Sean McCool

Direct Marketing Strategist

AS A SMALL BUSINESS, YOU PROBABLY STRUGGLE WITH YOUR ADVERTISING. IT CAN BE EXPENSIVE, AND YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE YOUR RETURN ON INVESTMENT IS WORTH THE PRICE OF THE AD.

You may even be under the impression advertising is hit or miss and results can’t be guaranteed. Well, that’s true… sort of.

You see, there is a way to greatly increase your chance of success with all of your advertising – a great headline.

Fact is, the most important part of an ad is the headline. If you don’t get the headline right, the entire ad space is wasted. Studies prove 80% of readers make a decision about an ad based on the headline. So, if your headline fails to grab the reader’s attention, you’ve wasted 80% of the cost of that ad.

Now that you know the importance of a headline, here are 4 ways to write a great headline and make sure you don’t waste your advertising dollars. Simply ask yourself four questions every time you write an ad for your business.

Question #1 - Does your headline target your ideal customer?

To answer that question, you need to know who your ideal customer is. Who is looking for your services? Are most of your customers male or female? How old are they? What is their financial situation like? Are they concerned with price? Quality? Service? Which is most important to them? If you don’t know, ask your best customers why they chose you. You might just be surprised by the answer.

The answer to these questions makes a huge impact on how you construct your ad, and especially your headline. For example, a headline announcing a huge discount and free service is going to grab a budget-minded customer more than a high income earner who is seeking top quality with no regard to price. Emphasizing the modern appeal of a certain product might grab the younger to middle class market, but not necessarily an older market.

Just be aware of who buys your products, why they buy and then write to them.

Question #2 Does your headline grab attention?

When your prospective customers are glancing through a magazine or newspaper, will your ad jump out at them? Will they stop in their tracks to read it? Will it call their name across a crowded room?

It should. There are various types of headlines. Here are the 6 best headline categories for grabbing attention along with an example for each:

News “New Shipment Just In, Selling Fast”

Questions “What Stone Fits Your Kitchen and Your Lifestyle?”

How to… “How To Get a Larger BarTop Counter in Your Kitchen”

Command “Come See Our New Showroom”

Reason why “10 Reasons Now Is The Time to Update Your Kitchens and Baths”

Testimonial “‘I Love My New Counters’ – Sally, Satisfied Customer”

Also, learn some attention-grabbing words. “New,” “Free,” “How To,” and “Amazing,” are just some.Yes, they are used– alot–but that’sbecause testing proves they still work.

Question #3 Does your headline deliver a complete message?

If someone reads your headline, do they know instantly who you are and what your basic service is? A common headline such as “Free Gift With Purchase” is weak. It says nothing about what you are actually offering them. They don’t know who you are, and you’ve given them no reason to find out.

A better headline says something about your company. “Free Installation With Every Custom Countertop” says a lot. It says you do stonework, you offer professional installation, you care about the customer and want to make sure the work is done right.You are also trustworthy because you’re not going to throw in a hidden “service” charge at the last minute. The ad reader instantly knows what you do, and will likely remember you when they need new counters.

Question #4 Does your headline draw the reader into the rest of the ad?

Did you know that 80% of readers only read the headline of an ad? You need to give that 80% a reason to remember you. Otherwise, they’ll just pass you by until your competitor grabs their attention.

The way to draw someone into the ad is to arouse their curiosity. Again, think about the types of headlines mentioned earlier. If you give them news, they’ll want to know the details. If you ask a question, they’ll want to find out the answer. If you announce you know how to do something, they’ll want that knowledge.
Think about the headline of this article. Why are you reading this sentence? Because I aroused your curiosity, you wanted to know how to create a better ad, and I implied in my headline I had the answer for you.

Ask yourself these four questions and your headlines will be rock solid. They’ll target your perfect client, grab her attention, deliver a message, and draw her into the ad… and, when you do it right, she’ll become your next customer.

Sean McCool is a an award-winning marketer and success coach. He can help you create marketing materials or just talk with you about what’s possible for your business. You can contact or leave a message for him through his website www.SeanMcCool.com.