4 questions that will help you write better ad copy.

If you're a business owner or marketer, you've probably been in the position of having to write copy for a web page, email blast, brochure, or display ad. And unless you are an experienced ad copywriter, it can be a daunting task. So where do you start?

Often, the first instinct is to start talking about the company or product you're promoting. It's a natural response to start that way because your point of view is focused on your role with the company and your relationship with the product. To you, this is the company that puts food on your table and pays the bills. And writing about whatyou know and feel, from your point of view, is the path of least resistance.

For the customer, though, it's just a product. It's a thing or service they might consider purchasing. Their point of view is focused on how the product you're promoting can make their lives better, not on how great you think the company is. After all, you work for them, so you're biased, right?

This tends to manifest itself in copy that emphasizes points like how long the company has been in business, or the story of how it was founded years earlier. Or, the copy may list all the awards the product has earned, awards the potential customer has probably never heard of.

So where do you start? With these questions: 

     1. How does the product make our customers' lives better? 

     2. How can we make the reader understand the improvement? 

     3. How do we want the reader to respond? Do we want them to purchase, call, click, etc.?

     4. How can we motivate our customers to respond the way we want to the message once they understand it?

Answer these questions, then take a stab at that copy. But this time, start with the content that you think is most important to your potential customers (see question 1, above), and be sure to address what your goal is for the message (see question 4). I can guarantee that you'll be happy with the results.