The 5-Step Method to Creating KILLER Craigslist Ads that will INSTANTLY Boost your Fitness Business
Posted by Steve Hochman on Mon. May. 11th, 2009
By David Tendrich (Steve Hochman's little bro)
My little bro is making piles of extra cash-o-la in his spare time from his guitar lessons biz while he's going to college. To be honest, when I was his age I was throwing water balloons at dudes from the 7th floor of the dorms. Damn I miss that... Good times.
But what's really cool is that he gets 100% of his clients by marketing on craigslist all for FREE!
(I guess this business stuff runs in the family or something cuz he's KILLING IT)
So my little bro wrote this 5 five step fitness marketing system that will have you dominating Craigslist too. (He really went ALL OUT SO BE SURE TO LEAVE A COMMENT J)
Step 0: What you MUST do before you write an ad!
In order to effectively tell people why your service is so great, you have to know for yourself. I'm sure you know why you're the best out there, but maybe you've never put it into words.
Create two lists:
- List 1 is an in-depth list of every service you offer
- List 2 is a list of all the benefits someone would receive from hiring you.
Go into as much detail as possible. You will draw from these lists to write your whole ad.
Now onto the actual ad . . .
Step 1: The Headline
You have 3 seconds AT MOST to grab the attention of internet readers.
Here's how to use that time wisely:
- MAKE A PROMISE: Promise your reader a benefit they'll gain from your service. As you can see in the headline to this guide, I promise that if you use these techniques, your business will "INSTANTLY Boost."
- WORD CHOICE: Use action verbs. "Create" killer ads, "Boost" your business, "Slash" through your competition. Back up these action verbs with flashy descriptive words: "INSTANTLY" or "KILLER" for example. A thesaurus works GREAT for this.
- COPY: Google "Headlines that work" and draw inspiration from the sites that come up.
There's some great headlines out there you can copy and use for yourself!
Step 2: Picture your success!
Pictures will separate you from 99% of Craigslist ads.
- SELF PICTURES: In order to portray yourself as an authority figure, put a really great picture of yourself below your headline that shows you connected to your service. For example, below my headlines on my guitar ads, I have a picture of me holding a guitar.
- CAPTION: Below your picture, write a caption that says, "Photograph of <Your Name>, Founder and Trainer of <Your Company's Name>." If you don't have a company name - COME UP WITH ONE!!! Having a company name makes you sound professional, and separates you from all the other trainers out there who just use their name.
- CLIENT PICTURES: If you have success stories of clients, use their pictures along with a written testimonial from them. Testimonials are ESSENTIAL, and we will get to them in Step 5.
Step 3: Do this, and you will succeed.
Okay, so you've got the attention of you reader, they like your pic, and now they want to know about your actual service.
YOU-ADVERTISING: You are writing this ad for your reader, so don't make it about you! Make it about them! The two most powerful words in an ad are "You" and "Your"! Talk about how "Your" body will benefit.
Don't get caught up in writing lists of your qualifications.
People care a little about that, but they'll call an ad that talks about how they'll benefit over an ad talking about how smart or qualified you are. Therefore, every time you list a qualification, back it up with a piece of "you-advertising." For example: "I was certified at <incredible school> so I know the BEST ways to get you into that tight bikini before summer even gets here!"
QUESTIONS: Dale Carnegie says the best way to make someone love an idea is if they come up with it themselves. Asking people questions causes them to think of ideas to answer those questions. You can ask people things like: "What would it mean if you could . . . -Fit into those skinny jeans you packed away years ago? -Feel PROUD of your body? -Look great wearing ANYTHING? -Smile EVERY TIME you look in the mirror at how beautiful you are?"
DEAR MR. OR MS. READER: Another way to talk to your reader is through a letter. In a letter, you can reveal a lot of personality, as well as throw in more "me-advertising," where you focus on yourself. Here is an example of a letter. By the way, anything on this guide you like, feel free to copy and use for yourself!
Dear Friend,
Believe me, I know what it feels like to want to be in shape. In fact, I used to want it so badly I would even have dreams of seeing myself in my perfect body. I was overweight, unhealthy, and worst of all, MISERABLE about who I was, and what I looked like. I was as likely to go to the beach as I was to jump in a bed of nails, because I was so embarrassed of how I looked.
Then something clicked in me.
I don't know what it was, but all of the sudden I was inspired to do something about my misery, and get in shape, and get into a healthy way of life.
I researched hundreds of different ways of getting into shape, and from my research, accidentally stumbled upon a system of working out that actually WORKED!
Pounds were dropping off of me so fast that I needed a new wardrobe EVERY MONTH (which was really expensive, but a sacrifice I loved to make!).
I taught it to my friends, and they experienced the same results. I taught it to my family, and it worked for them too! It was then that I knew I had to teach as many people as I could this INCREDIBLE system of working out that I call the "Dream-Maker" Formula, because it will make your dreams of being in shape COME TRUE.
I only have a few spots left so hurry and call me to claim your FREE Introductory session so I can show you how great YOU can feel!
Best,
<Your name>
<Company Name>
<Phone #>
<E-mail>
<Website>
Step 3: Okay . . . You talk a good game, but can you back it up?
Testimonials are perhaps the most crucial part of an ad, because they show people that all of the game you just spit at them IS ACTUALLY TRUE.
If you have success stories from your clients, ask them for testimonials, and snap a picture of them. The best format for testimonials is to show a before and after picture, and beneath that a written blurb from the client.
You don't need pictures, but they help a ton!
If you don't yet have testimonials because you're just starting out, BORROW SOME FROM ANOTHER TRAINER. Then as you get some of your own, trade them out for the ones you borrowed.
Step 4: Call to Action
Now your potential customers are on the edges of their seats, and can't wait to get started!
By now they believe that you are great at what you do, and can help them too. Or at least they're willing to give it a try.
AN OFFER THEY CAN'T REFUSE: Make your customers an offer they can't refuse (but not in the "Godfather" way . . . <_<). Offer them some crazy discount, a free session, a free anything you can offer. Make them a deal that's so good they'd be crazy to refuse it! Then, below the offer, write out the dollar value of how much it's worth. Here's an example from one of my recent ads:
I'll tell you what . . . If you want to accomplish any of these great goals with your guitar . . .
Then call me right now for a Free Introductory Lesson!
And I'm so confident in these lessons, I'll even give you a Free copy of my Signature Guitar-Learning Notebook, too! Because I know you'll be back for more!
Together that's $55 in Free gifts
TAKE THE OFFER AWAY: After you've made this incredible offer, take it away! For example:
But hurry! Because I only have space for 3 more clients! And I'd hate for you to miss out!
CONTACT INFORMATION: Now all you have to do is tell them a clear way to contact you. For example:
Call David Tendrich Now 770.356.1315
Or Click to Visit VisionaryJammers.com
Step 5: Stay at the top!
The way Craigslist works, you can only post each ad every other day. So the best way to get results on Craigslist is to create about 4 ads using the above system for making great ads. Let’s call them Ad1, Ad2, Ad3, and Ad4.
Here’s a schedule for posting your ads:
Mon: Ad1 in the morning, Ad2 in the evening
Tues.: Ad3 in the morning, Ad4 in the evening
Wed.: Ad1 in the morning, Ad2 in the evening
Thurs.: Ad3 in the morning, Ad4 in the evening
Fri.: Ad1 in the morning, Ad2 in the evening
Sat.: Ad3 in the morning, Ad4 in the evening
Sun.: Ad1 in the morning, Ad2 in the evening
And so on and so forth . . .
This way you’ll be at the top every day, twice a day.
KEYBOARD CHARACTERS: To distinguish your ads from all of the others, put keyboard characters next to your title. To get these unique characters such as "██►" follow these instructions:
- Click on Start Menu> Programs> Accessories> System Tools> Character Map
Once you open the character map, up at the top select Century Gothic as the font. Then, scroll down to the cool characters. Pick the ones that take up the most surface area, and then Copy and Paste them into the beginning of the Title of your ad.
That way, even if your ad is 4 or 5 down on the list, people will still see them because they stand out so much!
Now just sit back, post your ads, and wait for the calls!
Best of luck!
To contact my little bro, David for a custom-designed ad of your own shoot him and email at DTendrich@gmail.com
Posted in Blog, Boot Camp Marketing, Fitness Marketing, Internet Marketing by |
