FROM THE DESK, MIND AND HEART OF JEFF HODGES
Hey Everybody,
It’s that time again; time to gather together, collect our thoughts and put the upcoming week’s game plan together. I love Sundays because it is such a great time to reflect on the previous week and decide what we can do to improve on it in the week upcoming. Every week is a learning experience and should be treated as such. It’s such a pleasure to have both my new readers and my readers from weeks past here with me. As you know, if you have missed and edition or are new and want to read previous editions you can go to either:
http://www.letmemakeyousuccessful.com (bottom left corner of the page)
OR
http://www.jeffhodges.blogspot.com
******************* Success University ********************
Christmas is a time for giving and I believe that you should give something of value. I am a firm believer in the GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING !!! I have decided that I am going to give some of you a very nice gift. I am going to give you the gift of SELF DEVELOPMENT. Now, pay attention here. For the next 72 hours and the next 72 hours ONLY, anyone who goes to my site and signs up with Success University will receive a $50 REBATE directly from me upon being with the company for 90 days. (you must email me to let me know you signed up so I can match you against my mailing list.) That is how strongly I believe that I can show you the path to prosperity; the same path I follow everyday. But, remember, you only have 72 hours to take advantage of this special offer so head on over an get your 14 day FREE trial membership going now !!! http://www.jeffhodges.subuilder.com
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Can any of you think of a more commercialized time of the year than the Christmas Holiday? I can’t. I am just amazed at the ad campaigns that are flying around, both on the conventional mediums such as radio and television and, also, the internet. But, the simple truth of the matter is that good sales copy is what sells products and services. Just having a great product or service isn’t enough. You have to be able to put it in mind of the prospective customer that they will benefit from having or using it.
You may notice that from time to time I will talk about people wasting money on advertising by using unreliable sources. Well, there is another time that advertising dollars get wasted. It is when you purchase an ad and use substandard ad copy. If you can’t create a desire in your prospective customer to have what you have to offer them, it doesn’t matter who you use to place your ad or where you place it. That having been said, I decided to pass along the following ad copy writing tips.
1. Create a COMPELLING headline !!! You just get one shot at getting the potential customer to read the rest of your ad copy. If you don’t arouse their interest IMMEDIATELY you may lose them coming out of the gate.
2. Stay away from using CAPS and BOLD CAPS if at all possible. It interrupts the flow of your message, makes it difficult to read and is very distracting to the reader. Use bold and/or underlined to emphasize your really important points.
3. Write your copy in an enticing fashion. Keep them wanting to continue through the rest of the ad by keeping them on the edge of their seat. Try looking at a good sales letter that has sold you in the past and use it as a template. (be sure not to infringe on copyright laws by stealing their exact words or phrases)
4. Be sure and keep a good flow. There is nothing wrong with long ad copy. You just need to make sure that it flows like a story because the purpose of every line of ad copy in your ad is to get the reader to want to read the next line.
5. Avoid writing ad copy that is just screaming with hype !!! People will shy away from hype so fast it will make your head spin. They are sick and tired of it and it is the ULTIMATE AD KILLER !!!!!!
6. Be sure and include any testimonials you may have from satisfied customers. They give you added credibility and will make a HUGE difference in your sales. If you don’t have any testimonials already, you might consider offering your product or service free to a few people in return for their testimonials.
7. Proper editing is CRUCIAL !!! Take the time to read your ad carefully and correct ALL errors. Not only does it cost you sales because they may be clueless as to what that sentence meant but, also, it really weighs heavily on how you project yourself as a professional.
8. Get a few impartial people (friends, relatives, etc.) to proof read your ad. Have them tell you what they thought about when they read the ad. Were they able to follow your train of thought? Were they left with unnecessary questions at the end? DID THEY WANT TO BUY after reading it???
9. Keep your sentences and paragraphs as short as possible. There is no easier way in the world to lose a customer than to make them have to read and re-read a sentence two or three times to make sense out of it because it was so long that it took on a life of it’s own. Make the paragraphs long enough to be informative but not torturous to read.
10. Features TELL but benefits SELL !!! For example, the potential customer doesn’t care how long it will last if it isn’t going to give them what they want while it’s lasting. Tell them what benefits they will receive from it BECAUSE it lasts so long.
11. Make the ad personal. Use words like “You” and “Your” in your ads. It helps the potential customer to see themselves using your product or service in their own day to day life. It’s like when the car salesman wants you to sit in the car so you can visualize yourself driving it.
12. Always include your contact information. When doing so, avoid P.O. boxes. It makes it look like you’re trying to hide. Giving them your contact information gives them a sense of your reliability, trustworthiness and willingness to stand behind what you advertise.
13. Offer FREE BONUSES. It doesn’t have to be anything mind blowing. It just portrays you as a giver and not a taker. The size of the bonus is irrelevant. It’s just human nature. People love free stuff and they love the people that give it to them.
I would recommend that you put this information somewhere handy and the next time you decide to submit an ad come back to it and use it as a reference. I am quite sure you will have a decided advantage over the competition if you do.
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“Good fortune is what happens when opportunity meets with planning.
- Thomas Alva Edison
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I would like to pose a question to you. Where do you think the most wealth in the world comes from? Think about it for a minute. Think really hard and be creative in your thinking. You could quite possibly refer to this as a TRICK QUESTION, even though I don’t think of it that way.
I think that there is only one possible answer to this question. The place that produces them most wealth of any place on the planet is the hospital maternity ward. You see, everything we have, everything we see and everything that we strive to attain is the result of a new idea or a new way of thinking. With every birth, the world gains a new chance at the next Alexander Graham Bell, the next Martin Luther King or the next Bill Gates. Every birth gives us another shot at progress and improving our lives, as well as the lives of others. Without new thinking there can be no progress and without progress there can be NO TOMORROW !!!
We are all born with the ability to be great. We all come with the same basic operating system. The only thing missing is the proper software. The key to our world having unbounded potential is in the proper cultivation of our minds. There is NOTHING that we cannot accomplish in our very own lifetime if we just take what we have and push it to the limit. It is so very sad that we utilize such a small percentage of our mental capabilities but we have no one to blame but ourselves. Our mind is like a muscle. The only reason it doesn’t’ grow is a poor exercise program. Properly stimulated, our minds hold the keys to the future and the secrets to all things. Our minds have a power so great that they make an atomic bomb seem like a firecracker !!!
I issue a challenge to each and every one of you. I challenge you to exercise your minds. I challenge you to push yourself to limits you never dreamed of and to strive for things that you never imagined possible. Cross that line between perceived reality and the boundless reaches of the human mind. I further challenge you to make sure to give your children every opportunity possible to do the same in their lives. Teach them to live in a world of opportunity, not obstacles. Teach them that the only places they can’t go and the only things they can’t do are the ones that they decide they can’t. You have the power to teach them the ways of right thinking. Don’t be derelict in your duties. Everyone is given the same bag of cement and bucket of water. You can either build a stumbling block or a stepping stone. Which one are you going to build ???
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“The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives.”
- Robert M. Hutchins
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Wow, could the time possibly go by any faster? It seems like only moments ago that I sat down to write. I just get so lost in myself during this time. I can only hope that it is as beneficial to you as it is fulfilling to me. Not a week goes by that I don’t learn something new in the course of writing this newsletter. I hope that all of you have high goals and aspirations for the week. I know I do. Just remember, when you wake up in the morning don’t think about how you would like for the day to go. Claim it and take it !!! Until next week when God brings us together again by the fire, above and beyond everything else……
JUST SAY “NO” TO NEGATIVITY !!!
Sincerely,
Jeff Hodges
JeffreyHodges@thedreameffect.com
http://www.thedreameffect.com
http://www.letmemakeyousuccessful.com
http://www.jeffhodges.subuilder.com
http://www.jeffhodges.blogspot.com
615-230-7997
270-320-1324
Skype ID : jeffhodges1
