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To succeed in classified ad advertising, you need to use effective words and phrases.
We all know that we have to tell people about our products and services - and the best way to do that is through advertising, either paid or free. Writing an ad comes easily to some, but for many, the ad has to be dragged, kicking and screaming into life.
First of all, the ad must be BELIEVABLE. Starting with the most important part of your ad - the headline. It must be believable and it must grab their attention.
The way to attract attention is with a bang up headline. Most people skim when reading online so the headline need to stop them in their tracks and attract enough attention so they want to read more.
How do you get their attention? You tell them how you are going to solve a problem for them, or how you are going to prevent them from having a problem in the first place.
You'll want to use plenty of words so your words jump off the page and gets them excited. There are many "hot words" that have been proven to grab a persons attention better than others. You need to use these in your headlines too. Words like Discover, Go, Click etc... You get the point.
Your headline should convey your strongest benefit. Benefits play on the reader's emotions and that's what gets them to act. Tell the reader how your product/service will help them meet their goals, alleviate their fears, help them to save money or time. Become the solution to their problems.
If your headline fails, they will never read the rest of the ad, which is why a good headline is the most important part of the copy.
Some other tips for writing more effective headlines is to surround them with quotes. Like this:
"Discover How To Write an Ebook in 15 days"
Quotes have proven to attract more attention in a headline so use them to your advantage.
Asking a question is another effective way of pulling the reader in and getting them emotionally involved with your ad. For example:
"Are you looking For Financial Freedom?"
Using facts and figures instead of generalities in ad copy is another time proven method that really works:
Don't say: Money Back Guarantee Say: 100% Money Back Guarantee
Don't say: Increase Your Productivity Say: Increase Your Productivity by 40%
"How to" is another great headline phrase to use. We love "how to" books and there is a reason why so many book titles start with it. "How to" headlines pull the reader in by appealing to their interests.
How to Write Effective Sales Copy
Use a lot of the word "You" in you headlines and the word FREE always attracts attention.
There is also an important aspect to consider when writing effective classified ads. Do you use Power Words? You will ask me but what are they? Power words are those proven order pulling words also known as trigger words. These will help you get the results you are looking for in your ad copy.
Here's a short list:
100% Guaranteed Proven Discover Exclusive Incredible Effective Results Fast Valuable Revealing Magic Secrets
An example of a good ad copy utilizing power words:
"How To Build your Website in just 3 days" Discover this PROVEN method that allows you to create websites FAST and EASY. It's simply AMAZING. Act NOW. Click on the link to learn more: http://www.yourdomain.com
The key to writing an effective classified ad lies in your ability to say a lot with a little. In other words, grab my attention, tell me about the best features of your product or service, and command me to buy in 50 words or less.
Sound easy enough? Many people think writing a classified ad is a no-brainer until they get started. Then they discover that, try as they might, they can't get their point across in only 50 words.
When you are passionate and excited about the product or service you offer, it is difficult to sum up that enthusiasm in a short block of text. However, if you have a few definitive rules in mind before you start writing your classified ad, it will be easy as pie.
2003 by Jean Lam
About the Author
Jean Lam is the webmaster of http://www.zineguru.com Visit his site for Free Internet Marketing and Web Site Promotion articles with cutting edge tips, tricks, techniques, strategies and tools to promote your web site effectively.