10 Simple Steps to Writing a Killer Ad

by Tim Warren on February 14, 2010

Here’s a simple 10 step formula for writing ads or short sales letters:

  1. Call a friend, associate or employee and explain your product or service to them.
  2. Tape record the call.
  3. Have your conversation transcribed.
  4. Label every single sentence as “F” for a feature (describes what your product or service does), “A” for an advantage (over a competitor), and “B” for anything that’s a benefit (tells your customer what it does for them).
  5. Write the sentences rated 1-10 by their importance. 1 being the least important and 10 being the best. You will have an F-1, F-2, F-3, etc. B-10 would be the most important benefit.
  6. Combine the highest ranking features, advantages and benefits and create a headline from them.  In other words, if you’ve got a B-10 and B-9, A-10 and A-9, an F-10 and F-9, combine them to create your headline.  Next, use six to eight benefits to tell your story, six to eight advantages to create interest and six to eight features to credentialize your story with details and facts.
  7. Guarantee your product or service using risk-reversal.
  8. Tell them how to order and how to order now.
  9. Reward them for immediate action.
  10. Re-write five different versions.

This may seem like a lot of work, but I find it much easier than starting with a blank sheet of paper (or computer screen). Roll it out small  to test it, and when it works, roll it out in a big way.

Here’s to Your Marketing Success,

Tim

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • NewsVine
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Twitter
  • Technorati
  • Live
  • LinkedIn
  • MySpace

{ 0 comments }

Do You Measure Your Marketing?

by Tim Warren on February 8, 2010

Return on Investment

Every marketing campaign that you launch, online and offline needs to be measured and quantified so you know if it’s effective or not.

That’s the benefit of using direct response marketing.

It’s critically important to determine a way that you can pinpoint how each prospect and customer finds their way to your business. If you’re not doing that now, you’re making a big mistake.

Your marketing is successful if it brings you prospects. If you’re not able to convert these prospects to customers, you might have a sales problem, not necessarily a marketing problem. However, if your marketing incorrectly it could bring you prospects that aren’t really qualified to buy your services or products.

The formula for measuring the cost of your marketing campaign is very simple. It takes into account the net marginal income per inquiry or prospect as well as the cost to acquire each customer.

What this means is you need to write down the total cost of the ad, sales effort, commission or whatever you’re doing to get that person in the door. Now write down how many inquiries you received or how many prospects you generated.

Take the total cost to acquire a lead and divide it by the total inquiries. This gives you the average cost per prospect.

Write down the number of customers generated from those prospects. Take the total cost of the a lead, and divide the cost by the number of customers you got.

Now you know the average cost it takes to get a customer, the average sale per prospect, and the average sale per customer.

This gives you your net income per prospect and per customer.

Now you know how profitable this campaign was.  Or if it was profitable at all.

Here’s to Your Success,

Tim

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • NewsVine
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Twitter
  • Technorati
  • Live
  • LinkedIn
  • MySpace

{ 0 comments }

Do You Have A Marketing Plan?

February 6, 2010

Most people want to be successful, but few plan to be. Very few people take the time to plan anything. You’ve probably heard that most people take more time to plan their vacations than they do to plan their lives. Well, it’s true.
The most important thing you can do right now for your business is [...]

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • NewsVine
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Twitter
  • Technorati
  • Live
  • LinkedIn
  • MySpace
Read the full article →

Who Predicted U.S. Economic Collapse Years Ago?

September 30, 2008

Defying President Bush and the leaders of both parties the US House rejected a $700 billion economic rescue plan in a revolt that rocked the US Capitol, sent markets plunging and left top lawmakers groping for a resolution.
So by the time that bell sounded again on the NY Stock Exchange $1.2 trillion had vanished [...]

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • NewsVine
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Twitter
  • Technorati
  • Live
  • LinkedIn
  • MySpace
Read the full article →

Creating Your Own Internet Business

September 5, 2008

Well, I finished with the 30 Day Challenge, and I’m really impressed (but flat wore me out)!
I got a new business started, an affiliate business. Not exactly what I was planning on, but Ed didn’t have us create a product this year. That kind of bummed me out because I was planning on [...]

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • NewsVine
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Twitter
  • Technorati
  • Live
  • LinkedIn
  • MySpace
Read the full article →