Its A Good Ad Only When It Achieves Its Intended Result

Pointers on writing effective ad copy that sells . . .

It is often said that good advertising is that which can sell. This is true so far as it encompasses sales not limited by monetary transactions. An ad not only sells products and services it can also "sell" an idea or an image, as is the case with any branding exercise.

Given this background, it is obvious that ad copywriting is different from any other article writing. It cannot be too verbose and needs to deliver an impactful message within a few choice words.

Many copywriters live by the AIDA formula when it comes to writing ads. That is, an ad must grab the reader's attention, must continue to maintain reader's interest through the body copy, must evoke a desire to purchase the offering and must eventually be strong enough to make the reader take action on this desire.

While there is no checklist one can follow blindly when it comes to ads, a copywriter would do well to follow some basic principles. Firstly, start off the writing project by clearly defining the ad objective. Next concentrate on writing a killer headline and sub-headline that grabs the reader's attention and makes him or her read on. The body copy of an ad would typically flow seamlessly from the headline itself.

If the headline is the all important attention grabber, the body copy needs to explain the value proposition of the product or service being sold. In this regard, the copy must be specific and comprehensive as any ambiguity would cause the reader to lose interest.

Creativity is great, but sometimes overrated. A good ad is one that is easy to read and easy to understand. It employs the use of powerful, yet simple words and provides details on product benefits rather than features. It has a simple design yet manages to stand out in the crowd. More importantly, it distinguishes itself from the advertising of competitors.

Effective ads are also based around an interesting insight. While humans are logical beings, the fact that an emotional ad is likely to have a more long lasting effect still holds true. Hence a perfect ad not only provides a logical reason to buy and all other relevant information in a transparent and true manner, it also plays on audience sentiment.

Another golden rule is to avoid the third person and talk directly to the reader. While making claims, it is critical not to over-promise and under-deliver as this will result in negative PR. If you can prove your claims through testimonials or statistics, it further strengthens ad credibility.

The final step in any advertising is to test the effectiveness of the ad with a relevant target group and then modify the ad according to test results. When these advertising basics are followed, chances are that the ad output will not only be catchy and creative, it would also have the ability to covert readers into buyers.