The Most Important Part of Your Ad... and why!

The Most Important Part of Your Ad... and Why!

by Mark Hendricks

Is there a most important part of your sales message?

Absolutely.

Why is it more important than the other parts?

80%+ of the effectiveness of your ad depends on it...and if it's good, it can increase your response up to 1700%.

Why does a good one get these kinds of results?

Like everything in effective marketing that you've learned here, it's all tied to human psychology and emotions.

What is this one thing that can be so hard to come up with, yet so very easy to find an effective one?

It's your headline.

Direct marketing studies have tested and shown that 80%+ of the success of your ad is the drawing power of your headline. And by testing headlines, one against another with the same sales offer included, a good one can increase your ad's response up to 1700%!!!!

That leads to a seemingly simple question..."why?"

See if what I'm saying makes sense to you.

At the subconscious level, each and every human is wanting to self-improve (move toward feeling good) or interested in solving a problem (avoiding pain).

By the way, avoiding pain is a much greater human motivator than self-improvement. Just look how fast someone wants to take action when they are having a major problem or are in great emotional, physical, or financial pain.

And interestingly, self-improvement is many times full of emotional, physical, and financial pain, isn't it?

You're trying new things to expand and many times there are stumbling blocks along the way that can be difficult to overcome...you see, actually positive growth can be painful.

So many times the human spirit will give up because they are experiencing pain...when they were promised feeling better!...emotionally, physically, financially, etc.

Now you can understand why it's hard to get someone to try something new, even if it's positive and good for them.

They are currently in their "comfort zone", not feeling any pain, and you try to get them to move ahead and "risk" feeling new pains that they haven't dealt with yet...with the hope of doing better, and not feeling these new pains in the future.

The result...they do nothing.

Now sit back for a moment and think about what you're feeling.

I've just described your frustration and pain as a marketer.

You've made an offer to someone, an offer you believe to be of great value and importance.

Unfortunately for you, your prospect didn't take notice or respond at all.

Why?

One of two things.

They were either in their "comfort zone" and did not currently have the pain you described, or...the good feelings that you offered were not "perceived by them" (their only reality) to be worth the emotional, financial, physical and time cost (risk/pain) they may endure to achieve the end result...so they do nothing.

Ouch, you feel your pain and frustration.

Okay, here's where your headline comes in (finally, you say, he's getting to the point).

Your headline has the ability to break through to the lower levels of the emotional brain of your human prospect.

As you've heard me say time and time again, all humans (you and I included) make all decisions on an emotional basis first, and then justify that decisions to ourselves and others with "logic".

Therefore, your headline must appeal to the emotional brain, not the the "logical" brain.

Your headline must provoke curiosity in your reader by bringing up a problem (pain) they are having, or by promising a great new benefit or solution to their problem...or here's the best kept marketing secret...BOTH!!!

Always try for both...but as always...test, test, test.

So here's what you do...

Start analyzing all the ads and newspaper/magazine articles (they have headlines, don't they?) you read and figure out whether they are offering pain avoidance or new comforts, or both. See how the headline draws you in with the benefits of reading more.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Mark Hendricks is the author of "How To Make Your Ads, Sales Letters, And Websites Sell Like Crazy". This ebook package reveals the jealously-guarded secrets of world-class marketers of the last one hundred years, and how you can use these time- tested secrets right now to increase your marketing results exponentially. For more information click here.