Marketing Tips! - December 2014
Writing Better Classified Ads

Classified Advertising in newspapers is a great way to quickly and inexpensively advertise your business, announce a special, recruit employees, etc. Because they can be such an effective way to get your message out… some tips on Classified Ad writing bare repeating.  Here are some ways to improve your classified ads.

1) Keep it Simple.
 

When writing a print advertisement, especially a newspaper classified ad, it is important to remember that space is limited. As an expert on your product, you could probably write four, well thought out, articulate pages of text, explaining every aspect of your product. However, what you are able to do and what works as a classified ad are two very different things. In the Newsletter, we discussed “Keeping it Simple.” Keeping it simple is a way for you to evaluate your product and figure out what is most important, or what is the best selling point. Because space is so limited, it is best to find one aspect of your product that is “sellable” and write the ad based on that. For example if you are looking for drivers and your company offers great benefits, rather than wasting space explaining the long hours and heavy lifting requirements, spend a significant amount of the ad describing the fantastic benefits.

2) Use Words that Appeal to your Target Audience.
 

Not only is it important to use words that are going to be meaningful to your target audience, this is also a good time to mention the importance of injecting “you” into your ad. By using the word “you” in your text, you have invited the reader to read on because they are led to believe that something in the ad affects him/her. Because you have now addressed the “you” reading the ad, make sure that you tie the benefit to that “you.” In other words, don’t leave the reader’s hanging; tell them how your product or service will change their life, or at least make it better, easier, happier, etc.

3) Don’t Bury the Message.
 

This goes hand and hand with keeping your ad simple. The whole point of placing a classified ad is to sell something. Whether it is a product or a service, the goal remains the same; SELL! You can get real creative and add lots of fluff to draw people into your ad, but without a clear, concise message you aren’t going to get a whole lot of responses. If you are offering a Business Opportunity, tell them! Don’t try to be intriguing without explaining why; otherwise people are left without a reason to call.

4) Maintain Credibility.
 

Your goal is to make a sale. Consumers’ goal is to not get “sold.” It is horrible to feel that someone is trying to deceive you, and many times people feel that advertisers are trying to deceive them. It is no secret that people are more likely to buy something if they feel they are getting a fair, honest deal. Some ads, though they might be selling honest products or services, sound deceitful because of too many descriptors and not enough information. Maintain your creditability by sticking to the facts.

 
5) Be Specific.
  Let the potential customers know exactly what it is that you want them to do. If the, “Sale Ends Soon” be more specific and tell them what “soon” means; “Sale Ends Saturday!” Be concrete. Using abstractions makes way for misunderstandings. Being specific and using concrete descriptions is the best way to anticipate that the message you are trying to communicate is going to be understood by the people reading the ad.
End
Contact us for a Free Price
Quote Today!
Call 1-800-789-1339
or Email US Newspapers at:
results@usnewspapers.com
Newspaper Ads Make Sense
Marketing Tips Archive