• The Headline:

Make no bones about it, the success or failure of your entire advertising process may be determined by what is said in the headline of your advertisement.

Let me explain why. Your headline is like ‘an ad for your ad’ – if people don’t read it they won’t read anything else. Think about what else your headline is competing with:

  • How many stories are in the average Facebook news feed?
  • How many advertisements are you exposed to each day in the publications you read?
  • How busy are you on a daily basis?

Yes. That’s right. There is a lot of competition and limited headspace, so if you want to ‘stand out’ from everyone else you have to do something different.

The purpose of a headline is to get the people you want to reach interested in what you have to say – with a compelling desire to know more.

And a headline is not…

John’s Mortgages

In business for 9 years, serviced 243 clients

Does that make anyone want to stop and look? Of course not – you haven’t tuned into their frequency.

Instead your customers would respond to a message which tuned into the radio station WIIFM…

  • Everyone listens to it
  • It’s the most powerful station on earth
  • You are listening to it right now And it means WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?

Please, promise me you’ll never, ever, ever place your company name exclusively, at the top of any advertisement that you write, ever again.

Tell them you can get a lower interest rate. Tell them you can help them pay off their home years sooner. Tell them you can help them get into a bigger home.

Get inside their head. Find out their fears, desires and frustrations. and tap into that in your headline.

  • The Offer

Stop right now and pick up your local newspaper or a magazine on your desk and make a note of the offers you receive.

Okay. Let me ask you a few questions?

  • What did you notice?
  • Which ones would you be likely to call?
  • What percentage of the advertisements had a compelling offer?

Now, if you are reading the average publication, you’ll notice most of the offers are lukewarm.

Here’s the thing you have to remember. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. What would make you respond to one of your advertisements? What would make you pick up the phone right now and call your business – if you were a customer and saw your advertisement?

Let me give you a few examples of potential offers for the mortgage industry:

Free Video: How to Pay off Your Home Years Sooner

Free Report Reveals the 3 Lowest Interest Rates in the Country

Free Checklist: How to Choose a Mortgage Without Getting Ripped Off.

Yes, you’ll notice they are all information based. People want to know information which will save them or make them money. And if you can deliver that, then they will reach out to you.

Ok, so that concludes the 3 most important elements of any advertisement – not matter where it is located: the Facebook newsfeed, a web site, newspaper, television, Google Adwords, etc.

Before I finish off, let me conclude with a quick summary of…