Small Business Owners: What’s Better, Clever or Clear Ads?

posted on Oct 09 by MBarry in the Copywriting category

What’s the best way to get your message across?

I love words, which is a very good thing if you’re a writer like me. Some days I can spend hours on the ‘net searching for intriguing things to read. When it comes to fiction, I like fast-paced action that puts pictures in my mind so that I can follow along in my imagination.

But, as a business owner, I also have a preference when it comes to business or marketing writing. Instead of intriguing, I like direct business communication.

Tell readers what the benefit is for them

I applaud the cleverness of the ad writers who came up with the “Real Men of Genius” commercials for Bud Light (I think that’s the beer). More than once, when I’ve arrived at my destination and one of those ads comes on my radio, I will sit, listen and laugh along in my car wasting gas. I just love those ads!

But, you’ll notice that I’m not quite sure which beer company those commercials represent. I’m caught up in the crazy song and narration that celebrates the common man… which I’m sure that the beer represents. But, I can’t be sure that I remember the beer.

What does my little story tell you? That the company doesn’t speak to me with any benefit that will make me want to run out and buy the beer, even though I think their commercials tip the “clever-ometer” scale.

Local online advertising should be benefit-focused

As a business owner interested in generating local clients, you must tell your readers specifically what they will get when they use your services—tell them the benefit.

By the way, you won’t find customer benefits in any of these phrases:

“We’ve been in business 20 years.”

“Come see our new, updated facility.”

“You’ll love our quality apparel.”

But, you do find it in these phrases:

“You can count on us to support you for the long haul, because we’ve been in business 20 years.”

“We are now centrally-located for your convenience in a new, updated facility.”

“You’ll get your money’s worth because our quality apparel lasts a long time.”

Fill in the blanks

Do you see the difference between the two examples? You’re telling your customers and potential customers exactly what they are getting from the business and product features, rather than letting them fill in the blanks on their own.

Don’t leave things unsaid, because you never know what people will think, or not think. Today, the latter is probably what will happen. As a culture, we are so busy that when we scan ads and e-mails, if it’s not said in the e-mail then we don’t think about it. We might say to ourselves, “Oh—they moved… that’s nice,” and the whole reason why the move is important to the reader is missed.

On the other hand, you might believe that saying “quality apparel” says it all. It doesn’t, because there are different reasons why the customer wants their apparel to be of high quality. Maybe, like in our example it’s a money saving move—or, because quality says that the wearer only buys the best quality—or maybe it translates into comfort, “Our quality apparel never bunches around your waistline.”

Make your local web marketing clear

As you can see from the examples, you must be specific for your marketing to be terrific. Make certain that your readers know the benefits of doing business with you or buying a particular product and you’ll be creating customers for life, instead of creating fans who don’t mind wasting gas to hear your funny ads.

Tell us your opinion… which ads are most memorable–clever or clear?

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