How to write ad copy that works for small service businesses

Friendly, courteous and committed…blah, blah, yada yada…
How to write ad copy that works for small service businesses – part 1

A while ago I had a problem with my car. Whenever this happens it’s a complete pain in the neck: I live in the depths of the country. To find my nearest garage workshop I have to drive to the nearest town which is about ten miles away. I then have to hang around at my garage’s convenience while they repair my car, or take a very expensive two-way taxi ride. My garage doesn’t offer such mod-cons as lifts or courtesy cars, (I’d have to pay twice as much and drive twice as far to find such luxuries) and even if they did it still wouldn’t prevent me from losing the best part of a working day travelling to and fro, which, for me, is time (= money) that can never be recouped.

So I had a problem. Fed up with the status quo, I turned to my Yellow Pages to see if I could find a closer garage – perhaps one in a nearby village that I’d missed first time around.

I flicked through the usual 20+ pages of garage services. Pretty much the only thing that distinguished one ad from the next was the location, and not one of them was in my immediate neighbourhood.

Until one particular ad caught my eye:

Mobile Motor Technician
Why go elsewhere when I can come to you?
No waiting. No travelling. No garage overheads.
Free estimates. Fully equipped and insured.
Competitive prices.

Problem solved! Why hadn’t it crossed my mind before? Why go to them when they can come to me? And as it happened, when he arrived my mobile motor technician turned out to be friendly, courteous and committed to customer service and all of those other things you’d expect but don’t really need mentioning in an effective ad (but are nevertheless trotted out ad infinitum).

His short and to the point advertisement had solved my problem by differentiating itself from the crowd. So must yours.

So when you sit down to write an ad, put yourself in your buyers’ shoes. In your experience, what are their problems? Think about them in order of importance and frequency and make a list. This will give you the basis of your ad or sales copy.

Next off, examine the existing ads of your competitors. How can you make yours stand out from the crowd? For example, do you have any special skills or accreditations? Are you a member of a trade guild? Are you approved by your local chamber of commerce, town council, etc? If so, say so.

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