Getting ready to sell a few things on Pennysaver?
A good classified ad will help you move your article or grow your business. Regardless of what your goal is for your classified ad, it is important to do some homework first.
A classified ad is not terribly different from other advertising. The price is lower and, if done right, the profit can be much higher. The first step to writing a good ad is remembering the key elements – AIDA
- Attention (holder)
- Interest (body of text)
- I wish (body text added)
- Action (call to action)
The header
A good headline will jump off the page. It will capture the attention of your readers and attract their attention. It will also inform them what your ad is about. Here is a copy of examples.
- The rookie plan used to make $ 3000 in a month
- Discover the unique strategies he uses to win $ 2.4 million!
They both work very well. The first generates enthusiasm for making money each month. It gives you the idea that anyone can do it, so it broadens the appeal. It gives the idea of a plan or instructions, and people like to get a list of things to do to be successful.
The second is actually only a partial title in reference to a super web affiliate making a lot of money online. But, he draws people in by the numbers and the idea that they too can be a part of what he has done. It attracts them, asks questions, and excites them. That’s what a good headline will do.
Of course, in a classified ad, you need to make the title shorter, you can do this by removing unimportant words: Newbie Blueprint. Earn $ 3K / month.
The body of the text
Now in a few words you have to tell your audience a little about what they are getting. Service, report, item for sale, garage sale – be as specific as possible so they don’t feel cheated. It is usually best to write to the trash, just keep typing. It may be necessary for you to sit down at the computer, open the word / notepad / text message, and start typing. Just don’t stop, even if you have to write: “I don’t know what I’m going to say, but at least I’m writing …”. You get the idea. The ad will not be written if you do not take action, start writing.
Once you have a few lines that you like, move them into a clean document. DO NOT DELETE YOUR OLD! Keep your ramblings, as there may be material in there that you don’t realize is worth keeping just yet.
Now, start cutting out the words you don’t need. It is a small ad and you are paying by the word. Be sure to convey your meaning, but leave out filler words.
Yearned for
Now, you must appeal to your need / desire for what you are offering. You’ve gotten their attention, you’ve given them something to consider, now hit them where necessary. Find out what your target audience is really looking for. Understanding your audience is not that difficult. Take a few minutes to take notes on who you are writing to and why. What are they looking for? What problems are you solving for them? What do they care that is relevant to your ad?
Now – Use it! Use what you know about them to update them on your ad. That’s the point, right?
Action
This is where you have to be very good. You need to call them to action. That action can be calling you, going online, buying a product, placing an order now, calling a toll free number, or many other actions. It should be a clear and logical conclusion to the previous parts of the ad. Make sure they have no doubts about what you want them to do. In sales, this is called asking about the business.
And you do all this for what?
Writing ads can be time consuming. It can be unpredictable, and you often have no way of measuring the success of each ad until weeks later. You must be writing ads to sell something. What if there was a better way to test your ads and sell stuff? Would you be interested? What if the opposite could make it possible for you to never have to write another ad for Pennysaver? Would you be interested?