3
Magic Words that Boost Ad Response
Key to
success is avoiding hype
For
the small business owner, advertising is a critical
expense that helps to drive customers through the doors
or to a website on the Internet in the hopes that they
will spend their money. With tight ad budgets, small
businesses need their advertising to payoff every time.
Ads that result in no sales are simply wasted money.
There
are countless online articles that tell you to use the
words “free”, “guaranteed”, and “limited time
offer” in your advertising to boost sales. They work,
however the ongoing overuse of these words has reduced
their effectiveness somewhat. When you’re writing your
next ad, keep the following advice in mind when if you
plan to use these key advertising terms.
“Free”
– Getting something for nothing has universal appeal
and is a strong attention getter. Where most businesses
fail is that they give away something that is
essentially useless, leading customers to believe that
your business falls into the same category (i.e.
“useless”). For example, many websites give away
free “e-books”, in order to entice potential
customers to visit their site. The e-book itself is
usually loaded with advertising and links to the
website, and contains very little real, valuable
information.
If
you’re going to advertise a free giveaway, make it a
legitimate, valuable item. If it’s an e-book, try not
to make it a shameless self promotion piece that
doesn’t add any value to your customers. In fact do
the opposite…make it at least somewhat valuable. Use the
quality and value found in your e-book to inspire your
potential customer with confidence that you offer a
quality product or service. A credible free giveaway of
any kind that has value and contains no shameless self
promotion will be a huge credibility boost for your
business.
“Guaranteed”
– Customers appreciate the safety and security that
comes with a satisfaction guarantee. All reputable
retailers and businesses have some type of return
policy, because they know that it will encourage
customers to buy, and only a small fraction of people
ever bother to return anything.
They
key to guarantees is to be reasonable. A 100% money back
guarantee is reasonable. So is an exchange policy or
warranty against defects. Some of the more recent
guarantees that have emerged in advertising, especially
on the Internet, are actually a turn off to a potential
customer. A “double your money back guarantee”
usually makes customers wary of the seller. Why 200%? Is
that what it takes to generate a sale, and if so, how
good can this product or service really be? When it
comes to guarantees, mirror those offered by the
industry leaders in your business, and don’t go too
far.
“Limited
Time
Offer” – If you’re going to offer your
customers something for a “limited time” then follow
through on your promise. Customers don’t appreciate
being lied to. If you state that your special offer
expires tomorrow, then follow through on your promise
and rescind your offer tomorrow, even if its only
temporarily. When a business consistently offers
“limited time” deals week after week, customers lose
faith in the credibility of the business. Anyone who
jumped on your offer believing that they only had a
“limited time” to take advantage of it will now feel
that you were not honest in your advertising and will
not likely give you additional business in the future.
“Free”,
“Guaranteed”, and “Limited Time Offer” are great
tools to use in your advertising to get attention and
stimulate purchases. However, overuse and abuse of these
terms can be very harmful to your reputation and to your
future revenue stream.
Article
contents © 2007 by marketingyoursmallbusiness.com
Will
Dylan is the Author of “Small Business Big
Marketing” a powerful e-book for small businesses
available FREE through his website www.marketingyoursmallbusiness.com
. You can contact Will at askwill@marketingyoursmallbusiness.com
Read
Small Business Big Marketing now by clicking here!
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