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website promotion newsletter issue #13 - August 2004
Power Promotion With Low-Cost Classified Ads -- Six Ways to Increase Sales
Dear Friend,
Let me start with an important question:
Would You like to watch video tutorials ?
If Yes - which topics would You want to have covered ?
how about ...
- an introduction to Google Adwords and ppc advertising
- basic html web site programming
- starting an internet business
- search engine optimization
- affiliate marketing
I think itīll be fun to create videos and of course:
Youīll get them for free !
Please send me Your comments and suggestions as soon as possible.
! BETA TESTERS WANTED !
In last monthīs newsletter Iīve told You that Iīm going to build
a web based software application for web site owners. This week
Iīve been talking to the programmer discussing a couple of details
and I hope that the tool will be ready in the next 2-3 weeks.
The tool will help You to improve Your website content so that
visitors AND search engine spiders will love to visit more
frequently.
How this is accomplished - I donīt want to reveal by now.
Rest assured that itīs useful for any kind of website.
If you want to get a free copy of the software, please
get on the pre-release announcement list at
## CLOSED ##
For more information about the tool, visit
SiteUpdateMagic.com
Honestly, Iīm still a bit in a lazy holiday mood and
donīt rightly know about what I should talk to You today,
so Iīve chosen two great articles, written by Dr. Kevin Nunley.
1) Power Promotion With Low-Cost Classified Ads
2) Six Ways to Increase Sales
Enjoy !
1) Power Promotion With Low-Cost Classified Ads
by Kevin Nunley -
http://www.DrNunley.com
Classified ads are the world's number one cheap way to advertise.
They cost just a fraction of a large print ad, not to mention
that you can get your classified ad in everything from an email
newsletter to USA Today.
Most classified ads are either hard to understand or not terribly
exciting. To get sales, you need people to immediately understand
your offer. You also need to build a bit of an emotional fire
under them.
Start each sentence with an action word. Get this.., Save now...,
Click to...
Make your sentences as short as possible. Incomplete sentences
are ok. Two words. Fine. This fills your ad with energy and
builds excitement. Classifieds can also use commonly understood
abbreviations. Try to paint a picture of a better or more stress-
free life. Mention a specific offer with a price for better
results.
When possible, include a quote from a past customer. People
believe other customers before they believe you. It's human
nature.
Newspapers and magazines are great places to put your
classifieds, but keep in mind that more and more people are using
the Internet everyday, and racking up those online hours.
Classifieds Online
There are thousands of places to use classified ads on the
Internet. From free ad sites like Yahoo's, to paid classified
sites like AOL's Classifieds Plus, to ezines with thousands of
readers. So how do you go about writing a great classified ad for
the Internet?
Online ad sites usually require a subject line. It needs to serve
as your attention-getting headline. If the subject line doesn't
grab `em, people will never see the rest of your ad.
Start your headline with the word FREE or with an action word
like EARN, PROFIT, RELAX, or FEEL. Some situations let you indent
a few spaces so your subject line stands out from the others. You
can also start with *** or $$$ to get attention in a long list of
subject lines.
Ezine ads usually don't have headlines. It is common to
capitalize the first two or three words to serve as a kind of
headline to get attention and pull people into the ad. For
example:
EARN PROFITS while you relax and feel better.
Tabloid Classifieds
Another great place for classifieds in is mail order tabloids.
There are thousands of entrepreneurs who make full or part-time
income with a small mail order business. Many of these folks live
in rural areas where the quality of life is high but there are
limited opportunities for making money. The mail order industry
offers them a way to sell to customers outside their home town.
An entire industry has grown up around home-based mail order
businesses. Mail order tabloids are inexpensive publications that
go to hundreds or thousands of people, most of whom run small
mail order businesses. Tabloids are a good low-cost way to
advertise products and services to entrepreneurs who prefer to
buy things at a distance.
Classifieds and one-inch display ads start at just a dollar or
two. Some good publications to check out are Chuck's Mail Order
News
http://www.homebucks.com/cmno.html, JackPot
http://www.JackPotMall.com and Spare Time
http://www.spare-time.com .
You can also write short articles for these publications
including your ad at the bottom of the article. I have my
articles mailed out each month to a list of 100 print tabloids
(and will be happy to include your article or press release for
$15 per page). This is great free advertising if your business
sells via mail or on the Internet.
Think Classified ads don't work? I knew a guy who marketed his
self-published book with classified ads. He started out with an
ad in one magazine. When he had made his money back, he put an ad
in more magazines until you couldn't look through a newsstand
without seeing his ad. He built a great retirement for himself,
and all through the use of classifieds. That's easy marketing!
See Kevin's classified ad deals here.
We write classified ads here.
Kevin Nunley provides marketing advice and copywriting. See his
10,000 marketing ideas and popular promotion packages at
http://DrNunley.com Reach Kevin at kevin @ drnunley.com or
603-249-9519.
2) Seeing From Your Customer's Point of View:
Six Ways to Increase Sales
by Kevin Nunley -
http://www.DrNunley.com
The better you can describe your best customers, the more
products and services you can sell. How do you that?
Know Your Customer
What newspapers, magazines, and e-zines do they read? What topics
interest them most? What groups or associations do they belong
to?
You can devise a questionnaire to send to your best customers and
prospects. Entice them with a free offer or a big discount.
Many actors start developing their character by writing down a
long list of words that describe the character. This helps the
actor think deeply about the part they are going to play.
This strategy works well to help you figure out what kind of
people buy often. You likely know far more about your prospects
and customers than you realize. This method helps you get a
clearer understanding of what you probably already know.
Do A Needs Analysis
Experts on selling always tell you to start by doing a needs
analysis for the customer. That's a fancy way of saying you need
to figure out what the customer's problem is, and to decide how
you can fix it. Would your potential customer's life be improved
with your product or service? You can fix that!
Does your customer find a certain product or service inferior?
Your mission will be to deliver a better solution.
Michael Dell got the idea for his Dell Computer business while he
was still in high school.
He quickly saw computer stores weren't giving him very good
prices and service was almost nonexistent. As a customer, that
was his problem.
"When I would go to a computer store, I would pay 25 percent
retail mark-up for a computer and be served by a person who knew
little about computers," Dell wrote in a recent article.
This early experience became the idea behind his own business. By
selling direct to customers, Dell could eliminate the mark-up.
He also insisted on customer support being a top priority,
positioning Dell as a consumer advocate.
Ask Some Questions
What if customers have some idea what they need, but don't
understand the big picture of why they need it and how you can
provide a solution? Be prepared for this.
It is a little like when you or I go to the doctor. We know
something hurts, but we may not know what is causing it. If you
don't know what is causing the problem, it is very hard to come
up with a cure.
Start your needs analysis by asking questions. Help the customer
zero in on the exact problem.
When a prospect tells me "I'm not making any sales on my web
site," I first find out if they are getting enough visitors. The
problem could be too little traffic or they may be getting enough
traffic but their site's copy isn't selling.
Best of all, doing a needs analysis gets you focused on the
customer. That is the quickest path to a sale.
Listen to your Customers
Why is this important? Most of us tend to develop beliefs about
ourselves, our products, and our businesses. We have strong
feelings about why we are good, why people should buy from us,
and why our customers find us important.
Believing in yourself and your products and services is very
important. It is hard to be successful if you don't believe with
confidence.
Beliefs can also blind us to reality or new conditions. Believing
in a false reality can bring unpleasant surprises down the road
when a competitor suddenly surges or customers begin to stay
away.
Watch yourself, your biz, and competitors with open eyes. Look
for solid indicators that your view of things may need an
adjustment. If customers disagree with your view, or just offer
suggestions, listen to them. There may be some valuable grains of
truth in what they think.
Stay Acquainted with Your Customers
Keep notes! This tip sounds a bit sneaky, but customers love it.
From time to time customers may tell you about something going on
in their life. "My daughter is graduating next week" or "Product
X is our best seller" or "My team won the championship."
Write down those revelations for later use. Refer back to your
notes right before placing a phone call or composing an e-mail to
the customer. Selling depends on your excellent product or
service, but also on your likability and ease with people.
Notice how personal and natural this conversation sounds:
"Is your daughter enjoying being a graduate? She's going to State
U? You're probably looking for a low-cost computer for her. I
have a great new budget model that fits into any space and is
loaded with the software that a college student needs."
Customers are impressed when you remember things about their life
or business. They don't know you are reading from notes. The
customer feels important. They think they are getting your
special attention. In the end, that is the most powerful tool you
can use to entice people to buy.
Remember What It Was Like To Be A Customer
Many businesses say their best ideas come from customers. It is
also a good idea to think back to before you started your
business. Think back to the time when you were a customer buying
from businesses like yours.
What frustrated you? Were there parts of the business you felt
weren't giving you a very good deal? Is that part of why you have
a passion to give customers a better solution?
Keep doing that by knowing your customers and satisfying their
needs, because you were in their shoes once.
Kevin Nunley provides marketing advice and copywriting. See his
10,000 marketing ideas and popular promotion packages at
http://DrNunley.com Reach Kevin at kevin @ drnunley.com or
603-249-9519.
Have a great weekend !
Yours,
Guido W. Stiehle
TheJungleMarketer
^^ TOP of Page ^^
Disclaimer
I accept no responsibility whatsoever for the content,
profitability or legality of any published articles or
advertisements contained within articles published on
my web pages.
And, although all of the guest articles have been selected for
their content, the publishing of such articles on this website
does NOT constitute a recommendation of the products or services
mentioned or advertised within those articles.
Be responsible! Always do Due Diligence before
responding to any offer.
If you found some information to be out-of-date, please contact
me and let me know it.
support #AT# thejunglemarketer.com
Sincerely Yours,
Guido W. Stiehle
TheJungleMarketer
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