How to get more customers with small space advertising By Marty Marsh If I hear one more advertiser tell me they can't be bothered by customers I think I'll scream! Believe it or not I hear this all the time from retailers, sales people, business owners -- you name the profession. They tell me they don't have time to be bothered by customers calling them on the phone. They don't seem to realize they stand a better chance of selling more if they can talk directly with their prospects. They hope that by spending a few bucks on a small ad that it will do all the work for them. Not so. When you create a small space ad remember this: nobody cares what you look like, how many degrees you have, or how great you think your service is. If it doesn't offer some compelling benefit, they won't buy! And don't make them guess what benefit they'll get. Instead of telling them you've been around since 1926, tell them why that makes you the best choice for solving their problems. Don't tell them you're experienced, tell them why your experience makes you the better choice. Tell them exactly what problem you are here to solve for them. Make it easy for them to reach you. Got a website? Tell them how to get there for more detailed information. Got a toll free number? Tell them why they should call you right now. When they do, ask questions and then listen to the answers! No one can guarantee that the ad you create will be a winner. There are, however, some tried and true elements that you can include in your ad that will increase your chances of having a winner and we'll cover each of those in future articles. Creating a winning ad can be a difficult process. The only way to find out what works for you is to experiment. A few things to consider to increase your chances of having a winner: 1. Location, location, location. Seek out trade publications, e-zines, websites and other venues where your prospects gather information and place your ad there. 2. Clear objectives. Make every element meet your objective. For example, instead of just saying "Call our toll-free number" you might say instead "Calling our toll-free number can change your life." 3. An offer they can't refuse. Like those late-night infomercials when the announcer says "but wait, there's more!" make sure you're giving your prospects an offer they can't refuse by including "more" -- a free gift, a free report or great payment terms. Be careful that your offer doesn't sound too good to be true. Give the reason why you can make such an incredible offer. You'll sound more credible. 4. Your Unique Selling Proposition. This is the reason your prospect should do business with you instead of your competitors and is sometimes known as an "elevator speech." It should be your biggest selling benefit. Use it in your ad, either as the headline, sub-head, bulleted points or in your guarantee. 5. Compelling headlines. A really powerful headline should be benefit driven, news-oriented, curiosity driven or how-to oriented. Examples of powerful headlines: Benefit-Driven: "You Can Have a Flat Tummy Without Any Exercise" News-Oriented: "Amazing Herbal Formula Cures Migraine Headaches" Curiosity-Driven: "Are You Making These Dangerous Driving Mistakes?" How-to Oriented: "How to Make An Extra $1000 Without Selling Anything" Write several variations of your headline. Pick the one that will do the best job of stopping the reader so they'll want to read the rest of your ad. Run a few headlines past your colleagues, family and friends and get their opinion of which ones clicked with them. 6. Benefits. You've heard by now that your prospects don't care about you, your awards, how long you've been in business, the high quality of your products, delivery speed, or the clever name of your business. They care only about themselves. Your job is to convince them that what you're offering benefits them in some specific, concrete way. Don't confuse the features of your product or service with the benefits. 7. Make your offer risk-free. Everyone is skeptical. Your ad must have credibility and it must include an offer so that your prospect can use your product or services without risk. Include testimonials. A sincere testimonial from a real person can be very powerful and very persuasive. Offer a strong guarantee. 8. Ask them to take some action. Using phrases in your ad like "Call now", "Sign up right now", "Visit our website today" trigger an emotional response so your prospects take action. Make it explicit and clear what action you want them to take. 9. Create urgency. Place a deadline on your offer or limit the quantity available so they'll buy quickly. Use phrases like "quantities are limited" or "only enough for the first 50 callers" or "first come, first served." 10. Make it easy to respond. Rarely do we use logic when buying. So make it easy to buy from you or to contact you. Give lots of options: phone numbers, website address, fax numbers and e-mail address. Make yourself available.