Next, assuming everything is copasetic (an old jazz term) prospects will want to know what hoops they have to jump through to get their prize.

People are lazy. The less they have to do the better. Asking for a SASE(Self Addressed Stamped Envelope) in the Internet age will surely lose you a ton of prospects.

The next question is the cost. What will I have to pay for this fabulous benefit? They quickly compare the benefit to the cost. The so-called cost/benefit ratio. Simply put, is it worth it? Will I get my money's worth?

Finally, even if everything checks out, you may still lose prospects because they may want to "think about it" or ""come back to it" which of course they won't. They forget, the phone rings, they lose the paper, life intrudes, etc

Here is the Secret Formula for constructing Classified Ads that will pull the rivets out of a submarine!

THIS IS WHAT YOU'LL GET/FOR THIS PRICE/IF YOU DO THIS, NOW!

THIS IS WHAT YOU'LL GET

You should couch the strongest benefit statement your product or service can support in an emotional manner.

What do I mean by emotional?

Something that produces a reaction in the reader's gut.

"How to become the top player at your Club!"
"Lost Egyptian Beauty Secrets Will Make You Beautiful!"
"How You Can Make Your Debts Disappear!"
"Stop Foreclosure Now!"
"How to Buy a Home, Even if You Cannot Get a Credit Card!"
"Lazy Man's Secrets to Becoming Rich!"

This last one was the headline for one of the most successful ads of all times!

Your next statement should address the feasibility question. Is it logical?

Pete Sampras will show you how.
Laser analysis of Queen Nefertiti's makeup jar reveals surprising secrets.
Financial analyst shows you how.
Ex Loan Officer shows you how.
Homes available with no bank qualifying, owner financing!

FOR THIS PRICE

This is an easy one. The price for any thing advertised in a classified ad should always be 0, zero, FREE! There is not the time nor space in a classified ad to justify any cost. Therefore, you should only offer more information/free trial etc. on your product or service.

IF YOU DO THIS NOW!

Trust me on this one. You should make it easy to take the next step, which is to respond to the ad.

What does the person have to do and why should he do it now? Remember, people are lazy and tend to procrastinate. Make responding as easy as possible, no more than a click of your Autoresponder link or call to a toll free voice mail number, ideally.

To get them to respond immediately, set some type of limit on your offer. It must be believable. A time limit (believable if the benefit is big enough), Regularly $49, Free until May 31, 1998 for instance. Or Free to the next 100 respondents, or while supply lasts, etc.

YOU HAVE NOW PROMISED THE READER IMMEDIATE INFORMATION ON AN EMOTIONALLY STIMULATING SOLUTION TO A MAJOR PROBLEM, FOR FREE! "Good-God!" (As James Brown would say!")

All they have to do to get it is to send an email or pick up the phone. Of course, they must act immediately or the opportunity to benefit may be gone!

Produce several variations of the ad. Different headlines, body text, response stimulators etc. Test until you find the version that pulls the most responses. Then test various publications until you find the one that delivers the best results, then concentrate your advertising dollars on that one.

A professional autoresponder system will make it easy to test varying copy and media placement. Each response link to your ad can carry a discrete code, letting you trace the origin of each response, or lack thereof.

The old joke is that you know you are wasting 1/2 of your advertising budget, but you won't know which half that is!

Wrapping up, do you remember the last time you couldn't wait to receive more information on something you eagerly sent away for? A secret decoder ring, for instance?

That's the feeling you will generate in your prospect by targeting the right audience with the right classified ad.

Get ready to have your autoresponder burn up!

Copyright 2006 Bill Young. Bill is a real estate and personal financial consultant who markets his services almost exclusively over the Internet. He is offering a free Report and audio, "How to Make Good Money in a Bad Real Estate Market!" to the first 50 people who request his free course, "The Real Estate Profit Guide!" http://301url.com/RealEstatePG

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