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5 Best Ways to Advertise Online and Get Results

The 5 Best Ways to Advertise Online and Get Results

Written by Bob Hoffman
SEO Copywriter, Digital and Print Copywriter

As compared with conventional forms of marketing, online advertising is unquestionably one of the most innovative and unique forms of media to deliver your message to the marketplace. Its popularity increases exponentially with every passing year. As compared with print media, it is a relatively inexpensive and a flexible media for marketing your products and services.

Unlike other forms of advertising, online advertising using website technology allows you to interact with your audience in many new and interesting ways. For example, a homebuilder can create a virtual tour of their sample homes that a visitor can control with the use of their mouse. They can change different aspects of the imagery to observe the home from different angles and navigate throughout the interior while controlling 360° views.

Although use of the internet is an effective form of advertising, don’t neglect traditional media such as television, radio, printed brochures and informational materials. Collectively, they are your marketing tools that should be used in tandem with each other. Each one represents a unique approach and their use must be tailored to target a particular audience.

When using internet technology for a marketing campaign, consider the following questions:

1. How should you advertise?
E-marketing ideas include sending sales e-mails to customers and prospects, adding an offer on the Home page of your website or developing a Google Adwords campaign. The method of communication you choose depends on the product or service you want to advertise and the target audience you want to reach. Select the most suitable form of e-marketing you believe will effectively deliver expected results.

2. When is the best time to advertise?
Deciding on the best time to advertise depends in part on your industry and seasonal appeal for your products and services. If the product or service you sell interests anyone at anytime of the year, you have the luxury of advertising most of the time throughout the year.

However, if sales of your products or service tend to peak during seasonal holiday periods or are cyclical in nature, your timing must be more precise and research is warranted. Begin by creating a graph of your sales history for the past two years. Note the peaks on your graph indicating optimal sales months throughout the year. Schedule your marketing campaigns early enough to coincide with these peak periods and capture your share of seasonal sales.

3. Use professional graphics and designs
The appearance of your website and e-mail marketing is equally as important as the words you write. The graphics must be attractive and entice the reader. If the artwork is substandard, your copy may never be read. If you have the talent, tools and time to produce your own graphic layouts, you can save money. If not, hire a professional graphic designer to produce artwork that you would be proud to display to your customers and prospects.

4. Get to the point
Most people in business are time poor. Regardless of which media you decide to use for your marketing campaign, the copy you write must be short and sharp. Write an opening statement to capture interest, a brief description and a call to action. This is especially important if you decide to design and write an e-mail campaign. If e-mail content is lengthy, you risk losing reader interest and having it end up in the deleted items bin.

5. Measuring your conversion rate determines your success
One of the most important post campaign tasks is calculating your conversion rate. The rate is a measurement of customers and prospects that responded to your campaign’s call to action. This might be placing an online order, downloading sales literature or providing an e-mail address for further information about your products and services.

Without measuring the results of the campaign, you cannot truly know the amount of success attained. By gathering data, you can adapt and adjust future marketing campaigns based on historical data. Making adjustments to your marketing approach will ultimately strengthen the results of your future campaigns.

About the Author
Bob Hoffman is a SEO Digital and Print Copywriter. He has more than 30 years business experience in management, sales and graphic arts and is currently the director of Pebble Ridge Corporation Pty Ltd trading as PRC Marketing.

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Are You Too Busy to Provide the Service Your Customers Expect?

Too Busy to Provide the Service Your Customers Expect?

Written by Bob Hoffman
SEO Copywriter, Print and Digital Copywriter

The everyday demands of operating a business are time consuming for every owner especially if it's a small business. Aside from the operational issues, you need to constantly devote time finding new ways to grow the business and increase profitability. It's easy to sometimes forget about your single most important business asset... your customers.

Either through personal or staff contact, don’t neglect the attention and service your customers need and deserve. If you find yourself short of time, multiply your effectiveness by spending it with staff, empowering them with the skills and knowledge they need to build customer relationships. Showing customers you care through your words and actions increases your sales and may get you some profitable business referrals.

Rekindle some of the things you did in the past that made customers feel good about buying from you. For example, send a letter of thanks to every new customer, making them feel welcome. Send a card to remember them on their next birthday or simply add the words “Thank you” at the bottom of your invoice.

If you really want to make an impression, go above and beyond the call of duty. Give them an unexpected discount on their next purchase because they are a loyal customer. Perhaps you can give them free advice to resolve a problem. Whatever it may be, taking the time to give your customers good service and letting them know that you care about them will drive your profits skyward. It takes so little time and makes you and your customers feel so good.

PRC Marketing – Experience the Quality … Discover the Difference

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Create and Upgrade a Website No One Can Resist

Written by Bob Hoffman
SEO Copywriter, Digital and Print Copywriter

When you develop your new website or upgrade an existing one, there are several points of key importance. Advertising online would not be complete without them...

Target
Identify the type of customer audience you want to attract
Benefit
How can you satisfy customer needs, solve problems or educate them?
Edge
Tell website visitors what sets you apart from your competition
Gain
Make sure customers know what is in it for them if they decide to buy
Trust
Make achievable promises that exceed customer expectations
Action
When ready to buy, tell customers what to do next and how to do it
Ease
Make it easy for customers to buy from you...and they will.

The points from this list really apply to both print advertisements and web marketing. Adhere to these standards for all your product marketing and services, making sure to apply them to the pages of your website. If you are consistent, your visitors become happy customers, returning to your website frequently and buying often.

Want a website promotion that is all the rage?
You probably know that print ads and marketing online are quite different. The principles that apply to one do not necessarily work for the other. Let me explain.

Organising a direct mail marketing campaign, for example delivers your message directly to selected recipients. They see it, touch it and read it. They respond to it by mail, phone, email or visit. In contrast, internet advertising lives in a virtual world and websites deliver your message after attracting visitors to your site.

To create interest, anticipation and appeal, try these ideas a few days before your next website promotion to make it a hit...

Email Marketing
Message customers about your upcoming website promotion
External Marketing
Announce the website promotion with links from non-competing sites
TV and Radio
Direct people to your website using this popular media
Print Ads
Advertise the website promotion on shopper dockets and local flyers
SEO Copywriting
Use smartly crafted, keyword rich copywriting to attract visitor and search engines

PRC Marketing – Experience the Quality … Discover the Difference

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Does Your Business Offer Free Products or Services to Attract Business?

Written by Bob Hoffman
SEO Copywriter, Digital and Print Copywriter

If your business currently offers free products and services to new and existing customers, you already understand the value of this marketing strategy. If you think the concept falls somewhere between silly and total insanity, this article may change your mind.

Free offers, sometimes referred to as a loss leaders, are an enticing way to draw attention to your business. With thoughtful planning and a sensible approach, your phone starts to ring, your website traffic increases and more customers visit your store to take advantage of the offer. Before you jump in and start giving away the farm, consider the following guidelines when creating your giveaway promotion...

Offer a product that you manufacture or resell to keep costs down. In your offer, you advertise the full retail value of the free product. In actuality, you are only out of pocket for the cost to make the product or the cost to buy it at wholesale prices.
Advertise a service that you normally offer for free and publish its full value in your ad.
Consider using the ‘buy one get one free’ strategy to partially recover the cost of giving away free products and services.
Advertise the date your promotion expires, making it obvious to the customer that they must act quickly to take advantage of your offer.
If you expect a very favourable response to your offer, you might consider adding the words ‘while supplies last’ in your ad.

Giving free products and services to customers is only a good idea if you have high repeat business. It's an ideal strategy for restaurant owners, hairstylists, automotive tune-up specialists and other similar high-volume, high-traffic businesses. If you are a roofer or painter, the strategy is not recommended. It would be more sensible to offer a free inspection to attract new customers.

The goodwill created by giving customers something of value for free helps them to remember your business when they're ready to buy. If the customer returns to your website or store repeatedly, the long-term business more than pays for the small cost of free product or service they received. Calculated over a year or more, the sales and profitability from repeat customers can be substantial.

Still not convinced it's a good idea? Perhaps you can think of it as a part of your advertising budget. You need to spend money to attract new customers and repeat business from existing ones. In the long run, using a smart approach to offering freebies may actually cost less as compared with online and print media charges.

The good news is that most people are creatures of habit. If you give them good quality, value and service, it's unlikely that you will lose their business to a competitor. They will continue to shop on your website or in your store. This is especially true if you develop a rapport and excellent business relationship with your customer. Make them happy and they will keep making you happy by purchasing often and recommending you to their friends and associates.

PRC Marketing – Experience the Quality … Discover the Difference

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Eight Tips to Make Your Customers Think That You’re Fantastic

8 Tips to Make Your Customers Think You’re Fantastic

Written by Bob Hoffman
SEO Copywriter, Digital and Print Copywriter

Tip 1 - Give your customers the recognition they deserve.

If you learn that one of your customers has been recognized for an accomplishment or significant community contribution, call them or send a note to congratulate them. Your acknowledgment of their achievement will be appreciated and they will remember your kindness.

Tip 2 – Customers are the heartbeat of your business

They like to feel important. Take time out of your busy day to make sure you tell them. Contact them in person, on the phone, by e-mail or by letter with a reason for touching base. Don't make the mistake of calling just to say “Hi.” Provide them with information, a suggestion or offer that is of value to them.

Set a target for yourself to make contact with at least five customers from your database every week. They can be new or existing customers, large businesses or small and be located around the corner or across the globe.

If you neglect your customers, you will be neglecting your business.

Tip 3 - Support each other

Get to know more about each customer's business. You may find a product or service they offer that can benefit you and your business. Purchase products and services from them whenever possible. The camaraderie you establish strengthens your business relationship and makes it difficult for your competitors to take the customer’s account from you.

Tip 4 – Exchange ideas

You might be surprised to discover how knowledgeable some customers are about topics of interest to you. When considering changes for your business or maybe just an idea you have about marketing a new product or service, consult with a few business savvy customers first. Their feedback may be just what you need to help reach an important business decision. Just be prepared to help them if they call you for help and advice in the future.

Tip 5 - Offer free information

Computer technology offers a wealth of customer contact opportunities. By using e-mail, you can send information, helpful news and tips they will find useful in support of their business. For a more personal touch, you may decide to mail monthly newsletters addressed to each customer personally. Just remember to include something of value and interest to them other than your products and services.

Tip 6 - Share an opportunity

Invite a few of your customers to join you when attending a special event or conference that might be of interest to them. It creates goodwill and gives both of you the chance to learn more about each other’s business.

Tip 7 - Schedule business functions

Sponsoring a function either at your business or a nominated venue provides an ideal forum to meet face-to-face with your customers. It's the perfect opportunity to strengthen customer relationships and meet new prospective customers. Ask them to invite some of their partners and associates to attend the event. Invite a speaker with industry knowledge to offer valuable ideas that can help your customer’s business.

Tip 8 - Share information

Occasionally, you may read something of interest about a certain topic, bringing to mind a customer that would be equally interested. It's the perfect opportunity to share the information with them as a gesture of appreciation for being one of your customers. They will be pleased that you thought about them and are willing to share the information. It also keeps your business ‘top of mind’ when they are ready to purchase products and services you can supply.

PRC Marketing – Experience the Quality … Discover the Difference

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How to Convert Hot Prospects to Customers

Converting Phone Prospects to Customers

Written by Bob Hoffman
SEO Copywriter, Digital and Print Copywriter

Your Goal
You want to generate more business from prospects who telephone you for information about your product and services. It is a worthwhile objective, especially when considering how often you may be unprepared for incoming prospect calls and fail to focus on the natural sales opportunities they present.

When you’re busy, answering the phone tends to become a lesser priority and that will result in lost opportunities. There are some smart ways to maximize your time with a prospect and capitalise on their interest in your products and services.

Your Approach
The end result for any salesperson is getting the prospect to buy. They must meet the following minimum criteria:

Demonstrate a need or want to purchase your product or service
Have the authority to buy what you are selling
Have the money to purchase your product and services

If they meet the criteria, they are potentially good prospects. Do not waste time and effort if they fail this simple test.

Answering the Telephone
How often do you let incoming calls roll over to voicemail? Sure, you can always call them back, but if you don’t pick up the phone when a potential client is interested and ready to make a decision, you’re missing out on a possible sale. Try taking as many incoming calls as possible in order to benefit from the ‘readiness’ of the call to buy.

Be Enthuastic!
This may seem a bit obvious but after a long, hard day, it may be difficult at times to get in state. Actors and vocalists are masters of getting in state. After all, if you paid hard earned money to see your favourite singer perform, they had better sing like a bird on a stick no matter what their disposition before the performance!

Sound enthusiastic when speaking to a prospect. Enunciate clearly and choose your words carefully trying to paint a clear mental picture of the opportunity to the prospect. This is the ideal time for you to get to know the prospect. Make sure to keep their interest on the telephone and make it a welcome experience for them.

Gather Basic Information
There is standard information you should collect from every caller but sometimes it may be difficult to remember all of the questions to ask when on a live call. This is why having a caller information sheet or checklist is vital.

Your checklist should include:

Date of the call
Name and address
Telephone Numbers
Email Address
Details about current wants or needs
How the caller discovers your business
Products and services of interest

Prepare a Loose Script
While each call is usually different from the next, you can prepare a general outline for how you envision a prospect call to progress. It prepares you to answer most questions, get important details and make sure you are giving the caller the information they need to make a decision. Your script may be incorporated into your caller information sheet so you have everything in one place.

Ask Probing Questions
Don’t wait for the caller to volunteer the reason for their call and the details about what they need. Ask questions from the start of the call to help it progress smoothly and to begin building rapport with the caller. Guide the caller as they provide the information you need, sharing details about what you do and how you work to determine if you are the right person to work with them.

Listen Closely and Remember What You Have Learned
Do not ask questions for the sake of filling the silence. Listen closely to what the caller is saying and respond accordingly. While you may have a loose script in front of you to help guide the call, avoid being tied to it. Let the call flow naturally.

Outline the Next Steps
Before ending every call, discuss what will happen next. This important step cannot be over emphasised.

Will you send the prospect a summary of the call by email, reiterating the key points discussed? Do you need to schedule a time to talk again? Make sure you identify exactly what will happen next and then follow through. Don’t let the time you spend on the phone be wasted by lack of follow-up and confusion about who does what next.

PRC Marketing – Experience the Quality … Discover the Difference

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It’s All About Customer Wants and Needs

Written by Bob Hoffman
SEO Copywriter, Digital and Print Copywriter

All too often, you receive sales literature or read websites telling you plenty about the advertiser’s business with barely a mention of how that's going to help the customer. If you fail to make the connection between the value of your products or services and the needs of a prospective customer, the more likely you are to lose a sale and drive them to your competitors. To avoid this one-sided approach to advertising, use the ‘features and benefits’ strategy to help your customers understand how the features of your products and services can benefit them.

Regardless of the media you choose, deliver your sales message in a way that explains how your products and services will fulfil the needs and wants of your target audience. First, tell them about the key features. For example, “Our light bulbs consume less power and are twice as bright compared with standard incandescent bulbs.”

After you've talked about the product features, tell them what's in it for them by purchasing it. “When you buy our light bulbs, you save electricity and replace them less often, saving you money. Everyone likes to save money and a product that offers improved quality at a reduced price will make a quick sale.

Be sure your benefit statements are crystal clear. If a customer fails to understand all the true benefits, you will probably lose a sale. By telling them how they will benefit using your products and services, you increase your chances of increasing your sales.

PRC Marketing – Experience the Quality … Discover the Difference

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Product and Service Guarantees Increase Your Business Sales

Product and Service Guarantees Increase Business Sales

Written by Bob Hoffman
SEO Copywriter, Digital and Print Copywriter

When considering a purchase, customer needs are fairly simple. Not every customer is concerned about finding the lowest price. While it is important, there are other factors that influence their decision to purchase. If the price is competitive, customers instinctively weigh other factors such as quality, value, dependability, delivery and sometimes popularity. If they are teetering on the edge and are finding it difficult to make a decision, an iron clad guarantee may be just the tactic to push them over the edge.

Your guarantee should take into account known fears, concerns and apprehension customers may experience when considering a purchase. You know that you sell reliable products and offer dependable services, but how do you prove that to a potential buyer? Perhaps if you look at it from the customer’s perspective, you might be able to relate to some of their concerns. If you were buying a product or service from your own company, would a 100% money-back guarantee give you the peace of mind to buy with confidence?

When you offer a guarantee, you're telling the customer you have absolute confidence they will be satisfied with their purchase. That's a powerful statement because the customer is reassured that a product may be returned or the cost of service reimbursed if it did not meet their expectations. The customer feels empowered and is more likely to buy when you back up products and services with a guarantee.

Here are a couple examples you may wish to consider...

Depending on the nature of your business, you may want to offer a guarantee for a set number of days as opposed to a year or two. One of the most common guarantees is a 30 day satisfaction guarantee or the money is cheerfully refunded.
A price guarantee is another idea. Advertise that you will beat any advertised price by 10% for an identical product.

When you decide to develop and offer a guarantee for your products and services, mention it on the Home page of your website, include it in your print advertisments and get decals made to apply on your company vehicles. Let your customers know that you believe in quality and service excellence and you're ready to back it up with a guarantee to prove it.

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SEO or Sales … What is More Important

SEO or Sales … What is More Important?

SEO or Sales ... What Is More Important?
eLearning for Smarties
Written by Bob Hoffman
SEO Website Copywriter, Digital and Print Copywriter

At first glance, you might think this is a trick question. It is actually more important than you might imagine. We will examine both options to arrive at a conclusion that may surprise you.

Search Engine Optimisation
Wikipedia defines SEO or Search Engine Optimisation as, the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in search engines via natural or unpaid search results. The core purpose of SEO is to get your website found when someone types in a keyword or keyword phrase.

Most businesses want and need their websites to appear on the first page search listing. The competition for this prestigious position is intensely fierce. Besides researched keywords, you also need website marketing strategies, external links and visitor traffic to attract search engine attention. Equally important, website copy must capture and sustain the interest of site visitors. It is a challenging assignment for any worthwhile SEO website copywriter.

Sales
A sale is the act of selling a product or service in return for money or other compensation. The survival of a business depends on its total sales revenue and a reasonable, profitable return for the sale of their products and services. The various methods of selling vary widely from face-to-face selling and telemarketing to websites and webinars. Regardless of the method, without sales the business withers and eventually disappears.

What is More Important … SEO or Sales?
They are equally important. The short answer may not be a surprise at all for the following reasons:

Without the application of effective SEO strategies, browsers will never become buyers if they cannot find your website.
Without effective sales copywriting, browsers that find your website will never become buyers if they are not convinced that your products and services satisfy their need.

It is pointless to pay big dollars every month to a company that provides SEO services if your website content was not written by a copywriter with sales training and experience. Appearing on the first page search listing is a futile and costly exercise if your target audience is not convinced to buy from you.

Sales People and Staff
At this point, you may be thinking to yourself, “I will ask one of my salespeople to write the content for our web pages. After all, they know how to sell.” It may also occur to you that, “I like the way our secretary writes, she can create the website copy for us.”

Tempting as these money saving options may appear, it is highly unlikely that the outcome would be successful. Most salespeople excel at ‘talking’ as a method of convincing prospects and customers to buy. They may be capable of occasionally writing sales emails that are very impressive. Choosing this option is a common mistake. The style of copywriting for business websites is unique and quite unlike other forms of writing. Without proper training, skills and talent, sales people lack the knowledge to write the SEO compliant content demanded by this specialised type of media.

Businesses choosing the secretary option, with her flowery writing skills and best intentions, face the same outcome as using their sales people to write website copy. The secretary you choose may lack SEO copywriting knowledge and possess only a fundamental ability to sell. Not the best choice to achieve the results you expect.

‘Call the Guy’
Websites with the highest traffic appeal are the embodiment of the following skills applied by knowledgeable industry professionals:

Website HTML code written to World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) standards
SEO strategies created by trained and qualified providers
Copywriting written to SEO standards
Compelling sales content written by copywriters with advanced sales training and experience

If you or your staff meet or exceed the minimum criteria listed, you have a decided edge over your competitors. Without in-house expertise to fulfil these requirements, you should consider outsourcing the SEO and sales aspects of your website to competent providers with the integrity, knowledge and talents to create or upgrade a new or existing website.

The First Step to Ultimate Search Engine Optimisation and Sales Strategies
You have learned that top search engine ranking requires more than simply using fancy words. Cut through the competition and get your website displayed in first page search results. Armed with website design compliance, web marketing tactics, SEO sales copy and other essentials, your website begins climbing to the top of search engine results...and stays there.

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Want More Business - Give Your Customers Exceptional Service

Want More Business?
Give Your Customers Exceptional Service

Written by Bob Hoffman
SEO Copywriter, Digital and Print Copywriter

Everyone wants more customers. Getting them can be an expensive proposition but necessary to sustain your business. It is far less expensive to keep your existing customers by simply making them happy every time they buy from you. One of the easiest ways to do it is providing exceptional customer service. What you do for your customers is important but how you do it will usually decide whether they buy from you again.

For example, I recently visited a local restaurant with my wife and we ordered their grand opening special. The white linen tablecloths, imported china, polished silverware, comfortable seating and mood lighting prepared us for what we thought would be a wonderful dining experience. The owner had invested considerable time, money and effort to create a beautiful atmosphere with attention to every detail... almost.

We waited for more than one hour until the waiter finally brought the meals to our table without an explanation or apology. When questioned about the reason for the long delay, the waiter remarked, “It’s not my fault. It’s those guys in the kitchen that don’t know what they’re doing.” Before leaving the restaurant, I spoke with the owner about the waiter’s remark. He said, “I appreciate your bringing this to my attention. Before I can work on the table service, I need to get the equipment and staff in the kitchen working right first.”

He was more concerned about what he was doing and less about how he was doing it. In other words, the method of delivery is less important to a customer than the experience of receiving it. Make your customers feel welcome and appreciated. Show them that their business is important to you by giving them the same service you would expect.

Work on providing exceptional service by continually improving the means of delivering it. You will keep your customers and be pleasantly surprised when they refer your business to friends and associates, bringing you new customers that you need and want...absolutely free.

PRC Marketing – Experience the Quality … Discover the Difference

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Why Advertise At All?

SEO or Sales ... What Is More Important?
eLearning for Smarties
Written by Bob Hoffman
SEO Website Copywriter, Digital and Print Copywriter

Learn what the smart 'Big Boy' companies know about getting the most bang for their advertising buck. Because it is so simple, you may wonder why you never thought of it, too.

Media Planning

Advertising is essential to the heartbeat of a business as water is essential to life. In fact, without a marketing plan, a business may soon face premature extinction. At the very least, a lack of planned advertising and marketing inhibits sales growth and makes the path to sustainable success more difficult. The primary roadblock for most business owners is the reality of a limited budget. Marketing a business properly soon becomes one of the most exorbitant operating costs on an accounting balance sheet. However, in my experience as a copywriter, there is a greater force at work that derails some business owners...lack of a comprehensive marketing and media plan.

Strategies to formulate a media plan include the compilation and scheduling of print advertisements, radio and television commercials, website development and updating, e-marketing and other forms of digital media. Think of it as a media ‘road map’ that you follow to arrive at your expected destination successfully. Without a properly designed and executed plan, you may exhaust your time, money and energy without ever achieving the true objectives and potential of your business endeavour.

Small business owners have an inherent tendency to sporadically advertise their products and services. Apparently, they believe that advertising a couple times a year is more than sufficient. You might call it a ‘that’s that’ mentality...time to move on to the next task. With this approach, they might as well save their money and not advertise at all.

Top of Mind

Have you ever wondered why large corporations selling popular products to a global market continually advertise? For example, soft drink bottlers market products that some people know, bought and consumed since they were kids. Are they really influenced by the continual bombardment of mixed media ads about the product they have grown to enjoy and love? Absolutely!

The big boys know that competitors are always on their heels, waiting for a chance to lure market share away from them. When the customer is ready to purchase their next soft drink, it is vital that they instinctively think of buying the same product they have enjoyed for many years. The product must remain top of mind at all times. The only way to retain this coveted position in a consumers mind is with continual, consistent and effective advertising.

Branding Message

Top of mind advertising demands more than simply a barrage of ads to hypnotise a customer, making them blindly purchase your product or service. The advertising must be enticing, unique, clever and targeted to appeal to a specific demographic. In other words, it must appeal primarily to your target audience.

It takes some effort, research and talent to continually capture and retain a loyal customer base. The media plan you develop must also be geared towards attracting new prospects, converting them into satisfied customers. The ongoing nurturing of customers by using a planned and targeted marketing and media plan that is reviewed and updated annually, continually underscores your sales message with the frequency needed to remain top of mind when prospects and customers make their next purchase.

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Write Eye-Catching Headlines That People Can't Resist

Written by Bob Hoffman
SEO Copywriter, Digital and Print Copywriter

If they don't like the headline, they won't read your sales pitch. It's that simple. In fact, an attention grabbing headline is so important that some copywriters have made a career of it. It is vital to select the perfect headline to complement your sales message. Be careful not to use a spectacular headline that has nothing whatsoever to do with the sales message. The reader will feel deceived and the effectiveness of your headline will be severely diminished.

The classic headlines that you often see begin with words like...

10 Ways to...
Don’t Buy Unless You’ve Read...
How to...
Discover Why...
Announcing the Latest...
Learn the Quickest Way to...

...and the list goes on. To drive the point home, remember when the space shuttle Columbia crashed. It was a tragic accident that took the lives of 7 crew members aboard the flight. After reporters gathered details, a major newspaper published the breaking news with a 2-word headline printed in huge block letters, SHUTTLE CRASHES. Those two chilling words were responsible for selling every single newspaper printed that day.

Suppose the newspaper had used the headline, Today There Was a Problem in Space. Do you think for one minute that those newspapers would have flown off the newsstands? Absolutely not. The power of a well considered headline can make or break the effective delivery of your message.

The importance of top-notch headlines are seen in most magazines, direct mail and even billboards which require the ultimate headlines to grab attention. The ones that appeal to most people promise to educate, inform or help them solve a problem. They are usually short and sharp instead of wordy and boring. Remember the Wart Off ad headline used for many years? It worked because it was short, easily understood and solved an annoying problem.

The next time you consider different eye-catching headlines, think about the ones that would peak your own interest. Chances are that if it appeals to you, it will likewise grab the attention of others.

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Download Free Reprint Articles

The 5 Best Ways to Advertise Online and Get Results

Too Busy to Provide the Service Your Customers Expect?

Create and Upgrade a Website No One Can Resist

Does Your Business Offer Free Products or Services to Attract Business?

8 Tips to Make Your Customers Think You’re Fantastic

Converting Phone Prospects to Customers

It’s All About Customer Wants and Needs

Product and Service Guarantees Increase Business Sales

SEO or Sales … What is More Important?

Want More Business? Give Your Customers Exceptional Service

Why Advertise At All?

Write Eye-Catching Headlines That People Can't Resist

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