The Secret to Creating Ads That Sell
Whether you are starting a new business or looking to attract new sales there are a few things you can't afford. Losing potential clients to your competitor and wasting money on ineffective advertising.
Unfortunately, these things happen more often than not. So, why do some businesses do so well while others fail? It's not due to more marketing dollars spent. Instead a strategic plan was evoked to produce an effective advertisement.
There are many important elements that go into producing an effective ad. First, let me start by saying that coming up with a great ad it isn't rocket-science. There are no complicated formulas to follow in order to create an ad that grabs the readers' attention.
Second, using just creativity can kill your ad. Let me explain. Creative ideas are just that, creative. Before you slap down an idea and call it "brilliant" take the few minutes and ask yourself the following questions:
* Who is my targeted audience?
* Does the ad clearly communicate my message?
* What is "unique" about my message?
* How does my ad compare to my competitors?
* What will motivate my targeted audience to respond?
Your ad has to be more than just creative. It must exude value in its message. Think of the reasons why you buy a product or service. Almost every reason for a purchase has some sort of value tied to it. Whether it saves money, tastes good or satisfies an emotional need, it serves a valued purpose.
Make Headlines Work for YouThe headline is by far one of the most important elements in creating an effective ad. There are thousands of pages both in print and online that cover the subject of headlines. Why? Well, quite frankly, it makes or breaks an ad. The headline is in essence the voice of your ad. It shouts out: "Hey This Product Will Make You Rich, Here's How!"
Rather than using: "Jane's Homemade Cookies" use "Instant Smiles with Easy to Bake Homemade Cookies".
Always use appealing keywords in your headline that attract attention or stir up curiosity. The goal is to get your targeted audience to read the rest of your copy. Consider using the following keywords when writing your headline:
New, How, Why, Free, Save, Fast, Now, Announcing, Introducing, Wanted, Make, Grow, Sale, Limited, Guaranteed.
Next time you notice a headline that grabs your attention; use it and test it on your product or service. But always keep away from exaggerating your offer. You will quickly lose credibility if you are not honest with your targeted audience.
Writing Simple Yet Effective Body CopyOnce you accomplish transitioning the reader from the headline into the body copy, build momentum by relating to the viewers' needs and satisfying their desires with each written word.
When writing the body copy; keep words simple and to the point. Use sub-headlines whenever possible and keep paragraphs short.
It's important to make it easy for the reader to scan through the copy. If your offer consists of many benefits, use a bulleted list.
Avoid cluttering up your ad by trying to cram too much in the space provided. Eliminate unnecessary words that can drown your message.
Using Visual ElementsThere are no set rules of where the graphics must be placed on your ad. However, when selecting illustrations or photographs, display your product or choose ones that are relevant to your offer.
Using graphics can enhance your message as well as grab a viewer's attention when they glance around on a page. Remember, graphics can communicate a message before a single word is read.
Ask for the Sale While Creating a Sense of Urgency
Limited-time offers can create a sense of urgency, but giving your reader a valid reason why they should act now generates more sales. Again, use benefits to attract the reader to take action.
Is there a free gift with the purchase? Will it enhance their lives immediately? Is it a special one-time low price offer?
People love bargains. Use discounts to attract those who want to take advantage of your offer by providing a coupon with an expiration date.
Lastly, specify how your product or service can be obtained and ask for the sale. If it requires a phone call ask them to pick-up the telephone and call. If you require payment, tell them what forms of payment you accept and how to make them.
BLOG DIRECTORYS
Below is a list of the submission urls for RSS and blog directories that you can submit your blog or RSS feed to. This list is a work in progress and will change often. Send feedback, edits to: blog at toprankresults dot com
You might also be interested in the TopRank RSS Button Maker
or the Social Bookmark Creator for “socializing” your blog.
2Rss
http://www.2rss.com/index.php
About.com
http://weblogs.about.com/library/nosearch/blsubmit.htm
All-Blogs.net
http://www.all-blogs.net/submit.php
Answers
http://www.answers.com/main/new_blogger.jsp
BOTW Blog Directory
http://blogs.botw.org/helpcenter/submitblog.aspx
Blawg
http://blawg.org/modules.php?
name=Web_Links&l_op=AddLink
Blogcode
http://www.blogcode.com/signup.php
Blogarama
http://www.blogarama.com/add-a-site/
Blogbib
http://www.blogbib.com/submit.php
Blogbunch
http://www.blogbunch.com/suggest/
BlogCatalog
http://www.blogcatalog.com/blogs/submit_blog.html
Blogdigger
http://blogdigger.com/add.jsp
Blogflux
http://www.blogflux.com/add.php
Bloggernity
http://www.bloggernity.com/cgi-bin/add.cgi
Bloghop
http://www.bloghop.com/account/index.htm
Bloghub
http://www.bloghub.com/cgi-bin/add.cgi
Blogintro
http://blogintro.com/?page_id=925
Bloglisting
http://www.bloglisting.com/addablog.html
BlogMap
http://www.csthota.com/blogmap/submit.aspx
BlogOrama
http://www.blogarama.com/index.php?show=add
BlogPulse
http://www.blogpulse.com/submit.html
Blog-search
http://www.blog-search.com/blog-submission.html
Blogtopsites
http://www.blogtopsites.com/register.php
Bloguniverse
http://www.bloguniverse.com/radlinks/
Blogz
http://www.sarthak.net/blogz/add.php
Bloogz
http://www.bloogz.com/man_en/add_your_url.php
BoingBoing
http://boingboing.net/suggest.html
Bulletize
http://www.bulletize.com/add.php?sid=0
ContentsMatter
http://www.contentsmatter.com/add.php
Crayon
http://www.crayon.net/using/suggest.html
DayPop
http://www.daypop.com/info/submit.htm
Diarist
http://www.diarist.net/
EastonWeb
http://portal.eatonweb.com/add.php
Fastbuzz
http://www.fastbuzz.com/main.jsp
Feed-Directory
http://www.feed-directory.com/addfeed
Feeds4all
http://www.feeds4all.com/AddRSS.aspx
Feedage
http://www.feedage.com/submit.php
FeedsFarm
http://www.feedsfarm.com/a.html
FindingBlog
http://findingblog.com/add_blog.php?cat=
Findory
http://www.findory.com/submit-blog
FlybySearch
http://www.fybersearch.com/add-url.php
Geckotribe
http://chordata.geckotribe.com/suggest.php
GeekPhilisopher
http://geekphilosopher.com/MainPage/gpBlogLinkAdd.php
Globeofblogs
http://www.globeofblogs.com/register.php
Gobignetwork
https://www.gobignetwork.com/blog/AddBlog.aspx
iBlog Business Directory
http://www.iblogbusiness.com/add.html
Icerocket
http://www.icerocket.com/c?p=addblog
Industry-blogs
http://www.industry-blogs.com/submit.php
Kiosken
http://www.esperanto.se/kiosk/engindex.html
LSBlogs
http://www.lsblogs.com/howtosubmit.php
NewsXS
http://www.newsxs.com/en/sources
NewsGator
http://www.newsgator.com/ngs/subscriber/Folksonomy.aspx
Only Feeds
http://www.feedboy.com/
Plazoo
http://www.plazoo.com/en/addrss.asp
Portal.eatonweb
http://portal.eatonweb.com/add.php
Postami
http://www.postami.com/rss.finder/submit_feed.php
Pressradar
http://www.pressradar.com/suggest
Rateitall
http://www.rateitall.com/suggest.aspx?WL=0&TopicID=20004
ReadAblog
http://www.readablog.com/AddFeed.aspx
Redtram
http://www.redtram.com/pages/addsource/
RocketInfo
http://reader.rocketinfo.com/desktop/AddRSSFeed.jsp
Search4Rss
http://www.search4rss.com
Small Business Blog Directory
http://blogsforsmallbusiness.com/directory/add.html
SmallBusiness.com
http://smallbusiness.com/wiki/Weblog_directory_company_blogs
Sphere
http://www.sphere/com
SynBlog
http://www.synblog.com/addblog.html
Strategic Board
http://strategicboard.com/?s=h:addblog
Syndic8
http://www.syndic8.com/suggest_start.php
Tailrank
http://www.tailrank.com/import
Technorati
http://www.technorati.com/ping.html
Topix
http://www.topix.net/member/register
TruthLaidBear
http://www.truthlaidbear.com/addtoscan.php
Wilsdomain
http://www.wilsdomain.com/blogs/wilsdomain9b.php?
op=newsubmit
Yahoo.com
http://add.yahoo.com/fast/help/us/my/cgi_rss_submission
You might also be interested in the TopRank RSS Button Maker
or the Social Bookmark Creator for “socializing” your blog.
2Rss
http://www.2rss.com/index.php
About.com
http://weblogs.about.com/library/nosearch/blsubmit.htm
All-Blogs.net
http://www.all-blogs.net/submit.php
Answers
http://www.answers.com/main/new_blogger.jsp
BOTW Blog Directory
http://blogs.botw.org/helpcenter/submitblog.aspx
Blawg
http://blawg.org/modules.php?
name=Web_Links&l_op=AddLink
Blogcode
http://www.blogcode.com/signup.php
Blogarama
http://www.blogarama.com/add-a-site/
Blogbib
http://www.blogbib.com/submit.php
Blogbunch
http://www.blogbunch.com/suggest/
BlogCatalog
http://www.blogcatalog.com/blogs/submit_blog.html
Blogdigger
http://blogdigger.com/add.jsp
Blogflux
http://www.blogflux.com/add.php
Bloggernity
http://www.bloggernity.com/cgi-bin/add.cgi
Bloghop
http://www.bloghop.com/account/index.htm
Bloghub
http://www.bloghub.com/cgi-bin/add.cgi
Blogintro
http://blogintro.com/?page_id=925
Bloglisting
http://www.bloglisting.com/addablog.html
BlogMap
http://www.csthota.com/blogmap/submit.aspx
BlogOrama
http://www.blogarama.com/index.php?show=add
BlogPulse
http://www.blogpulse.com/submit.html
Blog-search
http://www.blog-search.com/blog-submission.html
Blogtopsites
http://www.blogtopsites.com/register.php
Bloguniverse
http://www.bloguniverse.com/radlinks/
Blogz
http://www.sarthak.net/blogz/add.php
Bloogz
http://www.bloogz.com/man_en/add_your_url.php
BoingBoing
http://boingboing.net/suggest.html
Bulletize
http://www.bulletize.com/add.php?sid=0
ContentsMatter
http://www.contentsmatter.com/add.php
Crayon
http://www.crayon.net/using/suggest.html
DayPop
http://www.daypop.com/info/submit.htm
Diarist
http://www.diarist.net/
EastonWeb
http://portal.eatonweb.com/add.php
Fastbuzz
http://www.fastbuzz.com/main.jsp
Feed-Directory
http://www.feed-directory.com/addfeed
Feeds4all
http://www.feeds4all.com/AddRSS.aspx
Feedage
http://www.feedage.com/submit.php
FeedsFarm
http://www.feedsfarm.com/a.html
FindingBlog
http://findingblog.com/add_blog.php?cat=
Findory
http://www.findory.com/submit-blog
FlybySearch
http://www.fybersearch.com/add-url.php
Geckotribe
http://chordata.geckotribe.com/suggest.php
GeekPhilisopher
http://geekphilosopher.com/MainPage/gpBlogLinkAdd.php
Globeofblogs
http://www.globeofblogs.com/register.php
Gobignetwork
https://www.gobignetwork.com/blog/AddBlog.aspx
iBlog Business Directory
http://www.iblogbusiness.com/add.html
Icerocket
http://www.icerocket.com/c?p=addblog
Industry-blogs
http://www.industry-blogs.com/submit.php
Kiosken
http://www.esperanto.se/kiosk/engindex.html
LSBlogs
http://www.lsblogs.com/howtosubmit.php
NewsXS
http://www.newsxs.com/en/sources
NewsGator
http://www.newsgator.com/ngs/subscriber/Folksonomy.aspx
Only Feeds
http://www.feedboy.com/
Plazoo
http://www.plazoo.com/en/addrss.asp
Portal.eatonweb
http://portal.eatonweb.com/add.php
Postami
http://www.postami.com/rss.finder/submit_feed.php
Pressradar
http://www.pressradar.com/suggest
Rateitall
http://www.rateitall.com/suggest.aspx?WL=0&TopicID=20004
ReadAblog
http://www.readablog.com/AddFeed.aspx
Redtram
http://www.redtram.com/pages/addsource/
RocketInfo
http://reader.rocketinfo.com/desktop/AddRSSFeed.jsp
Search4Rss
http://www.search4rss.com
Small Business Blog Directory
http://blogsforsmallbusiness.com/directory/add.html
SmallBusiness.com
http://smallbusiness.com/wiki/Weblog_directory_company_blogs
Sphere
http://www.sphere/com
SynBlog
http://www.synblog.com/addblog.html
Strategic Board
http://strategicboard.com/?s=h:addblog
Syndic8
http://www.syndic8.com/suggest_start.php
Tailrank
http://www.tailrank.com/import
Technorati
http://www.technorati.com/ping.html
Topix
http://www.topix.net/member/register
TruthLaidBear
http://www.truthlaidbear.com/addtoscan.php
Wilsdomain
http://www.wilsdomain.com/blogs/wilsdomain9b.php?
op=newsubmit
Yahoo.com
http://add.yahoo.com/fast/help/us/my/cgi_rss_submission
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
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