Effective Display Ads 

1.

Here's how spiritual marketing works for display ads

by Barbara Casey

1. Get clear about the purpose of your ad. Do you want your ad to generate: (a) leads; (b) mail order or phone sales; (c) store or website visits?

2. Using the Law of Attraction, select your target audience (what you see in your mind as your “perfect clients”).

3. Craft a soul-stirring headline that makes your targeted prospects want to read further. You have about 2 seconds to catch their interest.

4. Focus your ad’s message on just one of your prospects’ needs or wants and show how you can help. Multiple choice in an ad is confusing.

5. Write simply and from the heart. Let readers feel your energy.

6. Include testimonials to make prospects feel safe about contacting you.

7. Indicate clearly how you wish readers to respond: (a) call for free report, more information or to make an appointment; (b) visit your store or website, (c) send check with order.

8. An attractive ad feels good when you look at it. Design is important.

9. Give readers an incentive to respond: (a) free gift; (b) free information; (c) free sample; (d) money back guarantee.

10. Before mailing your ad, meditate with it, projecting into it your energy and your intent that it succeed in its purpose. The Law of Attraction handles the rest.

(c) Copyright by Barbara Casey.

2.

7 Ways to Increase Response Rate to your Display Ads

by Barbara Casey

Have you ever thought that your display ads should be pulling in more clients or selling more products? If you're less than satisfied with the results of your current advertising program, here are some pointers that might be of help:

1. If you own a small or home-based business, consider appealing to a niche audience to improve the cost-effectiveness of your marketing. T

2. Visualize your "ideal" client and research the publications he or she reads most frequently. You could survey your current clients to help you acquire this information. Your library's reference desk can also steer you to directories of magazines and newspapers. Then test your ads in these publications to see which bring the best response.

3. Know the mission of your ad. Is it meant to: (a) sell products directly, (b) generate sales leads, (c) build brand (product) awareness or (d) build your company's image?

(a) If you are trying to sell something in your ad, you'll need great writing, lots of space and many ways in which your prospects can order from you. Your ad needs to do a complete selling job in order to result in a purchase.

(b) If you are attempting to acquire sales leads -- responses from prospective buyers who wish more information -- your ad needs to tantalize buyers to contact you for more complete details, which you can give in person, by phone, by mail, or through your website.

(c) If you want prospects to become more aware of a particular product or service you offer, you'll need to create an impression that "sticks in their minds." What "position" do you want your product or service to claim in the marketplace? Is your product the first, fastest, cheapest, most luxurious, most accurate, biggest, most unusual? Is your service the most expert, most sympathetic, most cutting edge, most believable in your field? What category do you want to own? You'll want to get this message across in your ad.

Remember what happened to "The Real Thing" when it tried to become "The New Thing." For generations, Coca Cola's ads succeeded in establishing its position in the marketplace. Coke must have forgotten that it already owned the concept "the original real Cola" in the minds of its customers. This was so entrenched that people could not accept the newer, modern version, even though it won many taste tests over the "real" version. What ONE thing do you want people to remember YOU for? 

(d) A corporate ad works to build your company's image. If you have a new business, or if you are trying to re-position your business, you might try an informational ad about your company or practice. Just be aware that unless you word your ad to generate a response, your ad will simply "sit there" on the page. 

4. Make sure your headline gets the attention of the right people by:
-- appealing to your prospects' self-interest 
-- announcing news they will be interested in
-- piquing their curiosity
-- offering a quick, easy solution to their problem 
-- offering free information
-- identifying your target market in the headline 
-- using proven headline grabbers such as: "introducing, announcing, new, now, special offer, free, how to."

5. Emphasize the positive more than the negative. Talk about the healing, rather than the pain; about the improvement rather than the problem. Show the positive benefit to be gained by using your product or service. 

6. Use photos or illustrations that add sales value to your ads. Make sure people know what you're offering. If it's yourself and your professional services, a professionally made head and shoulders photo works very well. If you don't have a really good product photo or illustration, you're better off trying to sell with well-chosen words.

7. To make it easier for people to respond to your ads, offer a number of different ways they can reach you. Use a combination of: phone number, mailing address, e-mail address, website URL and clip-out order form. The more options you provide, the more credible your business looks. Also...some people prefer to write rather than phone for information, so make sure to include your mailing addresses when you can (postal and e-mail). 

(c) Copyright by Barbara Casey.

3.

10 Ways to Increase the Effectiveness of Your Display Ads

by Barbara Casey

If your display ads aren't pulling in as many responses as you would like, here are ten tips for making them more effective.

(1) Determine your target market -- who are the people you want to attract? Advertise in publications you know they read and word your ad with your ideal client's needs and wants in mind.

(2) Decide on one purpose for your ad. Do you want to generate: (a) leads, (b) mail order or phone sales, (c) store or website visits? The purpose will determine the points you emphasize in your ad.

(3) Do you wish to attract people new to your field, people who have never tried your type of service before? If so, make sure to keep your ad wording concrete and jargon-free. Create a word picture they can relate to.

(4) Use an attention-grabbing headline. One of the marketing e-zines I subscribe to recommends studying the ads in publications such as The National Enquirer. Apparently these ads draw a huge response and are written by some of the top ad copywriters in the business.

You have mere seconds to catch the interest of people scanning the ads in a publication. To make sure they stop at yours, speak to their wants and needs. For example:

(Dieters Market) Safe, natural diet really works!

(Business Market) Do you need more walk-in business traffic? Case histories prove Feng Shui brings in customers.

(Spiritual Seekers Market) Did you ever wonder where Heaven is? Church of _____ has answers.

(Business Opportunities Market) Are you still waiting for your ship to come in? Success coaching can help speed it along.

(Alternative Health Market) Lengthen your pet's life.

Do you see how each headline shows the benefit to be gained by reading further? Also, each headline is written to catch the attention of a specific target market -- the people who are likely to be interested in reading the rest of the ad. 

(5) If you have a picture that illustrates your product or service, use it to draw readers into your ad. Make sure the picture ties in with the message of your ad.

(6) Stick to one business focus in your ad. A shopping list of services can leave readers confused about how you can help them.

(7) State very clearly the key benefit of using your product or service. Make it believable with facts, figures and testimonials. Tell the readers "what's in it for them."

(8) Tell your readers what you want them to do:
(a) call toll free, (b) mail in a coupon, (c) visit a website, (d) come to a store, (e) schedule an appointment.

(9) Give readers an incentive to do what you ask:
(a) free gift, (b) free information, (c) free sample of your product or service, (d) best prices in town, (e) money back guarantee.

Even if you're the best/most experienced/most respected practitioner in your field, the reader won't know this unless (a) a friend refers him or (b) he tries your service for himself.

(10) Use easy-to-read type that invites the eye to keep reading. Professionals recommend using a minimum number of fonts in each ad. A larger size and bold face can be used for emphasis, especially for headlines and subheadings.

(c) Copyright by Barbara Casey.