What Is The Single Worst Mistake Most People Make When Writing Classified Ads?


All sales begin with some form of advertising whether it's word of mouth or printed media or even electronic. To build sales, this advertising must be seen or heard by potential buyers. It must cause them to also react to the advertising in a positive some way. Your success or failure reverts back to the ad itself. Generally, you want your classified ad to do one of the following:

  • Persuade the person reading your classified ad to immediately go to your website or store with the intention of buying your product or service.

  • Persuade the person reading your classified ad to write or send for more information about your product or service thus leaning to a future sale.

    However, the bottom line in any ad is quite simple:

    • Do not try to sell anything when you write a classified ad.

    • Do not try to sell anything when you write a classified ad.

    • Do not try to sell anything when you write a classified ad.

    Why? In the 3 or 4 little lines classified ads allowed you to write, you don't have enough time or space to actually sell your products or services sufficiently.

    What you need is to write a cliff hanger or encripted messages to entice your prospects to call or to click on so they can be sent to somewhere else where you will do the proper selling later on.

    Usually an offer of free report works best.

    Any ad that causes the reader to only pause in their thinking, and does not persuade the reader to act immediately, is not a highly successful ad.

    The "ad writer" must know exactly what he/she wants the reader to do, and if the ad does not elicit an immediate action, it is an absolute waste of time and money.

    Respond to the readers sub-consious mind by using strong emotional words in your headlines such as;

    Discover - Secret - Private - Sex - Money - Love - Breakthrough - Home - New - Free - Power - Revealed - Magic - Fear

    Research reveals that these types of words in a headline instantly attract the attention because they are strongly connected to our emotions. I have tested many of those above with astounding success. A person's unconscious mind can *SEE* and *RESPOND* to these keywords passing by fast on a screen or in a newsletter.

    The secret is to target your classified ad to the audience interested in your product or service. You will be wasting your time and money if you don't know who your target audience is.

    There are hundreds, if not thousands of classified ad sites and ezine directories which are categorized by subjects and/or interests. Define your target audience and then submit your classified ad.

    How fast do you scan a list of links? Watch closely and you'll see the same thing happening within yourself. Our minds somehow magically see what we are most interested in and we'll back up and say ' I thought I saw that ' and we proceed to click on that link! Our inner minds are tuned to instantly spot what we desire most at the time.

    Using emotional words along with targeted keywords will make your headlines and ads pull the maximum response possible!.

    Here are some more of the emotional trigger phrases for you to use in your classified ads

    • STOP- Act now!

    • Send your name

    • All sent free to introduce

    • Amazing literature

    • FREE

    • Ask for free folder

    • Bargain lists sent free

    • Be first to qualify

    • Booklet free!

    • Catalog included free

    • Complete details free

    • Current list free

    • Dealers write for prices

    • Description sent free

    • Details free!

    • Extra for promptness

    About The Author

    Kim Thomas is the site owner and webmaster for http://www.advertising-exposure.com. Here you'll find free or low cost advertising resources.

    [email protected]

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