Advertising

Offline Advertising Secrets: Using Offline Advertising to Get the Most from Your Name Squeeze Page

May 18, 2008 – 4:35 pm

Many people online are not using one of the best advertising methods around. I’m talking about offline print advertising. I’ve been using it since 1998, and I have a secret to share with you. Over 60% of my online business comes from offline print advertising. I know that 60% sounds very high, but it’s because I use offline print advertising as my main advertising method.
Before we go any further, I’d first like to tell you to not give up on your online advertising methods. You just need to learn to use online and offline advertising methods together.
Here is how I used offline print advertising to drive people to a struggling “name squeeze” page.
I know that many of you are frustrated with your online advertising methods. Email advertising, PPC advertising, website advertising, and the like can all be very over whelming. A few years ago when I was new to Internet marketing, I tried everything under the sun to get people to a “name squeeze” page I had built to promote a product. I finally decided to go back to what I knew worked. Offline print advertising!
I took all the copy that was on my “name squeeze” page. I opened up Microsoft Publisher (All it is, is a word processor program.) and pasted all of my copy from my “name squeeze” page into Publisher. I took the ad copy and made it into a full page (8×11) ad. It’s very easy to do, so don’t let this part scare you.
Now, I had an ad that looked just like my online “name squeeze” page, but without the email sign up box. Instead of the email sign up box, I directed the reader to my website address.
I looked for places I could now advertise my ad in. Since I had been using offline print advertising, I knew exactly where to go. You may be new to this kind of advertising, and that’s okay because I have one of the only websites that will thoroughly teach you how to use many offline advertising techniques like this one at little or no cost. It’s loaded with resources on where and how to advertising offline.
I placed my “name squeeze” website ad in several publications. The total readership was about 200,000
Once my ad for my “name squeeze” website hit, my site was flooded with visitors, and I had people signing up left and right via my email form on my website. It’s a little harder to track when using offline advertising methods. When I ran the ad to promote my “name squeeze” page, I made a special page just for my offline advertising people. That way I could track my ROI.
When it was all said and done, I had spent $120 on advertising. The counter on my special page for my offline advertising people showed that I had gotten almost 16,000 unique visitors to the site. Out of those 16,000 unique visitors, almost 2,000 of those visitors signed up for my offer on my “name squeeze” page. Out of those 2,000 people, 156 of them bought my $9.95 product. I made a total of $1,552.20. I only spent $120 on advertising, and the product only cost me $2.83 to fill and ship. My total profit was $990.72! Now that’s not a bad ROI at all!
As you can see, using offline advertising methods is very powerful. There is an art to it, but once you get it all figured out, you will be making incredible profits every time you start a new advertising campaign!
I wish you much success in all of your offline advertising adventures.
Liz Tomey
Liz Tomey has owned a direct mail advertising business since 1998. She runs two different networks of sites. One in the direct mail advertising niche www.Mailorder-HQ.com and one in the Internet marketing niche www.TomeyMarketing.com. If you would like to learn how to use offline advertising as part of your marketing efforts, stop by her super informative site at www.OfflineAdvertisingSecrets.com

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Fax Broadcast Services Get Your Message to Millions

May 10, 2008 – 2:43 pm

If your company is one of those innovative businesses that has taken advantage of new fax broadcasting technologies to get your message out, you’ve probably come to realize that the fax broadcasting services industry is ever-changing and new developments are coming out all the time.
It’s pretty much a full-time job just to manage a fax broadcast database of any size, not to mention keeping the related fax broadcasting software updated and operational.
If you’ve gotten frustrated with the overhead and manpower required to manage your entire fax broadcasting operation internally, it’s time to lighten your load by considering some outsourcing, and the possible use of an outside fax broadcasting service. Not only can this free you and your people up, but it will leverage your time and allow you to reach more people, quicker and with less money per fax.
Tips for Selecting the Best Fax Broadcast Services
In selecting the outside fax broadcast services that are right for your company, remember - technology is everything in the fax broadcast industry. Fax broadcast services won’t save you time unless they’re convenient to use and require little involvement by your own personnel.
When shopping for fax broadcast services, you’ll want to ask a ton of questions about the software and systems used by each fax broadcast service that you interview.
How flexible are their systems?
Do you get a lot of options and tailoring, or are you pretty much stuck with the system they have, even if it doesn’t meet your exact needs?
Really good fax broadcasting services have state-of-the-art fax systems that can do things like integrate faxing, email and direct mail. The better systems also allow you to control and tailor your various fax broadcasts from your own PC at your own office.
This allows you access and control of your fax broadcasts when it’s convenient for you, and reduces the time it takes to communicate instructions from your office to your fax broadcast service provider.
Take some time, shop around, and ask a lot of questions. This will be time well spent, and you’ll be very pleased when you end up with a fax broadcast service that’s easy to use and gets your fax broadcasts out quickly and by the specifications that you yourself can control from your own computer.
You’ll be tickled pink with the staff time that will be freed up, and your new fax broadcasting capabilities will make you glad that you chose to investigate the use of fax broadcast services for your own company.
Chris Bradley is V.P. of 3 Cent Fax Broadcast.com, where they help business save money and increase profits with their do it all fax service, where they do all the work and you can concentrate on your business. To learn more about their money and time saving service by clicking here … fax broadcasting services.

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The Benefits of Specific Advertising

May 10, 2008 – 2:41 pm

The great Claude Hopkins (Author of Scientific Advertising) once said, “Platitudes and generalities roll off the human understanding like water from a duck. They leave no impression whatever.”
To say, “Best in the world,” “Lowest price in existence,” etc. are at best simply claiming the expected. But superlatives of that sort are usually damaging. They suggest looseness of expression, a tendency to exaggerate, a careless truth. They lead readers to discount all the statements that you make.
— A Dog & Pony Show
It’s true that people accept a certain license in ’sales talk.’ A person may say, “Highest quality” without seeming a liar, although you realise other brands are just as good. We expect a sales person to ’sell’ and we excuse some enthusiastic exaggeration. It’s for that reason general statements count for very little. And a person inclined to grand statements and superlatives must expect their claims to meet a healthy dose of scepticism.
However, someone making a specific claim is either telling the truth lying. We know advertisers cannot lie in the best mediums, so a definite statement is usually accepted. Actual figures are not generally discounted. Specific facts, when stated, have their full weight and effect.
— Just The Facts Ma’am
This is very important to consider in written or personal salesmanship. The weight of an argument may often be multiplied by making it specific. Say that one brand of light bulb gives more light than another and you leave some doubt. Say it gives 354% more light and people realize that you have made tests and comparisons.
A dealer may say, “Our prices have been reduced” without creating any marked impression. But when he says, “Our prices have been reduced 27 per cent” they get the full value of their announcement.
— The Pre-emptive Advantage & Specificity
In the old days all beers were advertised as “Pure.” The claim made no impression. The bigger the type used, the bigger the folly. After millions had been spent to impress a platitude, one brewer pictured a plate glass where beer was cooled in filtered air. They pictured a filter of white wood pulp through which every drop was cleared. They told how bottles were washed four times by machinery. They he went down 4,000 feet for pure water. How 1,018 experiments had been made to attain a yeast to give beer that matchless flavour. And how all the yeast was forever made from that adopted mother cell.
Now don’t misunderstand - any brewer might have easily made these claims. They were mere essentials in ordinary brewing. But this one company was the first to tell everyone about them, while the others simply kept repeating the worn out statement “pure beer.” This one brewer made the greatest success that was ever made in beer advertising.
— The Art of Leverage
Remember, one advertising statement may take as much room as another, yet a definite statement is many times more effective. The difference is vast. If a claim is worth making, make it in the most impressive way you possibly can.
All these effects must be studied. ‘Salesmanship-in-print’ can be very expensive. A salesperson’s loose talk matters little when it’s simply one-on-one. However, when you are ‘talking’ to many at great cost, the weight of your advertising claims is important.
Remember, no generality has any weight whatever. It’s like saying, “How do you do?”, when you have no intention of inquiring about one’s health. And specific claims when made in print are taken at their value.
So the next time you are dreaming up adverts and offers for your business - BE SPECIFIC!
Author: www.JamesBurchill.com - James is a freelance writer and consultant

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5 Tips for Hot Yellow Pages Ads

May 10, 2008 – 2:40 pm

Yellow Pages advertising is one of the mostpopular forms of advertising in the country today.Almost every home in America (96.9%) and businesshas at least one copy of “the book”.
Almost three out of five (58%) of all adults saythey check the Yellow Pages for a phone numberand/or address at least once per week, with 77%using the book monthly.
While the Yellow Pages are an excellent referencetool, they fare less well when considered as anadvertising medium. People use the Yellow Pages tolook for a familiar name. If your otheradvertising works, then fining you in the YellowPages should be a snap.
Remember, once the book is published, you can’tchange your ad until the next publish date.
Here BIG Mike’s 5 Tips to make your Yellow PagesAd HOT.
1 - Sell the benefits
Put a headline on your ad pushing benefits.Explain how the benefits will help your prospectfulfill their needs.
2 - Forget extra cost color
The only thing color has been proven to do inYellow Pages advertising is increase the price youpay for the ad.
3 - Ask for the order
Writing “Call us now at xxx xxxx” will get moreresponses than if you simply listed you phonenumber.
4 - Write like you talk
Inject your personality into everything you write.No-one wants to read boring and stuffy legal-ease.Use short sentences and words. Use simple languageUse the word ‘you’.
5 - Avoid Bragging
Don’t boast “biggest and best”. It turns peopleoff, even if it is true. Being number one won’tsell any product for you.
Remember, the Yellow Pages is generally areference tool. People look for a name theyrecognize (or can’t remember) or for a name givenby a friend. Your ad should help them remember.The only other use of the Yellow Pages is to lookfor an emergency services. That’s why you see lotsof tow truck ads and no ads from Sears. Designyour ad accordingly
For more about advertising, get my article”Do Your Radio Ads Work?”MailTo:RadioAds@BigIdeasGroup.com
©2005 BIG Mike McDaniel All Rights ReservedMike@BIGIdeasGroup.com BIG Mike is a Professional Speaker and SmallBusiness Consultant with over 30 years experience, BIGIdeasGroup.com
Subscribe to “BIG Mike’s BIG Ideas” NewsletterMailTo:subscribe-956603364@ezinedirector.net

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Constructing Business Advertisements

April 27, 2008 – 12:06 pm

What many may consider the most important part of advertising is writing an effective ad. The information provided in a classified ad may be the deciding factor if it is successful or a, “bomb”. In addition, there are three important angles to consider when writing business advertisements.
Choosing the angle of your advertising may vary depending on what is offered. Writing a business Ad is not much different than writing an essay, with the exception of a literary work. Here are three well known angles to utilize when constructing a business advertisement.
Expressive Advertisements
An expressive advertisement is very personal. Expressive ads may be a good idea for a small business wanting to utilize a personal approach. Think of writing an excerpt of the day in a journal. As the writer of the advertisement, express personal feelings, thoughts, or opinions related to the offerings. For example, a Business Opportunity may be advertised as, “I made over $100,000.00 in one year. I cannot believe how easy it was”. This eliminates the need to use examples or testimonials, as the author becomes the example.
Persuasive Advertisements
A persuasive advertisement is used to convince the reader or change their opinion. To be successful with a persuasive ad, the writer needs to have a firm, direct, and clear point. The goal is to evoke a reaction that causes the reader to have the same point-of-view.
A common form of advertising, using a Persuasive approach, is the Governments, “Register to Vote,” advertisements. They generally are direct and to the point. They provide a concise reason why the reader should register to vote, “Make your voice heard”. By pointing out a simple benefit, they are achieving the task of persuasion.
Informative Advertisements
Informative advertisements provide detailed information. They explain all the details of a product or service. When constructing such an advertisement, the author should demonstrate observations, ideas, facts, statistics, or research data.
This is becoming common on the internet, as consumers are noticeably, “information hungry”. Consumers want to know what they are buying. In addition, this is a wise choice if consumers cannot physically see the item for sale.
An example of Informative Advertising is an Auto Manufactures advertisement for their vehicles (Not Dealerships). They generally print large advertisements that inform readers of the Vehicles Engine Horsepower, Torque, Maintenance Schedule, Improvements from prior models, available colors, Wheelbase, seating, trunk size, etc… All the information is based on facts and research. It allows consumers to compare their vehicles to similar Models, prior to taking a test drive.
With some thought and planning, an advertiser can present their information with an angle that sells. It takes monitoring, trial and error, and careful construction. Clearly indicate the next step by including a call to action. If the audience does not recognize an ordering process, it is likely the advertisement will not produce results.
Michael Medeiros is an Entrepreneur with a background in Business and Advertising and the founder of Mjmls.
Online Classifieds, Website Directory; (www.mjmls.com)

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Marketing Messages with Add Zest & Appeal

April 21, 2008 – 1:47 pm

Boring is one thing you can’t afford to be when it comes to marketing your business. With more than 3000+ marketing messages pummeling consumers on a daily basis, you need to be more, and do more, if you want to be heard above the racket.
Your marketing message is how you communicate with the public; it needs to be appealing and memorable. In order to do that, consider the concept of the meme. A meme is a thought, idea or belief that replicates over time. What that means in terms of your marketing is creating a marketing message that is strong, bold, and exciting so that it stays with the customer and becomes a part of their thinking.
A good example of this is Nike’s “Just Do It”. This phrase is used in a lot of different contexts outside of talking about Nike’s products. People get what it means because it has permeated our culture. Below are some ways that you can avoid being boring by adding extra marketing appeal to your message.
1. Add visuals. There are so many ways to bring attention to your marketing message. One of the best ways is to add something visual. As a picture speaks a thousand words, so too can it communicate all sorts of things about you and your business. What types of pictures or graphics would you use to convey who you are? Adding a picture of yourself on your website or in other marketing materials will help form a stronger connection between you and potential clients.
2. The meaning of colors. Colors hold great meaning when it comes to your marketing message. Yellow elicits high levels of attention. Orange and red indicate quickness. The concepts of money, health, and nurturing are symbolized by green. Black can mean power and strength, but it can also indicate hiding or blending into the background. Purple is the color of royalty and wealth. What types of colors are you drawn to? What meaning do you want to convey to people by the colors you use on your business cards, brochures and even on your website. Too many colors are distracting and look chaotic. Certain colors on colored backgrounds can cause the same reaction. Make sure to work with a professional when selecting colors so you can communicate your business in the best light.
3. Try technology. Adding audio or video to your web site is a great way to allow someone to get to know you better. Adding real audio recordings of your classes, an interview, or even a welcome message gives someone an opportunity to hear your voice. Because technology is so low priced and easy to use nowadays, you might even consider adding a short video as well. Again, it will help to develop a rapport with your audience. One thing to keep in mind is that while technology is great and exciting and can do wonderful things for us, not everyone has the bandwidth to enjoy it fully. Over 50% of consumers are still using dial-up computer access which limits their ability to enjoy both real audio and video to its fullest.
4. Creative business cards. One great way to stand out from the crowd is to develop a creative business card. Add your picture to it or a professionally designed graphic. Use a brochure type card, which allows you 4 different surfaces to print contact information as well as information about what you do. You can include quotations, a mini-brochure about your company, or even some helpful tips or a short quiz. Think about the use of colors and type of fonts, which also can add excitement and pizzazz.
5. Action. When people see or read about action, they often feel empowered to take action themselves. Employing motion on your website is another way to add appeal to your marketing message. You can have text that changes colors on its own, or graphics that move. You might even have a marquee. One thing to keep in mind is that motion can also quickly drive people away from your site as it can be considered obnoxious and childish. Talk to a web professional before using these techniques. You can also imply action by the types of words you use in your web copy.
6. Target your audience. A quality-marketing message speaks directly to its target audience. Who is your target audience? Is it moms, singles, seniors, solo-professionals? The words you use to communicate with a mom are quite different from the words you would use to communicate to a corporate human resources manager or to a medical doctor. The words you use must fit your audience. If they don’t, you’ll have an immediate disconnect with people who read your message.
7. What’s in it for me? Fundamental to all marketing messages must be the mantra?”What’s in it for me”? The only reason anyone is even looking at your brochure, viewing your website or reading your business card is to see what they can possibly gain for themselves. People are busy and are inundated with thousands of marketing messages each day. The only ones they will pay attention to are the ones that really speak to their needs. They have problems or issues they want solved and they are looking for solutions. An appealing marketing message is one that speaks to the typical problems faced by your target audience. Communicating how you can solve those problems quickly and cost effectively is critical to attracting new clients.
8. Ask “yes” questions. If you want to capture someone’s attention, ask them questions that they can answer “yes” to. Whether you are asking questions on a website, in a brochure, or during a sales presentation, make sure they are worded in such a way that the respondent will answer “yes” consistently. The word “yes” opens people up to accept more feedback, whereas the word “no” will quickly close them down. Also, create questions that can help the reader or viewer identify with what you’re saying, giving them the sense that you truly do understand their problems or issues.
9. Features and benefits. Don’t just tell people what you do. Instead, relate the features and benefits of what they can experience as a result of doing business with you. A feature is some aspect of the product whereas a benefit is the feeling or result that someone will experience as a result of that feature. For example, a hospital unit might feature some of the latest innovations in new baby care and services. The benefit to the new mother will be the confidence, security, and peace of mind that she and her baby will be cared for in the best ways possible.
10. Be unique. Show how you, your product, or services are unique. Not only will that help people to remember you, it will make you remarkable. The sense of being remarkable is that people will comment about you to others. Word of mouth advertising is some of the best advertising because it costs you nothing and it comes with a testimonial from the person who is telling others about you. Can you relate what you do to someone in history? Or are you the first at doing something or introducing something? Do you use unique ingredients in your products or employ specialized knowledge in the work you do? This type of information will make your marketing message not only interesting and memorable, but remarkable.
© Copyright 2004 by Alicia Smith
Alicia Smith is a Coach and Trainer whose specialty is helping coaches to Make Money Now. This article is derived from just one of the 90 lessons contained in her e-course, 90-Day Marketing Marathon. To learn more about that course and her other products and services, please visit the following sites. (You also can email her at alicia@aliciasmith.com.) www.90DayMarketingMarathon.com, www.discninja.com, www.InternetAssessments.com

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Trade Writing - For Cash!

April 21, 2008 – 1:46 pm

Often considered as “plain Jane’s” of the print world, trade magazines prove that there is more to a market than just a pretty face.
Trade magazines are written for a specialized audience and typically focus on one specific area or industry. Even the ads reflect this focus.
They assume the reader is familiar with the material that’s covered and though it can be quite technical, they aren’t usually written in a scholarly manner - this is good news for writers seeking to ad power clips to their portfolios.
Trade magazines provide a large, open and lucrative market for freelance writers because with so many competing magazines there is always a huge need for content and being an expert isn’t a prerequisite for industry publication.
Try putting “trade magazines” into a search engine such as Google.com and you get well over 250,000 hits. Now try “consumer magazines.” At 86,000 hits it’s easy to see where the markets lie.
Now is the time! There are literally thousands of FREE trade magazines available by subscription on the Internet and more become available every day. They cover every subject and every angle imaginable. They are also some of the best paying markets in the business.
Get Your Money Where Your Trade Is Or Isn’t!
You don’t need to be an expert to get published in trade magazines as long as you are very familiar with what your target magazine is buying.
The ABA Journal for lawyers, pays between $400-$2000 per article and requests that all material be centered around the law, or practicing the law, but they also buy pieces focused on legal news, current trends, the business of running a practice and technology for lawyers. This leaves room for writers who don’t happen to be law experts to find a niche’ in this publication. Can you write about the newest technology or software that would be appropriate for law office staff? Can you offer a fresh approach for making a waiting room delay more enjoyable for their clients?
Across The Board is a non profit magazine for leaders in business, government and more. It’s 60% freelance written and pays between $50 -$2500 for articles, essays, book excerpts, humor, personal experiences and opinion pieces. They also buy reprints. No expertise needed here! An article focused on the positive philanthropic policies of a fortune 500 company or the uplifting personal story of some one helped by such an organization would be right at home in this venue.
Of course, if do have an area of expertise consider exploiting it in the trades too.
The American Journalism Review -at 80% freelance written, covers expose’, ethical issues and personal experiences. Paying between $1500 and $2000 per piece for 2,000-4,000 words. Online, in the news and real time media focuses all apply.
Looking for Markets -in all the right places
As I said earlier the Internet is an incomparable resource of markets specifically for trade magazines and below are my two favorite places to shop for FREE magazines to find markets:
Free Magazine Trade Source is one of the most comprehensive sites for you to subscribe to trade magazines that you would like to target for article publication. They literally have hundreds of free publications.
TradePub.com is another excellent source for FREE trade magazine subscriptions. They also have hundreds of high quality magazines to chose from - it’s amazing really.
Don’t abandon what you know to work either Writer’s Market currently has a list of 550 paying trade markets listed with contact information, rate of pay and a description of the types of submissions accepted and there are many others only a mouse click away. And many other writer’s website have market listing that include trade market information. You can look for more places to find writer’s markets on the Resources for Writers page.
With their plain industrial covers and unilateral focus trade magazines have been the unattractive sibling of consumer oriented magazines for a very long time. It’s a reputation undeserved in the freelance writing market. With no true need for specific expertise in most publications maybe it’s time for us all to take a second look at the lucrative opportunities available for freelancers that write for trade publications.
About The Author
Angela Butera Dickson is a full service, freelance copywriter offering some of the best prices on the web. From articles to brochure copy, ghostwriting to marketing letters, she can help you cultivate a polished, professional business image: www.angeladickson.com, email: angela@angeladickson.com