Writing successful advertising copy doesn’t have to be as hard as you might imagine. Here are six things you can do to make sure your advertising copy is the best it can be.

1. Define your Goal

Before you even start typing your advertising copy, make sure you know exactly what it is you wish to accomplish. A phone call? An email response? An order? Laying out your advertising plan will get you on your way.

2. Know Your Audience

Ask yourself – who will read my advertising copy? You might want to write for the broadest possible audience, but don’t forget to target just one group now and then. Why? You’ll have a better ad response rate when you can address a particular group’s precise needs, which is something you can’t do quite as well with general advertising copy.

3. Appeal to Their Interests, Not Yours

Yes, you’re writing advertising copy to generate leads and sales for your business. The problem is the people who control that money, the customers, simply don’t care about what you want. Saying something like, ‘We’re the best lawn service in town,’ means very little to your customers. However if you say, ‘You can have a lawn that will make your neighbors envious,’ that puts the focus on them. See the difference? When that happens, you have a much better chance at winning them over. So keep your advertising copy focused on the benefits your business can provide and NOT the business itself.

4. Be Emotional, Not Logical

Mr. Spock would have been a terrible salesman. Emotion always trumps logic when it comes to buying. That means you must focus on the emotional appeal of what your business offers if you expect better results. Let’s look at perfume as an example. Women buy perfume to smell nice (logic). Women buy a particular perfume, like Calvin Klein or DKNY, because it makes them feel beautiful (emotion). Get your customers emotionally involved with your advertising copy and you’ll see results.

5. Keep it Simple

Don’t talk down to buyers, but keep your advertising copy simple and to the point. This is advertising copy, not Tolstoy. Use short sentences, simple words and be clear. The power of the message comes through with the words you choose rather than the amount of words you use. So follow Thomas Jefferson’s advice and never use two words when one will do. It worked for the U.S. Constitution and it works for advertising too.

6. Limit Options

Once you’ve played up to the customer’s interest and emotions make them focus on taking a particular step. This is known as writing a call to action. Tell them exactly what to do next to get the benefits you’re offering. It might be clicking a link, picking up the phone or filling out a registration form.

If you can adhere to these steps you’ll find the advertising copy you create from now on will pull in customers. But if you’re still not hitting the goals you want, consider a professional advertising copy expert to help lead the way.