Here is a great way to understand good and bad ‘headlines’ in business advertisements. Open up a newspaper or magazine that has advertisements from multiple small businesses on one page.
See which business’s advertisement grabs your attention the most.
My prediction is that the advertisement with the headline that addresses a pain or a need got your attention. I also predict the ad that had the name of the business in big letters did NOT get your attention.
The purpose of an advertisement is to get you to contact them – the ‘call to action’.
The process should be simple. The ‘headline’ grabs your attention and the ‘call to action’ tell you what to do next. For example, a good ad is:
Leaky basement? – Call Martin at 1-866-277-1277
An example of a bad ad would be:
J&R Enterprises Inc. Your town Residential contractors – Free estimates
Here is your 5 minute homework assignment:
Review your marketing materials and look at your ‘headlines’ on each one. Does it grab the attention of the reader about a specific pain point, need or want? Check magazine ads, flyers, outdoor signage, sales brochures, and email blasts.
If you find you need to work on improving your business’s marketing please read the following advertisement:
Are you wasting advertising dollars on marketing that doesn’t work? (headline about a pain point) Call Paul at 1-866-776-PAUL to learn how to create and test headlines that make money (call to action)
