Certain words and phrases, when used in advertising, have a better-than-ever chance of attracting consumers’ attention.
You see these words over and over again in ads, but their overuse is a direct result of their effectiveness. Different words or phrases work for different types of businesses, though. Here are some examples of words and phrases that sell in the retail industry:
- Clearance
- Discount
- Everything must go
- Final closeout
- Free
- Going out of business
- Grand opening
- Improved
- Markdown
- New
- Overstocked
- Sale
If ever you needed to use the KISS rule in full-force (see the previous section), it’s in the vocabulary you use in your ads. The challenge lies in walking a fine line between using simple, easy-to-grasp words and phrases and writing the way people think (in everyday conversational English). Bottom line: Make your ads simple in their language but creative in their content and
presentation.
If you offer a service instead of providing a product, many of the words from the previous list still work. “Free,” for example, always gets consumers’ attention, as does “new.” The following appealing words and phrases, however, are specific to the service industry:
- Great service
- Free pickup and delivery
- On time
- Trial offer
- Professional
- Family owned and operated
- Guaranteed service
- Money saving
- Dependable (or reliable)
- High quality
- References available from satisfied customers
Go through your newspaper and look at the ads. Certain words and phrases used by most advertisers will quickly become apparent to you. Now you know what I mean when I say that these words sell. They form a similar thread that runs through most advertising. If you can use any of these words and phrases in your advertising, by all means include them. If they’re good enough for the other advertisers in your area, they’ll most certainly be good enough for you.
Just as some words really sell, others should scare you off like a rat in a restaurant. Don’t use swear words or most slang. And, in general, don’t use words with more than three syllables. You can use some four-syllable words (like incredible and absolutely, as in “absolutely incredible savings!”), but be careful. Keep in mind that most people haven’t expanded their vocabularies since high school (which is why most newspapers are written to the sixthgrade reading level). There are exceptions to these rules, if done creatively. For example, Budweiser created ads some years back that used the word “Whassup,” and the ads were fun and memorable.
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