The Best Ways to Create an Attention-Grabbing Ad to Sell Your Business While Protecting Your Privacy
A big part of selling your business is getting the word out. The more people who know your business is for sale, the more interest you’ll receive. However, the trick is to write a great attention-grabbing ad that helps you attract buyers while protecting your privacy at the same time.
Spreading the Word
At Jackim Woods & Co, we understand the importance of creating a quality and compelling advertisement. We also understand that you need to use all the technology available today to get the word out so people view the add. As a result, we use business brokerage websites like BizBuySell, BizQuest, MergerNetwork, Axial Network, DealSteam, and about a dozen others to get the word out to potential buyers. We also send emails to the buyers in our proprietary database and to the attorneys, CPAs, financial advisors, and consultants who are part of our network.
Top Tips to Generate More Interest
Over the last 25 years, we’ve discovered that there are five key things in a listing that help attract more prospective buyers.
1. Details Sell
First, the listing should be as descriptive as possible, without revealing any information that would enable a buyer to identify your business. The sales listing should provide an excellent description of your business and its unique features, including a summary of its financial performance, the opportunities for growth, and your reason for selling. As Richard Jackim, Managing Partner at Jackim Woods & Co points out, you want to “engage the buyer early.” That means, now is not the time to be vague or secretive. You want potential buyers to have a very clear idea of what kind of business you have so they can determine if it’s the right fit for them.
2. Headlines Count
Second, every listing needs a great headline. Buyers skim the Internet looking for something that catches their eye. As a result, a good listing ad should have an engaging and descriptive headline. You want to capture a buyer’s attention. We start by determining what your business’s best features are and then emphasizing one or two of those features in the headline.
3. Incorporate High-Quality Images
Third, everyone knows a picture is worth a thousand words and this is especially true on the Internet. Interesting and compelling pictures do a much better job capturing attention than a great headline. If you don’t have high-quality professional photos of your business or its products, we have access to a wide range of high-quality stock photos that we can use to create a professional image for your business.
4. Include Your Financials
Fourth, your listing post should include a summary of key financial information. The first question any serious buyer will have is what your financial results have been. Providing as much information as possible upfront about your business’s revenue, expenses, and cash flow is a good idea since most potential buyers screen their business searches based on key financial metrics.
5. Proof-read, Proof-read, Proof-read
Finally, it is essential that you proofread anything you put on the Internet very carefully. At Jackim Woods & Co, we understand that we only get one chance to make a good first impression, so we proof-read and double proof-read every posting that we put online. We realize that clients are trusting us to present them to the world of prospective buyers and we realize that buyers are discerning and detailed focused, so a listing with simple grammar or spelling mistakes will turn potential buyers off and creates the wrong impression from the start.
Creating a great listing posting is both an art and a science. The best way to ensure that you have a great listing posting is to work with an experienced business broker who understands what issues to emphasize about your business to attract the largest number of potential buyers. At Jackim Woods & Co we know what buyers are looking for, and as experienced marketing professionals, we can help you present your business to buyers in the best light possible.
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