great way to get response. The problem is, there are a lot of
people out there who have realized the same thing.
It used to be that your classified ad was only competing with one
or two other ads per issue. Now that everyone has discovered this
advertising technique, your ad may be competing with eight, nine,
or even ten other ads. What a conundrum!
Now, this increased competition COULD be a problem for the
effectiveness of your ad, but if you just take a little time with
your copywriting, you'll soon realize that its easy to make your
classified ad stand out from the rest. Here are some pointers:
1) Don't do what everyone else is doing. Take a look at the ads
that appear in the ezine and get a feel for what the other ads
are doing. Then, think of a way to be effective without doing the
exact same thing. For instance, if you notice that every ad is in
all caps and phrased like a question, then make YOUR headline a
strong statement that only uses capitalization for the key terms.
The variation in style will make your ad appear different from
the rest!
2) Use resources that other ads don't. Take a good look at the
restrictions and requirements that the ezine has for its ads.
This will give a good idea of what is possible -- then USE those
possibilities. If you notice that the ezine has HTML
capabilities, don't be afraid to use color or formatting -- just
don't go overboard! Also, use styles that other ad writes don't
think about. Bullet points and small numbered lists can work well
in some ads, but most copywriters don't even think to use them.
3) Be specific. This is the most important thing you can do.
Empty promises of "Get Rich quick!" sound like everyone else's
generic empty promises. If you can give specifics, however, the
FACTS about your product or service will make it stand out from
the competition. This, of course, is the best way to go, since
you are selling based on the strength and details of your offer.
There are a lot of businesses out there -- fortunately, there are
also a lot of customers! To get those customers, however, you
need to make sure that you distinguish yourself from all the
others. With just a little creativity and a willingness to break
from the tried-and-true, you can start creating the NEW
generation of great classified ads!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lisa Lake has created a list of top promotional methods on her
http://MyAdBlaster.com Lisa also writes ad copy that sells for
DrNunley's http://InternetWriters.com Reach her at
mailto:lisa@myadblaster.com or 801-328-9006.
