Any salesman will tell you, the secret to keeping your prospect's attention is to "talk about them." And its absolutely true. It doesn't matter weather you're selling via print advertising, articles, or online classified advertising. If you want to your advertising to be more effective, you have to learn to speak in a way that will hold your prospect's attention - and it starts by putting the focus on the right person.

In this article, I explain how to write more effective ads that keep your prospects reading, by making sure you use words they really want to hear.

Put The Focus On 'Them' Not 'You'

Sometimes just a slight change in 'the slant' of your copy can increase your response rates dramatically. In this case, making sure your advertising copy has a distinct focus on the prospect - not you, your company or your product or service itself - is one way to increase the responsiveness of your ads, because it enables you to hold the attention of your audience longer, naturally.

It's just human nature to ask "What's in it for me?" We do it by default, as a way of filtering through the overwhelming amount of information that passes before our eyes each day. And if your advertising copy, video, article, etc. doesn't answer that question for your prospect in the first few seconds, you could loose their attention fast - and for good.

One mistake people often make is putting the focus on themselves, their company or their product or service instead of the person their ad is supposed to be talking to.

It's very easy to get excited about your product or the company you're building. But its important not to forget what your audience needs to hear, and when and how they want to hear it.

This doesn't mean that information about you or your company is not important. But you need to deliver that information in a way that will matter most to the person you're speaking to. It's also important to remember that you only have ONE chance to get it right, so it's best to take your time and choose your words carefully.

But it doesn't have to be difficult.

A Simple Rule Of Thumb: "You" Versus "I" And "Me"

One easy way to know if you're on the right track is to see if you're using the words "you" more often than you're using "I" and "me". The same rule applies for good internet copywriting skills as it does for good presentation skills - the bottom line is to put the emphasis on what's in it for your audience, not just you or your business.

Let's look at the following ad as an example:

"As an insurance broker, you can take comfort in the fact that I've been in the business for more than 25 years and am ranked the #1 insurance agent in the company."

This is a perfect example of how NOT to write an effective ad. In this example, the focus is on the person who is writing the ad, not the person reading it. You'll notice there is no real mention of what's in it for the potential client.

A better way to speak to the insurance broker's audience might be:

"Working with an insurance broker, you have access to all the insurance products available. This ensures you get the best product to suits your needs, at the lowest possible price."

Keep these examples in mind, and remember to put yourself in your prospect's shoes when you're writing your ads. If you can speak to your prospects about what's important to them when they're shopping for your product or service, then I highly recommend doing so. Otherwise, explore forums, blogs or other online communities for clues and do your best to follow the rule of 'them' not 'you' with every piece of advertising copy you write.

Kathy Gyimesy is a Marketing Creative Consultant and Online Marketer in Toronto Canada. She has studied with, interviewed and worked with several of the top experts in the fields of direct marketing, internet business and alternative healing modalities.

She is known for her work with educational programs and information products, and helping people explode their revenue with less time and effort by pairing specific automated systems with proven marketing strategies.

She leverages powerful online systems to maximize her own time and revenue, and enjoys teaching others how to succeed online by turning their passion into profit.