Five steps to more customers

Whenever I read through advertisements or sales letters from other businesses, I cringe to think of how much money is wasted on poor advertising.

Let me explain what I consider poor advertising. Poor advertising is any piece of promotional material that focuses on who the company is instead what the prospect wants. There is only one radio station that people are tuned into. It’s WIIFM: What’s in it For ME! Unless you’re dialed into this frequency, you’re wasting your time.

People don’t care who you are, how long you’ve been in business, or what kind of equipment you use. People by nature are only concerned with their problems. If your advertising offers them an immediate solution to their problem then you are way ahead of your competition.

I’m going to give you a very simple five step formula for advertising that should get your phone ringing with qualified prospects every time:

1. Grab their attention

People are extremely busy these days. At any given moment they have several things going at one time. Your advertising piece must be grab their attention and hold onto it. You can do this by creating bold compelling headlines, unusual graphics, pictures or creative statements that cause people to look twice.

If you need ideas for some great headlines, here’s a site that has over 100 of the best headlinesever written.

2. Engage them with relevant content

Use current events that will compel them to read further. What are some nagging problems people are dealing with in the news today? How about the economy? How about the latest news on Wall Street? How about gas prices?

3. Tell them how you can solve their problem

Education based marketing is one of the most powerful strategies for marketing your services. It gives your prospect a reason to listen to what you’re saying. If you have some information on “How to Remove Scratches from Your Car’s Paint,” then people will be more compelled to read further what you have to say. This kind of information also positions you as a qualified expert in your field.

4. Prove that your solution really works

If you have information that can solve a problem, then you should be prepared to prove it in some fashion. You can do this by providing “before” and “after” pictures. Weight loss ads are a great example of this.

You can also use testimonials from other clients who have done business with you. This provides the social proof that people are looking for before they are willing to do business with you. Remember, people are naturally skeptical of most things they read.

5. Offer additional help for their problem

This step is crucial! This is the step that leads them to take action. This next step should offer some help to them in the form of a free written report, a video, audio, or access to a “Car Detailing Tips” section on your website if they sign up for your free online newsletter.

If you design an advertising piece with these 5 strategies in place, your response will go up dramatically. In using these 5 steps, you’ve separated yourself from most of the competition, and built incredible value for what you offer.