Here I will explain precisely how to advertise effectively, including:

1. The single most important thing to understand
2. Why you must understand the benefits your customers seek
3. The most important element in your advertising
4. Appealing to the readers self interest
5. Hints for body copy
6. Emphasizing risk reversal
7. Closing the sale
8. Effective testing
9. Using keyed responses

Heres a topic that many business owners find confusing and frustrating. It's something that can eat huge holes in your budget yet, if done correctly, can create huge profit windfalls and massive growth for your business.

I'm talking about advertising, the bane and boon of small business. How do you keep from throwing away your profits on ineffective ads? How do you target the right people with the right message in the right medium? How do you know if the ads you run are actually working? Excellent questions.

And now it's time for some simple, profitable answers. My goal over the next few pages is to help you unlock the secrets of successful advertising and put them to work for your business. I'll show you how to put together a winning ad one that produces an immediate, direct, measurable response from your target audience. No ad agency fees, no confusing hype. Just good old-fashioned salesmanship that gets results. Ready? Let's talk advertising...

Profit from the Secrets Of Successful Advertising

What's the secret to successful advertising? Is it about paying an ad agency lots of money for something clever and "creative?" Is it about cute, monosyllabic frogs obsessed with a particular brand of beer? Is it about sexy models and witty catch-phrases and fancy photography? No. No. And no. Advertising whether it's in print, over the airwaves, or via computer is about presenting a special benefit-laden offer to your specific target prospects. It's about making a successful sales pitch to the right people, and convincing them to make a purchase. That's the whole concept of advertising in a nutshell. How do I know? Well, although 1 won't profess to be the world's foremost expert on advertising, I have spent the past 5 years studying the lessons of some of the best advertising minds ever.

By applying their concepts, I've enjoyed considerable success.

First thing, try to step into a customer's shoes. When you are able to reach that level of understanding, you will be able to sell them what they want as often as they want it.

Sell Them the Benefits

The most important thing to understand about your customers or clients or patients is this: They aren't interested in the specific features of your product or service. They don't even necessarily want savings. And, as difficult as this may be to believe, they're not really interested in helping you and your business!

All customers whether they realize and acknowledge it or not really want just one thing: benefits. They want the benefits that your products and services provide them to help their businesses or improve the quality of their lives. If the best feature of your business is fast, reliable service, the benefit to the customer may be more time to do the things they really enjoy.

If you're selling the latest, state-of-the-art product on the market, why would your customer be interested? The benefit may be getting twice as much work done in half the time and making twice as much money. If your best selling point is the fact that you have the lowest-cost product, the benefit may be more money available to spend on other things that help improve a person's quality of life a bigger house, a car, a vacation, etc.

In How to Write Advertising That Sells, Clyde Bedell lists some of the benefits that have been proven to have appeal: comfort, better complexion, savings, sexual attraction, pride of possession, time saved, improved personal earnings, better health, prestige, more pep and vitality, and enjoyment. Understand the benefits your customers seek and emphasize those benefits in your ads! Use Your USP In any discussion of benefits, the concept of developing and promoting a unique selling proposition (USP) should follow.

As you know, your USP is the indisputably unique advantage that distinguishes your business from other businesses. It's really the essence of your business. It's the benefit or advantageous end result that you provide that sets you and your business apart from every other competitor. Your USP should be as strong and as self-evident as the Federal Express USP: "When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight."