Advertising Cost Reduced to Zero !!

by: Martin Cargill

At the bottom of this article you will find my "sig file". I attach it to every article that I write. As you can see it bears my name, web-site address and e-mail address. This is not done out of vanity, or a desire to see my name in print. It is done because it costs me nothing. When I submit my article to an Ezine or other publication, I do so on the condition that the article be re-printed in its' entirety. This means that the company that re-prints my article sends it to their subscriber base, at no cost to me, and even better that the publication considers my work to be authorative. What do you know, I'm an "expert", at least to the entire subscriber list of the Ezine in question. If I were not an "expert", the publisher would not re-print my article !! Every time I see one of my articles re-printed, I see an immediate increase in my own subscriber base, as people who did not previously know me check out my web-site, and click through on one or more of the banners there. The result is a Marketers' dream come true. Potential buyers at absolutely no cost to me. I write the articles in question for my own use in my "Independence Day Ezine", so I would have to expend the time and effort anyway, and the fact that I can use them as an active part of my Marketing Campaign is a huge bonus. I recommend most strenuously that you start to write articles if you have not already done so, and make sure to attach your own "sig file". This valuable piece of free advertising should be attached to every piece of e-mail that you send out, as well as each article. I can see you sitting there reading this and saying to yourself, "it's all right for him to say write an article, but I don't know how. I've never tried." It's easy, once you know how. First open a new file in whatever word pro- cessing system you normally use. There, a nice blank page. All you have to do now is fill it up. You need a subject for your article. "Marvellous", you say,"I all ready knew that but what can I write about?" Examine your life carefully and make a list of all your experiences to this point. Here is just part of mine: I was born and bred in the North of England Started in the Direct Mail business selling collectibles to Soccer fans. Served in the Manchester City Police Force Emigrated to Canada My first real job was driving a City bus in Vancouver I sold Life Insurance I ran a tele-marketing centre I am married I have two children, one boy and one girl. I have had my own retail business (Electronics) I lost the business when I was diagnosed with Cancer. I underwent Cobalt radiation treatment for 6 months. After I recovered I was a Business Management Consultant. Until I had a heart attack, while shoveling snow (stupid !!) The cardiologist forbids me to work as I could suffer another attack, if I am under too much stress. I started my own on-line business in Internet Marketing. I had to do something to retain my sanity. That's a partial list, it tells you nothing of my hobbies, areas of expertise, likes or dislikes, as I wanted to keep the list short enough that I didn't lose your interest. Choose one of the items on your list, type it on the blank screen, and then just sit and type out whatever comes into your head. Keep going until you can't think of anything else to type. Don't correct your spelling errors or punctuation. Don't second guess yourself and re-write anything. It doesn't matter whether all this typing is making sense or not. When you're finished, save the file and take a break. Re-open the file and proof-read what you've just written. Check the spelling carefully, and smooth out any awkward passages. Correct the punctuation and spacing where needed. Congratulations, you've finished your first article. Do you think I could write an interesting article about sailing across the North Atlantic, from Liverpool to Montreal, via Quebec City, in the mid 1960's ?? Or the three day train ride across Canada from Montreal to Vancouver, on the West Coast ?? Or any of the other facts on my list ?? Could I find someone who was willing to re-print such an article ?? There are tens of thousands of Ezines on the Web, covering every area of human experience. They all have one thing in common. They are looking for, no desperately seeking, quality content for their publications. When your article is finished to your satis- faction, search the Web for 10 Ezines that cover the same area of interest as your article. E-mail the editor of each one and inquire if they accept unsolicited articles for re-print. No matter which ten you choose at least five will reply encouraging you to submit your article. You'll never be at a loss for a subject again. As proof please reflect on the fact that I have just finished an article on how to write an article. It took me thirty minutes. Until next time Martin Cargill Martin Cargill has his website at www.millionsbynet.com and gives a FREE mini-course at mini-course@getresponse.com This and his newsletter " Independence Day Ezine " are available FREE on an opt-in basis only. After over 40 years in Direct Marketing, I am trying to come to terms with that "new-fangled" internet. It's a steep learning curve, but I'm getting there. I can offer you the chance to learn from my experience (and mistakes), and the best of the web guest articles and web resources. capnblack_ca@shaw.ca

Advertising Consulting Services for the Internet

by: Randy Wilson

Advertising Consulting Services: Advertising is one of the most important expenses a business can have. Businesses large and small, have some form of advertising, be it word of mouth referrals or multi million dollar television campaigns. Business owners of all types will pay good money for the right kind of advertising. That is why advertising consulting services on the Internet is becoming so popular. There are two key things you need to know when considering starting out as an internet advertising consultant. The first of course is advertising experience. If you have done advertising in the past and enjoy the work, then that is the first step. Secondly, you need to know about the Internet. Your Internet knowledge needs to be updated constantly to keep abreast of the current trends. While contemporary advertising - television, radio, and print, are still effective means of advertising, the Internet needs to be approached a bit differently. When watching television or listening to the radio, people don't generally have a choice about what they see and hear in the line of commercials. Those commercials of course are advertising. Even when reading the newspaper or a sale ad, people only see what is in front of them, not all the options available. If one grocery store buys an ad in the local newspaper and another grocer does not, the consumer is only seeing one ad. The Internet has changed the face of this kind of advertising. Anytime that someone opens a web page; they are looking for something specific. People who surf five or six web sites are likely to see hundreds of ads without really knowing they are seeing advertising. Banners, affiliate links, tool bars and the like are all types of Internet advertising, revealing products or brands in front of the consumer. If a consumer is looking for a product online, and does not know where to find it, or there are multiple sources to find it, the savvy Internet user generally goes to a search engine. Searching for the product by typing in the general name or brand that they are looking for, the consumer can then choose from a list of sites that offer that product. Search engine optimization (SEO) is a system of strategic placing of certain words or keyword phrases on a web site that will allow the search engine to select that site if someone types in that word or phrase. The key to SEO - the first sites to pop up are the ones that are hit on the most often. Knowing these concepts and expanding on them allows internet advertising consultants to guide and direct business owners in the most effective line of advertising for their products. Many people who run successful Internet businesses are people who don't know much about the differences between Internet and other forms of advertising. You are the link that these business people need to market their products. Internet Advertising Consulting Services are quickly becoming a specialized field. There are so many aspects of the Internet that business owners, especially those new to the web as a market, will not know and will be grateful to you for showing them. Knowing how to get those companies names and brands out their on the web will give you an edge over advertising companies that are still focusing on contemporary methods of advertising. The Internet is not a fad or a passing phase. The challenges and changes that are coming with this relatively new market are going to be both exciting and profitable for anyone who embraces it. Open your own advertising consulting services business today and step into the future. © Copyright Randy Wilson, All Rights Reserved. About the Author Randy is owner of Profitable Home Businesses, How to Plan a Baby Shower and Weddings Information. Randy owned and operated a very successful storefront/mailorder business from 1988 to 2003.

Advertising "Click Fraud" Rampant Online?

by: Jim Edwards

© Jim Edwards - All Rights reserved http://www.thenetreporter.com -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- "Pay-per-click," by far the most popular form of online advertising, recently came under fire as charges of rampant "click fraud" gather steam on the Web. Google and Yahoo! earn the majority of their money through sales of advertising to tens-of-thousands of online merchants, companies, and professional. In fact, some estimate that 99% of all Google's revenue comes from advertising sales. Unfortunately, allegations of click fraud may well rain on Google's otherwise sunny parade and cause a whole scale revamping of current online advertising practices. Pay-per-click advertising does exactly what it sounds: advertisers pay for each click on their ad, usually mixed in among search engine results or displayed on relevant websites. "Click fraud" occurs when, for whatever reason, an ad gets clicked by someone or something (usually an automated "bot" that simulates clicks) with no intention of ever buying anything from the advertiser. The sole intention of click fraud is to simply drain an advertiser's budget and leave them with nothing to show but an empty wallet. Who commits click fraud? Usually an unscrupulous competitor who wants to break a rival's bank, online "vandals" who get their kicks causing other people grief, or search engine advertising affiliates who want to earn fat commissions by racking up piles of bogus clicks. Regardless of who does it or why, click fraud appears to be a growing problem search engines hope stays under their advertising clients' radar. This problem isn't exactly news to the search engine giants. In fact, on page 60 of their 3rd quarter Report for 2004, Google admits that they have "regularly refunded revenue" to advertisers that was "attributed to click-through fraud." Google further states that if they don't find a way to deal with this problem "these types of fraudulent activities could hurt our brand." Bottom line for Google and Yahoo! (which owns Overture, the Web's largest pay-per-click search engine): as word of click fraud spreads across the Web, they must act quickly to calm the nerves of advertisers who could well abandon them over doubts about the veracity of their advertising charges. The search engines all claim to carry measures that identify and detect click fraud, but details about how they do it and to what extent remain sketchy. They claim revealing details about security would compromise their efforts and give the perpetrators a leg up on circumventing their defenses. This sounds good, but affords little comfort to advertisers who feel caught between losing out on their best traffic sources and paying for advertising that won't result in revenue. One way to protect your business against click fraud is to closely monitor your website statistics. Look for an unusually high number or regular pattern of clicks from the same IP address. If you need help, enlist the aid of your hosting provider to aid you in spotting suspicious trends in your website traffic. Also, a number of services such as ClickSentinel.com have sprung up online to help advertisers spot and quickly analyze and compile the data necessary to effectively dispute fraudulent click charges with the search engines. About the Author Jim Edwards is a syndicated newspaper columnist and the co-author of an amazing new ebook that will teach you how to use fr^e articles to quickly drive thousands of targeted visitors to your website or affiliate links... Simple "Traffic Machine" brings Thousands of NEW visitors to your website for weeks, even months... without spending a dime on advertising! ==> http://www.turnwordsintotraffic.com

Advertising Business Opportunity Reaches New Levels

by: Randy Wilson

An Advertising business opportunity on the Internet is just exploding with possibilities. This is one of the most profitable endeavors available in the field of Internet advertising. If you have advertising experience and know even the basics of Internet, you have potential to start your own advertising business on the Internet. There are many areas of the Internet that need to be learned before starting your advertising business opportunity. Multi level marketing, or MLM, is one way of generating advertising and sales at the same time. MLM is a system that allows someone to collect commissions on their own sales as well as on people they recruit under them. This used to be known as pyramid schemes. MLM has become very popular with product sales, helping the organization build wealth by paying commissions on multiple levels. The concept from an advertising point of view is great, the more motivation you have to recruit people to sell your product, the more your product is out there on the market. Some examples of companies that use MLM are nutritional product lines, make up product lines, and home decoration lines. Multi level marketing has been around for years and not likely to go away anytime soon. Focus needs to be clear however on what the drive is for the company. If your focus is only on recruiting people to recruit more people, then your product sales are going to suffer. When your product sales suffer, your business as a whole suffers and then no one wants to be a part of the industry. Keep your focus when dealing with MLM with your advertising business opportunity. Ezines are another emerging way to get a product or service out to the public. Ezines, or electronic magazines, are usually specialized to a certain areas of interest. This is very much like conventional magazines. However, advertising in ezines is low-cost and even occasionally free. Another advertising business opportunity that is wide open. Ezines in themselves will need advertising to get their word out. A perfectly written ezine does no one any good if no one knows that it is out there to be seen. Finding an audience for your ezine may be easier than you think. Make sure when going into ezines that you know your material and that the writing is concise and accurate. SEO, or search engine optimization, is a proven method of advertising on the Internet and a field, which is very much in demand at this time. SEO is a system of writing web content that uses specific key words and phrases that will pull the page up when that keyword or phrase is typed into any of the search engines. Knowing how to effectively use keywords to get a site recognized is critical for small businesses on the web. When you open a search engine such as 'Yahoo!' or 'Google', and type in the phrase Internet advertising, you will get a list of results. Those results are formulated by the words Internet and advertising. Sites that have those two words incorporated consistently throughout the site will come up on the list. These lists are in order by the most hit on sites at the top of this list. Of course, that is where you want your advertising business opportunity clients to be. Educating your self on these concepts and a few more will allow you to start marketing your Internet advertising business. Becoming an Internet business advertising consultant to companies who are looking to expand their presence on the web is a first step in building your reputation and presence in this field. You must have a well-written profile centered on your Internet advertising experience and an up to date resume'. Businesses today are being inundated with new, and sometimes bogus, advertising opportunities and you need to stand out above all those other offers. Keep your presence, online and in the field, professional at all times and make sure you can deliver what you promise. With those things in mind, you should be successful. © Copyright Randy Wilson, All Rights Reserved. About the Author Randy is owner of Profitable Home Businesses. Randy owned and operated a very successful storefront/mailorder business from 1988 to 2003. Currently full time owner/operator of several online businesses.

Advertising Approach For The First-time Webmaster

by: Royan Shaw

For the first time internet entrepreneur [newbie] the best ways to promote your website at first instance are : 1. Express inclusion of your website for the usual 12 months offered by most of the major search engines. You can choose express inclusion for askjeeves, inktomi, altavista,msn etc but keep in mind to have your site submitted to the local index of your region. For example if you reside in Toronto, Canada and you are submitting for express inclusion in the DMOZ or Canada.com search engine/directory you must ensure that your site is indexed in the Toronto's business and economy directory. Get your site in the local index first things first. If your submission listing includes the regional version of the DMOZ directory then thats good enough to go. One point to note is that many of the major search engines and directories actually inter-relate that is they search across each other's database therefore submitting to only one major engine or directory will satisfice for the Internet Marketing beginner. 2. Next, the most overlooked approach for the first-time website owner is the maximisation of the benefit of offline marketing methods. Promote your website in exactly the same way you would have promoted a normal business by telling everyone about it. Word of mouth is still the best way to promote a new business. Put your motto and logo along with your url address on everything from a pin to an anchor. From stationery, pens, letterheads, postcards, flyers,posters, in your usual email, the list goes on... You may consider placing classified ads in the local newspapers. Run other programs such as sponsoring quizzes, prize competitions, trivia and other participating programs with your website address. You might ask readers to submit the answer to a quiz by visiting you website. Anything that gets the local community to know that your website exists. You can do it !! FACT : You have to make it local before you go global. Most start-up webmasters usually make the mistake on concentrating on those numerous ways to promote their site and become confused on deciding what works best. What works best can only be determined by careful evaluation of each and every advertising scheme in use on the web today : Publisher/advertisers programs Banner exchanges Exit ads Pay-Per-Click Link Exchanges Search engine blasting FFa, classified ad posting Rotator pages _JavaScript based pop-ups etc 10.Express submit to search engines 11.Search Engine Optimisation 12.Adwords by Google 13. Others Its interesting to note that no seller of the above services except for Google and the other search engine services has ever took the time to evaluate your website to decide whether or not your site is most suitable to fit the advertising package they are offering. The best approach is to evaluate, evaluate, evaluate. Not everything out there works for everybody in every instant. Test your website across every platform say 10000 visitor package each and assess the outcome one by one. Some will work better than others but the ones returning the higher rate of response doesn't necessarily mean they are the most profitable unless they each cost exactly the same per 1000 visitor. What I had recommended in the first two paragraphs above should work best for the first-timer and is the most prudent approach. Be careful when trying to find the best way of advertising, Don't be caught up in the Internet Marketing clutter out there as every you come in contact with will tell you the advertising method they sell is the best. Ignore whatever testimony you see written on these webpages, use these services under a trial based approach before you order that 100000 package or start paying that monthly subscription. Any method you are interested in should be test and proven in quality. Careful tjought and consideration should be given in order to plan, make decisions and control your business operating expenses. What works for seasoned campaigners of Internet Marketing does'nt necessary works in the same way for the starter. Your website is unique just like your fingerprint and its now your duty to determine the most economic,effective and efficient approach in promoting it. R. Urien Shaw Webmarketing Financial http://www.royanopia.co.uk/ R. Urien Shaw is a contributor to the WebMarketing Financial Newsletter and the developer of the 43-21 Budgeting Strategy. He is currently a final year student reading for the B.sc in Applied Accounting in London. marketingfinancial@royanopia.co.uk

Advertising And Generate New WebSite Traffic

by: Charles Kangethe

Here's a simple way to use "No Results, No Pay" radio advertising and build traffic for your website. Step #1 - Understanding "PI" - Per Inquiry Advertising. Radio has a unique advertising format known as "PI" or per inquiry advertising. "PI's" main benefit is that your commercial is aired and you ONLY PAY for inquiries phoned into the station from listeners ! Inquiries are in the form of callers asking for more information. The radio station counts each caller, and re-directs them to your web site address. Step #2 - How To Start a "PI" Campaign. Find a good directory of all commercial radio stations where you intend to advertise. Some sample Internet resources : http://www.mediauk.com - UK http://www.web-radio.fm - USA http://www.radiodirectory.com - International Other online resources can be found by searching for keywords like "Radio Directories." Alternatively, visit your library and in the references section ask for the Yearbook of Independent Local Radio Stations. Note details such as : Ad manager's names, Telephone numbers, e-mail addresses Programming and schedules Listener profiles: Age, Income, Sex, Location. Step #3 - Decide on Strategy and "Wanted Response." Before you contact the radio stations, be clear on strategy, goals and have your draft commercials in outline. * Are you advertising a product offer at your website ? Specify product details fully to avoid paying for "tyre kicker" inquiries. * Is your "Wanted Response" to build an opt-in list ? Decide how you will entice visitors to your web site. Will you offer FREEBIES, or a competition of some sort ? * Are you advertising for market research purposes ? Tell listeners how and why they should participate. * Decide how much you are prepared to pay per inquiry. Step #4 - Use Your Strategy To Build A "PI" Proposal Two aims in this step : Make it as easy as possible for the station to schedule your commercial. Negotiate the lowest Per Inquiry cost during the best advertising time slots. Keep in mind : Listener profiles you want to reach. Times you want your advert to go on air. Which commercial will best deliver your "Wanted Response". Write to the ad manager by e-mail or normal mail. In your letter : Introduce yourself. Inform them this is a "PI" Per Inquiry advertising proposal. Inform them you of what you are trying to achieve, refer to your strategy. Detail your product or service prices and how much you are considering paying for each inquiry. Sidebar If your "Wanted Response" is not selling a product, you must pay for inquiries out of your "own pocket". Negotiate a keen cost per inquiry !! * Explain how you will handle all the administration For instance writing the commercial Outline, handling product fulfilment, dealing with refunds and product support questions. Depending on your negotiation skills and size of Radio station you might be able to work a deal where you only pay for *Converted Inquiries*. This is practically *FREE* advertising, because you only pay for referrals once a sale is made ! Step #5 - How To Deal With Radio Ad Managers If you do not hear back within a few days, call the station. Commercial radio is a busy environment. Be prepared to explain yourself and answer questions quickly and clearly. Radio ad managers are always looking for advertisers. That is their job and advertising fees are the lifeblood of Commercial Radio. However, "PI" is not the only money earner for stations, so be prepared for a polite but cool reception. If this happens, pick another station and start the process again. The rewards of a successful "PI" campaign will pay back your effort many times over. Step #6 - The Commercial Ad Write your commercial's outline to maximise your "Wanted Response." Write the outlines for at least two 30 second, and two 60 second commercials. Writing commercials for broadcasting is very different to writing ad copy for printed media. However, stations will help you by taking your outlines and turning them into finished commercials for a fee. Alternatively, if your copy writing is good and you have time to tweak it for broadcasting, then do it yourself. Listen to the station's ads, jingles, and catch phrases and pre-record your own following a similar model. Ask objective people to listen to your ad and give you critical feedback. Sidebar When recording for radio you may or may not want to use your own voice. Radio stations have "Voices" to record your commercial for a fee before it goes on air. They also have royalty free music to include with your ad. Make your commercials memorable, with clear contact information for listeners to follow up on. When such ads go on air during relevant programming, you cangenerate considerable traffic. In closing, "just do it" and learn more than I can show you in a brief article. Radio is often overlooked by online advertisers, but it can bring good results depending on your "Wanted Response" and at a surprisingly low cost. Ad Managers are tasked with maximising revenue for the broadcaster. They are flexible and as long as you demonstrate a financial benefit to the station, they will listen to your "PI" proposal actively. This is good news for you because for minimal outlay and sometimes for free you can drive quality traffic to your site, product and services. "PI" is the lowest cost form of broadcast advertising. Make this a new part of your overall advertising strategy. Charles Kangethe of http://www.simplyeasier.com is a leading new wave Netpreneur and a published author from England. The "Simply Easier" brand name is your guarantee of high value, quality Marketing Products, Services and Resources Charles Kangethe has been involved in direct response marketing since 1982. He now lives in Suffolk County and spends his time working on new Online Marketing campaigns, with particular focus on helping new netpreneurs at http://www.simplyeasier.com

80% of All Advertising Is Wasted Due To This Common Mistake

by: John Jantsch

You’re flipping through this publication as you wait for your latte, when suddenly you decide to stop and read an ad. What made you stop? I’ll bet it was an attention grabbing headline. It is a scientifically proven fact that 5 times as many people read headlines as read the body copy of an ad. So with the headline, an advertiser has spent about 80% of their advertising dollar. It doesn’t take a genius to realize then the headline is the most important part of any ad. Yet, most small business advertising is wasted for lack of an effective headline or, worse yet, no headline at all. Don’t make this same mistake. The headline is the first thing that your reader or prospect sees when they open your letter, browse a magazine, or flip your postcard. In that moment, (about 3 seconds) your reader decides whether or not to read any farther. So first and foremost, any advertisement you produce must have a headline and your headline must grab your reader's attention immediately. If you don't grab them by the throat and hold them right away, you never will. Writing powerful headlines takes some hard work but it can be done if you follow some simple guidelines. 1. Your headline should give the reader a reason to stop and read now instead of later – a carefully chosen word or two can create urgency 2. Your headline should communicate something the reader considers valuable – they need to be able to justify the time spent reader your ad 3. Your headline should scream how you might offer something that is unique or at least interesting 4. Your headline should point to something very specific for the reader – use facts and how to’s Using these points as a guide to create your headlines allows you to create headlines that hook your reader quickly, offers them a benefit they want, and gives them a reason to read on. Never use boring, conventional or overused statements and never use a headline to trick your reader into looking on. Attention Getting Power Words for Your Headlines Look at powerful headlines and you will see that many contain one or more of the following words that sell. Discover Easy Free New Proven Save Results Introducing At Last Guarantee Bargain Easy Quick Sale Why How To Just Arrived Now Announcing Start of by writing some headlines that clearly communicate your promise, benefit or USP. Then look for ways to make them even more powerful by adding a power word or two and checking if they contain at least 3 of the guidelines provided above. Copyright 2004 John Jantsch John Jantsch is a marketing coach and creator of the Duct Tape Marketing System. You can get more information about the Duct Tape System and download your free copy of “How To Create the Ultimate Small Business Marketing System in 7 Simple Steps” by visiting http://www.DuctTapeMarketing.com

4 Steps to Unbeatable Advertising And Still Keep Money in Yo

by: Allyn Cutts

Advertising doesn't have to wipe out your bank account to be effective. When you learn to negotiate, know when smaller ads are as effective as large ads, ask for discounts, and create an irresistible offer, you're on your way to skyrocketing profit margins! 1. Negotiate Have you noticed that some people seem to always get the best deals? Yeah, you pay full price and think you did OK until they show up with the same thing, only they paid several hundred dollars less. It really get your goat! How do they do it? They're not afraid to ask for an extra discount. Yep, don't sell yourself short because you didn't ASK the next time your advertising rep makes an appearance! Even if you're already getting a discount, ask for a bigger one. You have not...because you ask not. 2. Trim Bigger is always better...or is it? When it comes to advertising, don't be surprised if some of your short ads meet with more success than larger more expensive ads. Trimming down on the size and cost of advertising doesn't mean you'll be trimming the results! 3. Exploit the Freebies What's the difference between advertising and publicity? ...who's doing the talking. Yeah, when you sell yourself, it's advertising. When someone else is selling you, it's publicity...and it generates credibility and interest that you don't want to miss out on. Think about the different ways you can get your business in the spotlight. Do you have some news… write a press release? Write some “how to” articles with a short byline at the end and release them to ezines, magazines, newspapers, and other publishers. Why not promote the product of a non-competitor in return for them promoting yours...think of the totally different market they affect! Yep, there are a lot of ways out there to get free advertisement that will benefit your business. Of course you won't be able to rely solely on the freebies, but hey, you can get a little extra for nothing! 4. Improve Your Offer Is your deal too good to pass up? If not, you need to improve it. Hey, I'm not talking about cutting prices even more...you've still got to make a profit. You can make the deal sweeter just by increasing the readers knowledge of the value of the product, or adding bonuses that are perceived as valuable, but cost you little. Motivate buyers with expirations. Yeah, an open ended offer encourages procrastination...which leads ...yep, nowhere. When the customer knows he has until Saturday to purchase an item he'll pay more for on Sunday, he'll make it a priority to head for your shop. Advertising doesn't have to wipe out your bank account to be effective. When you learn to negotiate, know when smaller ads are as effective as large ads, ask for discounts, and create an irresistible offer, you're on your way to skyrocketing profit margins! ABOUT THE AUTHOR Who is Allyn Cutts, and why should you care? Allyn has spent over 24 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase sales to current customers. Allyn is a marketing and sales fanatic, providing measurable marketing solutions that drive huge results for small-to mid-size business clients. Allyn works personally with clients to design and deliver off-line and on-line direct marketing strategies that focus on metrics and measurable results. You can learn more about Allyn Cutts at www.AllynCutts.com and you can call 610.437.4106 between 10 AM and 4 PM Eastern Time Tuesdays and Thursdays.

3 Simple But Powerful Off-Line Advertising Strategies

by: Al Martinovic

There are several ways to advertise and get the word out about your business online and the best of them include f-ree search engines, pay per click search engines, writing articles, utilizing press releases, doing joint ventures/ad co-ops, and posting to message boards and forums related to your target market. But one advertising method that's neglected by most online marketers is off-line advertising. There are several low/no cost ways to advertise off-line and I want to share 3 of them with you. 1) Business Cards If you are serious about your business you must have business cards. They are cheap and are a great way to attract potential prospects or customers. Simply hand them out to people who you feel may be interested in your business. Also, whenever I visit a restaraunt, bar, or club, I'll leave my business cards in all of the bathroom stalls. (Just make sure nobody is in there of course... lol!) And don't laugh at this! It really works. When I visit the bathroom an hour or two later, I'll find that all of my business cards are gone and I'll have a fresh new set of sales the very next day. You can get f-ree professional looking business cards at VistaPrint.com, all you have to pay is shipping and handling: http://www.vistaprint.com 2) Flyers With today's technology, flyers are very easy to make. You can simply design a flyer online and just print it out and make copies. Then you can post them in area businesses where you feel your potential customers may hang out. (Just make sure you ask permission from the business owner.) Or simply hand out your flyers to people you meet on the street. Many bars and clubs don't have a problem with posting flyers in their establishments either, especially if you are a patron. And don't forget about supermarkets! Many have bulletin boards, at least here in New Jersey where I live, and you can post your flyer there. There are hundreds of people walking into supermarkets everyday and they are in a buying mentality. Take advantage of it and post your flyers often. Here's a site that lets you create and print flyers or brochures online for f-ree: http://www.mybrochuremaker.com/ 3) Automobile Advertising What... ? Yes you read that right! Your car is not only a driving vehicle but a great advertising vehicle as well. You can stick magnetic signs or plates on your car with your company name and/or domain name for all to see. Your business can be exposed to hundreds, if not thousands of people everyday whether your car is parked, you are driving, or even when you are stuck in traffic. It's fairly inexpensive and a great way to "drive" home your message. Here are a couple of sites to check out for this very sort of thing: http://www.iditplates.net http://www.magneticsigns.com Those are just a few of the ways to advertise off-line. I'm sure you can come up with other clever ways as well. You've got a brain... use it! Al Martinovic runs a successful "niche" business at http://www.ineedsmokes.com and publishes a popular internet marketing newsletter at http://www.milleniummarketers.com

13 Free or Cheap Effective Advertising Methods

by: Donnie Baird

Advertising is the life blood of any business, no matter how big or how small. No advertising usually means no business. Large companies have an almost unlimited source of advertising dollars. Small business owners on the other hand, are limited in the amount of money they have for advertising. So, the problem is how to make ones advertising dollar get the most bang for the buck. It's not enough to advertise. Your advertising must be effective. So, once you have a website or an ad to advertise, check out the following ways to advertise for little or no cost. 1. Advertising coop- Many businesses, especially work at home businesses, offer advertising coops. They will send people to your business for a fee. Usually the fee is relatively small. This is nice because you already know that these people have at least some interest in your business. Although they may not spend a penny with you, you at least get the exposure. 2. Website-The age of the internet has expanded the possibility of owning your own business to an almost unlimited number of people. It also has expanded the advertising audience to a tremendous amount of new people, world wide, who otherwise you would never have been able to reach. Although websites will cost you to get hosted, you can advertise it many ways for free. Things like link exchanges and article submissions allow you to get exposure to your website with no cost except for you time. And as we will see in a moment, your website can be advertised many other ways for free. The advantage of a website is that it centralizes all your business and products into one central location. It gives you somewhere to send people so that you don't have to do as much selling because you let your website do the selling for you. 3. Answering Machine-Change the message on your answering machine to reflect the fact that you are now in business for yourself. You could say something like," Hello. You have reached the home office of John Doe of My Business.com….." That way when you call that person back, they may ask you about your business and thus the door is open to discussing your business. 4. Put a sign in your front yard or in the yard of a friend or relative with your name and website address on it. This is a good way for your neighbors to find out about your new business as well as any people that ride by your house. 5. Place a magnetic sign or bumper sticker on your car. Now, when you are riding down the road, sitting at a stop sign, or leaving your car parked at the mall or grocery store, you are getting free advertising. 6. Wear your ad-Place your website on a sweatshirt, tee-shirt, or a hat. So, when you are out in public, people will see you ad and again it will open up the door to discussing your new business. 7. Flyers-There are many places that will allow you to place a flyer about your business. Businesses like grocery stores, libraries, laundromats, hair salons and others will let you place a free ad on their public bulletin board. 8. Business cards-Don't leave home without them. You never now when the chance to hand one out will happen. You may see an old friend, meet someone looking to get out of the 9-5 rut or who is in need of a new opportunity. 9. Free Classifieds-Use the internet and the many free classified ads on it to advertise your business. A search using "free classifieds" will give you an almost limitless number of places to submit your website and ad. 10.Ezines or electronic magazines are also a good place to advertise your business. Some charge a fee for placing your ad in the best location, some let you advertise for free. Again a web search will allow you find numerous ezines to place you ad in. 11.Place your web address in your e-mail signature. 12.Place a flyer or business card in your out going mail. 13.Word of Mouth-The least expensive form of advertising and maybe the most effective way to advertise your business is word of mouth. Simply tell those you come in contact with that you are in business for yourself. They will tell others and they will tell others and it can go on and on. Sooner or later someone will take a look at what you are doing. Obviously, there are many more ways to advertise your business for little or no money. The point is you don't have to have the big bucks to successfully advertise you business or product. There are many people who have started and become extremely successful in their business on a shoe string advertising budget. There is hope for the small business owner. All you need is a website or add, a little creativity, a little time, and you too can advertise your way to success without going to the poor house. About the Author Donnie Baird has been involved with work at home businesses for 4 years and is the webmaster/owner of http://internet-work-at-home-opportunity.com . He lives in North Carolina with his wife and two children.

10 Tips for Successful Ezine Advertising

by: Michael Southon

When it comes to advertising, I've tried just about everything. I tried free classified ad sites, I tried FFA sites, I tried banner exchange programs. The results? Not much. I was tired of hearing that the Internet is the largest market in human history. Maybe so, but how could I reach those millions of people? The answer, I discovered, is ezine advertising. Ezines are sometimes called 'opt-in' lists because everyone who receives an ezine has chosen to do so. And that's why ezine advertising gets results. People read ezines and they'll read your ad. And if you've matched the ezine to the product you're selling, you've reached your target audience. There are currently around 90,000 ezines being published every month. So whatever you're selling, there's more than likely an ezine that will take your ad straight to the audience you want to reach. Ezine advertising is not only effective, it's cheap as well. A 5 line ad in an ezine that goes to 3000 people will cost you between $5 and $20 per issue. As a general rule, you'll always get back at least the cost of the ad, and usually much more. So there's very little risk. But there are some tips for successful ezine advertising. Here they are: 1. The first and most important rule is: "Track your Ads!" Say you place an ad in 5 different ezines and get a hundred responses. If you don't track your ads, you won't know which ezines were pulling responses and which weren't. But how do you track your ads? The simplest method is to place a key or a code at the end of your email address: yourname@yourdomain.com?subject=ezineA Then, when you get a reply with 'ezineA' in the subject field, you'll know which ezine it came from. For a URL, it's the same principle: http://www.yourdomain.com?ezineA However, if you're going to code your URLs, you'll need a good webstats program to track the coded URLs. These two programs are excellent and they're both free: Here's another way to code your URLs: for every ezine ad, create a duplicate of your homepage and name the page after the ezine that your ad will appear in. So, if the ad is appearing in EzineA, this is the URL you'd place in that ad: http://www.yourdomain.com/EzineA 2. Target your audience. It may seem obvious but some advertisers overlook this. If you're selling a web-marketing course, don't advertise in an ezine that deals with stock options; they probably won't be interested. Use the 'subject categories' in any ezine directory to find ezines that relate to the product you're selling. You can find a list of 56 ezine directories in 'The Free Directory of Ezines' at: 3. Once you've chosen a number of ezines that target your audience, subscribe to them and examine the ads closely. If you see an ad that keeps repeating issue after issue, you can be pretty sure that it's getting results. You've found a good ezine to advertise in. 4. Check to see how many ads are in the ezine. You probably won't get much response from an ad in an ezine that has 15 or 20 ads per issue. Readers of those ezines have become hardened to the ads and have learnt to skip them. 5. Check to see if the ezine publisher has a policy of never running ads for two similar products in the same issue - your ad will be much more effective if it's the only one of it's kind in that particular issue. 6. Small ezines Vs. Big ezines: bigger is not always better. The big ezines with 1000's of subscribers tend to have more ads than the small ezines. Also, small ezines with only a few hundred subscribers often have a much more targeted audience than the big ezines. 7. Repeat your ads. Research shows that off the Web, an ad has to be seen about 21 times before someone acts on it; on the Internet it's about 9 times. If your budget allows, try and have your ad repeated at least three times in a particular ezine. Most ezines offer discount packages for bulk advertising. 8. Email address Vs. URL. The advantage of giving an email address is that it gives you the opportunity to send a powerful sales letter to the person who responded to your ad. It's also much easier to track your ads with an email address than a URL. 9. Offer something free in your ad copy. It'll often tip the balance between a response and no response. 10. Keep your ads short, even if you're not using the number of words you're allowed. Short ads are more likely to be read. Keep your sentences short too; they pack much more power. Use the word 'You'. Don't describe your product but tell the reader what your product can do for them. Michael Southon is the publisher of 'The Free Directory of Ezines' http://www.netmastersolutions.com/ He is also the Editor of 'FreeZine Express', a twice-monthly newsletter that brings you details of new Ezines added to the TFDE as well as Articles and Tips on Ezine Advertising and Ezine Publishing. To subscribe, send a blank email to: mailto:FreeZineExpress-subscribe@topica.com

10 Ezine Advertising Strategies For Starters

by: Diane Hughes

Copyright 2005 Diane Hughes If you're like most ezine advertisers you wish to generate FAST Sales by sending your message in front of thousands ezine subscribers. Some spend hundreds in ezine advertising hoping to generate a BIG profit... but it ends up costing them more than they earn. Yes, ezine advertising works, but if you really want to WIN the ezine advertising GAME you must take in consideration the strategies below: 1. What do you plan to advertise? e.g. an affiliate product, your own product, a course by e-mail, an ebook, etc. You must know exactly what you want to promote in other ezines before advertising in them; ask yourself these questions: Is the product related to your target audience? Is the product valuable? Does the seller offer a money-back guarantee? Does the Web Site make you want to purchase the product yourself? Does the Web Sales Letter convert into Sales? 2. Who is your target audience? The product you plan to promote in other ezines must be related to a certain niche (target audience) so don't make the mistake to think that everyone needs or wants what you promote. e.g. if your product is related to dog lovers, don't advertise in ezines related to cat lovers because you won't make any sales. 3. Where to find the 'BEST' ezine to advertise in? The 'BEST' ezine to promote a product in is the one targeted to your audience. The more specific your target audience and the ezine TOPIC, the more sales you could receive. Also, the 'BEST' ezine to advertise in is the one where the publisher has already built TRUST with his/her subscribers and they purchase regularly from their recommendations. Ezine Advertising List http://www.probiztrack.com/go/p.cgi/ezines 4. What's your BUDGET? If you only afford $300 to spend on ezine advertising, you don't want to spend it all on one ezine. Try to invest your money wisely, step-by-step. Have you seen a publisher claiming their ezine has 90,000+ subscribers and they sell advertising for $25 - $50 or so? If these offers sound too good to be true, maybe it is! 5. How many subscribers does the ezine have? Numbers don't count, the quality of the ezine CONTENT itself is what makes the difference; if a publisher sends too many ads to their subscribers, I suppose you imagine there are not too happy seeing all those ads. The more CONTENT and less advertising an ezine has, the better RESULTS you could receive from your advertising. 6. Who wrote your Ad Copy? You know exactly the 'BEST' ezine to advertise in, how much you want to spend on advertising, but your ad copy is weak ... try to improve it yourself or ask a copywriter to rewrite it. How to make your Ad Copy bring in GREAT results? - write an eye-catching headline or no one will read your WHOLE ad copy; - use powerful / action words in your headline & ad copy like 'INSTANT', 'FREE', 'GET', 'CASH', 'UNLIMITED', 'TURN', 'BOOST', 'CREATE', etc. - write your ad copy to promote a FREE offer like a FREE course by e-mail, a FREE ebook or a FREE sample of a product. 7. Don't want to track your Ad? Why not? How will you know that the ezine you advertised in is profitable or not? Most advertisers don't track their ads. Just look in other ezines and you'll see their regular Web Site link, no tracking URL available. A tracking URL will show you how many clicks your ad receives and how many sales it makes from those clicks. http://www.probiztrack.com 8. Don't want to use autoresponders in your Ad Copy? Autoresponders are one of the SMARTEST internet marketing tools simply because they allow you to follow-up with your leads and send out more promotional offers automatically. You only write your messages once and then put them on the autoresponder sequences to be delivered at pre-determined intervals like 1, 2 or more days. You can even use autoresponders to build your own mailing lists of leads and customers. Instead of sending prospects to your main Web Site page, direct them to a Web Page where they can GET a FREE course by e-mail. Use this course to educate them and build a relationship with them, gain their trust. 9. Want to play with 'SPAM'? Don't do it if you are SMART. Search on your favorite search engine for "spam laws + email marketing" and you'll get a picture of what 'SPAM' is and how you can protect yourself! Make sure you read about the CAN-Spam law if you want to know how to legally send commercial emails. Also, don't forget about the FTC laws on e-mail marketing! 10. What ads are 'BEST'? If you want to sell something directly from your ad, try Solo Mailings (one e-mail sent to all subscribers with no other ads in competition!) If you want to TEST your ad or want to promote a FREE offer, try Classified, Top Sponsor or Bottom Ads. They are much cheaper than Solos and could bring 'POOR' results. If you invest in Solo Ads, make sure your ad copy is short and to the point, don't bore your prospect with long ad copy. About the Author Diane C. Hughes * ProBizTips.com FREE Report: Amazingly Simple (Yet Super Powerful) Ways To Skyrocket Your Sales And Build Your Business Into A Tower of Profits! ==>> http://madmarketer.com/diane