Most people do not know where their advertising campaign went wrong. They have carefully identified their niche market. They have planned their logistics, analyzed their products strength, weakness, pricing, package, etc. They have identified their unique selling point. They have emphasized how their product is different from those already in the market place. They then launch their marketing campaign. The results should be favorable but it is not. Why? We have discovered one of the reasons it is bad copy writing.



Despite assistance from professional copywriters some of our important image building documents like brochures, write ups, proposals, billboard advertising and even online listings and websites are poorly written. Especially when you advertise on advertising directories in Malaysia, you should take care to put in a good copy. That is because online advertising directories in Malaysia today is slowly but surely replacing off line advertising directories.

This is because most copywriters have not understood the art of writing good copy. It is very simply actually but most copywriters are preoccupied with writing fanciful and bombastic copies.

No matter what your advertising medium, drive your message home by making it personal. This is because nobody wants to buy a product from someone who sounds stuffy and unfriendly.

Always Write in First Person

Lets say you are in real estate. You are running a print ad for an exclusive neighborhood. Tell your customer the benefits of living there as if you are having a one on one conversation.

For example, the body of your copy could read,

You dot not have to mow the lawn ever again. All of our properties are right on the beach. A breathtaking view without the hassles of yard work makes Grand Island the place you will want to call home.

Use Contractions

As you have probably noticed, all advertising articles here on the about network contain a lot of contractions. How many I ams and you ares, plus we wills would you like to read over and over?

It is all a part of making it personal. We are just having a friendly conversation about advertising.

Limit Your Commas

It is similar to the contractions rule. Commas everywhere really distract your eye. Your message gets lost because your reader is trying to make sense out of your sentence. Keep your sentences short enough that you do not require a lot of commas.

And, But, Because

You probably learned back in elementary school that you cannot use And, But or Because to start a sentence. Your teachers lied to you. It is perfectly all right to use them to begin a sentence.

Ask your old teacher. She will probably confess. You were taught that because they did not want you to make incomplete sentences by using And, But or Because to start a sentence.

And if she does not confess just remember it is advertising so anything goes!

Eliminate the Pressure

Just pretend you are talking to a friend. One way to make it easier on you might be to just forget it.

That is right. Forget that you are writing an ad, your company needs this ad to be successful, etc. Throw out all the pressures and sit down with your computer or legal pad and pen.

Now, write a letter to a friend. Tell your friend about your product. When you are finished, you will have a lot of copy blocks you can extract and use in your ad. It is a great mental trick that can help in a pinch.

Last but not least always remember this readers are always interested in only one thing, that is, themselves. We should therefore, always start and end paragraphs with you, your and yours. This will keep them hanging on to every word you say. Also, tell them the benefits instead of your products features or even advantages. They just want to hear about the benefits.

Benefits include things such as making money, saving money, improving their health, increasing the productivity, giving them enjoyment, helping them age slower, and so on.

Yes, the above are some useful tips that can help make your advertisement more appealing. When you finally put your ad online in a Malaysian advertising directory your potential customers will be reading every word of what you want them to read.