From the great Tom Fishburne…“what goes in an ad”.
So…what exactly should go into your ads?
Well, if you are a practitioner of direct response marketing…
…and as you’re reading this piece , I’m assuming that you are…
…then the answer is straightforward (although not always simple or easy to implement).
In direct response marketing, every ad, every marketing action, has a clear purpose. It’s part of a carefully planned marketing sequence with the aim of adding to the bottom line.
Here’s a simple primer from “No B.S. Direct Marketing” by Dan Kennedy…
“…every ad you run, every flier you distribute, every postcard or letter you mail, every website you put up, every/anything you do MUST adhere to these rules”.
The first four of Dan’s “10 No B.S. Rules” (that are particularly relevant to what goes in to your ads) are…
Rule #1: There Will Always Be An Offer Or Offers
Rule #2: There Will Be A Reason To Respond Right Now
Rule #3: You Will Give Clear Instructions
Rule #4: There Will Be Tracking, Measurement And Accountability
Just to clarify Rule #1, the “Offer” can also be expressed as a “Call to Action”, an invitation to take some specific action. It need not be an offer to make a purchase.
There’s more, of course, but one of the great things about direct response marketing and copywriting is that there are clear principles to follow and a huge body of knowledge about what has proven to produce results. That means you won’t be left scratching your head about what to include in your ads.