Writing Effective Do-It-Yourself Advertising Copy
by Mike Brassil

The single objective of any advertisement message is to induce your prospect to take action, period! This article will guide you through the basic steps of writing effective advertising copy.

The Five Most Powerful Advertising Copy Words.

We begin with the five most powerful words in advertising: "What’s in it for me?" Everything else stems from those words and those words alone.

The Five Most Powerful Motivators.

According to psychologist Abraham Maslow, (Motivation and Personality (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1954), "human behavior," is always the result of one or more of five basic needs or motivating forces. Maslow refers to these as "the hierarchy of human needs." His theory is, that until a lower-ranking need is satisfied, there is no desire to pursue a higher-ranking need. Beginning with the basic or lowest-ranked need and continuing to the highest, these five motivators are:

1. Physiological needs - Include hunger, thirst, shelter, clothing, air and rest.

2. Security - The need for safety, stability, dependence, protection, structure and order.

3. Love - The need to love and be loved, belonging, acceptance, affection, and friendship.

4. Self-esteem - The need for recognition, respect, achievement, responsibility, prestige, independence, importance and appreciation.

5. Self-actualization - The desire to achieve fulfillment through reaching individual goals or aspirations.

Promote your strongest selling points in the ad copy.

Benefits should clearly separate you from your competition. Keeping these five motivators in mind, we proceed to the "magic formula." To elicit the desired response, all ads should be composed with the following four step "master formula" in mind:

• "Attract" the attention of the prospect.
• "Hold" the interest of the prospect.
• "Arouse" enough desire to cause the prospect to want the product or service and
• "Motivate" him to take action.

Unique Selling Position (USP).

To attract attention, you must differentiate yourself from everyone else selling a similar product or service. You must present a benefit that is distinctive and valuable. In essence, this is your Unique Selling Proposition. Everything you advertise, as well as every word and illustration you use, defines your firm’s image. Your ability to develop a powerful USP depends on knowing exactly what image you want to project and only those things that reinforce that image.

By keeping the above concepts in mind when developing and writing your advertising copy, you can create compelling ads that attract interested customers.  
 

About the Author

Michael (Mike) Brassil is author of "The Only Business Start-Up Guide You Will Ever Need." Download two chapters -- Starting a New Business and The Home Working Revolution -- at: http://www.ImpactGuide.com.