Advertising Information

The Seven Second Race: How to Draw Attention Your Ad


You've decided to launch your advertising campaign but you have no idea what would inspire others to buy from you. Or maybe you've already run some ads to no avail. How do you make your ad the one that stands out? After all, consumers receive thousands of marketing messages everyday. What makes what you're offering so special?

In today's highly competitive marketing environment, chances are your ad will get overlooked. Meanwhile, some other entrepreneur is making money and developing a highly effective ad campaign. The people that are successful in this area have spent considerable time going over their ads. And with enough effort, any business owner can achieve similar success.

In general, most ads will begin with a headline. And it is with this group of words that you must immediately grab your reader. Marketing experts say you need to grab your potential consumer's interest within seven seconds. Seven seconds. That's it! It's best to start with powerful words that have already been proven to work. Why reinvent the wheel? Below are ten of the most powerful words in the English language, according to Yale University:

  • Discover
  • Easy
  • Guarantee
  • Health
  • New
  • Proved
  • Results
  • Safety
  • Save
  • You
  • Now, carefully review these words and practice writing enticing headlines that will attract attention. These ten examples will help you begin to write dynamic, attention-getting ads. As you progress, expand your "powerful word" vocabulary by reviewing other ads. Use your powerful words in not only the headline but also the body of your ad or the "copy".

    The headline of your ad is not meant to tell your whole story but it is meant to make your visitor take a long enough look so they can read he rest of your offer, and hopefully inspire them to take some kind of action, whether it's calling you, visiting your site, or placing an order.

    Once you've written down ten to twenty phrases pick a couple with the most impact. Ask friends, family, and colleagues to read each one and pick their favorites. Asking for specifics will help you narrow down your list. You can probe deeper and ask them what made them pick certain ads. This will help you improve your ads and writing new ones.

    Now you're ready to write your ad. For maximum effect, continue to use powerful words throughout the entire ad, not just the headline. Be sure to include a "call-to-action" within the body of your ad. This could include phrases such as "call today!" , "visit our site", and many others. Use variations to test which ones have the best effect. By applying these simple steps to your ad campaign, you'll quickly see a noticeable difference in your campaign results.

    Copyright © 2005 Rhonda Winn - All Rights Reserved. Rhonda Winn has been helping small business owners since 2000. She is the author of the popular eBook, "How to Live Your Dreams and Achieve Unlimited Wealth in Small Business" Receive the first chapter free, when you join her bi-monthly newsletter today: SmallBizStartupKit.com.

    You are free to publish this article as long as the content remains unchanged and copyright notice and byline is not removed from article.


    MORE RESOURCES:

    search advertising,
    CNET News, CA - 17 minutes ago
    "While the market opportunity for video advertising remains well-defined, smaller businesses are more concerned than ever about how to most cost-effectively ...


    Los Angeles Business Journal

    US court upholds LA ban on billboards
    Los Angeles Times, CA - 11 hours ago
    The US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reverses a lower-court ruling, saying the city's 2002 prohibition of outdoor advertising does not violate a sign ...
    Not So Fast: Court Upholds LA Billboard Ban MediaPost Publications
    Big Billboard Ruling Upholds City Ban A federal court ruling ... NBC Los Angeles
    Laurence Tribe Tangles with Los Angeles -- and Loses! LA Weekly
    Curbed - San Jose Mercury News
    all 36 news articles


    France thinks about quashing advertising of cellphones to kids
    Los Angeles Times, CA - 1 hour ago
    France is floating the idea of banning advertising of mobile phones to kids 12 and under, according to Bloomberg News. It's not to make them pay attention ...
    France Plans Ban on Mobile Phone Advertising to Children Bloomberg
    all 4 news articles


    Boston Globe

    New York Times now offers front-page advertising
    MarketWatch - Jan 5, 2009
    "In 2006 we began testing ads on some section fronts and received a very positive response from the advertising community," said Denise Warren, ...
    Video: Money Minute: Times Ads, Hyundai, Construction AssociatedPress
    How much are those front-page Times ads? Reuters
    NY Times debuts front-page ad; new revenue source The Associated Press
    Western Standard- Shotgun Blog - Adweek
    all 360 news articles


    Omnicom Group Names Tiffany R. Warren Chief Diversity Officer
    FOXBusiness - 1 hour ago
    Prior to joining Arnold in 2005, Ms. Warren was manager of Diversity Programs at the American Association of Advertising Agencies in New York City, ...
    Warren to lead diversity efforts at Omnicom SmartBrief
    Omnicom Taps Warren for New Diversity Role AdAge.com (subscription)
    Tiffany R. Warren As Chief Diversity Officer & The Impending ... mediabistro.com
    all 20 news articles


    CBS Plans to Reduce Capital Spending to $350 Million
    Bloomberg - Jan 6, 2009
    With advertising falling in radio and local TV, New York- based CBS is seeking savings and new sources of revenue, such as today’s agreement allowing Time ...
    CBS's Moonves: Scatter Pricing Stays Even With Upfront AdAge.com (subscription)
    Moonves hopeful for auto ads Hollywood Reporter
    CBS In Negotiations With Cablevision On Affiliate Fees CNNMoney.com
    Broadcasting & Cable - Adweek
    all 41 news articles


    NAVTEQ LocationPoint Advertising Services Unveiled at CES
    PR Newswire (press release), NY - 2 hours ago
    NAVTEQ LocationPoint advertising units provide rich ad creative including calls to action like click to search, click to call, click to navigate and click ...
    NAVTEQ Features Content to 'Navigate Your World' at 2009 ... PR Newswire (press release)
    all 16 news articles


    Recession raises stakes for Super Bowl advertising
    guardian.co.uk, UK - Jan 6, 2009
    "The Super Bowl remains this incredibly unique advertising opportunity because you get all this focus and all this attention and all the PR buzz around it," ...


    Biggest-Advertising Lawyer Spent $20M in 2007
    ABA Journal, IL - 4 hours ago
    Sokolove spent more than $20 million advertising his firm in 2007, but he refers all of his cases to other lawyers and takes a percentage of the recovery, ...


    BeliefNetworks, Inc. Launches AffinityAgent Advertising ...
    MSNBC - Jan 6, 2009
    Utilizing this technology, BeliefNetworks is able to help a variety of customers in the advertising and publishing world develop relevant ad concepts and ...

    Advertising - Google News

    home | site map | Recommended Partner Sites
    © 2008