Going Fishing

Every year about this time, we make our annual pilgrimage to the waters of the Atlantic to go striped bass fishing. Loading the boat with all the essentials, such as something cool to quaff and piles of sandwiches, we grab our rods and reels and sally forth. But wait - did we forget something? Sure did - we need to have bait. What are they biting on this time of year?

Fortunately there is a bait shop on the way out, so we tie up to the dock and go inside. There we talk with the owner who tells us they are biting on several different kinds, so taking his advice we buy several. At first we each use a different kind, and if they seem to favor one bait over the other, we all start using the one that is attracting the fish.

Hmm - sounds familiar doesn't it. We do the same thing when trying to lure customers into our online offers. Like in fishing, you need the essentials in your business. Our web site and email programs can be compared to the fishing equipment, but we have to have the proper bait. This is where your advertising comes in. Your ads are your bait, and you will need to use different ads to attract different customers.

Writing ads is a skill you must master if you wish your online business to prosper. There has been a lot written about writing effective ads. Sometimes what might be considered a bad ad by the pros is one that actually works. Why you might ask? Different styles appeal to different people, and you have to realize, that while the web might provide a level playing field for entrepreneurs, the likes and dislikes of potential customers are vary widely.

While "Glitz", and exaggerated earnings claims might appeal to some, to others it is a turn off. Wild claims about earnings potential might gather some prospects, but will be an automatic "click away" for others who prefer a low key approach. You must experiment with different ad copy, and keep records of what is drawing.

There are many ways to do this, and some suggest that you have multiple web sites geared towards ads that are running. In your ads, you point your visitors to different sites and by keeping statistics, you can see which ads are working.

But here is the dilemma. Depending on any number of factors, visitors could be coming from places other than your ads, and the results might be misleading. If, for example, a search engine picks up one site and not the other, you will obviously have more visitors to the site that has been indexed.

Bluntly, hits to your web site don't really count - sales do. Your first job however, is to get visitors to your site. This is done through a variety of methods, including advertising, the use of search engines and email. Once you get them there, you must then sell them on your product.

On our web sites, we have an "after sale" questionnaire and we simply ask them how they found us. Now these people have decided to do business with us, and their answers will most likely be truthful. We then log this information, which helps us determine what advertising is working.

Ads that don't appear to be pulling, we modify until we start seeing positive results. One of the best places to test your ads is in ezine publications that are highly targeted toward your potential customers. I don't recommend ads in publications that are not targeted to your prospects. Unless you have a very generalized product, the return you get in these will most likely be minimal. More importantly, you won't get sufficient information to determine if the actual copy is working.

Many people have been advertising in the same ezines for years. Remember that there is some "thrashing" that occurs, and some people drop off the subscription list for the publication, but others are added. This gives you a constant new group of people who will read your ad every time it is published.

Experienced online entrepreneurs will even keep the same copy year after year if it is pulling. It usually takes 5 to 7 exposures anyway until they receive "brand identification". When someone is willing to "bite", if they have the proper ad, they will remember them. To land your customers, like in fishing, you must have the proper bait.

Did you know that subscribers to Bob Osgoodby's Free Ezine the "Tip of the Day" get a Free Ad for their Business at his Web Site? Great Business and Computer Tips - Monday thru Friday. Instructions on how to place your ad are in the Newsletter. Subscribe at: mailto:tipofday-subscribe@topica.com

HOW TO CREATE A PROFITABLE LITTLE ADBob Leduc

A small ad can generate a greater return on your investment than any other type of advertising. You can also use it in a variety of media. For example, I often get profitable results from the same small ad in all of the following:

* Internet - posted as a classified ad at websites and in email newsletters (ezines). * Print - run as a classified or display ad in magazines. * Direct Mail - printed on a postcard and sent to targeted mailing lists.
* Email - added as a "signature" to the bottom of my email messages.

A small classified or display ad doesn't provide enough space to generate sales directly from the ad. Instead, use the ad to generate inquiries from prospects seeking more information or to generate visitors to your store or website. Apply your usual selling procedure to close sales when you get the inquiry or visitor.

A SIMPLE 4 STEP PROCEDURE

By trial and error I developed the following 4 step procedure for creating successful little classified or display ads. You can follow this same simple procedure to successfully create your own profitable little ads.

STEP 1: PROMOTE ONE PRODUCT TO ONE TARGETED MARKET

Select one product or service to promote and tailor your ad to one targeted market. You can develop ads for many different products and target them to many different markets. But each ad will be most effective when it promotes one product to one targeted market.

STEP 2: DEVELOP A HEADLINE WITH YOUR STRONGEST BENEFIT

The headline is the most important part of your ad. It captures the reader's attention and provides a compelling reason to read your ad. The most effective headline clearly promotes your strongest benefit to readers in your targeted market. For example, "How To Build Your MLM Downline Fast" will immediately attract the attention of most network marketers. It offers the solution to their biggest problem... how to build their downline sales organization.

STEP 3: REINFORCE YOUR HEADLINE WITH BODY COPY

Keep your body copy brief. Include a few power words to reinforce the benefit promoted in your headline. For example, "Quick! Easy! Immediate results guaranteed!" could be used as body copy to reinforce the sample headline in Step 2.

End your body copy by telling the reader exactly how to respond to your ad. Keep it simple and make it easy. For example, "Call 1-800-123-4567 for FREE information TODAY!"

STEP 4: REVISE AND TEST -- OVER AND OVER AGAIN

Keep trying to increase the number of responses from your ad. Test different headlines, different body copy, different media. Test even minor changes in your ad. I've seen ad responses jump dramatically after simply enclosing the headline in quotation marks. I've also seen ad responses to a different ad drop after making the same change. The only way to know if something works is to test it.

Test only one change at a time or you won't know which change produced the new result. Be sure to code each version of your ad so you can track the results from it. Whenever a new "test" version of your ad produces better results than your standard version, make it your new standard version. Continual testing enables you to gradually increase the response rate and profitability of your little ad. I once built the response to a recruiting ad printed on a postcard from 3 percent to over 20 percent this way.

Use this simple four step procedure to create your own small ads. If you already use small ads, apply this procedure to your existing ads to increase their effectiveness and profitability. The results will surprise you.

Bob Leduc retired from a 30 year career of recruiting sales personnel and developing sales leads. He is now a Sales Consultant.
For more information...
Email: BobLeduc@aol.com Subject: "Postcards". Phone: (702) 658-1707 (After 10 AM Pacific time) Or write: Bob Leduc, PO Box 33628, Las Vegas, NV 89133