A couple of months ago my wife and I went out for lunch on Lygon St. For those of you who dont know Lygon St, its the Italian restaurant area in Melbourne.
Its one of those streets where everyone’s jumping out at you to talk you into eating in their restaurants. Kind of like Kings Cross in Sydney except you could take your kids there!
Anyway, we were walking along, and we got ‘jumped’ by this lady. And her pitch to get us to eat there had a lot of the key elements you’ll find in any properly written ad, website or sales letter.
For a start, she stepped out right in front of us so we couldnt go around her. This is the HEADLINE, and its purpose is to get your undivided attention.
Then she told us to eat there and try the gnocchi, because her Mum was cooking it in the kitchen. And this was the HOOK, and was told as a STORY.
Then, she invited us to go in and see her. This was PROOF of what she was saying – mind you, we didn’t go and gawk at her mother slaving away in the kitchen.
Then she told us how great the food was, how we’d have the best table etc etc. And here she was building her case. Providing lots of reasons to eat there.
And finally, our first drinks were on the house, which was an IRRESISTABLE OFFER.
And yep, we ate there! And the food was great.
But its really interesting how so many important copywriting elements were in her pitch, and how successful it was.
The restaurant next door with an old Italian guy standing out the front just watching people go past was VERY quiet in comparison.
It just goes to show that its how you sell your product or service that will make your money. If you don’t do this properly, then it doesn’t matter how damned good your product or service is if you can’t convince people to try it.
Here are the key elements you should aim for in any advertisement. Now, its not always possible if you don’t have enough space, like Google AdWords or a small yellow pages ad.
- Headline
- Establish credibility with proof including testimonials
- A compelling case
- A strong guarantee
- An irresistible offer of some sorts
- A thumping great call to action
You know what I reckon I’ll do? I’ll cover these in future posts, so keep an eye out for how to construct these elements in YOUR advertising.
But next week I’ve got something special for you. I’m going to reveal two dead simple ideas for getting any service business more customers…fast.
Implement these ideas and in 6-9 months you’ll notice a huge increase in your workload. And the good news is that they’re so simple to implement, that you’ll wonder why your competitors aren’t doing it too.
Quite frankly, I wonder the same question.
So if you’re in the service industry – and that means all you mortgage brokers on here (I know there’s quite a few of you) then pay attention and keep an eye on your inbox next week.
Warmly
