If you have a home based business or a family business, you probably cannot afford to hire a professional copywriter to create your advertising. However, you still need to advertise your business, so how can you make it as effective as possible? One thing you must never do is try to create a fancy advertisement. The instructor of a class of students learning to be copywriters said, "Creativity is not a positive virtue for an advertising copywriter. Whether it is a print, on-line or broadcast ad, when you ask a potential customer what he thought of the advertisement, you do not want him to say it was exceptionally creative. Instead, you want him to say it made me want to buy the product right now."

Here are five advertising tips that you may use to help make your advertisements much more effective.

1. Customers want believable proof that your product is better than the product they are currently using. Let people know how good your product or service is by offering proof that it is much better than similar products, or that it has met or exceeded certain tests or specifications. When using numbers in your advertisement, such as how much faster your product is than the competition or how much better it works, do not use round numbers. Use uneven numbers like 24.7% rather than round numbers like 30% and your message will be more believable. Be sure that the uneven number you use is lower than the provable round number it replaces.

2. Be bold and up front about who you are and where you are located. Rather than appearing to hide behind a post office box number, tell people that your business is located at 456 First Street West in the red brick Keever Building, which was constructed in 1913. This not only makes you seem more interesting, but also more believable and trustworthy. This also applies if your business is in your home. For example - Mary’s Catering Services, located at 456 First Street West, the yellow building at the corner of First Street West and Fifth Avenue.

3. A satisfaction guarantee is very important. Customers will always be more willing to buy from you if they believe that you will refund their purchase price if they are not satisfied. You may incur some expenses paying for refunds, but your increased sales will more than make up for these added expenses and the good will that you generate is priceless.

4. Similar to identifying where you are located, it is mandatory to provide contact information in your ads, especially ads in print and on-line messages. It can be your phone number, Internet URL, email address or all three. However, make sure they are correct and working properly before you publish the ad. For example, if you are publishing a toll-free number that only works in the USA, you must also include your regular telephone number with area code. In this way, potential customers from other countries will be able to contact you and buy from you.

5. One final thing needs to be included at the bottom of your advertisement. If it is a flyer or display ad, it would be placed below the body of the ad. If it is a written ad or sales letter, it should have a PS following the signature. Since this part of your advertisement is the last thing your potential customer will read, use it to reinforce your most important point or offer an incentive to get the reader to take immediate action.

If you ensure that all your advertisements follow the above five tips, you will find that your cash register rings much more frequently.