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.