

Text Adverts are inserted into the main pages of a website. Visitors will see a small text box with your link and text within. When a visitor clicks on your text advert link they will be taken directly to your specified web page.

Text Adverts provide all of the benefits of other forms of online advertising without the annoying downsides.

There has been a considerable amount of backlash by users as many online advertisers have resorted to more and more desperate attempts to capture user’s attention. Pop-up ads, Pop-under ads, full-page ads. These are just a few examples of advertising that many users find to be intrusive. So much so that several companies have begun distributing software that lets users block all traditional forms of advertising.

Text Adverts, by comparison, are small, effective, and most importantly, respectful of users.

Text Adverts are very cost effective means of advertising. You can pay for a text advert by number of impressions, views or simply by a monthly fee. Paying by monthly fee can work out to be the most cost effective as you will only pay a small set fee irrespective of how many visitors you receive. The monthly fee remains the same whether you receive one hundred or one million visitors!

Paying for the text adverts can be done by cheque, bank transfer or most commonly by electronic transfer.

The one drawback to text adverts is that in order to avoid page clutter only a limited number of adverts will normally be made available per web page and there will only be a limited number of available web pages to advertise on. Text adverts are allowed on a first-come, first-serve basis.

You may freely reprint this article provided the author’s biography remains intact:

John Mussi is the founder of Direct Online Loans who help UK homeowners find the best available loans via the http://www.directonlineloans.co.uk website.

One of the best and easiest ways to advertise without having to worry about shelf life of those who would most likely use your services or buy the products from your small business is to use inserts in your local newspaper. A marketing piece might also be to insert our flyers in the daily newspaper. This usually ranges from $23.00-35.00 per thousand if we print the flyers and $25.00-50.00 per thousand if the newspaper prints them. The newspaper rarely prints flyers in house, although some do. They contract it out because their printing presses are all computerized and specialized for that industry only. Large newspapers such as The Los Angeles Times have really neat programs whereby they will mail a flyer to every residence, which doesn’t take the paper. Christmas time is a bad time to do inserts because it gets lost in all the shuffle of 20 other color catalogs of every retailer under the sun.

Under no circumstances should you do inserts on Thursdays or Sundays. On Thursdays grocery stores typically come out with their ads and on Sundays, which is usually a newspaper’s highest circulation day, all businesses try to get in. A good day is Monday, Tuesday or Saturday. Most people don’t read the paper on Fridays because it’s the weekend and they’ve got things to do. Also, you want the phone to ring on Mondays and Tuesdays since they are the slowest days for many small businesses.

Most people call on the first or second day after an ad. Over one-half call immediately and the other one-half call over the next three weeks. When the ads are designed properly, we get 0.5-4.5% market penetration (phone calls). This is three times as much as placing an ad in the newspaper. Ads in newspapers, much like the telephone book, don’t work for us very well at all. It’s a waste of money and you will be under whelmed by it’s dismal results. Weekly newspapers are good if you advertise in the service directory because the shelf life is longer. Inserts in weekly newspapers are awesome. They normally will fall into the same price range as daily newspapers. When placing an order for inserts be sure to ask which days have one to three inserts or no other inserts. This is your best choice for days and it will raise your inquires by 1-2%.

If your current newspaper advertising is not pulling for you the way you wish it were, try inserts next time. Think about it.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Doesn’t that just grab you by the eyeballs and make you stop dead in your tracks? I mean it’s a little harsh – grammatically speaking – but holy smokes, it does it have ‘stopping power’…

Now I’ll share with you a few secrets for creating good adverts. So let’s dive right in because we’re all busy people

First you need to be introduced AIDA.

- A stands for ATTENTION, as in get some or you lose your chance
- I stands for INTEREST, as in now keep me interested.
- D stands for DESIRE, as in ok, make me want what you’ve got.
- A stands for ACTION, because people need to take some for things to happen.

Got it? That’s all there is to it…Easy right?

If it were that easy we’d all be rich and you wouldn’t need marketing consultants like me. Truthfully, just invest a few thousand hours studying, read all the classic books on advertising that date as far back as 1920 (when advertising really became a science) and you’ll have the subject down cold.

And on the off-chance you don’t have that much free time, I’ll give you some wickedly powerful pointers that will let you leapfrog over the other guys. So let’s begin…

Headlines R Us (or is that You?)

It all starts with a headline. You know, the first thing the prospect sees. The title at the top of the page, that’s the headline. The first few words they hear on the radio, that’s a ‘headline’ too. Take this article for example, the headline was the first thing you saw. A good headline can almost stand alone and you just ‘get it’. It’s an advert for the advert.

Studies have shown the headline results in approximately 80% of the results. So the headline makes all the difference. In one test a changed headline improved response over 2000% (over 21 times!)

Here’s an example of a really bad headline… YOUR COMPANY NAME

That’s right, your company name is not a good headline. In fact your name, your contact details, how long you’ve been in business and all those other boring bits of data you often put at the top of adverts, is a waste of time…and money UNTIL the prospect wants to know who you are – only then are they important.

Next…Make Them An Offer They Can’t Refuse

Then you have to make a good offer. Don’t beat around the bush. People are busy, your headline stopped them, now they’re looking – so make your pitch. Give them the best you’ve got. Make them an offer they can’t refuse…

Describe the benefits of having your product or service in a way that the prospect can experience. Don’t focus on the specific features – focus on benefits. People buy benefits. Here’s an example:

[Feature] 1/4 Inch Masonry Drill Bit.

[Benefit] 1/4 Inch hole… Probably to hang a picture – so the real benefit was admiring the picture or proving to your spouse that you really are handy around the home…

Finally…Action!

And once you’ve helped them see themselves experiencing your product or service tell them what you want them to do – call, click or visit today. Or words to that effect. Remember, advertising that does anything other than sell is a waste of money for most of us – brand advertising is expensive.

Darn it…I’ve run out of time.

Because headlines are so critical to the success of your adverts I wanted to sign-off with this formula for a good headline: SINC (Self Interest, Curiosity & News).

If you can make the headline show the reader what’s in it for them, make them curious to read more, and share something newsworthy you’ve likely got a winner on your hands.

Remember, the money is ALWAYS in the headline.

JAMES C. BURCHILL is a 20-year veteran entrepreneur and information technology executive who now provides strategic marketing consulting services to a select group of clients. He is a published author, a passionate advocate of technology and the Internet, as well as an avid study of classical advertising and marketing strategies (which he uses during ‘Internet alchemy’ experiments.) James is an expert in information and data management, Internet marketing and online networking. A self confessed ‘information and technology enthusiast’, James brings a wide range of valuable skills to any venture. Of singular note is James’ ability to assimilate complex subject matter and produce clean clear ‘easy-to-understand’ messages. James has been interviewed many times and caused quite the media buzz when a client ‘double-dog-dared’ him to prove you can get front page coverage for $0. The details and that ‘dumb stunt’ are now part of EBay legend. Currently James lives in Ontario, Canada with his wife and family, their Siamese cat and one very nervous fish. Visit http://www.JamesBurchill.com for details.

The president of a manufacturing company recently asked me, “Why isn’t my advertising working?” Have you ever been asked this question? Have you ever asked it yourself?

Like most marketing communications questions there are no simple answers. After all, communication is a high level activity. There are lots of variables involved.

If your ad results are disappointing, here are the key things to look at:

1) Message Is what your ad promises compelling? Is it meaningful to your audience? If you’re not offering something prospective customers want, they won’t respond. If you’re not sure what prospects want, ASK!!

2) Audience Are you reaching the people who make the buying decision for your product or service? Many big ticket sales involve buying teams or multiple layers within an organization. Are you reaching everyone you need to?

3) Vehicles Are you in the best publications (or radio time slots, TV programs, whatever)to reach your audience with your message? Look at quantitative AND qualitative data to get a true evaluation of media and vehicles.

4) Frequency/repetition There are two cardinal rules of human communication: a) People will notice your ad only when they’re interested, and b) People retain about 10% of the messages they’re exposed to each day. So for a communication program to succeed, it must repeat, repeat, repeat. (Current estimates are that it can take 7-9 repetitions of a message for it to sink in.)

5) Attention Does your ad have stopping power? Will the intended audience take the time to look? This usually requires the synergy of an arresting visual and a powerful headline.

6) Objectives Are you asking advertising to do what it’s good at? Generating inquiries and creating awareness are reasonable ad objectives. But don’t expect advertising to SELL a product. Good ads set up opportunities to sell. Your sales channel will need to close the deal.

7) Measuring results Do you really know what your advertising is achieving? Are you collecting and reviewing results that relate to your objectives? For instance, if you expect your advertising program to generate inquiries, measurement that looks at inquiry quantity and quality should be built into your program.

Sound intimidating? Communication is important to any business but it’s complicated. Fortunately there are experienced consultants and agencies who can help you.

©Copyright 2005 Clairvoyant Communications, Inc.

About the author

Claire Cunningham, president of Clairvoyant Communications, Inc., has 20+ years’ experience developing and implementing successful marketing and communications programs. Sign up for Claire’s monthly e-newsletter, Communiqué, at http://www.clairvoyantcommunications.com Claire can be reached at 763-479-3499 (claire@claircomm.com)

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:

Visit the store or website to see and judge the product for himself, or immediately reach for his credit card or write a check and send for the merchandise being advertised.

Phone for an appointment to hear the full sales presentation, or write for futher information which amounts to the same thing.

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 his thinking, to just admire the product, or to simply believe what is written about the product–is not doing it’s job completely.

The "ad writer" must know exactly what he wants his reader to do, and any ad 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 "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 copywriting; If the ad is not read, it won’t stimulate any sales, 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 them 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.

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Do you know about the distinction - and it’s a useful one - between communication that tries to reinforce and communication that tries to get change?

If you follow politics you’ll already be familiar with this idea: Incumbents send messages that reinforce existing voter behavior, while challengers call for changes.

Any thoughtful marketing communication (and political communication is marketing communication) will be strongly influenced by this distinction, which affects not only the content, but also the presentation, and perhaps even the medium.

For example, suppose you own a bookstore and every couple of months you send a newsletter to all residences within a two mile radius.

Now, if you have good market share and you’re profitable, you won’t want to rock the boat. You’ll want to reinforce existing behaviors (which include buying at your store).

On the other hand, if you just opened a new bookstore and need to take market share from other bookstores, then you want change existing book buying behavior.

Another example: Suppose your employee safety program has worked well for the past year and you want to maintain the practices that led to this longest-ever period without an accident. Your communication would reinforce. On the other hand, if the safety record was unacceptable, you would try to get change through your communication.

In a change situation, we want to upset the status quo, to challenge existing beliefs and ways of doing things. That means the words and style could be somewhat inflammatory.

We can do this by making bold claims or allegations: Just listen to, or look at, advertising claims like these: "If you shop at Joe’s Bookstore, you may be paying too much!" or, "Drive a bit further and save a lot more at Jane’s Bookstore!"

Change also might be hurried by painting negative scenarios , as in "Unless we get more efficient, senior management will outsource the whole department."

Tactically, change usually demands more communication, as in more often and more words or pages. As you can imagine, it takes more communication to drive change than to stay on the same course.

There are also tactics we can use to reinforce existing beliefs or actions.

To maintain the status quo we can stress a service record, as in, "Serving you with quality and service for 25 years." or "Your performance has been very good over the past year, Betty. Keep up the good work."

Reinforcement does not automatically rule out change; however, it emphasizes incremental and gradual change rather than major and abrupt change.

You can also appeal to shared values or experiences to reinforce. Nothing commits us to staying the course like emotional cues that link good times to the status quo. For example, consider the power of an advertising slogan that begins, "Remember when…." It connects a powerful, positive emotion with a product or service. By extension, the product or service offers an opportunity to relive that good time.

In summary, make a distinction in your communication between reinforcing and changing. Decide which way you want to go, and then choose the appropriate strategies, tactics, and tools.

Robert F. Abbott writes and publishes Abbott’s Communication Letter. Learn how you can use communication to help achieve your goals, by reading articles or subscribing to this ad-supported newsletter. An excellent resource for leaders and managers, at: http://www.communication-newsletter.com

The great Claude Hopkins (Author of Scientific Advertising) once said, “Platitudes and generalities roll off the human understanding like water from a duck. They leave no impression whatever.”

To say, "Best in the world," "Lowest price in existence," etc. are at best simply claiming the expected. But superlatives of that sort are usually damaging. They suggest looseness of expression, a tendency to exaggerate, a careless truth. They lead readers to discount all the statements that you make.

— A Dog & Pony Show

It’s true that people accept a certain license in ‘sales talk.’ A person may say, "Highest quality" without seeming a liar, although you realise other brands are just as good. We expect a sales person to ‘sell’ and we excuse some enthusiastic exaggeration. It’s for that reason general statements count for very little. And a person inclined to grand statements and superlatives must expect their claims to meet a healthy dose of scepticism.

However, someone making a specific claim is either telling the truth lying. We know advertisers cannot lie in the best mediums, so a definite statement is usually accepted. Actual figures are not generally discounted. Specific facts, when stated, have their full weight and effect.

— Just The Facts Ma’am

This is very important to consider in written or personal salesmanship. The weight of an argument may often be multiplied by making it specific. Say that one brand of light bulb gives more light than another and you leave some doubt. Say it gives 354% more light and people realize that you have made tests and comparisons.

A dealer may say, "Our prices have been reduced" without creating any marked impression. But when he says, "Our prices have been reduced 27 per cent" they get the full value of their announcement.

— The Pre-emptive Advantage & Specificity

In the old days all beers were advertised as "Pure." The claim made no impression. The bigger the type used, the bigger the folly. After millions had been spent to impress a platitude, one brewer pictured a plate glass where beer was cooled in filtered air. They pictured a filter of white wood pulp through which every drop was cleared. They told how bottles were washed four times by machinery. They he went down 4,000 feet for pure water. How 1,018 experiments had been made to attain a yeast to give beer that matchless flavour. And how all the yeast was forever made from that adopted mother cell.

Now don’t misunderstand – any brewer might have easily made these claims. They were mere essentials in ordinary brewing. But this one company was the first to tell everyone about them, while the others simply kept repeating the worn out statement "pure beer." This one brewer made the greatest success that was ever made in beer advertising.

— The Art of Leverage

Remember, one advertising statement may take as much room as another, yet a definite statement is many times more effective. The difference is vast. If a claim is worth making, make it in the most impressive way you possibly can.

All these effects must be studied. ‘Salesmanship-in-print’ can be very expensive. A salesperson’s loose talk matters little when it’s simply one-on-one. However, when you are ‘talking’ to many at great cost, the weight of your advertising claims is important.

Remember, no generality has any weight whatever. It’s like saying, "How do you do?", when you have no intention of inquiring about one’s health. And specific claims when made in print are taken at their value.

So the next time you are dreaming up adverts and offers for your business – BE SPECIFIC!

Author: http://www.JamesBurchill.com - James is a freelance writer and consultant

Depending on whom you ask, you will get told many “truths” about advertising. The question I have for you today is this – “Is the only bad advertising, no advertising?”

Before we begin, it might help us to agree on what advertising is, so here’s one definition:

“Advertising is the non-personal communication of an individual’s paid persuasive information regarding products, and or services via various media.”

In other words, someone is trying to “sell” us on something – be it a product, or a service, or just picking up the phone. Advertising is all about getting people to do something – well, for the majority of us, it should be.

So, if advertising is about selling stuff, then perhaps we can answer our question now: “Is the only bad advertising, no advertising?” Of course not! You could create a really bad advert that did a terrible job of selling… and that would easily be a bad advert.

“Repetition, repetition, repetition!”

Is the battle cry of the ardent advertiser. “You must have repetition to have an impact.” Do you believe this? A healthy dose of scepticism is always handy at a time like this. But before you start patting yourself on the back thinking that you’re right I think you might want to hear this.

Repeating an advert works. Studies have shown conclusively that a ‘sale’ regularly occurs between the fifth and eighth exposure to a sales message (sure it can happen sooner, the point is that one-hit-wonders are rare). So repeating an advert works – BUT… and this is quite an important “but”… the advert must be having an effect (or working) for the repetition to be meaningful.

Flogging a Dead Horse

Permit me to explain. If your advert tanked on the first run you may have a bad advert on your hands. You will need to think carefully about what you do next. Experience tells us that this might be a fluke or a freak of circumstances so it warrants at least another run – may be two.

However, if the advert is not performing at all well after a couple of exposures to your market place, exposing that advert continuously will NOT (I repeat NOT) improve it. In this instance, repetition is quite simply a waste of time and money.

However, if your advert worked well then keep running the advert. For how long you might ask? The answer to that is actually very easy. Keep running performing adverts until the numbers tell you to stop. That’s right, let the sales numbers tell you when that advert needs a rest.

Great Adverts Need A Vacation Too

Adverts are like people, they get tired and need a break. Just because an advert eventually loses some steam doesn’t mean that after a suitable ‘rest’ it cannot go right back to work – performing flawlessly. So how do the numbers tell you when to pull the advert or give it a rest? When all the costs of running the advert outweigh the sales the advert is bringing in. Remember to take a more pragmatic view and consider the long term sales value of a new client. In a previous article I explained that a client you acquire has a ‘lifetime value’ not just a ‘now-time value’. Include the future sales this client will bring you when deciding if the advert is no longer effective.

Size Does Matter!

So how big should your advert be? That’s easy, it should be ‘dominant’. After all, your advert is trying to do its first job – CATCH ATTENTION! This is easier to achieve with a larger advert. All things being equal on the page, the bigger ads get more ‘eye time’ than the smaller adverts. As with all things though, there are exceptions to the rules and a small advert developed properly will outperform a big advert that is poorly designed.

There are other advertising ‘secrets’ we copywriters have learned that help us gain the edge when writing adverts. For instance we know whether colour makes a difference and when to use it, we know which single colour out performs all other colours and why, and we know which fonts (yes fonts) make a difference to an advert… but sadly I’m out of space again so we’ll have to save those tidbits for another time.

JAMES C. BURCHILL is a 20-year veteran entrepreneur and information technology executive who now provides strategic marketing consulting services to a select group of clients. He is a published author, a passionate advocate of technology and the Internet, as well as an avid study of classical advertising and marketing strategies (which he uses during ‘Internet alchemy’ experiments.) James is an expert in information and data management, Internet marketing and online networking. A self confessed ‘information and technology enthusiast’, James brings a wide range of valuable skills to any venture. Of singular note is James’ ability to assimilate complex subject matter and produce clean clear ‘easy-to-understand’ messages. James has been interviewed many times and caused quite the media buzz when a client ‘double-dog-dared’ him to prove you can get front page coverage for $0. The details and that ‘dumb stunt’ are now part of EBay legend. Currently James lives in Ontario, Canada with his wife and family, their Siamese cat and one very nervous fish. Visit http://www.JamesBurchill.com for details.

Ever hear the term ’sexy’ advertising? It’s not necessarily what you think. Sure, some people’s idea of sexy advertising is hot babes in bikinis spraying beer all over each other, but that’s overtly sexual and not what we’re about to discuss here.

Do you engage sexy advertising in your marketing campaign? If not, you should.

"Sexy" advertising refers to ads that are highly targeted, yet artfully subtle - and therefore, extremely attractive to the key consumer.

I’m going to try and curb my use of the word ’sexy’ now because I think it’s quite blatant, and therefore not sexy at all. So from now on we’ll try and call them ads that are "attractive."

What makes an ad (or a person) attractive? People perceive the world through their senses- sight, sound, smell, taste, touch. So if you can appeal to them in any of these five ways, then you may very well become attractive to them.

Let’s talk about the word sensual. Not sexual, but sensual. What’s that mean?

Are you a sensual person? Maybe you savor the feeling of cool water against your bare skin on a hot summer’s day. Perhaps you’re easily carried away on a wild reverie by something as simple as the smell of fresh cut grass. More people are sensual than not sensual, and this greatly affects their buying habits. Appeal to their senses in just the right way, and you’ve got paying customers!

Did you know: too much stimulation actually dulls the senses. If your brain is bombarded with a high concentration of sensation all at once, it just tunes out! Sounds crazy but it’s true. Ever see someone who went overboard with the Botox? Whoa, keep those crazy lips away from me! It’s like this: if your eyes are big, and your nose is sort of big too, then your lips should be small. Too much Bigness = NOT a good thing.

Too much Bigness in your advertising is not a good thing either. Again, it’s about sensory overload. If your website is flashing, waving, winking, blinking, making loud crashing noises and also has a very long diatribe on it that puts the fear of God into your reader… well, who do you expect would sit there and take that? NOBODY! A sensual person knows to take it slow and easy, one sensation at a time. So does a smart marketer.

In advertising and in life, you are the master of how people perceive you. Solid branding is simple, direct, and consistent - and appeals to the customer by way of their senses. That’s attractive advertising. That’s the kind of advertising that will bring in SALES.

Let’s ponder this attraction thing a bit more.

Attraction is not only about a visual, auditory and tactile presentation, but it’s also about pure energy. The key is to be subtle. Energy that’s too strong sends people running the other way!

Direct your energy. Be in the right place at the right time. You can’t be attractive if you’re not even there! So join the entrepreneur and special interest clubs, participate, speak out, pay a few dollars for those memberships. Visibility is the first step in becoming attractive. Get yourself noticed!

Use subtle messages. Suppose you’re a fellow who’s trying to get a little from your lady. How to approach the situation? Well, you could grab her by the hair. But here’s a better idea: be subtly suggestive. Hold her gaze for a little longer than usual. If you’re walking together, brush against her ever so lightly. Maybe later you might gently press your hand into the small of her back, and in this way, quietly plant some thoughts in her head. It’s this slow, steady directing of energy that says, "Let’s get it on, baby" - without actually SAYING those words! You need to be equally subtle in your advertising. You don’t want your customer to know what you’re doing. You just want them to be very, very aware of you.

Attract your customers with advertising that intrigues, teases, and piques their curiousity. Imagine your reader, meandering along, exploring your website with its taseful, understated message and thought-provoking design. They’re not really thinking much about it on a conscious, active level. But underneath, it’s sinking in and getting to them, slowly but surely. THIS is sexy advertising, doing its thing!

Suppose you sell flowers and plants - both of which are quite lovely and don’t need much hype to attract attention. In your advertising, use quality images that really zoom in on the details… a single dewdrop on a velvety petal, some delicate ivy creeping along a handsome stone wall. Sell your product with understated elegance, tasteful design, short copy and text that’s easy on the eyes. That’s how to attract a customer!

The most important and yet most often overlooked fact about attractive advertising is this: You must emotionally connect with your audience.

Let’s talk about that hypothetical skilled lover guy I mentioned earlier. "Prince Charming," we’ll call him. Why’s he so charming? He is able to gauge his lovers’ emotions, know their fears and weaknesses, and then say just the right thing that will make them feel safe, protected and appreciated. In doing this, he charms, or mesmerizes the object of his desire. In doing this, he mentally connects with them- and that’s the biggest attractor of all.

Everybody’s talking about hypnotic copy. It’s the kind of writing that, like Prince Charming, puts a spell on your customer, attracts and endears them to you, and most of all, makes them trust you.

A huge part of branding is trust. When your customers feels connected to your brand, they’ll come back again and again. They’ll tell all of their friends about you. They’ll invest their money in your product beause they really believe in you!

Want a perfect example of attractive advertising and expert branding? Disney. You love and believe in Disney, right? How did that happen? Disney slowly and steadily positioned themselves as an icon of childhood dreams, a safe haven for the imagination and a company that’s as devoted to your family as you are. Disney cares… right? Of course they do. They said so, in their advertising! They make those movies with tender baby animals, and mommies and magic and true love, and it’s so emotional and the animation is so perfect, that you can see the love dripping right down the movie screen and you can feel it beating right along with your heart.

Talk to your customers they way that Disney talks to theirs. Show them love, every day. Do it in your written materials, and also in your daily interactions with them. They should feel like they’re being heard, catered to, appreciated and understood. This is the stuff that big, big dreams are made of, and it is damned sexy advertising.

Okay, let’s review. We want our ads to be sexy. We want to attract and mesmerize our key customers. How do we do this?

1. Stimulate their senses (but don’t overload them)
2. Direct and focus your energy
3. Keep it subtle
4. Establish an emotional connection

Now you have everything you need go out there and captivate your audience of buyers. They’re ready for love, so give it to them. Charm them and disarm them, with attractive advertising that sells your product and keeps them coming back for more. Go on, I know you can do it! You sexy thang.

Copyright 2005 Dina Giolitto. All rights reserved.

Find out how crisp, targeted copywriting can make a world of difference for your business. Dina Giolitto is a Copywriting Consultant with ten years of experience. Visit http://Wordfeeder.com for free tips on branding, copywriting, marketing, and more. Request a project quote by email: seniorcopywriter@yahoo.com.

I caught myself wracking my brain over what kind of article I should write for newspapers that would be useful to business people. It struck me that I was making a solid effort to get into the mind of my target market. It also struck me that this is the biggest mistake most business owners make when designing their own ads. They start listing off their services and are ready to stick their logo front and center before even putting a thought to what their customers really care about.

The first step in creating any advertising, be it a direct mail piece or an email, always has to be to think about what your customer wants. What do they desire? What do they need? Can you solve a problem for them? People all want to know, "what’s in it for me?"

This isn’t a new concept and I’m sure you’ve heard it before, but when I look at newspaper ads and listen to the radio, it’s evident that few heed this priceless advice. My guess is, it’s because it’s difficult to do. Difficult, but not impossible. So before you go ahead and spend another grand on your next pamphlet or print ad, use these tips on how to write great advertising.

Eye Catching Headlines Headlines are found in an opening sentence of a sales letter, the subject line in an email, the title of your web pages and in your ads. Since the headline gets one or two seconds, now is your only chance to grab some attention. Grab ‘em, and grab ‘em good. Headlines have the following characteristics.

- arouse curiosity.

- promise answers to a questions or solutions to a problem.

- show benefits to your potential customer.

- promise to reveal a secret or information that’s hard to find.

- create emotional appeal.

- they have to force you to stop what you’re doing and read on.

Common headline tricks:

How To, as in - How to Beat your Competitor Every time. Ask a question - Are You Looking for a Computer At Half the Cost?

Wlsh lt was flrmer? Make a Promise - We can help you make your creditors go away. Make a Bold Statement - Attention Worn out Moms!

The easiest headline tricks are the How To’s and the Questions. No matter what will work best for you, you have to know who your customer is in order for it to work.

The Rest of your Ad

Make Promise - Most of the time your promise is in your headline. The next portion of your ad has to be to explain what you mean. If you asked them if they’re looking for a computer at half the price, you have to tell them how you can do it.

Prove it - You’ve made the promise, now prove to them why you’re the one to fulfill it. Tell them why they should trust you. If you told the you can make their creditors go away, tell them how. Provide testimonials or case studies. Maybe you’ve got before and after shots. Give them a money back guarantee. Prove to them that they can trust you.

Ask for Action - Spell it out for them. Tell them exactly what you want them to do. Remember, your advertising doesn’t do the selling for you. You and your staff do the selling. If you want them to call and make an appointment, tell them that’s what you want them to do. If you want them to buy your widgets online, tell them to visit your site. Ads that don’t request action don’t bring you more customers.

You now have two choices. Continue to advertise as you do, retaining little to no response, or, you can employ these proven advertising methods and begin to see your advertising as an investment, rather than an expense. No matter what you do, you have to think about who your ideal customer is first. If you put them first, they’ll appreciate it.

Linda Laforge-Koebel is an advertising professional dedicated to the business success of her clients. To find more resources or to sign up for the Business Booster newsletter visit her at: http://www.CreativeEngineer.com or contact her by email at: linda@creativeengineer.com