Why Some Ads Fail Miserably While Others Succeed Wonderfully

By David Garfinkel

© 2002 David Garfinkel

The voice on the other end of the phone was tense and impatient. It was a new client calling. After we introduced ourselves, he got right to the point: "Our advertising isn't working and we need some help."

Who I was talking doesn't matter very much, because it could have been almost any of my clients. That's because, statistically, most advertising doesn't work - if by "work" you mean, bring in new business. Think about your own ads. Even if they already generate leads or create sales for you, don't you have the sneakin' suspicion they could be working a lot better?

Here are two reasons why most ads don't work at all - or if they work, why they deliver far less business than they could:

1. Most ads don't get the attention of your prospects. This is pretty basic. It is physically impossible for prospects to contact you unless they know about you, and if you're counting on them to find out about you from your advertising, then step one is for your ad to get your prospects' attention. Unfortunately, some ads actually do get attention, but...

2. These ads get the attention of your prospect in the wrong way. For an ad to generate a qualified lead or create an immediate sale, it must start off on the right foot. That "right foot" sets the right tone and invites a qualified prospect to call you. I just saw an ad in Newsweek that still has me wondering what it's about and why someone spent tens of thousands of dollars on it. (Bet it wasn't their own money.)

The ad shows a boy on a bicycle flying through the air, out in the wilderness. The headline, in a semicircle, says, "They will always fall before they fly." Since I'm not a kid and I'm not a parent, it doesn't do much for me.

But wait - even if I were a parent or a kid, I still don't think this ad is going to sell me on anything that would make the advertiser any money. If I were a kid, the only thing this ad could sell me on is taking these kind of risks to annoy my parents. And if I were a parent, the only thing I can imagine this ad would sell me on is making sure my kid never rides his mountain bike in hilly terrain - since, obviously, the kid in the picture is on a collision course with certain death.

I've got to hand it to this ad in one department - it's interesting. It got my attention. But that's as far as it got.

The Headline's The Thing

Let's get off this negative track and look at some ads that I am certain are making money. These are not from a glossy national magazine, but small ads from today's local newspaper. (By the way, small ads that run in the newspaper are usually paid for by the person who wrote them. And these ads get to the point and are likely to be profitable. Hmmm... I wonder if I'm noticing a trend here... )

All I'm going to show you are the headlines of these ads. But I promise you, the headlines are all you need to see. Tell me if you can guess what each ad is about, and who its target market is:

1. Lose 3-5 Pounds Per Week With The System Proven By Over 90,000 Successful Patients

2. Up To 40% Savings On Heating And Cooling Costs With A (Brand Name) Foam Roof

3. Men And Women - Remove Unwanted Hair Today!

Now, I know what you're thinking. Not very clever. Not very hip. In fact, those headlines are downright boring!

Hmmm. I have two things to say about that. First, if you have tried everything under the sun to lose 40 pounds and you are frustrated to the point of tears, then headline number 1 isn't that boring to you. (And I would say the same regarding people in the target market for headlines 2 and 3.)

The second thing is I want to say is, yes, and it's also pretty boring to stand in line at the bank waiting to make a large deposit into your business checking account. But you know what? Once you've gotten past that boredom barrier, it's actually sort of nice. You know?

And here's some interesting news: A good headline on your ad will get you 90% of the way from the agony of defeat to the ecstasy of advertising success - so you can deal with weighty issues like the boredom barrier and what to do with all that money.

______________________________________________________________

Jim Edwards & David Garfinkel are co-authors of the NEW "eBook Secrets Exposed": How to Make MASSIVE Amounts of Money - In Record Time - With Your Own eBook! WHY are some people getting positively RICH selling ebooks? Click Here Now.

______________________________________________________________

A Note From WebPreneurship.com Editorial Staff:

Jim Edwards and David Garfinkel are two of the web's most respected and best-known authors! Indeed, they are prolific. Read more of their articles by following the links below:

The Top Seven Mistakes eBook Authors Make, by Jim Edwards and David Garfinkel.

Web Surfers Revolt Against "Pushy" Advertising, by Jim Edwards.

Uncle Sam Cracks Down Online!, by Jim Edwards.

6 'Life or Death' Factors For Any Website!, by Jim Edwards.

Let's Get One Thing Straight About Being A Published Author, by Jim Edwards and David Garfinkel.

Crying For Help Online, by Jim Edwards.

12 Steps to Creating a Business Online, by Jim Edwards.

The Ten Web Page "Commandments, by Jim Edwards.

Simple Survey Leads To Big Profits Online, by Jim Edwards.

Skyrocket Website Traffic With "OPT", by Jim Edwards and David Garfinkel.

The Secret Behind Million-Dollar Ads, by David Garfinkel.

Discover Hidden Profits in 'Spare Change' Time, by Jim Edwards.

Why Some Ads Fail Miserably While Others Succeed Wonderfully, by David Garfinkel.

Busting Online Copyright Thieves, by Jim Edwards.

How to Guarantee Your Way to Greater Direct Marketing Success, by David Garfinkel.

3 Keys to Striking It Rich Online, by Jim Edwards.

The E-Factor: Two Ways to Get More Back from Every Promotion, by David Garfinkel.

How to Prevent Online Identity Theft, by Jim Edwards.

The First Step to a Best-Selling Ebook, by David Garfinkel.

______________________________________________________________

If you are looking for a better work situation and an improved lifestyle, go to WebPreneurship.com. We are changing lives every day! We provide an extensive collection of articles, tools, and resources for business, work-at-home, Internet, freelance, or regular employment opportunities, for you! Go ahead, start using the power of information to change your life, too. Take control of your own destiny with WebPreneurship.com!

Visit http://webpreneurship.com and start reaching for the top, TODAY!

http://webpreneurship.com
Copyright 2003, All Rights Reserved, Worldwide