How do you get attention with your advertising?

How do you get your prospects to read what you’ve put into your ad?

Years ago I attended a seminar with the late Charlie Mouser. He was an internationally known lecturer and editor. For years he spoke to associations and business people all over North America. He was known for his ability to detect business trends far ahead of most. He was also considered an authority on newspaper and print advertising.

I will always remember what he said regarding headlines. He said the only 3-word headline that ever worked was ‘Free Beer Tonight’. He went on to say that you need at least 9 words to grab the attention of a reader.

Now this was said 24 years ago. What bothers me the most is that business people are still using 3-word headlines in their marketing even though it will not grab the attention of any of the readers. I know that the reason business owners are still following this bad practice is that they are not evaluating the results of their marketing efforts. I say that because if they did evaluate the results they would find out that what they are doing now doesn’t work.

When are you going to evaluate the results of your marketing? The financial future of your business is at stake.