I was visiting family in San Diego this weekend. Fun trip, lots to do. But on the drive over, I noticed a billboard for a casino, advertising it as the “San Diego’s luckiest casino.”

I just had to laugh. I told my husband that I don’t want to go to a casino that’s lucky. I want to go to one where I’ll be lucky. The casino already has house odds in its favor; it doesn’t need luck.

I know what they meant. That doesn’t mean I had to read it that way.

That’s something important to consider in your own advertising. You can say something, but readers or viewers may not interpret it the way you meant them to. And that’s a bad thing for your business much of the time.

Punctuation Saves Lives

It’s not just poor phrasing that can get you into trouble. Misplaced and missing punctuation can completely change the meaning of a sentence. Just compare “Let’s eat Grandma” with “Let’s eat, Grandma.” Which one is Grandma going to be happy about and which will send her running for the door?

Pronoun Trouble

Just who are you referring to in your advertising? Is it always clear? No one likes getting mixed up about who or what you’re referring to in your writing.

This cialis 100 mg is where the casino ad slipped up just a little. I know they meant to imply that *I* could be lucky in their casino, but the ad as written could be interpreted as the casino itself having all the luck. Who wants that?

The trouble is that the phrasing they used was the most efficient, and most people do understand what they mean to be saying. It’s not the worst example when it comes to something that could be misinterpreted. But it could have been better done.

What Are You Implying?

You may also imply more than you mean to in your ad Viagra Jelly copy. Maybe it’s hype, maybe it’s something you didn’t mean to say. But it’s misleading to your customers.

This Kamagra can be a serious problem. It’s not impossible that it can get you into a bit of trouble, depending on how much of an overstatement you make. You can’t claim that your product will do something that there is no chance it can do, and you have to be careful about claims you make that aren’t true all of the time.

This is why business opportunity and wellness product ads have disclaimers, and why the FTC is getting pickier about claims made in advertising. They want average results promoted, not just the extremes. You probably still see a lot of sites making what appear to be promises of wealth, easy weight loss or major health benefits without proof of results, just because it’s hard for laws like that to be enforced. But expect that over time these claims will be checked, and it may be a way to get into legal trouble.

Be sure that what you say clearly and what you imply are reasonable. Have proof available when possible. It may save you a lot of trouble.

It’s important to give a lot of thought to anything you’re going to say to promote your business. Poor punctuation, incorrect phrasing and unproven claims can make your ads say more than you meant them to. That can effect your reputation and your bottom line.

Author Bio: Stephanie Foster blogs at http://www.homewiththekids.com/blog/ about running a successful home business. Learn how you can start an inexpensive online business at her site.

Category: Business/Advertising
Keywords: advertising,keeping ads clear,writing good ads