How To Write The Perfect Internet Advert

Introduction One of the all time great copy writers (David Ogilvy) says that there is no such thing as copy that is too short, or copy that is too long, just boring copy! If your copy is interesting enough, then people will read it. If it’s boring, they wont! There is also the debate about just how much copy people are prepared to read and the feeling that consumers don’t read advertisements that have too much copy. The Internet This is particularly true off the Internet where consumers are very impatient! Research shows that Internet consumers will invest just 30 seconds to decide whether to read on. So, make sure you get it right. Copy You should not start writing your copy until you understand the following acronym: A. I. D. A., which stands for Attention – Interest – Desire – Action. These are the stages you need to take consumers through if you are to convert them into customers or clients. Every professional copywriter uses this process. Headlines and Subhead lines Flick through any successful newspaper or magazine and see how they use bold headlines to introduce the subject matter. See also how they then use subhead lines to pull your attention in to the copy.	Short paragraphs When consumers see long drawn out paragraphs their brains receive a message that say “this looks like hard work” accordingly, they avoid them! Keep paragraphs down to no more than 5 lines of text. Features versus Benefits It is essential that you always write your copy from the consumers point of view and not your own. The consumer isn’t interested in features, what they want to know is, “how do I the consumer benefit from your service.” The benefit you give them is the only reason they will even consider doing business with you. Remember, consumer don’t buy power drills. They buy holes in the wall! Use of space and Graphics Bullet points to spell out what is in the deal for the consumer How will they benefit? How will it improve their life? Intrigue and Curiosity Remember the last time you read a really good novel? What absorbs you is intrigue or curiosity. These are very strong human emotions and if you can write in a way that achieves this then consumers will read your copy. No matter how long it is!
Which Font Is Right For Your Site?
Choosing the right typeface for your website is crucially important if you are to succeed on the internet, as some font types are more easily readable than others, and some are more widely available. You want to choose font types that are: (a) Suit the character of your site, (b) Are easy to read on a computer screen, and (c) Are widely available across many browsers and operating systems. There are basically two types of fonts: serif and sans serif. Serif fonts are those that have fine cross-lines at the extremities of the letter. Sans serif ("sans" being the French word for "without") are fonts that don't have serifs. The most common serif font is probably Times New Roman. Arial is an example of a common sans serif font. Let's go briefly through the most popular font types and evaluate their availability, readibility and character: Arial Availability: Widely available. It is probably the most common sans serif font. It is the default font for Windows, and it first shipped as a standard font with Windows 3.1. Readability On Screen: Not the worse but definitely not the best, especially at small sizes, when it becomes too narrow and the spacing between characters too small. Character: Has a streamlined, modern look but is also plain and boring. *For Mac users, the equivalent of Arial is Helvetica. Times New Roman Availability: Widely available. It is probably the most common serif font. It is the default font for web browsers. It was first shipped as a standard font with Windows 3.1. Readability On Screen: Acceptable for font sizes of 12pt. and up, but terrible for smaller sizes. Character: Serious, formal and old fashioned. *For Mac users, the equivalent of Times New Roman is Times.	Verdana Availability: A widely available sans serif font, Verdana was first shipped with Internet Explorer version 3, when the exponential growth of the Internet demanded a new font that was easy to read on the screen. Readability On Screen: Exceptional. It's wide body makes it the clearest font for on-screen reading, even at small sizes. Character: Modern, friendly and professional. Georgia Avaliability: Good. It is a serif font introduced by Microsoft with Internet Explorer version 4, when the need for a serif font with much better readability than Times New Roman became evident. Readibility On Screen: Very good. It is the best serif font for on-line reading, since it was specifically designed for that purpose. Character: Modern, friendly and professional. Finally, we can mention Courier New, a serif font that was widely popular with old, mechanical typewriters, and that is now used only to present simulated computer code (if you need to present snipets of sample HTML code in your web pages, this is the font to use. Therefore, from a usability perspective, the clear winner is Verdana. If you are inclined to use a serif font, Georgia is the best option. Arial remains a good option for specific parts of text, like headlines and titles, where a different font must be used and you can use larger sizes.

Thanks to Terry Heath, Editor of Get Connected Magazine for his help in preparing this guide.