Internet Tip of the Week
by Bob Osgoodby
Improve Your AdsTrying to sell your product or service online differs from all
other forms of advertising, and very few people seem to realize
that this is completely different from all other traditional
forms of advertising. Print media allows the use of attention
good place to start in designing your online ad. In order to do
this, you will have to examine the classifieds for a few days.
Which ones run day after day and are really commercial in nature.
They all have something in common, and after awhile you can get
to spot them.OK - with that behind us, we have to get our message across with
words - and only words. All "great" ads have three things which
make them work. The first is an "attention getter", the second is
the "tease" and the third is the "call for action".
A great ad will first get someone's attention. If it doesn't do
this, you are wasting your time and advertising dollars. An
"attention getter" is basically the title of your ad - you must
use powerful words here - FREE GIFT, EARN WHILE YOU SLEEP, I WAS
REALLY STUPID etc. are just a few examples. Don't forget that
FREE is one of the most powerful of these words. Titles that
promise BIG EARNINGS or $$$$ EARN THOUSANDS $$$$ have become
passe, and should probably be avoided.Next we have the "Tease" - your purpose here is not to sell them
something immediately. If we were selling a used refrigerator, we
might say something about it to get them to call. Our purpose
here is to get them to contact us for further information. You
give them enough information to pique their curiosity. Don't try
to sell them here - you simply don't have enough space to present
your offer properly - in fact you could turn off a prospect if
done improperly.Third, we have the "Call to Action" - this is what you want them
to do. Online, we only have a few options, but they are very
powerful. E-mail to you is one and a visit to your Web Site is
another. If you have an 800 number, that could be included,
however you will get a lot of "tire kickers" who may not be
serious.Now how do I know I have a "great" ad? That's easy - you get
responses. Does that mean sales - no. It means responses. The
sales part is a whole different animal.Remember that it takes at least 5 to 7 exposures, on the average
in traditional advertising, to get a customer to "walk through
your door". Advertising online is the same. You cannot expect
your ads to generate leads if they are only done once or twice,
or by using a shotgun approach. Consistency here is the key. Keep
your offer in front of your prospects on a regular basis.Don't be afraid to experiment with your ad copy. Keep a notebook
which has copies of your ads with one per page. When you get a
response, make a note there and include their E-mail address.
Rotate your ads on a fairly regular basis to ensure they are all
getting a fair chance. After awhile, you will see which ads are
generating the most responses. Discard those that are not, and
concentrate on improving those that are.-----
Bob has been publishing online since 1996. All the “tricks of the trade” are contained in his latest E-book. Learn how to avoid being shut down by your ISP for Spamming, and where to find “E-mail friendly ISP's. Learn which software packages are available to easily manage and distribute your email. For more information - http://www.adv-marketing.com/business/handbook.htm
We
Have Zero Tolerance for Spam