Sometimes the most important aspects of a subject are not immediately obvious. Keep reading to get the complete picture.



Telling a story or sharing product and service information is fine in an ad. But the bottom line is that you want to close a sale. The difference in ad copy doesn't have to be earth shattering. It can be very slight, in fact. Here are ways to make your ad a little more effective come closing time.

1. TESTS ? Make public knowledge the results of your product and service testing. Share how your items stand up against the competition; how durable they are, how safe. Discuss the quality and unique features. Let people know ?why? they should choose your items. And present the material in a professional way with statistics, graphs, before and after photos or other graphic images and a well-written report or case study documented.

2. YOU ? While you're at it, let them know why they should choose you! Don't hide behind a P.O. Box and Yahoo email address. Add your background information, a nice executive resume, testimonials from clients, work samples, community involvement projects, industry awards, educational courses you continue to take for self improvement, workshops and seminars you attend, etc. let people know who you are. Add a nice, professional photograph of yourself, too, if you like.

3. CHARITY ? Tie in a percentage of your sales with one of your favorite charities. And make mention of this in your ad copy. This is a win-win strategy because your company gives back to society plus your clients read about it; it improves your image in their eyes and shares your concerns. And they give, too. Everyone helps each other.

4. GUARANTEE ? Include a good, solid guarantee in your offer. For examples, look at the last thing you purchased and check out the guarantee. In a nutshell, make it a lifetime offer and / or give them back MORE than they gave you.

5. PS ? Since most people look for this feature, add it! Say something in your P.S. ? like give them a Bonus offer if they reply by a certain deadline. Or focus on your best reason why the reader should buy ? and NOW.

6. CONTACT ? Do include complete contact information ? that works! Test any email addresses and telephone numbers before going to press

So next time you need to ace your ad copy, go back over what you wrote and tweak it here and there for improvements. Better yet, have a contest and invite your readers to do it for you! How's that for a win-win solution?!

The day will come when you can use something you read about here to have a beneficial impact. Then you'll be glad you took the time to learn more about advertising.