How to make ads generate leads - Eight ideas that work!
by Ivan Levison

Some companies spend a lot of money on so-called "image advertising."

They pay a fortune for color photography, restrict the copy to a witty sentence or two, and feel simply terrific when they hear that the ad has won the creative art director yet another award.

The trouble is, they may be missing the boat. They're all too willing to settle for building "awareness" when they should be doing some selling and lead generation.

Now, I know very well that you can't apply direct response techniques in every situation.

If you're selling a hoity-toity perfume at $500 an ounce, you take a gorgeous photo of a gorgeous couple in gorgeous Central Park and you have them sip brandy and look into each others' eyes and you stick a headline under this romantic scene that says "Experience the magic" or "Let the memory linger" or "He'll never forget your essence" or whatever the heck junky line you come up with.

That's not for me. I like to work on ads that do more than build "awareness." Maybe it's not fashionable to say so, but I still think an ad should do a little selling and, if appropriate, build some hard leads that can used to increase sales. Especially in this horrible economic environment.

If you'd like YOUR ads to generate leads that you can put to good use, here are some battle-tested ideas you won't want to miss:

Put your offer right up in the headline. Don't hide your offer. It belongs where people can see it! If you've got a software upgrade to announce, a demo CD you want to give away, or a brochure you think potential customers should read, go for it in the headline. Don't tease them. Don't entertain them. Let them know what you'll do for them!
Include a picture of what you're offering. Let's assume that you're giving away a demo CD of your software. I urge you to include a photo of the CD, packaging, written materials you will be sending along, etc. It makes the offer concrete and believable. Let's learn from retailers. They don't bury their goods. They put them right under your nose. That's a lesson we can apply in our advertising.
Get your offer into the very first paragraph. Take a look at ads with offers. You'll find that the writer usually throws it in as an afterthought at the end of the body copy. This is an incredible mistake. If you care about your response rate, put it up front. Let's face it. There's a chance that not every reader will stay with you all the way to the end of the ad, so give them important news about your fabulous offer, early!
Don't forget to say "FREE." "Free" is one of the true magic words in advertising. It always has been. It always will be. If you have something to offer that doesn't cost anything, it would be foolish not to highlight it!
Be sure to use testimonials. They can really build credibility. Stay away from initials used as signatures. "Your financial planning services saved me thousands of dollars. H.M., Detroit, Michigan" is old-fashioned and convinces no one.
Consider using a coupon. I know very well that people will respond to your 800 number and not to your coupon, but that's not the point. The coupon hash-marks let the reader know that something is being offered and causes them to get into the ad. Several years ago I saw a study that underscored the power of coupons to involve readers in an ad. My own experience confirms this. NOTE: Don't forget to make sure that your ad (with coupon) appears on the right hand page and that the coupon is placed in the bottom right hand corner. Weird and "creative" placement of coupons should immediately initiate a search for a new designer.
The magic words: "No Obligation." People always need to be reassured that they won't be hassled if they respond to your ad. "No obligation" and "no risk" are words worth remembering and using.
Don't be afraid of long copy. Who said you should keep copy short? People only believe that because they have no confidence in the writer's ability to sustain the reader's interest. As the saying goes, "The more you tell, the more you sell." If your budget restricts you to smaller fractional size ads, check out this recent issue of the Levison Letter: www.levison.com/september_2008.html

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Need help with your copy writing?

Ivan Levison
Direct Response Copywriting
14 Los Cerros Drive
Greenbrae, CA 94904
Phone: (415) 461-0672 Fax: (415) 461-7738
E-mail: ivan@levison.com
Web Site: http://www.levison.com