The eight techniques of stopping power

I found this in a copy of "The Young & Rubicam Traveling Creative Workshop" which I picked up recently at a local library sale. This may be the best $1 I have ever spent as this book is packed with great ideas on selling and designing powerful advertising.

Here are the techniques they use to get people to read your ads My thoughts on each are in blue:

1. Open-minded narrative (picture or thought) in which the resolution is not presented. "The biggest problem in America today" Curiosity makes you read on.


2. Ironic twists on ordinary behavior. "Man bites dog" makes you want to know the rest of the story.


3. Play on words in the headline. "You have to believe it to see it."


4. Incongruity of visual elements and/or words by unusual juxtaposition of elements. This is Seth Godin's "Purple Cow" idea. We are attracted to things that break expected patterns.


5. Exaggeration "Without a doubt this is the best blog ever written" You want to read on to see if this is true or more likely to prove the writer wrong.


6. Simplification. A good example of this is lots of white space in a generally cluttered publication.


7. Shocking visual and/or headline. A local heating and cooling company is running ads headlined "You wife is hot!" in large type over a message in small type that says "buy her a new air conditioner" Gets your attention."


8. Participation visuals (e.g. tests, games, multiple visuals) Everyone likes to be challenged.

I think these are all great ways to grab attention for your customer's ad.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Fight for a good headline

Realtors know how important first impressions are so they like to list homes that look good from the street. A home with good "Curb Appeal" is much easier to sell because it invites potential buyers to take a closer look at the property. A good headline has the same effect on an ad. Far too many customers want to lead off with their company name in big bold type. This is only effective if their goal is to communicate with their existing customer base. It is not a good strategy for attracting new clients. A far better strategy is to lead off the ad with an offer of a benefit to potential customers. If an ad says "I can help you." or "I can solve your problem" the typical reader will take notice. Customers are justifiably proud of their business and their name so they want to see it front and center. It is our duty as sales people to convince them that this is not the best way to go. Their regular customers will find their ad because they are actively looking for them. The goal of an ad should be to attract potential customers to the business. Sometimes this requires gently arguing with our customers to get them to do the right thing. Over the next few days I will cover some tips for creating great headlines.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Finding a good headline

I am sorry this blog went out late today--I was experiencing technical difficulties.

Research has found that that ads with effective headlines out perform ads that lack a good lead. A great question to ask to identify potential headline ideas is: "When potential customer call you on on the phone what questions do they ask you about the business?" A good headline answers this question for its readers. For instance if many people call and ask "Do you deliver?" then " Free Delivery" would be a good headline. You have to remind the advertiser that for every person that calls there are probably several who won't make the effort. By using the headline of the ad to proactively answer consumers question you increase the chance that they will do business with that firm. It is a good way to get a client to think about what their ad is saying to potential customers.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Making Headlines

Here is a quote from Your Attention Please* by Paul Brown and Alison Davis:

"On Average. five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. It follows that unless your headline sells your product, you have wasted 90% of your money"

This is something to keep in mind when creating ads for your customers. Your customer may want to see their name at the top of the ad. Unless their name contains a key selling point (ie. Cheap Carpets) this is not a good idea. The name will only help them attract customers who already know them. If they want to attract new customers, a headline that features a value statement is the way to go. Their regular customer's will see their name in the body copy.

Use the quote above and tell the customer "research indicates..." Remind them that you are the advertising professional. This is worth fighting for because strong headlines have a significant impact on how effectively the ad will draw customers. Customers who buy effective ads are the customers who remain customers.

*This is a great book for those of us who earn our paychecks selling and writing ads

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling

Thanks Jim Busch