Pull the Good out of the Crap

I’m about to share with you one of the easiest ways to craft better performing ads. First, select one script or ad you’ve used in the past or one that you’re getting ready to unleash. Read through it. Now read through it again with a highlighting marker. Highlight only the points in your ad that people will care about.

I feel some of you may have the entire ad highlighted when you’re done. If that’s the case, you either have a lot of really great things in your ad people care about or you are blind to understanding what your prospect or customer actually cares about.

If there truly are many wonderful things in your ad that is important to people, then pick ONE of those things (I’m suggesting you pick the best one) and exaggerate that point until a 6th grader understands. Don’t overwhelm people with too many things in your ad. Make one point and make it well. Smack’em with it.

Here’s to the folks that might be blind as to what should be in your ad. If at any time you find yourself telling people how long you’ve been in business…they don’t care. If you start your ad off with the name of your business and God forbid any contact information…they don’t care yet. Yet. When you read a line that brags about your company in any way, shape, or form…they don’t care.

People only care about themselves when it comes to advertising. They care about how you’ll help them satisfy a need they have. And how you might be able to satisfy it better than what they’re used to.

This might be simple instruction for you, and you’re already bored with this post. OR…this is enlightening for you because you’re open to learning how to do it better. Sometimes I run across ads that still boggle my mind. Even people I know who write ads…and should know better.

If you find it difficult or too time-intensive to seriously improve your ads, it’s worth it to find someone who does it every day. Someone that can take a load off your mind.

Heck, read some of my other blog posts. There’s over a hundred. And order Roy H. Williams’ Wizard of Ads trilogy. That’s a good start at least.

I remember when I first started writing ads. Yowza! Craptacular. But I had a passion for it and half of a brain to comprehend all of books I started reading on the subject of writing good ad copy. So, my writing improved. And it helps that I practice. I write an ad almost every single day.

This isn’t about me trying to tell you that you suck. It’s about helping small businesses climb a treacherous mountain. About staying in business. About attracting more customers to you so you can take a breath once in a while.

Take your ad and pull the good out of the “crap”. Throw the crap on the floor and light in on fire. Never use it in your ads again. Take the “good” in your hands and roll it around awhile. Massage it. What can you do with it? What can others do with it? How many ways could someone benefit from that great selling point you have? Now exaggerate it. Run a scenario through your mind like a movie using that “goodness”. Then, start writing. Write something that might hold someone’s attention longer than 10 seconds.

Have a great day!

Duane Christensen

Non-Fat Advertising blog