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Business Services Industry

Head Games

Entrepreneur, Feb, 2000 by Jerry Fisher

Your prospects' own thoughts are potent headline material.

What does the average person worry about when he or she peers into the bathroom mirror each morning? Something work-related? A family issue? Those telltale signs of aging? If you know that concern du jour and you've got a product or service that addresses it, echo it back to get your prospects' attention.

For Bill Blacker of Bensalem, Pennsylvania, who runs a geriatric-care firm, this approach would suggest an ad headline that reads, "What should I do about mom?" Compare the immediacy and impact of that set of words to the current offering, and you see how much more attention it might receive.

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This echo approach has applications for many products and services. "I need to sleep better!" could lead off a mattress store ad. "How can I lose 10 pounds fast?" could be a come-on for a gym. "I'm tired of high (fill in the blank) prices" will work for almost any discounter. You get the idea.

Naturally, you need an effective transition into the rest of the ad to play off the headline and maintain the reader's interest. In the case of Blacker's ad, the bridge would be, "It's a question that children of aging or frail parents are asking more and more today as they face the challenges of caring for mom and dad in their later years. Senior Care Planning Services can help." Echoing the concerns of your prospects in a headline is effective because it addresses their favorite subject: themselves!

Jerry Fisher is a freelance advertising copywriter in the San Francisco Bay Area and author of Creating Successful Small Business Advertising (available through Bookmasters, 800-247-6553).

Business Services Industry

Head Games

Entrepreneur, Feb, 2000 by Jerry Fisher

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