Writing Persuasive Advertisements - 4 Tips to Apply Now

How do great ads bring in so many loyal customers ? How can you change your sales letter, pamphlet, emails, web pages, etc. in one simple way and increase your response rates dramatically? Well, I’m about to let you in on a little secret that you may already have heard, but may have no idea how to apply. Let’s take it from the top.

I'm Not Affected by Advertising

This may sound unbelievable, but statistics actually show that Canadians are exposed to anywhere between 1500 to 3000 advertising messages every single day.

Take a quick second and think about how many of those messages you remember. Off the top of my head: one television commercial asking me to support a child in need.

Of those 3000 messages that advertising companies spend close to 7.6 billion dollars annually trying to get me to remember, I can remember only one. And chances are that by this afternoon, I’ll have forgotten all about it.

So the big question is: How on earth is your ad going to stand out? What is it about your sales letter, brochure, newspaper ad, Yellow Pages ad, or website that is going to make your prospects go "yeah, I remember that one!"?

You obviously know that there is no formula. No one can say: If you do this…you will have a winning ad.

But let me tell you something you already know. Every ad has words. Television ads are scripted, as are radio ads. Newspapers, sales letters, pamphlets, etc. obviously all have words.

And that may be the smallest, most powerful secret you can know about advertising. Because when you know that words are the very basis of every ad, then you know that words are what make great ads memorable and hugely successful.

That brings me back to my first question: How do great ads bring in so many loyal customers?

Simply put: great ads have the right words. Great ads use powerful, influential words that spark prospects into action. Great ads have memorable words. And that is why you only remember one or two of those 3000 messages; a lot of ads just don’t have the right words.
The question then, is "How do I write powerful, influential words that spark prospects into action??"

Here’s how to write persuasively

If you’ve spent a little time browsing the Internet looking for quick tips on how to write influential ads, then you probably already know some of the basics. But don’t worry if you don’t know a thing, because I am going to reveal what I find to be the most important thing you can do to make your words more influential.

Be Conversational - speak to the reader

Too many people underestimate the importance of writing in a conversational manner. Take a moment to think about this: Would you rather trudge through pages and pages of monotonous text, or would you rather listen to a speaker who captivates your interest and gives you all the information, with little effort on your part? If you’re like most people (and I’m certainly one of these people), then you would rather listen than read.

And that is what conversational text does! It gives the reader the impression that he is being talked to by the author. Conversational writing engages the reader, and draws him into the writing.

Well, that’s nice, but how do you do it ? How do you write conversationally, while still maintaining your professional credibility ?

Here are a few easy-to-follow tips to help you write in a more conversational manner. Read them over, and then take a look at the brochure, sales letter, advertisement etc that you are currently using, and see if you can apply any of these tips. It’s well worth the extra effort.

1) Write like you speak

This isn’t as hard as you might think. Sit down, and talk to yourself about your product or service. Listen to the way that you speak, record yourself if you want. Then try to replicate that conversational tone in your writing. *TIP: Do NOT edit yourself while you are writing. Keep the flow going, let the words come and whatever you do, don’t stop to fix things along the way. Even let the spelling and grammatical errors go, until you’ve finished writing. Then go back and edit. This is called free-writing, and it is a great way to open the mental door to creativity.

2) Ask Questions

Without questions, would there be any conversation ? Of course not ! Ask your prospect questions to which they probably know the answer. Make a point and ask if they agree; for example:

If I told you that by tomorrow you could be making an additional $100,000 per year, you would listen to what I was about to say next, wouldn’t you?

It’s that simple. Questions are a great way to get your readers involved. Which brings me to my next point.

3) Use words and expressions like "Imagine"; "Think back to"; "What if"

These types of expressions do two very important things to your reader. First, they grab your reader’s attention. The second thing that this does is engage the reader. Now the reader isn’t just reading and taking in what you have to say, but they are participating. Nothing gets and holds attention like being asked to participate.
4) Write with Expression !

Word processors are a wonderful thing. They allow you to YELL at your prospect, really stress your point, and emphasize what you absolutely want them to know. Use caps lock, underlining, italics, and bolding to your advantage. These give your writing expression. Your reader will literally hear you emphasize your words, which will engage him/her as though you were speaking to them. Unlike the example given above though, use these sparingly and selectively.

It’s simple, isn’t it? I urge you to go back and read the beginning of this article again while keeping these tips in mind. See for yourself how effective they are! Once you’ve done that, go through the marketing tools you use and see if you can’t apply these tips to make them more persuasive and effective. Nothing is easier!