Few of us are born talented copywriters. Most of us need to constantly learn new sales and communication techniques to succeed in writing good copy that sells.

“How to Write a Good Advertisement: A Short Course in Copywriting” manages, in just over 200 pages, to explain the basics of effective advertising. The author shows us:

• How to attract attention with better texts
• How to get credibility from our readers
• How to build successful texts and choose the right size for them
• How to test the effectiveness of ads
• How to turn prospects’ questions into sales
• How to make special offers that dramatically increase sales and responses from potential customers

At the same time, this book presents several examples of powerful text titles that have been successful, and offers explanations as to why these titles have worked so well.

According to the author, there are 5 fundamental elements in writing a good ad:

• Catching attention
• Presenting a benefit of the product or service you are promoting
• Proof that the product or service is as you present it
• The power to persuade potential customers to take advantage of that benefit
• Soliciting a response from them.

There are two tried and tested ways to get attention:

1. Regardless of how innovative the product or service you are promoting is, you can choose to present it with strong, unusual or dramatic copy, so that you capture the attention of your potential customers, despite competitors or numerous banal advertisements for similar products or services.
2. Another way to grab attention is to promote your product or service in an extremely simple way that makes readers curious about it.

Another interesting point made in the book is that the one thing people want to know, above all else, is this: what will the product you are promoting do for me. At this point, after you’ve drawn attention to the product with your unusual title, it’s essential to present an advantage of the product. To get the results you want with a text, link the advantages of your product to the personal desires of your potential customers. What do they want? It’s simple:

• Health, the possibility of a longer life
• More comfort, luxury
• More money to spend or save
• More time for travel, hobbies, rest
• More popularity, a more attractive personality or more achievements
• Beauty, style, cleanliness
• Professional development, a better job, higher salary
• Independence and freedom in old age
• Social acceptance
• Praise from others

Another important point made in this book is that in order to be successful with your advertising, you need to demonstrate to your potential customers the value that your product or service has. Why do you need to demonstrate its value? Nothing could be simpler: most people nowadays question the veracity of advertising. In addition, they need evidence they can use as an excuse and motivation to buy a product or service, as decisions are based on emotion alone.

The next step in writing successful copy is the power of convincing potential customers to take advantage of the benefit you have just presented. Create a summary for your readers explaining how they will benefit from your product or service and how easy it is for them to get it.

Finally, the last step is to solicit feedback from your potential customers. Nowadays, many advertisements end without even trying to get the reader to materialize the interest, desire and conviction that the advertisement itself has aroused.

Whatever form of action you ask for from the reader, make sure it is simple, easy and as specifically presented as possible.

If you want to read the book, you can order it HERE.

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• You work in an advertising agency
• You are a client of an advertising agency
• You are interested in the life and work of an advertising agency
• You are interested in the biographies of creative professionals

Hegarty on Advertising is an ideal book that should be required reading for anyone working in the advertising industry. This book is a perfect blend of author John Hegarty’s biography and the lessons he imparts to his readers.

Hegarty uses his life experiences to demonstrate his lessons and views, making the agency he, John Bartle and Nigel Bogle founded in 1982 in London a logical extension of his thinking and experience.

In the book, Hegarty explains how the creative revolution spread from the US and ended in the UK, as well as how several large advertising agencies where he worked evolved. However, the value of this book is particularly in the author’s insights from his creative career as a businessman.

Hegarty on Advertising is a two-part book: it begins with a presentation of the author’s beliefs about advertising, branding, creativity and agency management, and the second part is autobiographical, highlighting key moments in his amazing career. In part one, Hegarty talks about how important irreverence is in advertising. If irreverence is combined with humour and possibility, it can become an extremely powerful persuasive tool in advertising.

In the second part of the book, the author’s personal history helps us get a clearer picture of how advertising culture has evolved on the UK stage over the decades.

One of the important lessons in this book is the shading. Hegarty suggests that you can’t create something great if at least a small part of you isn’t in that something, whether it’s your heart, soul or beliefs. In other words, if you don’t believe and find even a little bit of yourself in what you make, whether it’s a painting, a piece of writing, design or even an advertisement, you can’t have a good or even satisfying result, because that result is, in fact, your expression.

Another interesting idea Hegarty presents in this book is that criticizing a new agency for doing something different is crazy. What keeps the advertising industry, and marketing in general, going is constant evolution and innovation. So innovation is actually a challenge for new agencies, not something to be criticised.

What is also striking in this book is the idea that where one has one’s office actually reflects who that person is.

Finally, Hegarty says he considers the present the most exciting time in history to work in advertising, as there is now almost everything to facilitate the game. The more technology changes around us, the more we have to work to find ways to bring people together, and the way we succeed in bringing them together is with ideas that spark their imagination, as it has been, is and always will be.

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When you think about selling something to someone, it’s not just about the physical products or the change of money, it’s more than that: you can influence others to do what you want them to do or to think like you do, all of which are forms of selling.

Did you know that there is another dimension to selling that we all encounter every day? That is, of course, selling ideas. Things like comfort, luxury, simplicity, security, these are all ideas and all of them can be sold.

Today’s book comes from a New York Times bestselling author, entrepreneur, businessman, and a leader in his field of expertise: sales. The book is called Sell or be Sold, and its author is Grant Cardone.

These days, you can sell anything: content, food, clothes, natural resources, household appliances, technology. Anything you think has value and anyone else who finds value in it can be sold.

However, as mentioned above, selling is about more than the experience of buying products.

The first and most important thing the author talks about in this book is this: to be a great sales person, you have to know how to sell yourself extremely well when selling something.

In short, you have to be 100% convinced that you, your product, your service are the best thing for your customer and there is no doubt that you are the best solution. If you don’t believe you are the best, not only will you remain a mediocre salesperson, but your quality of life will visibly suffer.

Some of the rules and tips that the author presents in the book regarding the sales process are as follows:

1. Always agree with your customer! – You want a customer to buy from you, not negotiate with you, don’t you?
2. Price is never the problem for not selling something – you are the problem. If someone were dying and what you offer would save their life, they would buy, no matter what price you ask. Always remember that 2 of the main reasons people buy something are either love or that what you’re selling them solves their problem.
3. People are the seniors of your products. You are in the service of people, so put them first if you want to sell.
4. To build a trusting relationship with your customer, always give them something in writing. People believe what they see, not what they hear.
5. The essence of selling is a sincere desire to help the customer, to make them feel special and understood.
6. You must be convinced that what you are offering is the right thing for your customer.
7. Be prepared to deal with all situations, no matter what: emotional reactions, objections that customers may have.
8. Work hard for what you want to achieve.

Next, the author outlines the steps you need to follow in the selling process:

1. Introduction
2. Determining your customer’s wants and needs. At this stage, you don’t sell, you ask and listen.
3. Choosing a product based on your customer’s answers and presenting it as a solution that will benefit them
4. The sales proposal
5. Preparing responses to any excuses or objections from the customer

Finally, the author presents the 10 traits that every successful salesperson has:

1. Unwilling to take no for an answer
2. Asks for orders
3. Listens selectively, does not believe everything he is told
4. Stays focused on own goal
5. Asks personal and direct questions without hesitation
6. Gets answers to questions
7. Knows that price is not an issue for the customer
8. Is willing to push and be persistent
9. Believes that the process of selling is a great thing
10. Is constantly training, preparing, practicing and learning

If I’ve piqued your curiosity and you’d like to order the book for further reading, you can order it from HERE:

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First of all, you should know that being a copywriter is not just about putting words in a certain order that sounds nice, it’s more than that: being a copywriter is about creating, through words, messages that will have an impact on the reader.

Want to streamline your communication process with clients, employees or shareholders? Do you want to sell more? Words are only powerful if you use and implement them correctly.

Andy Maslen is Managing Director of Sunfish, a writing agency specialising in corporate communications, direct marketing and digital content, plus CEO of the Andy Maslen Copywriting Academy.

Looking for a great idea or inspiration to make your marketing and sales literature more effective and cutting-edge? Need words to excite and inspire your employees, shareholders or customers? Words are powerful in any business, but only if you use and implement them correctly.

This book contains 100 great copywriting ideas, drawn from the world’s best companies. Each copywriting idea is described succinctly and is followed by tips on how it can be applied to the reader’s business situation. A simple but powerful book for anyone looking for new inspiration.

100 Great Copywriting Ideas presents 100 great copywriting ideas drawn from the world’s best companies. Each idea is succinctly described and is followed by tips on how you can apply it to your own business.

Below I’ll present 3 of the most important and useful ideas from this book that will help you improve your copywriting.

• Find out what readers’ aspirations are!

Testimonials play an essential role when it comes to sales. In a world of fake news, disbelief, “influencers”, consumers are increasingly educated and a deciding factor when it comes to calling or buying a particular product or service is the opinions of other users.

Thus, the author says: the more similar the person giving a testimonial is to your target audience, the more compelling your message becomes.

For example, the more the product you are selling is a luxury good, the more you should focus on customers who have already bought it and are benefiting from it. In short, show potential customers what people like them say about your product.

Testimonials are effective, but when they come from people similar to the reader, the results are often convincing to even the most skeptical buyers.

• Object

Objections vary from industry to industry and from product to product. What is an objection to your product may be a benefit to someone else’s product. Fortunately, there are 3 common objections that the author presents in his book.

The first objection: It’s too expensive. If a potential customer brings this argument up, all you have to do is demonstrate the value of your product by showing them how much they will save or earn.

Second objection: I need to talk to someone else. In this case, show the customer what he might be missing and share testimonials from people who, like him, have benefited from your product or service.

Third objection: I’m not sure I really need this product. This objection arises when you haven’t sold your product well enough. Maybe the benefits are not strong enough. Or maybe you presented the product from the wrong perspective. Whatever the reason, update and modify your sales copy!

• A headline idea: True or false?

The headline is extremely important. It’s hard to write good, engaging headlines that keep the reader curious.

If you’ve ever faced the challenge of writing headlines for new, unexpected or unknown products, resort to this tactic: ask readers a question that addresses potential ignorance directly, making them feel clueless about it.

One advantage of this idea is that, if put into practice correctly, it will most likely become memorable.

A fairly easy to understand example from the book is the following: use the title Can you lose weight without giving up cream cakes, true or false, then, continue with It’s true, before explaining why.

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“Persuasive Copywriting” is an ideal book for experienced copywriters, but especially for beginning copywriters, marketing and sales professionals, and writers who just want to attract more readers.

Whichever of the above categories you fall into, the tips and ideas in this book are sure to become a valuable resource for you.

The 6 main lessons presented in this book are:

• Good copy arouses the reader’s emotions, not the writer’s
• Creative copy requires a lot of reading and practice, but also a letting go of rigid thinking
• Copy for mobile platforms and social media for marketing purposes requires special attention
• Effective ways to engage readers rely on curiosity, secrets and stories
• Using appreciative words for readers is a plus
• Avoiding common copywriting pitfalls and neglecting grammar

If you’re a little fuzzy yourself, don’t worry. We’ve outlined each of these lessons below, so that you understand what the author meant in the book and can more easily apply them to your texts.

1. Good copy arouses the reader’s emotions, not the writer’s

While a lot has changed recently in terms of copywriting, social media and social platforms popping up overnight, the good news is that one thing has remained the same: fundamentally, people have stayed the same. Today’s customers have many of the same emotions, fears and desires that their predecessors had 50 or even 100 years ago. Good copy thus manages to appeal to readers’ emotions first and foremost. In this respect, copywriting hasn’t changed that much.

The reason why good copy appeals to the emotions of the readers to whom it is addressed is that emotions are at the heart of every human’s motivations. Every copywriter wants their reader to take an action: to make a purchase, to make a donation, or simply to subscribe to a newsletter. Thus, the goal of every copywriter is to get close to the emotion that will motivate the reader to take that action: this is empathetic copywriting.

Empathic copywriting is about persuading your readers to spend their time or money in a certain way. Therefore, your emotions as a writer are irrelevant when it comes to good copy.

2. Creative copy requires a lot of reading and practice, but also a surrender to rigid thinking

Attracting a client to read the entire piece of copy you’ve written is much more than a catchy headline with exclusive offers and miracle tips.

A good copywriter manages to keep their readers’ attention until the end. This is made possible through wordplay, humour and, not least, creativity. True creativity involves solving problems that clients have, only through imagination and improvisation.

3. Texts for mobile platforms and social media for marketing purposes need special attention

Regardless of the type of copy you need to write, a good copywriter makes sure they get a full brief beforehand.

When it comes to social media or mobile platforms, the aim of a copy is essentially the same: a text that connects with the customer’s emotions. However, a good copywriter needs to consider how their content will look on readers’ screens. For example, a paragraph that looks good on a piece of paper may seem endless on a smartphone screen. Also, the tone of the text needs to be different on social media: a personal and natural tone is appropriate here. However, the identity of the organisation for which a text is written should not be ignored.

4. Effective ways to engage readers are based on curiosity, secrets and stories

Surely you’ve wondered, at least once, if there is a successful formula for engaging copy. Well, the truth is that there are many such formulas.

One of the best known of these formulas is AIDA. It stands for attention, interest, desire and action. Good copy grabs the reader’s attention, holds their interest, captures their desire and persuades them to act.

The author also presents another personal formula he uses: TIPS. This stands for temptation, influence, persuasiveness and selling.

Another successful way of writing successful copy is through secrets: when a text suggests the presence of new, exclusive information, few readers will resist refraining from reading it.

Another way to engage the reader is through texts that are based on stories. You can read more about this in the book “Building a Storybrand” by Donald Miller.

5. Using words of appreciation for readers is a plus

Some of the most powerful emotions a copywriter can touch are those that come from a person’s ego. A good copywriter is not afraid to use language that subtly touches the egos of his readers. This is a way to immediately achieve an emotional connection with the reader, as it succeeds in making the reader feel special.

6. Avoiding common copywriting pitfalls and neglecting grammar

Good copy is always enjoyable and easy to read. Many techniques have been developed over the years: rhythm, rhyme, musicality, imagery. The more you read and write, the more you will master these valuable techniques.

If you find the information in this book useful for your projects, you can order it HERE.

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In today’s review I’ll be talking about the volume Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller.

Many companies struggle to convert leads into customers, but their marketing materials always fail to communicate the unique value of the products or services they deliver.

“Building a StoryBrand can transform your results by helping you clarify the message you want to convey so that your customers will listen. So this book can help you change the way you talk about who you are, what you do and the value your business delivers.

“Building a StoryBrand is for marketers, copywriters and anyone else who wants to communicate more effectively with customers. The marketing messages and implementation techniques presented in an effective way within it are absolutely brilliant.

In short, Donald Miller says: think of your customer as the protagonist in your brand story. In every great story, a hero encounters a problem that they must solve. You’ll attract more customers when you position your brand as a guide to help the hero find the tools and confidence to succeed, giving them a blueprint for action.

Why don’t you sell enough?

In the first part of the book, Donald Miller outlines why many companies don’t sell enough. Often the problem is not the product or service offered, but rather the way it is presented to potential customers. No matter how good your website looks, for example, if you don’t communicate a clear, compelling message, you won’t get many sales.

“The truth is that pretty websites don’t sell things. Words sell things.”

So Miller outlines the two big mistakes most companies make when talking about their brands:

• Not focusing on the aspects of their product or service that help people survive and thrive
• Indirectly, they make customers think too hard trying to understand their product or service.

Therefore, the simpler and more predictable the way they communicate, the easier it is for customers to understand. Storytelling is so effective as a method of communication because it is extremely simple to understand, even by a child.

What is the solution?

In part two of the book, Miller outlines the 7 principles that will help you create a successful StoryBrand, namely:

1. The customer is the hero of the story, not your brand.
2. Companies tend to sell solutions to external problems; customers buy solutions to internal problems.
3. Customers aren’t looking for another hero; they’re looking for a guide.
4. Customers trust a guide who has a set plan.
5. Customers don’t act unless they are told to.
6. Every human tries to avoid a tragic end.
7. Never assume people understand how your brand can change their lives. You have to tell them!

How do I do that?

In the last part of the book, Donald Miller outlines the concrete ways you can implement successful StoryBranding. The power of storytelling can help you build a better website, which is generally the basis of customer engagement dialogue. When story is conveyed throughout your marketing messages, it gives cohesion and clarity to your message and makes the benefits of your interaction clear to customers.

• Once you’ve created your StoryBrand, the first thing you need to do to implement it and put it to work for attracting new customers and growing your business is to embed it into your website.
• Once you’ve increased the effectiveness of your website for better customer acquisition, the next step is to apply the following 5 strategies:

1. Create a One-liner.
2. Create a lead generator and collect email addresses.
3. Create an automated email campaign.
4. Collect testimonials from customers.
5. Create a referral generation system.

The 7 principles for a successful StoryBrand can also be targeted just as effectively within your company to transform the employee experience and organizational culture.

How can you increase your sales and improve your marketing strategy?

The solution is simple: focus on the story. All you need to do is structure your message as a story.
Understanding and using the story correctly is your biggest marketing advantage. It will help you stand out so people will listen to you. In short, Donald Miller puts it this way:
In any story, A CHARACTER WANTS something, but along the way encounters a PROBLEM. At that point, a GUIDE comes into the character’s life and provides a life-saving PLAN, urging them to take action. This action helps him avoid FAILURE and ends, of course, with SUCCESS.

• Character

One of the biggest changes you need to make is to understand that your business is not the hero in the story, your customers are. You need to get to know your customers, know who they are, what their desires are, what their expectations are of your products or services.

• The problem

At this point, you need to make sure you understand very well that your products or services are a solution to the problems your customers have. Often, people are more motivated to solve a problem they face than to improve their lives.

• Guide

Customers aren’t looking for another hero in their story, they’re looking for a guide to help them get what they want. You should focus solely on communicating how customers get what they want when your product or service is with them.

• Plan

When it comes to marketing, clarity is key. It’s also the clarity of your message that will bring you sales and therefore money. You need to be extremely simple when explaining to your potential customers what they need to do.

• The call to action

If you want to increase your revenue and beat your competition, urge your customers in a simple way to use your product or service.

• Avoiding failure

If buying your product or service doesn’t avoid failure, why should your customers turn to you?

• Success

Make it clear to people how their lives will change for the better and how good their lives will be after they buy your products or services.

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In today’s review I’ll be talking about the volume “The Buying Brain. Secrets for Selling to the Subconscious Mind” by Dr. A.K.Pradeep.

If this book sounds promising to you, you can order it HERE.

Come and see what this book is all about! For starters, though…

Imagine your company is spending thousands of euros on an advertising campaign to sell your product or service. Your company has invested heavily in this campaign, but the ads have failed to generate the results you expected.

Was it bad timing for the campaign? Was your product or service not properly aligned for the market requirements? Did you choose the wrong distribution channels?

Or, even more simply: did your ads fail because you used an approach that failed to attract the attention of your target audience?

Why marketing campaigns fail
What is neuromarketing and why is it important in business
How neuromarketing impacts your business

In the next 3 minutes, you’ll understand:

What is neuromarketing?

Brain research is a fascinating science that helps you understand the things that really motivate your customers.

Findings show that the human mind is not static or homogeneous. Although we are similar in many ways, we differ considerably in other aspects.

Male and female brains typically respond to different stimuli, and the brains of older people differ from those of a teenager, thus understanding why neuromarketing might have helped the business in the above scenario predict that advertising campaign would fail.

Why is neuromarketing important in business?

The author explores in the first part of the book how people respond differently to positive or negative, external or internal stimuli depending on age, gender or social status, using simple language with a layout that makes it easy to scan information.

The author notes that women control 80% of discretionary spending in the United States and devotes two full chapters – The Female Brain Buys and The Mommy Brain Buys – to exploring the unique aspects of the female brain.

Fascinating and highly useful information for both companies and marketing agencies is presented.

Another interesting aspect found in the book is that messages targeting older people should contain positive terms.

On the other hand, while men appreciate short, direct, concise calls to action, women like stories, experiences and networking opportunities through your brand.

In addition, it’s good to know that men respond to price and women respond to the person who introduces them to a particular product or service.

Why do marketing campaigns fail?

• Concepts and details are based on the expressed intentions of potential consumers and not on their subconscious responses.
• The novelty brought into the lives of your consumers is not very clearly highlighted.
• The deep emotional benefits that the product brings to your customers’ lives are not highlighted enough.
• The innovative concept is not appealed to.
• Product or packaging features do not rise to the level of the competition.
• The product or service is not emotionally connected to the brand.

How does neuromarketing impact your business?

However, what really makes this book worth reading are the connections Dr. Pradeep makes in the second half of his book, where he outlines a systematic process that can be used in conjunction with our emerging understanding of brain science to create truly effective advertising campaigns and consumer engagement.

For example, he outlines a framework, called the Total Consumer Experience (TCE). This can be used to isolate the highly brain-evoking experience points of a customer when they interact with your product or service, and explains how this information can be used to drive consumers to want and seek out your product.

Pradeep provides a wealth of information that can be used by almost any company to improve their marketing and advertising.

However, one downside to some of the strategies in Pradeep’s book is that some of the “neurometrics” he recommends – such as TCE studies or his company’s “Deep Subconscious Response” methodology – would be too expensive for a small business.

In my opinion, The Buying Brain is a must read for anyone with responsibility for marketing, advertising and packaging.

The insider’s view of neuromarketing in action is interesting, and the specific, actionable advice makes it a good addition to any marketing shelf.

If you find the information in this book useful for your projects, you can order it HERE.

All the best!

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