Higher Ad-Ucation
Convince Customers You're An Expert With Ads That Educate.
When you sit down to create your next piece of advertising,
consider this: Rather than just telling prospects how they'll
benefit as your customer or client, why not give them an actual
dose of that benefit before they buy?
In other words, educate them. Ingratiate yourself by generously
and unselfishly sharing some of your secrets or expertise on the
subject at hand before asking them for money. The prospect will see
you as someone who obviously knows your stuff and whose advice,
service or product seems worth paying for.
Offering just such an "ad-ucation" is my suggestion to
Marlow Wootton, executive director at Walla Walla Community Hospice
in Washington. While a hospice is not an entrepreneurial enterprise
in the typical sense, it shares the same advertising challenges of
any small business. Wootton sent me some of the ads the hospice
runs; for a makeover, I picked the one I thought was the best of
the lot.
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Since I've always been a pulpit-pounding advocate of
testimonial advertising, especially in an area as emotion-provoking
as this one, this particular ad emphasizing customer comments is a
good start. I like the headline "Dear Hospice" because
it's unexpected and thus draws me in. But because Wootton is
not satisified with the response from the ads the hospice is
running, I'm going to suggest one that incorporates the
testimonials but adds "ad-ucational" elements.
Jerry Fisher is a freelance advertising copywriter and
welcomes submissions to this column. He is also author of the
manual Creating Successful Small Business Advertising. For more
information, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope in care of
"Advertising Workshop," Entrepreneur, 2392 Morse Ave.,
Irvine, CA 92714. Or contact Jerry via CompuServe at 73150,132 or
America Online at Jerry 228.
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