I don’t need a crystal ball to know part of your
marketing program includes good old classified liner
ads and printed advertising. I’m talking about black
ink on white paper to create words with a message.
If you tuck your Wranglers in your cowboy boots,
you might call the process copywriting.
Whatever you call the process, the goal is the
same. Your words help the reader to make a
decision to buy your stuff: horses, lessons,
training, boarding, breeding service, farrier service,
auctioneer. etc.
Please excuse my blunt statement that follows. Most
ads written by professional horsemen are
BORING!
Sure, they get the job done by conveying the basic
information: Horse for Sale, Riding Lessons,
Horse Training but, they are as exciting as
watching flies gather on the manure pile.
I was thinking about what horsemen and horsewomen
have told me concerning their writing ability. They
feel undereducated, lacking in talent and pressed for
time whenever they need to create advertising
wording. They are in agreement that ad writing is a
difficult assignment and often yields little in return for
the production effort and money invested in the ad.
Put another way, a lot of work for
nothing.
I’d like to change your attitude about writing
advertising for your horse business and found an
example of how to use better advertising wording in
my bathroom
No, it wasn’t the newspaper or a magazine. It is on
the can of Edge brand shaving cream I use
every day. You have to admit, yawn, shaving cream
is one boring product, especially at 6:00 A.M. But,
the folks at Edge don't think so.
The can says it's: Advanced Gel, it will give
the most comfortable refreshing shave you can get.
Best protection ever from nicks, cuts and
irritation. If that's not enough, it has unique
refreshing ingredients to give you a conditioning
sensation you can actually feel for the most
refreshing shave ever.
The most refreshing shave ever? These folks
create beautiful thoughts about a task of pure
maintenance. I’ve never felt refreshed after shaving,
but they’ve got me believing I will every time. And
that’s the key. I yearn for that conditioning
sensation and most refreshing shave ever even more
than that first cup of coffee. All buying decisions are
emotional at first and backed up later by logic.
If Edge can be maximizing imagery and
benefits in the
minds of readers, why can't you?
- "The focus of our lesson program is your
personal growth in horsemanship, including more
confidence, better stamina and rider
fitness and an
enjoyable experience every time you
ride.
- "This gelding is trained with the manners of
a proper English butler. He respects
your space,
moves quietly and aims to please
from the moment
you lead him out of the stall."
- "The aim of our training program is not only
for your horse to be well schooled, responsive
and
easy to ride, but also for you to continue to
build
your relationship with him so that advanced work
will
come more easily in the future as another
layer on
the solid foundation training we
established.
Your advertising message doesn’t have to look like
everybody else. Get creative! Readers will begin to
look for your ads as unique, refreshing
alternatives to the boring dribble of: “Buy my horse,
take lessons from us, board your horse here.
Most important, they’ll buy your stuff.
