Wednesday, January 31, 2007

The Way Advertising Is Used

Advertising is in reality the machine, or bulk, method of selling. It takes a large portion of the public and, directing them to matters of fundamental interest, turns these matters to the advantage of the product and firm involved. It is the mass action of selling, selling to the group, handling the sales question wholesale.

It is used, therefore, either to supplant the personal selling force, to supplement it, or act upon it. In some cases the printed method of selling in bulk is the only method used. This is the method employed by the many internet companies, which secures its business by Pay-Per-Click advertising and through search engine optimization. In this case the personal selling force is eliminated, and the whole proposition is put up to the customer, his approval secured and his order placed without the personal representative of the seller having been called in at all.

In this case, the advertising is used by directing the consumer to the product in question, and instituting discrimination among the consumers in favor of the product being sold or their acceptance of its quality and reliability.

Advertising as a Control

That part of any business organization which comes in contact with the public is the one upon which the good-will of the business depends, and the one which can be controlled only with the greatest difficulty. The work of the agent or representative can be controlled only to a very minor degree, as his time is spent where there is no check upon his actual methods of doing business. He may exaggerate, change his arguments, guarantee and do other things not consistent with the house policy, and so long as these matters do not assume vital importance, may be allowed to continue.

Theoretically the principal is responsible for all the acts of his subordinates in business, but there are a great many small minded men, and the individual methods of each of these representatives cannot effectively be held to the policy which the principal desires. Advertising aids the central control upon the conditions of sale and does this very definitely. It takes the claims, the advantages, and factors of service, puts them into the most carefully worded phrases, and, by printing them gives them a definite .character and record, which may be quoted against the concern in question at any time.

The statement of the salesman is no longer the only statement of the house; another statement is found in the printed messenger of the organization. This statement, moreover, is authoritative because it is printed, definite, and limited. A measure of comparison is set up by this printed message by which the statements of the representative and the character of the service can be equally measured. This measure of comparison acts as a control upon the condition of sale in all its phases by fixing the estimate placed by the principal upon the services of his product, and consequently obliging all other conditions to come to this.

About the Author:
Donald "DonOmite" Hammond has been a freelance webdesigner and programmer for over 10 years. He has done marketing of himself and his products as well as customers' products on their websites.
Article Submitted On: November 30, 2006
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Internet Marketing 101

Can you really make money online? The answer is YES YOU CAN! There are many great opportunities on the web that you can use to make money. Opportunities such as Internet marketing and Affiliate marketing. However there are thousands upon thousands of scams out there. You might be asking your self, how do I know if it is a scam? Well this is a great question. Some times you really cant until you have signed up, then it’s to late. There really is no true magic answer that would filter out all the scams. You can however search for whatever opportunity you are thinking about joining, on google, and put the word scam behind it. There are a lot of sites that let you know if that business opportunity is a scam. Just think, and put some common sense into your thinking before buying or joining a program.

Internet marketing/Affiliate marketing are great ways to make money with out being scammed. Joining affiliate programs is free, so there is no chance of being ripped off. The only thing you would need to pay for would be advertising. Don’t know what affiliate marketing is? It’s simple really. You sign up for a program such as clickbank.com or cj.com to name a few. Then you pick some products you feel would sell well. You then advertise the product with your affiliate link. When someone buys the product through your link, you make a commission off of the sale. Commissions’ range so make sure you know what your products commission is before you sell it. There are many ways to advertise: Google Adwords, e-mail marketing, posting in forums, writing articles and even off-line promotion. All of the above work great. If you are on a tight budget, I would suggest writing articles and submitting them to free article directories, posting in forums, and blogging. How do any of these help you? Writing an article and having your affiliate link or website in the signature of your article gets your link seen by many people. It is the best way to get free traffic to your site. Posting in forums has the same effect. When you post in a forum you have a signature at the bottom of each post. The more posts you make, the more times your link is seen. Lastly having a blog is another great way to have your link seen by many prospects. Update your blog daily with content rich keywords, and you should be able to sell some prospects on your product.

This is a very basic overview of Internet marketing. Hopefully this sparks someone’s interest in Internet marketing. If you would like more information on marketing and online business, sign up for my newsletter at: http://www.youngnetprenuer.com/money.html. You will get the Secrets to Success Report by Mal Keenan free. Good luck on all of your ventures!

About the Author:
Travis Werbelow is the owner of www.youngnetprenuer.com He is just that, a youngnetprenuer.
Get more information on making money online by signing up for his free newsletter:
Make Money Online!
Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com

Monday, January 29, 2007

Sell Advertising On Your Web Site

The number of sites on the Web today is almost infinite, with new ones popping up every day. There are multiple types of sites: portals, "brochureware," content sites, directories, search engines, and ecommerce sites, to name a few. Those that do not sell product or services directly or indirectly on their site often rely on advertising revenue to support operations.

So how does one get started getting companies to advertise on a site? Here's a quick primer to getting out of the gate.

Google AdSense

Probably one of the most simplistic ways to place advertising on your site is to sign up with Google as one of its AdSense Publishers. The Adsense program displays text ads rather than images on your site. Google then serves ads based on the content on on the page containing their ad code. For example, if we post a tip on our site about email marketing, Google ads will likely deal with email marketing services or products (see our archived tip, How Email Formats May Affect Response Rates, as an example).

Just in case any of your competitors show up in these text ads, you have the option to pre-block them with an ad filter.

Google pays a percentage of the revenue it earns (it does not disclose exactly what that percentage is) and sends checks to

publishers monthly, provided that the publisher has generated at least $100 in ad revenue.

Affiliate Programs

The next easiest way to get advertising on your site is to sign up with an affiliate program (or multiple ones) as a publisher. You will then have access to listings of hundreds of merchants (a.k.a. advertisers) who offer a financial incentive for you to promote their products. Though typically you only get paid when there is an actual sale (versus getting paid just to display their ad), all you have to do is place the ad on your site or in your newsletter, etc., and the affiliate program will take care of the rest.

Some of the most reputable and well-known affiliate programs are:

* Commission Junction
* LinkShare
* Affiliate Shop
* Commission Soup
* DarkBlue
* Amazon Associates
* Primary Ads
* Affiliate Fuel

Ad Networks

An ad network is essentially one centralized re-seller of advertising space which brokers sales for its network of publishers at mass or liquidated pricing in exchange for a percentage of the ad buy.

There are various ad networks out there and joining them is rather easy, but before you do so you should ensure that your site is up to date and meets the criteria of the network. Typical criteria include:

* Minimum page views or visitors per month - Some networks require little or none while others want anywhere from 3,000 to 250,000 page views a month or thousands of visitors per month
* Content - Your site content should be relevant and regularly updated
* Targeting
* Residing on own top-level domain - Your site should not be hosted on free providers
* No excessive amount of advertising - A site cannot be all advertisements because that won't appeal to anyone As a publisher, you just don't want to "give away the shop" and sell your soul for a bit of advertising revenue. Here are some particulars to be aware of:

* Percentage of revenue - Legitimate networks should give the publisher the lion's share of the advertising revenue; somewhere in the neighborhood of 55 to 70 percent of revenues generated by the site is common
* Exclusivity - Avoid ad networks that do not allow you to serve ads from any other network
* Payment terms - Many times you will not be sent your check until 30 to 90 days AFTER the month in which your balance has reached a pre-determined amount. * Dependability - As with anyone else you might be hiring, contact some other sites
* Publisher veto power - Like Google AdSense, does your ad network give you the power to reject specific campaigns or ads shown on your site?

Feel you are ready to accept network advertising but don't know where to start? Here's a list of some small to mid-sized ad networks to contact:

* Search Feed
* Adtegrity
* BlogAds --specifically for blogs
* Burst Media
* Fastclick
* ValueClick
* x10 Networks
* Clicksor

For sites attracting visitors on a larger scale, some networks for you to also consider include:

* Blue Lithium
* AzoogleAds
* Advertising.com
* MaxOnline
* 24/7 Real Media
* Ad-Up

After you have met the requirements needed for a particular ad network and have decided to sign up, you may also want to keep a few things in mind. Without a doubt you should read the contract word for word and make sure you comprehend all of the information. Then take into consideration the ad rates, types and formats. Would you like to offer targeted or non-targeted advertisements or both? Just don't throw caution to the wind for a quick buck. Be sure to retain the upperhand when dealing with any kind of advertiser or advertising network. It is, after all, YOUR site.

About the Author:
Hollis Thomases is the President of Web Ad.vantage, Inc., an online marketing firm specializing in search engine optimization, paid search engine marketing, and online media buy.
Article Source: www.iSnare.com

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Reason Why Advertising vs "Image" Advertising

At the beginning of XXI century, companies take extreme care when formu¬lating and executing sales promotions and advertising campaign. In some emerging markets, advertising efforts can raise eyebrows if companies appear to be exploiting regulatory loopholes and lack of consumer resistance to intrusion. Advertising is defined as any sponsored, paid message that is communicated in a nonpersonal way. Some advertising messages are designed to communicate with persons in a single country or market area. Some advertising campaigns are created for audiences across several country markets such as Europe or Latin America, and can be defined as messages whose art, copy, headlines, photographs, tag lines, and other elements have been developed expressly for their worldwide suitabil¬ity.

Advertising has a great influence on the society as it is often designed to add psychological value to a product or brand, it plays a more important communications role in marketing consumer products than in marketing industrial products. Advertising can control the circulation of ideas about a particular product.

Frequently purchased, low-cost products generally require heavy advertising support to remind consumers about the product. Not surprisingly, consumer products companies top the list of big advertising spenders. IBM, Tesco, M&S just a few of the companies with significant advertising expendi¬tures.

The message of advertisement must be encoded, conveyed via the appropriate channels, and decoded by the customer-receiver. Communication takes place only when meaning is transferred. Three main difficulties can compromise an organization's attempt to com¬municate with customers:

(1) the message may not get through to the intended recipient. This problem may be the result of an advertiser's lack of knowledge about appropriate media for reaching certain types of audiences. For example, the effectiveness of television.

(2) The message may reach the target audience and may be understood but still
may not induce the recipient to take the action desired by the sender. This could
result from a lack of cultural knowledge about a target audience.

(3) The effectiveness of the message can be impaired by "noise" which means external influence such as competitive advertising, other sales personnel, and confusion at the receiving end. These factors can detract from the ultimate effectiveness of the communication.

Before the WWII period, David Ogilvy was one of the most well-known persons in advertising industry. His work and ideas of David Ogilvy was influenced by such famous figures as John Caples Claude Hopkins, and Raymond Rubicam. He foresaw new trends in advertising and emphasized the importance of salesman-ship-in-print philosophy before Albert Lasker. He wrote: "You have only 30 seconds [in a TV commercial]. If you grab attention in the first frame with a visual surprise, you stand a better chance of holding the viewer. People screen out a lot of commercials because they open with something dull ... " When you advertise fire-extinguishers, open with the fire." (Ogilvy 1985, cited "Advertising" 2004).

In the post-war period, two main forms of advertising, "image" and "reason why" advertising appeared. Both types have some advantages and disadvantages. In general, it is possible to say that image and "reason why" advertising are used by the companies to deliver different messages to their target audience.

"Reason why" advertising school combines the features of two different philosophies: "Rational" advertising and "Unique Selling Proposition". The rationale means that people are motivated and persuaded to buy the products. Obviously, this approach does not take cultural considerations into account. The advertising appeal is the communications approach that relates to the motives of the target audience. For example, ads based on a rational approach depend on logic and speak to the audience's intellect. Ads using an emotional approach appeal to the heart of the intended audience. In other words, some ads use a knowledge-based appeal whereas others appeal to feelings. Unique Selling Proposition is the promise or claim that captures the reason for buying the product or the benefit that ownership confers.

Because products are frequently at different stages in their life cycle in various national markets, and because of cultural, social, and economic dif¬ferences that exist in those markets, the most effective appeal or selling proposition for a product may vary from market to market. Rosser Reeves, the top account man at Ted Bates and representative of "reson-why" school created a well-known phrase "Unique Selling Proposition". This took place in the mid of 1950s, and since that time has been widely used by advertising professionals. "Unique Selling Proposition" means that "promoting one key feature and benefit of any brand for years and years and years would cut through the clutter of advertising and build an unassailable position in the consumer's mind" (unique selling proposition - debunked!, 2003). Today, unique selling proposition method of advertising does not work well.

According to Reeves the aim of this method is "getting a message into the heads of most people at the lowest possible cost" (Rothenberg, 2005). As an example of Reeves successful slogans is "Wonder Bread helps build strong bodies 12 ways," publicly boasted how one client spent $86.4 million in 10 years "on one piece of my copy." (cited Rothenberg, 2005).

The audience of "Reason why" advertising is uneducated but not stupid people. For this reason, it appeals to logic of a potential consumer. The gurus of "Reason why" advertising are John E. Powers, John E. Kennedy and Albert Lasker, Claude Hopkins, and Rosser Reeves. "Copy" was the technique created by John E. Kennedy and also called "Salesmanship-In-Print". "Kennedy's experience with The Regal Shoe Company, Post Grape Nuts, Postum Coffee, and Dr. Shoop's Family Medicine Co. proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he truly had isolated that fundamental concept" (Reason-why advertising, 2005).

To evaluate the response of a "reason-why" advertising campaign quantitative research is used. Also, coupons, samples, advertise sales and measure the response help the company to reach its target audience and increase sales. The armory of communication techniques at the organization's dis¬posal, which might be used singly or in combination, can be blended together into an effective and persuasive communications mix. Zealotry, which implies, according to Bob Garfield, knowable and formulaic, plays a crucial role in "Reason why" advertising.

In contrast, "image" advertising school is designed to enhance the public's perception of a company, create goodwill, or announce a major change such as a merger or acquisition. It is based on emotional and aesthetic appeal and ahs an impact on consumers' imagination. The main figures which played a significant role in "image" advertising school developmentwere Helen Lansdowne Resor, Earnest Elmo Calkins, Theodore MacManus, Bill Bernbach, Mary Wells Lawrence.

Bill Bernbach is considered the "creator" of "image" advertising. According to Bernbach the main concepts of this type include: "1. appeal to the heart instead of the head, reach people through their feelings; 2. Soyez Différent (Be Different), 3. Be Relevant, 4. Advertising is an intrinsic part of the product!, 5. Be Credible!, 6. Advertising is not a science, it's an art!, 7.Don't be a follower, be a leader!, 8, 9. Be Provocative and Take a stand. (Top Ten people, 1996).

The good example of image advertising is the Boeing ads which were part of a European print cam¬paign launched in 1997 to enhance Boeing's image by raising awareness of the num¬ber of jobs the company created locally. Following the merger of Daimler and Chrysler in the fall of 1998, a series of full-page print ads announced the formation of the new company. Global companies frequently utilize image advertising in an effort to present themselves as good corporate citizens in foreign countries.

In contrast to "reason why" advertising "image" advertising can be used "for large, widely known companies, but it's not a cost-effective technique for smaller companies without widespread name recognition" (Moses, 2005). In his article, Moses explains that "reason why" advertising (he calls it informative) should be used by smaller companies. The ads of this type allow the company to put "specific information about their products and services, the benefits of buying their products and perhaps even a little about the company" (Moses, 2005).

Effective image advertising requires developing different presentations of the product's appeal or selling proposition. In other words, there can be differences between what one says and how one says it. Many alternatives are available including straight sell, scientific evidence, demonstration, comparison, testimonial, slice of life, animation, fantasy, and dramatization.

John O'Toole defined the big idea as a flash of insight that synthesizes the purpose of the strategy, joins the product benefit with consumer desire in a fresh, involving way, brings the subject to life, and makes the reader or audience stop, look, and listen (McDonald, Christopher, 2003).

Taking into account the information mentioned above and the development of each type it is possible to say that there is no universal type for all products. Today, "reason-why" and "image" advertising are used for promotion different categories of products trying to find the best way to reach their audience. For instance, "reason-why" advertising is usually used for pharmaceuticals, technology and packaged goods campaigns. The responsibility for deciding on the appeal, the selling proposition, and the appropriate execution lies with creative.

Nevertheless, this type of advertising gives lower response with cosmetics, clothing and cigarettes. The visual presentation of an advertisement is more important than logic zealotry-like message. Also, some forms of visual presentation are universally understood. Revlon, for example, has used a French producer to develop television commercials in English and Spanish for use in international markets. These commercials are filmed in Parisian settings but commu¬nicate the universal appeals and specific benefits of Revlon products. By producing its ads in France, Revlon obtains effective television commercials at a much lower cost than it would have paid for commercials produced in the United States.

PepsiCo has used four basic commercials to communicate its advertising themes. The basic setting of young people having fun at a party or on a beach has been adapted to reflect the general physical environment and racial characteristics of North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. The music in these commercials has also been adapted to suit regional tastes. Other examples of image advertising include Nokia's pur¬chase of full-page newspaper ads to congratulate Florida for winning the 1997 Sugar Bowl. The ads also mentioned the Nokia Sweepstakes, which featured a million-dollar prize if a contestant could throw a football through an inflated cellular phone at a distance of about ten yards.

Of course, the success of this approach will depend in part on avoiding unintended ambiguity in the ad copy. Then again, in some situations, ad copy must be translated into the local lan¬guage. Translating copy has been the subject of great debate in advertising circles. Advertising slogans often present the most difficult translation problems. The chal¬lenge of encoding and decoding slogans and tag lines in different national and cul¬tural contexts can lead to unintentional errors. Virgin Airlines represents an example of "reason why" advertising. Japanese car marketers create a public relations campaign designed to convince Clinton that new taxes will not bring benefits neither to Japanese exporters nor the USA.

To conclude, half a century experience of advertising prove the fact that both "reason-why" and "image" type of advertising are usefully tools to build the bridge between audience and a marketer. They are used for different products to create temporal and worldly, and an image, powerful and lasting effect.

About the Author:
Andrew Sandon
Produced by ProfEssays ( www.professays.com ) - professional custom essay writing service: custom essays, custom term papers, custom academic papers, custom admission essays, custom research papers, compositions, book reports, case study. No plagiarism, high quality, prompt delivery.
Posted: 30-11-2006
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Facts and Fiction of Search Engine Submission

New marketers commonly believe a good way to promote their new website and become indexed with search engines, it is necessary to submit your site to the search engines. This is fiction, and falls under the same general category as Get Rich Quick schemes.

While submission to search engines used to be beneficial to getting your website indexed, and even necessary, five and ten years ago, submitting to search engines no longer has value. Major search engines wanted more comprehensive and independent data, and developed their own technology in the form spiders and crawlers. All major search engines now have the capacity to effectively search the web continuously and find new websites, plus evaluate the content and value. All major search engines now rely completely on their own technology. So, submission to a major search engine has either no impact, or even possibly a negative impact.

However, minor search engines do still accept website submissions, but not to build their data base, as you might think. The blunt truth is that minor search engines get increased traffic to their own site in the form of site submissions. You might spend your time and effort, but for what result? No one really uses smaller search engines for searching.

Then we get to the topic of search engine submission services. A few may provide a service of value, but many of these know that their service is a waste of time and money. But as long as people are willing to sign up, submission services will exist. These services will tell the inexperienced marketer that frequent submission is essential. And since most of the services do charge a small fee, this can provide a nice income for them, from your money. And while your website might get submitted to the minor search engines, but smaller search engines do not get used for searching. So there may be limited or even no real search index benefit.

Also, many new marketers are not aware that email harvesting is a major business for many small or minor search engines and also many search engine submission services. In fact, some small search engines only exist to collect data to sell as high quality email leads. Data bases contain your name, email, IP address, etc., and your information is sold as quality leads, over and over. After all, the new marketer is obviously interested in online marketing, and considered a high quality lead. So you eagerly provided, or even paid, to have your information sold repeatedly and provide them with a good source of revenue. But your website traffic does not increase. However, now your email account gets bombarded with online offers claiming you opted in to receive their information, and you do not know how your information was shared or released.

Some people are even aware of all these facts, but mistakenly believe that because the practice of submitting to search engines creates an inbound link to their website, this method is effective. Any links created are very low value, and major search engines recognize this fact. Quality links have always been the most important factor, and that will never change. To believe otherwise is just rationalization, or wishful thinking.

Finally, consider the long term efforts of your investments, whether as time, effort or money. Focus your efforts and energies on quality development and promotion methods, which will provide quality links, and quality traffic. There are no short cut methods to long term success. Start now to make your efforts reflect your true goals of long term success.

About the Author:
Sadie Jane has been marketing online for some time now and is also the author of many articles on marketing, the internet, and investing.
http://onlineopportunitiies.biz
http://sadiesinfomall.com
Added: 01 Nov 2006
Article Source: http://articles.simplysearch4it.com/article/41131.html

Friday, January 26, 2007

An Excellent Way To Bring More Customers To Your Website

It is well known that search engines will bring more people to your site if you have links from other sites. But, bringing this traffic to your website is not easy. Article distribution is a method that works for almost all websites that try it.

There are three things that are needed when you have links from other sites.

1. The link should be from an authoritive website. What we mean by that is that the website should be well known by the search engines as an authority on their subject.

2. The website the link is coming from should be relevant to the subject of your website. There is no point getting a link from a jewellery website if you provide IT services. There is no relevancy there.

3. The anchor text (the name in the link) should be a keyword relevant to the subject of your site and not a domain name. e.g. article writing not http://www.web-studio.co.uk/

There are many article distribution websites on the Internet. And what we intend to do is supply an article to these sites, which will in turn be copied and placed on websites that find them of interest. If we write the articles well it could appear on lots of authoritive, relative sites.

Who has time to write articles?

I don't, do you? The cost of copywriters can be quite high and it takes time to explain what you are trying to do. Here is where I have found a solution of writing articles in 30 minutes which would bring more more people to my website.

Click Here!

Don't forget what we have learned above.

One last tip is also to recognise who your audience are. We are creating articles which can be submitted to relevant , authorative websites and in return we will be getting additional traffic from the strategically placed links in that article. Our audience wants to pick articles that are of interest. So don't make the mistake of submitting articles which are all about you, you, you. Submit articles with an intersting subject matter related to your offerings.

Happy writing and good luck. I would love to hear of what success you get with these techniques.

About the Author:
Neil MacLeod runs http://www.web-studio.co.uk/, providing web site and web marketing services in Buckinghamshire. Neil has been building websites since 1999 and is a founding member of http://www.itwebnetwork.co.uk.
This article was posted on November 23, 2006
Article Source: articlecity

Thursday, January 25, 2007

The four sins of advertising

Advertising is a very precise science. It finds its bases in many different fields including copywriting, psychology and even math. In recent decades, we have observed a slow but steady beautification of advertising.

For marketing experts this can work. For less savvy advertisers, it is a huge pitfall that draws attention away from the much more important aspects of a successful selling proposition. Faulty advertising costs its makers billions of dollars a year, and almost all are guilty of it, even the huge corporations.

You will see many of today’s internet marketing “gurus” recommending volumes several decades old. There is a good reason for this. Many of those volumes were written by direct marketers that engaged in extremely costly mailings.

These ads have to produce optimal results or they produce losses. The upside is that results can be measured and broken down to a ridiculously precise extent. In fact very small fluctuations in these figures separate success from failure.

First and foremost is the written word. Nothing replaces a captivating headline and solid advertising copy. For headlines, the goal is to grab attention and qualify. Prospects must immediately recognize that the ad is addressed to them and they must also be drawn into the main copy. Ad copy should be as abundant as needed to tell the whole story, or however much of the story is needed to lead to the action you are soliciting.

Here are the four biggest mistakes you can make in advertising.

1) Being pretty instead of selling. This is really deadly. You don’t need to impress with your design, you need to make a sale, and words sell.

2) Not following a formula. Formulas exist because they work. Use them.

3) Forgetting, even for a single instant, to concentrate on your MDA, Most Desired Action.

4) Not testing different models. This is one of the most painful shortcomings of many marketers. They try an ad and if it’s not profitable the first time, they drop it entirely. If it is profitable, they continue to run it. Here, there is usually an enormous amount of room for improvement. Fluctuations in sales of the order of 500 to 800% are not uncommon…

Advertising comes in many shapes and sizes, with different costs associated to them. Do your research, purchase and read books by the likes of David Ogilvy and follow formulas that are aimed towards direct mailings. The results you get will far outweigh any effort you expend or money you invest.


About the Author:
Florie Lyn Masarate
For comments and inquiries about the article visit www.webplacements.com
Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Internet Marketing Strategy: The Advertising Co-op

The advertising co-op is an Internet marketing strategy that should bring sustained financial success.

Benefits from a well run advertising co-op include:

(1)Responsive highly targeted advertising

(2)Low cost

How An Advertising Co-op Works

Members of the same program pool their money to pay for advertising. Typically, a co op advertising group will consist of 3-12 members.

The best co op advertising buy is often a solo ad or top sponsor ad in an ezine. Let's say for example that a top sponsor ad in an ezine costs $120 (US). If 10 members participate in the co-op, the cost per individual is only $12 (US).

Suddenly, highly targeted advertising is within reach of everybody. The members should be advertising a program where each member has his/her own individual referral url.

To organize the co-op you'll need:

(1)an URL (website) rotator

(2)ad trackers

For a comprehensive list of FREE URL rotators visit:

http://100freeworkathometools.com/freeurlrotators.php

For a comprehensive list of FREE ad trackers visit:
http://100FreeWorkAtHomeTools.com/freeadtrackers.html

When the ezine ad is run, the ad will contain the URL of a rotator. Inserted in the rotator will be the referral URLS of the co-op members. As ezine readers click on the URL in the ad, the referring website URLS come up in rotation for the co-op members.

To insure the integrity of the co-op each member should convert their referral URL to an ad tracking URL and submit this second url to the co-op organizer.

Each time the ad tracker URL is clicked a hit will be recorded by the ad tracking program. All co-op members can be assured that the ad responses are distributed evenly since they can compare number of hits with other co-op members.

It is an advertising axiom that TARGETED ADVERTISING brings the best results. By TARGETED I mean you are advertising directly to a group that has demonstrated an interest in essentially the area you are promoting.

Such as advertising a search engine submission service in an ezine devoted to website promotion.

With over 300,00 online ezines in existence finding an ezine that covers your target market should be easy.

To find appropriate ezines for advertising these are two of the best ezine directories available:
http://ezinelocater.com/
http://www.topezineads.com/demo.html

Final thoughts:
(1)Do not advertise in any ezine you have not subscribed to.

You want to make sure the ezine offers QUALITY information and is being read by its subscribers.

(2)Distribute a list of co-op participants with name and email address to all co-op members.

(3)For network marketers the advertising co-op is the perfect promotional choice.

(4)If you are a member of a free-to-join multi level advertising program, where you can contact downline members, organizing a co-op can have long term benefits for a very modest cost.

Even though you are doing paid advertising for a program that does not give an immediate cash reward to co-op members via 'sales', THE LIFETIME BENEFITS FROM INCREASING YOUR ADVERTISING FIREPOWER CAN BE DRAMATIC!

© Robert A. Kearse

About the Author:
Robert A. Kearse is editor of THE TAX TORPEDO Work At Home Newsletter. Each issue features valuable FREE tools and resources that you can use as subscription incentives to build your own opt-in lists. Articles on Internet marketing strategy. Extraordinary bonuses for new subscribers! http://100FreeWorkAtHomeTools.com/freenewsletter.php
Article Source: www.iSnare.com

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

The Problem With Industrial Advertising

I think it true to say that industrial advertising, the sort that fills the pages of the thousands of technical and semi-technical magazines, is the most neglected of all advertising types. You only have to flick through the pages of publications like Bulk Handling International, or Building Services & Environmental Engineer, for instance, to see that advertisers are nowhere near as clever with their promotional work as are their counterparts at the consumer end of things.

This is no reflection on the professionalism of the magazines mentioned. They can only publish the material they receive. What it is a reflection of, however, is the belief held by many industrial advertisers that cleverness and creativity in advertising are luxuries to be indulged in only by those soft mass-media advertisers with all their millions to throw away on fripperies. Many of them also hold the view that advertising is pretty much a waste of time, energy and money. They do it only because their competitors do it and it is therefore expected of them.

These are fallacies to end all fallacies; and the result of such thinking is tired, lifeless and unimaginative advertising that sells nobody anything. And I'm sorry to say, too, that much of this work originates from those advertising agencies which profess to specialise in industrial-type work.

To be sure, it may come as a comfort to an industrial advertiser to find an ad agency whose executives and writers are passingly familiar with digital voltmeters, modular breadboards or higher-frequency potential avalanche transit-time diodes. To be able to talk to them about high-power logic triacs or tantulum capacitators without them looking bemused or falling asleep must make such clients feel that they've stumbled upon the Holy Grail.

But this is an understanding simply of the nuts and bolts of a client's business; and that's a different thing altogether from having an understanding of the basic precepts of advertising - and, I submit, a far less important thing.

It's a sad fact that that the great majority of industrial ads don't have anything specific to say. They may kid themselves that they have; but if their originators would look at them dispassionately, even they would concede that they haven't.

This is perfectly understandable. No advertiser can expect to come up with something new and exciting every time he hits print. This, incidentally, is the reason why the bulk of industrial advertising is, or should be, a long-term and strategic exercise, rather than short-term and tactical - but that's another subject entirely.

Now, the ability to take nothing in particular and to devise around it something that is interesting and striking without being foolish is a rare gift. It is the essential art (or artifice or artfulness) of advertising. It is what advertising is very largely about; and the fact that it is a difficult, demanding and mentally corrosive task explains why the people who are best at it are so grossly overpaid, why their intake of alcohol is so excessive, and why life-assurance actuaries have nightmares about them.

The kind of people I'm talking about are as scarce as cab's on a wet night in ad agencies which specialise in handling technical/industrial accounts only. Professionals you will find there, for sure. Good, honest hard-workers with a refreshing absence of temperament But those gifted with the rare ability consistently to make an extraordinary something out of a very ordinary next-to-nothing? Not very likely. There are two simple reasons for this. The first is a sordid commodity called money. The second is that, for the best writers and designers, the pabulum of the soul is not only creative freedom but also creative diversity. And, in technical agencies, they just can't get it.

So where does that leave us? In the first place, industrial advertisers should take a long, hard look at their promotional philosophies. In the second place, whether their material originates from their own publicity department, or from a technical-type agency, they should think very seriously about hiring people who are capable of producing original and effective campaigns that actually sell product. Just because someone has a marketing degree or has studied on one of those dubious communications courses, it doesn't make them capable of producing the kind of work

I've described above. Likewise, a BSc and a likeable demeanour carries no guarantee that the person concerned will be a whiz at moving your product. If this means spending a little more money on securing the right personnel, then so be it. In the long term, and I guess we are all in business for the long term, we are judged by appearances. And no matter how ground-breaking our product may be, if our appearance is shoddy, unimaginative and dull, we shouldn't be surprised if buyers go and spend their money somewhere else.

And there the matter, whatever it is, rests for the moment.

END

About the Author:
Pat Quinn is an award-winning UK copywriter who also operates a search engine optimization service. Because it’s all in the writing! Here: www.search-engine-mechanics.co.uk
Article Submitted On: November 14, 2006
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Monday, January 22, 2007

The Power Of Article Marketing

If you are looking to attract additional visitors to your website, which I imagine most webmasters are, part of your web promotion campaign should in my opinion be spent writing articles. Article marketing is not exactly a new concept but is a tried and tested successful way of promoting a site. Whats more it is here to stay, therefore you need to join the many people who are benefiting from it. Some people may say that it is a long, boring and time consuming process but if you are serious about gaining extra traffic to your site, the time will be worth it in the long run. It is important to remember that Rome was not built in a day and that one or two articles may not have too much positive impact, but that two hundred will.

I remember having a conversation around a year ago with a good friend of mine. We were talking about the best ways to promote a website, I have to say that he is what I call a web expert and certainly knows a lot more than I do, therefore I trust his opinion and like to learn from him. He gave me a lot of advice and was happy to share his knowledge, I was a very eager and willing to learn student.

He stated that one of the best forms of website promotion was to start a link building campaign where you try to gain and increase the amount of backward links your site has pointing to it. He continued that the best form of backward link would be a one-way link but that these were not that easy to obtain. He then spoke about article marketing and about how you are able to include a link to your site at the bottom of each article you write. This can introduce traffic to the site from the people who read the article and can gain an additional backward link from the article directories that publish your article and also from the webmasters who decide to include it as content on their websites.

This was very interesting and I asked him which article directories were the most popular etc. He named a few including ezinearticles, goarticles, searchwarp, articledashboard, amazines, articlealley and ideamarketers.

I then went about writing an article and submitting it to some of the article directories he had mentioned. I have to say that it is time consuming and took me about an hour and a half.

At this point my main website was a page rank three and my other site was a page rank two. In the last year I have written over three hundred and fifty articles, my main site is now a page rank six and my second site is a page rank five. I will continue to write articles and would like to thank my friend James for his quality advice.

About the Author:
Stephen Hill helps to promote a number of websites including:
cheaper mobile calls
stuttering advice
lower telephone bills
Added: 06 Oct 2006
Article Source: http://articles.simplysearch4it.com/article/38629.html

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Website Advertising Ideas To Boost Your Internet Profits

Write about a niche area that you are interested in and create an Ecourse on it. Then start a marketing campaign to build a subscriber list. If the list grows quickly and people opt in to learn more about the niche, you are creating a ready pool of customers to sell to once the actual product is launched. Evidence will show if there is a strong need for the product.

Toward the end of your ad copy, use a "P.S." to remind your readers some last minute thoughts that will sway their decision in your favour. This is where you either want to repeat a strong benefit or a possible loss should the reader not purchase your product by taking quick action.

Create a free ebook that has valuable content, make it viral by allowing your readers to encode their own links into the ebook and allow them to give it away. This will increase your traffic and brand your internet identity.

Create multiple streams of income with your web site. The products offered should be focused around specific markets. Your own products and affiliate products should tie in with one another. Adding some adsense advertising to your website can also bring in some revenue.

Thank your visitors in your ad copy, for spending time to visit your website. Being respectful to the reader earns their trust, puts them in a good mood, and brands you as someone thoughtful about others. People are more likely to buy from someone they feel is likeable and a pleasure doing business with.

When a customer purchases your product, take them to a "Thank You" page which leads to backend products that compliment the first purchase.

Focus on a few products on your web site instead of selling a large amount of products. Too many choices can overwhelm your visitors and they will feel that you are not catering to their needs. Never introduce Offer A to your customer at the "Opt-In" page, then a different product B at your "Confirm Subscription" page and a different product C at your "Thank You" page. Remember that you have not made the sale yet and need to expose the same product ad to your potential customer multiple times in order to achieve maximum impact and close a sale.

Include content and free stuff on your web site that promote the products you're selling. If they don't read your ads, they may read your offerings.

Allow your visitors to identify with you. Use an audio generator, photograph and signature to publish information about yourself. Once people connect with you because of the efforts you put in to reach out to your readers, you will find it easier to close sales.

Provide a support@yourdomain.com email address so that visitors know that they can have support when they need it. Some customers may send you an email to see how quick you respond, so its important to reply within 24 hours. Doing so will leave a good impression, connect you with your online customer and increase the likelihood of a sale. It also adds credibility to your business.

About the Author:
Sherman Choo is an Internet Marketer helping people all over the globe achieve Financial Freedom. To discover the perfect Internet Network Marketing business model that has helped thousands make money online and find out if this Internet Home Business is right for you. Visit==> http://www.success-university.us
Posted: 05-11-2006
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com

Saturday, January 20, 2007

Poor Advertising of a Good Product

Advertisers always pay attention at the range of products being advertised. Let’s imagine there is a revolutionary new product to be advertised. Regardless the immense budget and well-planned company the advertising still seems ineffective. Where is the mistake (mistakes) hidden? To find this out we’ll have to start a deep analysis of what is going on. What is the aim of any advertising strategy? There can be two answers to this question. One is plain and simple – to increase sales. But if a company constantly observes the movement of the differential of sales on the scale of specific field, they maintain this differential by increasing or decreasing the intensity of the advertising. There are three basic principles that should be brought to life when advertising: give people information on the product, set a solid image of it in the mind of the consumer and then influence his choice by maintaining the advertising process with special techniques like discounts, programs etc.

The strategy development is the most frequent problem that sometimes even can not be seen. The reason is not in the budget or the plan, there are other factors. The reason for a failure is a “copy method”. The first step in strategy formation is analyses of what competitors do. The strategy may seem well-established, the financial issue – very promising and the implementation methods – quite easy. The mistake lies in the assumption that the competitor obligatory succeeds. Maybe this is good for your competitor, but is not meant for you. There is one thing about the consumer a professional should know about. The client has the subconscious image of the product in his head and he is going to make a purchase of a product that corresponds to the image. And when professionals present the video with revolutionary products nicely presented but the idea is quite new, the customers’ reaction would be: “this is not quite what I expected to see.” The so-called template exists for everything: delighted face of an individual drinking coffee, a gorgeous cat near his food etc. if success ids what you long for, you have to venture and ride the wave but certain amount of logics and ability to foresee has to be present. The idea is not to be “as good as competitors are”, then people will choose the competitor, the idea is to be “the best” in the field. The axiom – simplicity is a key to success is familiar to you from high school.

The same principle functions in advertising, brief and laconic statement that is well-composed and reflective and most of all ear-catching will be more effective than a thousand of brochures. The other mistake is lack or overload of information. When being told for a zillion times that they have to try this or that they will definitely hate it eventually. You have to give out as much as the audience is able to consume. You don’t have to walk everybody into the house, just open the door. The age range definition is the last out of three main mistakes. It would be not wise to limit the range to some extent. The conclusion is that advertiser should look at the product wider and give a chance for everybody to evaluate the product. e have said a lot about bad advertising. But then what is good advertising? Let’s keep the definition brief: good advertising is a fresh idea laconically arranged and targeted at a certain range of audience.


About the Author:
Carol Miller has been working as a researcher at BestTermPaper - Term Paper Writing Service. She has published several articles and other works dedicated to the problems of term paper research topic and suggested her own opposing views on the issue. Her opinion about whether to buy custom term paper or to write it on your own is a foreword to the guide created for students.
Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com

Friday, January 19, 2007

Pay Per Click Advertising - How To Uncover Profit-pulling Keywords And Make Your Sales Soar

Choosing to bid on the right keywords can be key to your pay per click success. By choosing the proper keywords - words that your potential customers would use to search for your product - you can pre-qualify web traffic and skyrocket your conversion rate.

But how do you choose the right keywords? Here are 3 powerful tips to uncovering profit-pulling keywords for your pay per click campaign.

#1) Choose Relevant Keywords

While this SEEMS obvious, you'd be surprised at how many ppc campaigns bid on unrelated keywords (Their logic might have a foundation but we just can't see it from a searcher's point of view).

So for example if you're selling an e-book on how to make money buying foreclosures, don't bid on keywords related to stock trading. Yes, these both have 'money' in common but that is a WIDE net to cast - and a huge waste of your money.

Even when you bid on a keyword - make sure the description not only fits the keyword but matches what the searcher will find when they click on your ad. Nothing ticks internet searchers off more than misleading ads.

You'll not only NOT make the sale - but you'll be making a non-customer for life, even IF they would have eventually bought your product.

#2) Choose Lots of Low-Cost Keywords

Unless you're Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig, chances are you can't afford to spend $5.00 on the keyword 'diet'. That's ok, you don't have to.

Think niche with your keywords and you'll find lots of low-cost related keywords - sometimes with absolutely no competition.

Now obviously these keywords are low cost because there are not a lot of searches on them (say 50-100 searches per month). But if you bid on a LOT of these keywords (say 200-300) that adds up to a lot of CHEAP traffic over time:

100 searches x 300 keywords = 30,000 searches and possible hits a month.

How do you find these low-cost keywords?

Use the keyword selection tool provided by most ppc engines to look up a main keyword. Then start from the bottom up to pick out related, low volume (less than 1000 searches a month) keywords.

Also, don't forget to use misspellings. So many people don't bid on misspellings that you can usually top positions quite cheap.

#3) Use Your Keywords In Your Title or Your Description or Both

Using your keyword in the description can double your click throughs, which means more interested prospects visiting your website.

You want the visitor to click on your link, only if they are really interested. Including your keyword in the title or description is a great way to weed out the tire-kickers from the sincere customers.

It reinforces the idea that YOUR website can give them what they are searching for - a sort of mirroring back what they typed, which breeds trust and likeability.

So those are several tips to helping you choose the right keywords for your pay per click campaign. Good luck and may your traffic (and sales) increase exponentially!

About the Author:
Kathryn O’Neill is contributing writer for Pay Per Click Success – a website dedicated to helping you get the most for your pay per click dollars. For more free articles and money saving tips, visit: http://www.payperclick.homestead.com
Article Source: www.iSnare.com

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Truth In Advertising

The story I am about to tell you is thought to be apocryphal, which is why I shall refrain from naming names. Nonetheless, it is a classic example of what advertising is - or, rather, should be - all about. It demonstrates that good promotional concepts, the ideas that sell product, are based wholly and solely upon (a) the product story, (b) the benefits of owning said product and (c) the image of the product in the eyes of its potential customers.

Step back with me, then, about 40 years, when advertising agencies were less dependent than they are now upon market research, consumer panels, think tanks, marketing strategies, consumer profiles, computer-based market analyses and all the pseudo-scientific claptrap with which agencies are these days lumbered. We are returning to a time, the late 60s, when creative people (writers and designers) ruled the ad agency roost. Indeed, many of the better UK agencies were then run by creative people and not by accountants as so many of them today are. And because of this there was a kind of freedom in the air. Writers and designers were given their head; they were allowed to do whatever their guts told them was right; and the resultant advertising was, without a doubt, the best that has ever been produced before or since.

So it was in my story that a large London agency, headed up by a brilliant writer, was invited to pitch for the British Rail account. As I've said, the MD of the agency was brilliant with words. He was also flamboyant in dress and in manner; and his reputed attitude towards clients was one of take it or leave it. As the rumours go, he would back his creative team to the hilt, and he would actually fire clients who did not express a generous enough attitude towards his agency's work.

Anyway, accepting the offer to pitch, the agency invited the Advertising Manager of British Rail, along with his entourage, to its offices in salubrious Mayfair. On the appointed day, as the visitors filed in, a catalogue of events unfolded.

They were greeted, first, by an indifferent receptionist who had a cigarette poised between her lips. She barely acknowledged them, but pulled herself away from a magazine long enough to direct them towards an ante-room, telling them that the agency MD would be along in a moment.

Inside this ante-room, the décor was somewhat grubby and there were not enough chairs to go round, so several of the visitors had to stand. Also in the waiting-room was a coffee table littered with used coffee cups, torn magazines and ashtrays piled high with cigarette butts. There was also litter on the floor.

And the visitors waited…and waited…and waited. After fifteen minutes or so, they had understandably had enough of the awful waiting room and decided to leave. Just as they were exiting, the agency MD arrived. "Good afternoon, gentlemen," he greeted. Pointing back to the room from whence they had come, he said: "This is the image that most people have of British Rail. This, by and large, is how passengers are treated when they use your services." Then he smiled. "But I intend to change all that."

Apocryphal or not, this story clearly shows that advertising is not just about presenting a product with nicely framed words and pictures, it is really all about knowing the essence of the product. It's about understanding how to make the most of its attributes. But, above all, it's about realising where its faults lie and how those faults may be corrected.

I can't count the number of times, when working in a creative team, that we have spotted the downside to a product or service - something about which the manufacturer was blissfully unaware. It is, of course, very difficult to convince a client that there is something not quite right about his product, but a good writer or designer will do so as a matter of course…and to hell with the consequences.

Like our agency MD above, I reckon it's all part of the job.

END

About the Author:
Pat Quinn is an award-winning UK copywriter who also operates a search engine optimization service. Because it’s all in the writing! Here: www.search-engine-mechanics.co.uk
Article Submitted On: November 14, 2006
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Advantages Of Giant Advertising Balloons

Advertising on giant hot air balloons is fast becoming the best and most spectacular form of publicity available. A giant advertising balloon as a public relations tool, there can be no other choice that is as effective when organizing events and conventions.

Using a giant advertising balloon can provide you with a unique opportunity to be able to relate with clients and to be able to put your relationship with them up to a unique start.

The uses for an advertising balloon are very broad. A giant advertising balloon can be an excellent addition to your existing marketing campaigns. Using this unique promotional method will be able to set your company apart as a leader in innovation and creativity.

You must realize that the farther that your business or event is being seen, the more customers you can reach. Using a unique method of advertising like a giant advertising balloon would most likely attract them to your products.

Giant advertising balloons can be seen for several blocks and can even be seen up to three miles away. It is just like having your own floating billboard but with more attractive power. As compared to billboards, giant advertising balloons are far cheaper to use and they are not fixed in just one place like billboards so you may be able to use them from another location whenever you want to.

Another advantage that using a giant advertising balloon for your campaign is that you can own this piece of advertisement unlike other forms of advertising such as radio, newspaper or magazines. Your balloon can be set up at anytime and anywhere and it can create an immediate impression on everyone.

As you might well know, advertising is about catching the attention of a certain audience to make them aware of the services and products that your company is offering. Use a giant advertising balloon and see how immediately it can draw everyone's attention to your business.

Comparing the cost of owning a giant advertising balloon to your advertising expenses in magazines, newspapers and radio you will be able to find that balloons are just a fraction of the cost considering that you own the balloon.

There are no other forms of advertising that can be just as effective in targeting the people most likely to stop by into your location and check out what you have to offer way better than advertising balloons.

Advertising balloons can also great for tradeshow booths and exhibits. Many companies spend thousands of dollars to have inflated balloon signs hung from the ceiling of the tradeshow hall to catch the most attention from the visitors. You can try it out for your own business and see how it can effectively help provide promising results for you.

About the Author:
Low Jeremy maintains http://Advertising-Balloons.ArticlesForReprint.com. This content is provided by Low Jeremy. It may be used only in its entirety with all links included.
Posted: 04-11-2006
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

How To Get Highly-Targeted Traffic To Your Website For Free.

I'm sure that most of you reading this will know that writing articles and distributing them to online article directories is probably the most potent and immediate way to increase traffic to your website.

In this article I will give you the benefits of this type of free website marketing.

Firstly, having written an article on your chosen subject you will be considered by many to be an expert in your chosen field.

Do you think that I'm an expert on writing articles? I've written this article and you haven't, but that doesn't necessarily mean that I know more than you! Perception nearly always defines our reality, and in some ways defies it.

Secondly, your article should always be related to your website topic. If you own a website devoted to trains, write an article about trains. Your readers will almost certainly visit your website to see what is on offer.

Thirdly, with each article that you write you will include a resource box. This resource box (sometimes called an author bio) contains whatever information that you want the reader to know, such as your website address or the web address of whatever affiliate product you are promoting at the moment.

This is perhaps the most important part of the whole process, because your main objective should be to get traffic back to your website. You may just like writing and informing or entertaining people and have no website to speak of. That's fine – whatever does it for you.

Fourthly, every article that you have published will give you a one-way link back to your website. We all know that search engines love links, but your article will be put alongside other articles with similar content and your website will mirror the content of your own article, so the search engines will prize these links higher than a link from a website that has a totally different subject matter.

Fifthly, once you have gone to the trouble of submitting your article to a zillion-and-one article directories you can sit back and relax. Let nature take its course. You now have a zillion-and-one links pointing to your website.

It gets better! Website owners are constantly on the lookout for original content for their own website or to include in their weekly ezine or newsletter. As long as your article is fairly grammatically correct, has no glaring errors and is entertaining or informative, they are entitled to use the article free-of-charge so long as they include the resource box that came with it. Do you see the wonderful potential of this fairly basic marketing vehicle?

Submitting your article to as many article directories as you can find is a fairly laborious task, but once the initial work has been done, you can sit back and relax for a while before starting work on your next article.

This article is free to re-publish.

About the Author:
Ian Basford owns an online article resource at http://www.articleresource.info. He has written a free ebook about writing articles which is available from his website.
Added: 14 Oct 2006
Article Source: http://articles.simplysearch4it.com/article/39315.html

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Word Of Mouth Advertising - Steps To Create Awareness

Word of mouth advertising creates an awareness campaign where your business information travels from person to person, creating a world wind of awareness. For a new business start-up, word of mouth marketing is often the best and most effective advertising method.

Newspaper print and classified ads can get very expensive, and have lost much of their effectiveness with the popularity of the internet in the past decade. New business owners can't even consider radio or television advertising as a viable option. What is left for a home business or small start-up to do to spread the word about their enterprise?

Here are some steps that you can take to start a viral word of mouth marketing campaign about your business:

Acquaintances: Approach your friends, family and neighbors initially, followed by contacting other people you know in your community and beyond. To begin your campaign, you may take a broad approach to spread your information; ultimately streamlining your message to your target market.

Networking: Both online and off, networking is the backbone of the word of mouth marketing. You need to have a large network to build a database of prospective customers. Find forums and other groups where your target market ‘hang out.’

Website: It’s the Internet age. Establish your website with good, focused keywords to get favorable results from the search engines. Also, keep your website, user-friendly with easy navigation and complete updated information about everything regarding your business.

Freebies: Everyone loves to get something free. Create a free report or ebook related to your idea or product and give it away to potential customers, asking them to give the item to their friends and family as well.

Mailers: You can use email or postcards or pamphlets about your business to inform your acquaintances prior to calling them.

Word of mouth advertising has stood the test of time and is effective for every business. There are simple, affordable methods of starting a viral marketing campaign that will spread like wild fire. By putting into place some or all of the ideas mentioned above, you can create a world of advertising for your business.


About the Author:
Sherry Frewerd publishes ‘Website Building Mom’ websitebuildingmom.com where you can find free information, reports and ebooks created to help you build a professional, money-making website.
Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com

Saturday, January 13, 2007

Ten Secrets For Getting Free Advertising

The opportunities for getting free advertising for yourproduct or services are only limited by your imagination andenergy. There are so many proven ways to promote withoutcost and it’s truly mind-boggling! Here are ten proven methods.

1. Write an article relating to your area of expertise andsubmit it to all the publications and media dealing in thatrange of interest. Become your own promoter and writer. Getthe word out by establishing yourself as an expert on thattopic and "tag-along" everything you write with a referencebox listing your address for a catalog, dealershipopportunity, or more information.

2. Write shorter articles for the Internet and send them tobroadcast houses free articles. (These are known as "media-matching medias.") Here are a few sites to get youstarted:

http://www.IdeaMarketers.com
http://www.addme.com
http://www.ezinearticles.com/
http://www.web-source.net/syndicator_submit.htm.

3. Become a guest on as many radio, television talk shows,or interview-type programs as possible. (Actually, this iseasier to accomplish than most people realize!) Write aletter to the producer of the talk show, and then follow upwith an in-person visit or telephone call. Your initialcontact needs to emphasize how your product or service wouldbe of interest to the listeners or viewers of their program- perhaps even saving them time or money.

4. Post your advertising circulars on all the free bulletinboards in your area, especially the libraries, grocerystores, and beauty and barbershops. Don't discount the ideaof handing out circulars to all the shoppers in busyshopping centers, at bus or metro stops, and malls,especially on weekends. You can also enlist the help ofstudents to hand out circulars.

5. Print your product or service’s promotional ad on thefront or back of your envelopes or other people’senvelopes.**

6. Send program announcements on post cards. Shop formaximum size at minimal price. Use both sides forinformation leaving half of one side for the addressee’sinformation.

7. Check the publications that carry the kind ofadvertising you need and is compatible with yourproduct/service. Many new mail order publications offer lowrates to first-time advertisers; a free-of-charge insertionfor prepaid issues; or special seasonal ad space at reducedrates. In addition, there are a number of publications thatwill give you Per Inquiry (PI) space - an arrangement whereall orders come in to the publication -- they take acommission from each order, forward to you for fulfillment,and send you a check for the balance.

8. Ask about "stand-by" space. This means, you submit yourad and the publication holds it until they have unsoldspace, and then at a savings of 33% or more, you can insertyour ad. Check all local suburban and neighborhoodnewspapers for these opportunities.

9. Do you publish any kind of catalog or ad sheet? Get intouch with other publishers and inquire about bartering anadvertising exchange. They run your ad in their publicationin exchange for you running a comparable sized ad for them inyours.

10. Advertise a free offer. Simply run a print orelectronic ad offering a free report of interest to mostpeople or to a particular target market . Announce it inthe "tag-line." Alternatively, include the report as a bonusfor their purchase. The objective is to convert the largestpercentage of responses into sales, which is usually donewith a "tag-line" inviting the reader to ask for moreinformation or a free report.

Unleash your imagination and have a powerful forceworking for you to help increase your sales.

About the Author:
Catherine Franz, a Certified Professional Marketing & Writing Coach, specializes in product development, Internet writing and marketing, nonfiction, training. Newsletters and articles available at: http://www.abundancecenter.com blog: http://abundance.blogs.com
Article Source: www.iSnare.com

Friday, January 12, 2007

5 Tips for Hot Yellow Pages Ads

Yellow Pages advertising is one of the most popular forms of advertising in the country today. Almost every home in America (96.9%) and business has at least one copy of "the book".

Almost three out of five (58%) of all adults say they check the Yellow Pages for a phone number and/or address at least once per week, with 77% using the book monthly.

While the Yellow Pages are an excellent reference tool, they fare less well when considered as an advertising medium. People use the Yellow Pages to look for a familiar name. If your other advertising works, then fining you in the Yellow Pages should be a snap.

Remember, once the book is published, you can't change your ad until the next publish date.

Here BIG Mike's 5 Tips to make a Hot Yellow Pages ad

1 - Sell the benefits

Put a headline on your ad pushing benefits. Explain how the benefits will help your prospect fulfill their needs.

2 - Forget extra cost color

The only thing color has been proven to do in Yellow Pages advertising is increase the price you pay for the ad.

3 - Ask for the order

Writing "Call us now at xxx xxxx" will get more responses than if you simply listed you phone number.

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 language Use the word ‘you’.

5 - Avoid Bragging

Don't boast "biggest and best". It turns people off, even if it is true. Being number one won't sell any product for you.

Remember, the Yellow Pages is generally a reference tool. People look for a name they recognize (or can't remember) or for a name given by a friend. Your ad should help them remember. The only other use of the Yellow Pages is to look for an emergency services. That's why you see lots of tow truck ads and no ads from Sears. Design your ad accordingly.

About the Author:
Copyright 2006 Big Mike McDaniel - all rights reserved. BIG Mike is the Small Business Advertising Expert and recommends http://SmallBusinessAdvertisingArticles.com
Article Submitted On: December 01, 2006
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Free Advertising Resources; Let Your Imagination Loose!

How many people have worked from nine to five for 40 to 50 years and have nothing to show for it? How much is your time really worth? Most of us do not have the money to invest in advertising on the Internet. But, do you have the time? How about one to three years? Many people are drawing 6-figure incomes from the Internet within only a few years. More millionaires have been created on the Internet then in any other way in history. But, you will have to invest your time!

There are many proven, free advertising techniques available to anyone who will take the time to learn how to use them.

Here is a list of ideas that you can use to advertise online for free. They may be free, but remember that any accomplishment takes persistence and effort.

1. Articles. By providing valuable information on a topic that is related to your business can help you build your credibility and drive traffic to your website. Write articles that are related to your expertise and submit them to all the websites that are looking for good, informative articles. Make sure to list your website address in your resource box at the end of your article. There are many website owners out there who are looking for good articles that they can post on their sites.

2. Classified ads. Free classified advertising is a great way to promote the benefits of your website or program. Make it short and sweet and do not waste time getting to the point since you have limited space. There are many free classified sites, so test your ads to find out which sites pull. Once you determine which classified sites bring you the most traffic post to them regularly and do not waste time on the other sites that are not working. Try searching on free classified ad submission to find places to place your ads.

Tip: The key to a successful classified ad is in the headline or title. It must grab the readers attention. No one will read your ad unless they notice your headline.

3. Forums. Most forums do not allow advertising, but they can be used to build credibility by getting involved in discussions relating to your topic of interest. You can also ask questions and get opinions from others that may be involved in your line of business. Can you think of a better way to get free exposure for your business then by providing helpful answers to questions?

Tip: Put your website in your signature file when you sign up for a forum. It will then be displayed each and every time you make a post.

4. Press releases. Put together a simple press release explaining your offer or business and then do a search on free press release submission. Some of the submission sites actually provide a template that you can use for your press release.

5. Link exchange. Exchanging links is a great way to get free advertising while also helping your websites search engine ranking. The best way to find links is to search for websites relating to your topic and requesting a link. It is important to the search engines that your back links relate to your websites content. Do not get involved with link exchange programs that do not allow you to choose the sites that you link with. Link farms are bad for your website and for your search engine ranking.

Tip: Set up a page on your website for links and only post sites that are related to your business. Do not call it a link page. Instead, set up a resource page that provides helpful links for your visitors.

6. Free directories. Take the time to post your website to free directories. You only have to post once and they do not require you to resubmit your information repeatedly.

7. URL Submissions. This may be one of the easiest ways to advertise your website. Just do a search on "free url submission" and than use the results to enter your websites address and click submit! That is all it takes.

8. Traffic Exchanges. The way they work is that you earn credits by surfing other peoples websites. Your earned credits are then used to show other people your website. To join, you need to submit your name, email and website. Your website will then go into rotation with the other websites that have registered with that particular traffic exchange. As with all free advertising resources, determine which traffic exchange programs work for you.

Tip: Use a multi-tab browser. This will allow you to surf many exchanges at the same time by running several websites in multiple tabs while only one window is open for viewing in your browser. The Firefox Browser and newer versions of Netscape will let you surf multiple exchanges at once.

Let your imagination loose and you will have a force working for you that can help you reach your goals and thus succeed!

Copyright 2006 by Joe Rispoli

About the Author:
Joe Rispoli has been involved in online marketing for over 10 years. Find out how easy it is to advertise your online business or opportunity for free. Visit his website, Ucanto.com to find out how to use free classifieds, traffic exchange programs, safelists, reciprocal links and more.
Posted: 10-11-2006
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com