Ask Mr. D - Advertising

Dear Mr. D,

I have found that the biggest challenge in
marketing my ebusiness is to write effective
ads. In a lot of articles I have read on ad writing,
I have come across the term "sell the sizzle."
Can you tell me what they mean?

And tell me if this is really important to
writing good effective ads or if it's not
all that important.

Signed,

John in Tulsa

______________________

Dear John in Tulsa,

Selling the "sizzle" is very important
in the field of advertising. It's not the
only way to sell effectively, but I have
found it to be one of the best advertising
techniques.

Selling the sizzle means to sell the
benefits your buyers will derive from
owning and using your service or
product. Will your product or service
make the buyer healthier, wealthier,
feel better, look better, smarter, etc.

The most effective ads are the ones
that can most effectively portray the
benefits of their service or product.

Before you write your next ad, sit down
and make a list of all the benefits one
would enjoy if they buy your service or
product. When you write the ad, feature
the most powerful one or two of these
benefits.

This technique can produce some really
great ads.

Let me know how you do with it.