Understanding Internet Banner Advertising

Banner advertising is an effective way of getting your advertising message seen on the Internet. Banner ads should not be your only online form of advertising, but they are an essential part of your online advertising mix.

This article assumes that the reader knows what a banner ad looks like, but do you know how they work, and how you can derive benefit from them? Let's define a few terms before answering these questions.

1. "Page views" or "page impressions." These terms are interchangeable and they refer to the number of times that a page within a website has been displayed on a website.

2. "Banner view." Like a page view, a banner view is the number of times that a banner has been displayed on website.

3. "Click through." A click through is the number of times a website visitor has "clicked" on a particular banner ad and was transferred to the website of the banner advertiser.

4. "CTR." CTR is the acronym for "click through rate," which is the ratio of the number of banner view versus the number of times visitors have "clicked through" to your website. CTR is expressed as a percentage, so a click through rate of 1% means that for every 1,000 banner views, 10 visitors have clicked through to your site.

5. "CPM." CPM is an acronym for "cost per M," where "M" is the ancient Roman numeral for 1,000. Translation: CPM is the price your business will pay to have its banner advertisement displayed 1,000 times on a website, e.g, the cost of 1,000 banner views. So, for example, if the CPM to advertise on a site is $80.00 your business will pay $80.00 for every 1,000 banner views.

6. "ROS." ROS is the acronym for "run of site," which simply means that a banner ad is displayed on every page in a website, as opposed to being displayed only in a particular category of a website or only when a particular keyword is entered into a search engine.

Everyone who is in charge of a advertising or marketing department (that's you if you're the sole shareholder of the company) knows that advertising is, in large part, a numbers game. The more frequently your message is seen or heard, the more likely the consumer is to purchase your service or product. Take Mattress Mac with Gallery Furniture , for example. If you live in the Houston area, or if your radio can pick up the signal of almost any Houston area radio station, you cannot go a single day without hearing or seeing an advertisement for Gallery Furniture. Peppering your senses with constant reminders that "Gallery Furniture Saves You Money!" has enabled Mr. McIngvale to build his single location furniture store into an empire. (Of course, advertising alone won't do it; you still must have a quality product or service). I have no scientific data to support this assertion, but I'll make it anyway: I'm willing to bet that Gallery Furniture is known to more people in the greater Houston area than any other single business. How did that come to be? Mattress Mac understands the advertising numbers game and plays it better than anybody else.

Banner ads are a numbers game. The industry standard click through rate for online advertising in general is around .5%. Not 5%, but .5%. Doesn't sound very encouraging for your banner ad campaign, eh? Well, there are ways to significantly increase the CTR of any given banner. The best way is by targeting a particular banner ad to a narrow audience, an audience that is looking specific for a product or service just like yours. Highly-targeted can boost your CTR to as much as 2%-3% or higher and significantly increase the traffic to your website.

Another valuable purpose of the banner ad is branding. Intertwined with the messages Gallery Furniture delivers about particular sales events or types of furniture is the company's consistent and recognizable logo, color scheme, and tag lines. Your banner advertisements can, and should, perform the same function; they should be designed using your company's logo and colors, at a minimum. Sometimes incorporating the tag line is the way to go, but other times you may want to advertise a particular special offer, product, etc. The important thing is that you take advantage of the numbers game by continually displaying your name, logo, and colors. The more visitors that see you, the more they will come to associate your name with your type of product or service, and the more likely they will be in the future to buy from you.

Henry J. Fasthoff, IV
Principal & General Counsel
<a href="http://www.houstonbusiness.com"target="_blank">HoustonBusiness.com</a>

Do I Need Raised Letter or Full Color Business Cards?

If you've been searching around for business cards that will best represent the image you want to portray for your business, then you've no doubt encountered many options. The Big Two, as I like to think of them, are "Raised Letter" and "Full Color."

What are the differences in raised letter and full color business cards? What are the price differences? What looks best for how I want to represent my business? These are all questions I hear on a daily basis.

1. The difference between Raised Letter and Full Color printing is in how the ink is applied to the card stock. Thermography is the type of printing that produces ink that stands up off the page slightly. When you run your fingers across the surface, you can feel the printing on the stock. Each color that is printed has a separate plate, and the cards have to be run through the press for each color chosen. These types of cards have a very elegant and refined look about them, especially if the colors and stocks chosen are complimentary. There are hundreds of varieties of stocks and inks to choose from.

Full Color printing is much like printing from your ink jet printer at home. All the inks are printed on the page at the same time, and combined to create hues, shades--photo images. So, one run through and the cards are printed. These cards have been traditionally used by real estate agents, insurance agents and the like. But now, with this type of printing becoming more affordable and available, anyone can choose this option. These designs most of the time seem jazzier, sharper, more upbeat.

2. The cost difference is an oddity. Spot printing (the process of laying the colors on one at a time, as in Raised Letter cards), can be much cheaper--if only one color or black is chosen. White plate (65 lb stocks) will be cheaper than a cordwain or linen. But, if you start adding more colors (equals more time through the press) then you'll start racking up the cost. If your colors touch each other (called registration--the printer must make sure the cards run through correctly) then you'll tack on some extra expense there.

If you have a full color logo, the least expensive way to go would be with full color (process printing). But, you generally have to get a minimum of 1000. You can get 250 from some places, but you'll pay about the same price. It's the setup fee from the printer that is the biggest expense. Printing them is the cheap part, which is why the more you get, the better the price.

3. To choose the look that's right for you, I would think first about the image you are projecting for your company. Are you a doctor? You probably would rather have a classier linen stock with black and gold inks. Same for lawyers and other professionals. A handsome bordeaux (burgundy) on grey fiber stock would speak volumes about your professionalism. The raised letter would add to the expensive feel. There is really no need to add more than 1 color and black in printing raised letter cards. If that's the way you're heading, then you probably have a flashier business image and would need full color cards. A doctor or lawyer is usually using cards to provide clients with contact information, not get more business.

Full color is proven to get a 30% better response rate than regular printing, but this is only a bonus if your business aims to use the business cards to get more business. If you sell a product, using full color cards would be a brilliant idea--you can have a photo of it right on the cards. If you're in a service industry like real estate, you'll want your prospects to remember your face. Add your professionally taken photo to your cards. If you're trying to express a concept of what you can do for customers, then finding the right stock photo image can speak thousands of words with just one image!

In reality, cost usually dictates the biggest part of your decision making process. However, I would caution you to consider your IMAGE first. You might find that if you choose the card that has the best representation of your image, the cost ends up being less than if you choose the wrong one.

About The Author

Business card designer, Miton? Cooke, specializes in full color business card designs at her website <a href="http://drbusinesscards.com" target="_new">http://drbusinesscards.com</a>. You can also give her a call at 1-800-431-3407 to order raised letter cards! Miton? can be reached by email at <a href="mailto:moi@mitone.com">moi@mitone.com</a>. Sign up for the free e-newsletter about Business Card Marketing by sending a blank email to <a href="mailto:bizcardmarketing@getresponse.com">bizcardmarketing@getresponse.com</a>.

The Seven Second Race: How to Draw Attention Your Ad

You've decided to launch your advertising campaign but you have no idea what would inspire others to buy from you. Or maybe you've already run some ads to no avail. How do you make your ad the one that stands out? After all, consumers receive thousands of marketing messages everyday. What makes what you're offering so special?

In today's highly competitive marketing environment, chances are your ad will get overlooked. Meanwhile, some other entrepreneur is making money and developing a highly effective ad campaign. The people that are successful in this area have spent considerable time going over their ads. And with enough effort, any business owner can achieve similar success.

In general, most ads will begin with a headline. And it is with this group of words that you must immediately grab your reader. Marketing experts say you need to grab your potential consumer's interest within seven seconds. Seven seconds. That's it! It's best to start with powerful words that have already been proven to work. Why reinvent the wheel? Below are ten of the most powerful words in the English language, according to Yale University:
<li>Discover</li> <li>Easy</li> <li>Guarantee</li> <li>Health</li> <li>New</li> <li>Proved</li> <li>Results</li> <li>Safety</li> <li>Save</li> <li>You</li>
Now, carefully review these words and practice writing enticing headlines that will attract attention. These ten examples will help you begin to write dynamic, attention-getting ads. As you progress, expand your "powerful word" vocabulary by reviewing other ads. Use your powerful words in not only the headline but also the body of your ad or the "copy".

The headline of your ad is not meant to tell your whole story but it is meant to make your visitor take a long enough look so they can read he rest of your offer, and hopefully inspire them to take some kind of action, whether it's calling you, visiting your site, or placing an order.

Once you've written down ten to twenty phrases pick a couple with the most impact. Ask friends, family, and colleagues to read each one and pick their favorites. Asking for specifics will help you narrow down your list. You can probe deeper and ask them what made them pick certain ads. This will help you improve your ads and writing new ones.

Now you're ready to write your ad. For maximum effect, continue to use powerful words throughout the entire ad, not just the headline. Be sure to include a "call-to-action" within the body of your ad. This could include phrases such as "call today!" , "visit our site", and many others. Use variations to test which ones have the best effect. By applying these simple steps to your ad campaign, you'll quickly see a noticeable difference in your campaign results.

Copyright ? 2005 Rhonda Winn - All Rights Reserved. Rhonda Winn has been helping small business owners since 2000. She is the author of the popular eBook, "How to Live Your Dreams and Achieve Unlimited Wealth in Small Business" Receive the first chapter free, when you join her bi-monthly newsletter today: <a href="http://smallbizstartupkit.com/" target="_blank">SmallBizStartupKit.com</a>.

You are free to publish this article as long as the content remains unchanged and copyright notice and byline is not removed from article.

Can I Write and Print My Own Business Brochures and Business Cards?

If you have a computer and a printer, preferably one that can print in color, then you can make your own brochures and business cards that are very professional-looking! Be sure to use good quality paper (that is available at any office supplies store like Office Depot or Staples) for anything that you are going to hand out or send to potential customers and clients.

Writing Text for Your Brochure and Business Card

The very best thing to do is to get a few examples of business brochures and business cards, preferably from the same type of business as the business you are starting. If you can't find any, then think about the type of customer or client you are trying to attract.

If you are starting a professional service as your at-home business (such as accounting, bookkeeping, proofreading, etc.), then the text and graphics used in your brochure and business card should be minimal, crisp, easy to read, and contain only the most vital pieces of information. &quot;Clutter&quot; is not very professional. Pick paper colors that are monotone (one color) or that have a nice edging in a complementary color. State what services you have to offer, describe your business in professional-style precise terms, and make sure that your contact information (name, phone/fax/cell number, and email address) is easy to locate.

If you are going to start up something like a children's birthday party service or another &quot;fun&quot; type of business, then you definitely want to think about bright colors and graphics that grab people's attention! Remember though, don't &quot;clutter&quot; your brochure or business card with too much information! Make sure your prospective customers can find your name, phone number, and email address easily---make them want to contact you right away!

Creating Brochures

Most brochures are either bi-fold (one fold, four printable sides or &quot;areas&quot;) or tri-fold (two folds, with six printable areas). You need to decide on which format you want to use, and then shop for good-quality paper that comes pre-scored (or &quot;creased&quot;) so that it folds with a sharp edge. Brochure paper is heavier than printer paper (called &quot;stock&quot; or &quot;card stock&quot;).

Your computer probably has a few built-in templates for creating simple brochures. Many &quot;print shop&quot; type software programs offer a variety of templates that you can use to create more professional-looking brochures. Regardless of which you use, it should require very little effort to create your first business brochure! (I was able to use a template provided in my Hallmark Greetings! software to create a brochure that was professional-looking and had a little bit of &quot;personality&quot; to it!)

Follow the instructions for the template you are going to use, and write the text for your brochure as described above. If you are going to insert pictures or graphics, make sure that you are not violating any copyrights (if you are taking graphics from another source). Using the guidelines given above, make your text simple and clear and be sure that your contact information is easy to locate on the brochure.

Business Cards

Just as for the brochures, your computer will either have a few easy templates to use, or you can use any print-shop-type software that has templates for business forms. Using the guidelines as given above, write the text for your business card.

I do suggest that you buy business cards that are &quot;laser-perforated&quot; so that when you separate the business cards after you print them, you will get nice sharp edges.

Flyers

If you have the type of business that you can promote by tacking up flyers, then you need nothing more than your word processing software. Flyers are generally printer paper sized, and you can be as creative as you like!

You might want to invest in card-stock-weight paper for your flyers. This paper is a little heavier and will be a little more durable than printer paper.

Things to Remember When Printing Your Business Brochures and Business Cards

<ul>

<li>Keep the text simple!

<li>Buy good quality paper!

<li>Set your printer preferences for &quot;Better&quot; or &quot;Best&quot; print quality

<li>Print a &quot;test&quot; page first, using just plain printer paper (fold as necessary for a brochure or cut to size for a business card and make sure it &quot;looks&quot; good)

<li>Be sure to save your brochure and business card templates so that you can easily print more or change information as needed, as your business grows

</ul>

About The Author

Jan K., The Proofer is freelance proofreader and copyeditor. Visit <a href="http://www.janktheproofer.com" target="_new">http://www.janktheproofer.com</a> for more information about Jan's services; <a href="http://work-at-home.janktheproofer.com" target="_new">http://work-at-home.janktheproofer.com</a> for work at home articles and free printables; and for work at home moms, visit Jan's sister site <a href="http://work-at-home.momsbreak.com" target="_new">http://work-at-home.momsbreak.com</a> for articles, free printables, and work at home T-shirts and other fun products.

? Copyright 2004 All rights reserved.

The Not-So-Hidden Persuaders: The Power of The Media Upon Us All

In 1957, a perspicacious young journalist from Pennsylvania named Vance Packard wrote a book called The Hidden Persuaders. It was meant to explain to the public at large why they buy the products they do and to warn them about the psychological aspects of consumer appeal that lie beneath the levels of consciousness. A red car, for example, has hidden stimuli, for red is a color that makes people angry. If you think I'm nuts, (I am, but not about this), check with some insurance companies. I was dumbfounded to learn that the collision rate was slightly higher for a red car! Packard's premise was mind-boggling and insightful for its day. Even he, however, under-estimated the full extent to which modern advertising has penetrated our psyches.

The next time you need a "kleenex" or "xerox" stop and think for a moment. Don't you really mean a tissue or a copy of a piece of paper? And when someone walking in front of you "shakes like Jell-O," do you realize that you have created a metaphor using a brand name in vain? I myself used Q-tips for years before I realized they were really cotton swabs incognito, and that by any other name they cost at least $1.50 less per box! How and why did these brands become synonyms for the things that are so much a part of our every day lives? Sometimes I feel like that little kid in the movie, Invaders From Mars, who was the only one his block who didn't have a strange little mark at the base of his neck which meant he wasn't "one of them." Who is "they" anyway? And worse, how did "they" get from our necks to our brains and become a part of us?

The answer to these and other not so penetrating questions lies in the arrogance of the media. Their influence is like a giant, intimidating shadow that sneaks into our brains when we sleep and tells us which products to buy. Lets look at how this works. My child needs aspirin. Am I going to buy some generic brand that I have never heard of or am I going to get the product whose name has been shoved into my memory so consistently that when I think of aspirin only that brand comes to mind? This is true even if the contents in both of the bottles are exactly the same. I want the very best for my sick child that my hard earned money can buy and how could something that costs less be the answer?

Well, the very best product is not necessarily the one you have heard the most about. That may just be the brand produced by advertisers who can afford to saturate the media with Saran promises and DiGiorno delivery. There are other makers of blue jeans besides Levis and other tampons besides Tampax, but who ever thinks about them when the others has been so indelibly implanted (like that little black mark at the base of the neck) into our consciousness?

The other side to that coin is that familiarity can and often does breed contempt. The media today seems to believe as PT Barnum did; "there's a sucker born every minute." The only difference is that their influence is far more widespread and millions and millions of suckers comprise their sideshow. Unfortunately, that includes me and everyone I know, even though the old adage that you can't "fool all of the people all of the time" is still floating around somewhere (probably in a pool of the most effective detergent.)

The unmitigated pomposity of the media is a travesty of human intelligence. It is as if they say to us whether we want to hear it or not: You will buy our product because we made it and because you used to buy our products. It has nothing to do with whether or not our products are better than any others on the market. Ours is better because we have the money to say that it is- over and over and over again. Then our buys become emotional and not conscious. Theirs is a most subtle brainwash; a mental encounter of the forty-sixth kind. It is this presumption which bothers me the most and yet I and everyone I know keep falling into the vortex of polyunsaturated pledges and half told truths.

In my home state of Pennsylvania it is legal to substitute prescriptions with lower costing generics as long as the ingredients and dosage are comparable. Time and again, I have paid for pills and secretly wondered how effective they could be because I don't know the brand name and if they don't cost as much as I paid before, how could they possibly be as good? Wake up and smell the coffee, whatever brand you like. Scotch tape isn't from Scotland and any other brand will seal any package just as well. Brillo is not the only soap pad in the world and cowboys do wear other brands of jeans besides Levis. (Maybe their horses don't, but they do.) Search for others that work just as well and you will find that they are also a lot cheaper. I should not have to pay for someone's advertising costs and that's exactly what we are all doing when we fall prey to the prestige of name brands.

Don't get me wrong. I do believe one gets what one pays for in most areas of life, especially professional services of any kind. I am not parsimonious or even frugal by any standards. But what's true is true. An item is not necessarily better because it is cheaper. Conversely, a familiar and/or more expensive item is not necessarily better either! There has to be a balance between cost and quality and that's what missing today. Some standards never change and that's why brand names backed by a solid reputation should never be ignored. For example, if I were going to buy a new television, I would look for a name with a history and credibility such as GE, RCA, Sharp or Sony. Between those examples however, it is an advertising contest to the death as to which is better, and my decision would have to hinge on other factors. I would probably choose the brand I bought before or the brand my father had or one that a friend or colleague recommended. That's a far cry from purchasing something because the name sounds "familiar."

Sales in generic products are rising, as the public is becoming more and more discerning and sophisticated. Awareness has crept into the Wall Street market as well. On The Motley Fool (A program of stock recommendations) a pharmaceutical company that waits for the patents on brand name products to run out so that it can purchase generic ones was recently highlighted as a good investment. Although some might argue that this company awaits profit somewhat like an alligator hiding patiently in a leafy glade, others consider the move a simple case of hungry free enterprise. In either case, sales do reflect a trend and a change in consumer awareness.

In the end you may get what you pay for in reference to some things but not others. In this case, the whole isn't even equal to even some of its parts. (Like my brain.) The contradiction is not as black and white as being pregnant, for example, which is either a state of being or it isn't. Gray is an individual color, and each of us must decide what works and what doesn't.

But if you should awake tomorrow morning with a little black mark on the base of your neck, don't say I didn't warn you. It's too late to run to Mr. Packard as he no longer lives in the world of breathing consumers. Just know that the time has come to either join the others with their little black marks or fight them and create your own little black mark. Consider changing the color, name or configuration on yours. Be sure you don't call me though, whatever you do. I'm having enough trouble living with mine!

Biography:

Marjorie Dorfman is a freelance writer and former teacher originally from Brooklyn, New York. She now lives in Doylestown, PA with four cats who keep her on her toes at all times. Originally a writer of ghostly and horror fiction, she has branched out into the world of humorous non fiction writing in the last five years. She maintains seven web sites covering a wide variety of topics and writes feature articles for several local newspapers. The author of a book entitled: A Taste of Funny, her website, Eat, Drink And Really Be Merry (<a target="_new" href="http://www.ingestandimbibe.com">http://www.ingestandimbibe.com</a>) features many well researched and humorous articles on the subject of food and drink.

Magnetic Signs: Where Do They Work Best?

Recently, a woman called to ask about replacing a magnetic sign she had purchased from another company. Her original sign had actually blown off the side of her car. I had visions of the sign flailing around in the wind and striking some poor motorist behind her or worse yet, some fellow on a motorcycle. I inquired as to whether she had tried to get her money back. But it seems the company refused to refund her money and worse yet, claimed it was her fault. Appallingly, they accused her of placing the sign on a dirty car surface.

Although surfaces should always be cleaned before any type of sinage is placed on them, rarely should a magnetic sign &quot;blow&quot; off, if ever. The sign company that sold her the original magnetic probably made two glaring errors. 1) They used an inexpensive magnetic material not meant for vehicles, especially moving ones. The sign business is intensely competitive and some disreputable companies turn to cheap material for an edge. 2) They cut corners and I mean literally! They cut square corners instead of rounded corners. Rounded corners prevent the wind from &quot;catching&quot; an edge.

In fairness to the company, maybe they didn't know any better. There are tricks of the trade that can come only with experience. But that does not help the woman that lost her sign. And even though these companies don't last long because they loose repeat business, it agitates me to see a customer have a bad experience buying a sign.

So if you are off to buy a magnetic sign, concentrate on getting the right material. Make sure you ask for 30 mil thickness with rounded corners. And don't let them charge you for the rounding. It should be a standard!

Written by: Tony Nagy
Email: <a href="mailto:info@designasign.biz">info@designasign.biz</a>
To learn more about Magnetic signs and other types of signs please visit <a target="_new" href="http://designasign.blogspot.com/">http://designasign.blogspot.com/</a> to purchase Magnets, Vinyl and just about every type of sign imaginable visit <a target="_new" href="http://www.designasign.biz">http://www.designasign.biz</a>

Diamonds Are For Evil

The task of executing successful advertising campaigns for products made exclusively for women is understatedly tempestuous. Any Average Joe consumer would relay the message that feminine product commercials put him under a great deal of stress and discomfort. Any Average Joe Consumer dreads the Vagisils, Cotex's, Summer's Eves, and Monistats of the world. There is just something about that viscous blue fluid dripping onto a Maxi Pad that gives us all that tingly feeling right before we want to be sick. However, there is another product that creates the same feeling in a more subtle, increasingly malignant fashion.

Diamond retailers advertise, advertise, and advertise. Expensive jewelry stores seem to be in every mall, strip mall, and shopping center, and we wonder how it is that these stores thrive. The answer is this: Venus and Mars, love and hate, and women and men. The diamond industry plays on the tensions between men and women like Beethoven's fingers on keys. "Every kiss begins with Kay?" Come on. If the only reason to kiss your husband is because he bought you something, then the issue of your relationship is even larger than the rock on your finger. Diamonds are forever saying 'I'm sorry.' If the only way a woman can be shown that you would "marry her all over again" is to give her an even bigger diamond in some market square in Paris, then your wife needs to be shown the front door. Men hate diamonds. Men buy jewelry when they are apologizing or when they have no other option for a anniversary, birthday, Mother's Day, Christmas (fill in any occasion here) gift. Jewelry is when flowers are not enough, and every single diamond retailer knows it, and thus knows that men will pay.

How does this make the female consumer appear?

The advertising for feminine hygiene is a necessary evil that reveals a vulnerability in all consumers, women and men, but advertising for the diamond industry maliciously creates fools of us all.

Men appear to be desperate and women appear to be demonic. What can be done to improve this dynamic?

What can be done to convey a more honest and meaningful brand face for diamonds? Well, perhaps it is time to consider more so why men and women love each other as opposed to why they need to buy each other gifts.

Molly Sunderdick
Stealing Share, Inc.
<a href="mailto:mollys@stealingshare.com">mollys@stealingshare.com</a>
336-854-3441

The SKINNY on Radio Advertising

From meager beginnings in 1920, radio has grown with us to be a major player in advertising. The radio industry says they get about 8 percent of all advertising bucks. Not bad when you consider the many ways to hawk your service or product

They get their fair share because radio works. With over twelve THOUSAND radio stations in the country, the music and news they broadcast is everywhere.

Radio is the mobile medium. Few cars have TV's up front, and few drivers can read the New York Times while driving (safely). The advertising on radio targets you passively. You don't have to be looking at it or reading it to get the message.

Radio's strength is drive time. The times of the day when most people are in their cars driving to and from work. You can sound like a pro when you call 'em AMD and PMD.

AMD is morning (AM) drive time, typically 6 to 10am. AMD is traditionally the most expensive radio time because that's when more people listen.

PMD is afternoon (PM) drive and is considered to be 4 to 7pm.

Other radio slots are DAY which represents 10a to 4p period and EVE, 7 to midnight.

Most radio stations offer two ways to buy ads. Specific placement (I want to be in the Roscoe Billy Bob Show) and ROS (Run of Station) a formula that spreads your announcments into all dayparts, including late night and overnight. Of course there are specials and sponsorships, too.

Here are my tips for buying radio ads

+ Always use 30 second ads. If you can say the whole Lord's Prayer in 20 seconds, 30 is enough for your business (no matter what the media person says)

+ Buy advertising on the stations that reach your target customers, not the ones you like. Just because you listen doesn't mean everyone does (especially if you like Classical Music)

+ Buy ads on two or more stations if possible. Few markets have one radio station so dominant that it reaches all the listeners.

+ Buy one week on one station, the next week on the other, back and fourth. Limit your buy to 4 weeks in any month, two on each station. 48 weeks per year gets thew same impact of 52 and saves 4.

+ Buy at least 12 ads a week (18 on each if you can afford it) and advertise every other month.

+ Insist on no overnight or evening ads. Ask for a package that puts you in AMD and PMD at a discount. Like the newspaper inches committment, you are talking about over 400 ads per year per station.

For more about radio get my article "Do Your Radio Ads Work?" Send a blank eMail to MailTo:RadioAds@BigIdeasGroup.com

Remember the media salesperson is interested in selling ads, not improving your business. It is up to you to be the expert and make the informed decisions.

?2005 BIG Mike McDaniel All Rights Reserved <a href="mailto:Mike@BIGIdeasGroup.com">Mike@BIGIdeasGroup.com</a> BIG Mike is a Professional Speaker and Small Business Consultant with over 30 years experience, <a target="_new" href="http://BIGIdeasGroup.com">http://BIGIdeasGroup.com</a>

Subscribe to "BIG Mike's BIG Ideas" Newsletter MailTo:subscribe-956603364@ezinedirector.net

Too Much Build-Up: Over-Zealous Ad Copy Can Break The Sale

How many times has this happened to you?

A friend recommends a film that just came out: "You've GOT to see this movie! It's SO (funny, scary, suspenseful, etc.)." They start quoting lines, excitedly taking you through the plot. You're hanging on their every word. Seems like cinema doesn't get any better than this! So you run out and plunk down $10 to see the movie. And what do you discover? That this is &quot;just another movie&quot;... mildly entertaining, at best. Next time this friend starts crowing about another fantastic film, you're not so willing to listen. In fact: you'll never go to another movie on their recommendation again.

What happened? Too much build-up. Someone &quot;over-sold,&quot; and lost credibility because of it. The same is true for advertising. Too much build-up can break the sale. It's what happens when your ads are &quot;anticlimactic.&quot;

What do I mean by advertising that's anticlimactic?

Let's say you came across an ad for a mysterious &quot;something&quot; that can give you the same ecstatic feeling as being in love. The advertiser doesn't mention what it is... he's too busy painting a picture of how this thing can change your life. The ad goes something like this:

&quot;Ahh, that blissful, lighter-than-air feeling of being in love! When you feel like this, you're at your best... like you can do anything. When you're in love, you're on top of the world! Now imagine if you could summon this feeling to life at any time you wanted. Just think of what it could do for your career, for your personal relationships, for your quality of living!&quot;

How would you feel if, after reading paragraph after paragraph about this elusive euphoria that can be yours for just a few dollars, you came to learn that the ad is about CHOCOLATE. You'd be a little annoyed, wouldn't you? You might even feel like someone had played a dirty trick on you. How likely is it that you'd buy that chocolate (even if it happened to be Godiva-quality), knowing you were duped in such a way? Not very! In fact, you'd more likely buy chocolate from the guy who told you outright, with minimal fanfare, that he was selling delicious, gourmet chocolate. Because he was being honest. And you, the consumer, appreciate honesty. Don't you?

Right now, hard-hitting ad copy is all the rage. Unless you live under a rock, you've probably seen those long sales letters that promise the moon and the stars, if you just BUY NOW. Looks like those internet gurus have become pretty darned successful, right? And you want what they have: persuasive skills that guarantee results for your business. You want it so badly you can taste it. That's why when they dangle their secrets under your nose, you listen with rapt attention. And you think, well, if they've become millionaires with their hard-sell strategies, maybe I should follow suit. But should you? Or will it just come across as a big build-up followed by a letdown? How will you avoid the trap of creating ads that are anticlimactic?

I write ad copy for a living. Lately, my clients have been coming to me in a frenzy looking for &quot;that thing&quot; that the Yanik Silvers of the world have. The first thing I ask them is, what are you selling? Is it something with many long-term benefits? Has your product made a difference for many people? If so, then yes, I believe you can build a case for what you're selling with persuasive copy. But if it's something like chocolate, or phone cards, or electronics, that will provide a bit of enjoyment in the here and now... then my advice to you is avoid the high-pressure sales pitch. It's just going to create build-up that you can't live up to. And if your product presentation is anticlimactic, your sales will suffer for it.

How are the web marketing gurus able to create such aggressive ads, without being anticlimactic?

Internet experts have something that everybody wants and only some people know how to get: success. The truth is, success doesn't come in a box or in an e-book or in a four-day seminar. None of these things guarantee that success will ever be yours. But they MIGHT help, and that's where the promise of success is ever-gleaming. That's how the experts can keep you trying like hell to attain it - repeatedly forking over your hard-earned cash for their mysterious know-how - all the while thinking that "maybe this one will seal the deal and make it happen for me!" Their ads will never be anticlimactic because they have mastered the art of keeping their customers salivating for more. Can you do this with your product offering?

Is what you sell highly sought-after, and in the category of success? Is it a stepping-stone to something of great magnitude? Or is it merely something that can enhance quality of life in little ways? The truth is, it takes more than ad copy to sell a product. Sometimes... surprise... the product has to sell itself.

Despite what some would have you believe, no blown-out sales pitch is going to guarantee that you'll become a millionaire. Just like the embellished movie review, an aggressive advertising campaign will attract attention, and it may even make you some money. But only until people realize that your product doesn't live up to all the hype. At that point, they'll lose interest. And then you'll lose customers. What will happen the next time you're ready to launch a new product? Surprise... no one wants to &quot;watch your movie.&quot;

What would you rather be: a one-hit wonder, or someone who draws a loyal following that's ever-growing? For those that want the latter, here's my advice: be realistic. Keep your advertising honest and informative. Present your product or service in a way that highlights its advantages without telling tall tales. Establish trust and credibility with your customers, and they'll keep coming back. And above all, don't base your advertising campaign on "what works for other people." Base it on what works for you.

Copyright 2005 Dina Giolitto. All rights reserved.

Dina Giolitto is a New-Jersey based Copywriting Consultant with nine years' industry experience. Her current focus is web content and web marketing for a multitude of products and services although the bulk of her experience lies in retail for big-name companies like Toys"R"Us. Visit <a target="_new" href="http://www.wordfeeder.com">http://www.wordfeeder.com</a> for rates and samples.

How To Write Ads That Get Response

Your print ads should do more than just get noticed. Their job is to bring you business, and if all they do is lay around and attract attention, they're no different from the lazy employee who does nothing all day but look busy.

You wouldn't give him more hours in the hopes that one day something productive will happen. And you shouldn't keep running those &quot;name recognition&quot; ads in the hopes that one day sales will happen, either. You should fire those non-responsive ads and get some that pull their own weight. Here's how:

1. Grab prospects with your headline. The single most important part of your ad is the headline. If yours is the name of your business, you are wasting your time and money by running it. Make it shout about the biggest benefit if buying your product or service, and you could increase response by as much as 300%.

2. Don't talk about yourself. Talk about the benefits your prospect will enjoy by using your product or service. Focus entirely on your customer, not yourself, your history, your anything. It's all about what's in it for them.

3. Include a photo. Don't make the photo the entire ad with only minimal copy, but do include one that supports what your ad says. Pictures in ads are like body language: they convey your tone and intention, and if done right add to your credibility. But they do not persuade by themselves. Only words can do that.

4. Ask for response. People won't call if you don't ask them to. Tell your prospect what it is you want her to do. Call for a free quote. Visit our web site. Come in today and stock up. Send in this coupon. You get the point.

Changing your ads from &quot;name recognition&quot; to &quot;direct response&quot; can not only increase your business, they can lower your advertising bill. Because they don't have to be run over and over and over to be effective.

So &quot;fire&quot; your old ads today, and &quot;hire&quot; new ones that really produce!

Does your marketing forge an emotional connection with your prospects? It can. Lisa Packer delivers persuasive, targeted <a target="_new" href="http://www.dramatic-copy.com/">copywriting that dramatically increases your business.</a> Unleash the power of words on behalf of your business by visiting <a target="_new" href="http://www.dramatic-copy.com">http://www.dramatic-copy.com</a> today.

The Online Equivalent of an Effective Newspaper Advertisement is FREE

Ask anybody who has been in business for a long enough and they will tell you how newspaper advertisements have for decades helped to build countless small businesses.

The advantages of a newspaper advertisement are many, but what has attracted small business entrepreneurs for decades is the speed at which a struggling entrepreneur (short of funds as many starting small businesses always are, and looking for customers fast) is able to get a very quick response.

Many extremely successful businesses today started off booking tiny classified newspaper advertisements, grew into larger display advertisements (that were still very tiny) and today are multi million dollar enterprises commanding lots of respect. If folks were laughing then because of the tiny advertisements, you can be sure that they are no longer laughing today.

Many of those who know all this stuff are not aware of an amazing new development. That there is an equivalent of the highly effective newspaper advertising online. And what's more it is FREE.

Most people know that free articles posted at relevant web sites with a good detailed resource box leading back to your web site or free course or whatever works for you, is the most effective way of advertising online. However there has always been one very important missing link. And that is high readership.

Newspapers tend to have very high circulations and that's how small businesses would manage to get such a good response from those tiny advertisements placed. The problem with online articles is that in order to have a high enough readership, you will need to post an article at numerous different sites and you may require quite a number of articles to get the good response you seek. It usually takes a while for the articles posted and the viral effect (that good articles enjoy of being reposted over and over again) to take effect and give you a good regular response similar to good offline newspaper advertisements.

Not any more. Smart entrepreneurs are now combining their free articles with the amazing Ebay site to reproduce an effect that is even better than the newspaper in the old says. Better because it is mostly free and yet has the potential of pulling in the sort of targeted traffic that no daily newspaper on earth can even dream of. The key words here are "targeted traffic."

All you need to do is register with Ebay. And you don't even need to sell anything. You just have to use your Ebay about-me -page.

Ebay has well over 1.5 billion page views per month. There are well over 40,000 people who sign up for Ebay every day - Sunday included.

Of course there's serious money to be made from the auctions or by selling something with a fixed price. But you can profit on Ebay even if you are not selling anything. You can use the About me page to put in all sorts of information including a link to your article or web site. Just by learning how to do this, you can dramatically increase traffic to your posted articles or even to your web site. This highly targeted traffic is bound to yield sales for you, whatever it is you are selling. The traffic is targeted because you select your section in Ebay carefully.

I found Brian McGregor's ebook, "The Ebay Formula," extremely useful in helping me understand how to use Ebay to drive my traffic and profits. You can get the ebook now by emailimg me personally at ckyalo@yahoo.com

Despite all the hype on the net these days, there are a few really amazing things that you can do with the internet, this has to be at the top of the list because it gives one the potential to earn some of the incomes the hype guys are throwing around. Those are the figures I'm going for myself and I dare admit that I'm getting there quite fast.

When you do get those high numbers please remember that you First heard of this amazing secret from me.

Christopher Kyalo has over 20 years experience in marketing and creative writing. Order his FREE COURSE:HOW TO ADVERTISE FREE ONLINE by sending a blank email to <a href="mailto:bizboom@freeautobot.com">bizboom@freeautobot.com</a>. He can be reached at strongwallafrica at yahoo.com

How to Write Great Headlines

According to experts, just changing the headline of an ad or sales letter has been known to dramatically improve the effectiveness of an ad or sales letter by up to 1700 percent! Yes, headlines are that powerful--and that important!

An effective headline will do many things at once. It will attract the readers attention, convey benefits by appealing to the readers self-interest and it will set the stage for what is to come. It will also target the audience for which it was intended.

But the number one thing a headline should always do is answer the question, "What's in it for me?" Why? Because that's all most of us really care about.

So what are the characteristics of a good headline? First and foremost, an effective headline must be believable. I'm sure you've heard the saying, "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."

However, if your product really can make me: jump higher than Kobe Bryant, attract as many women as I want, or make me millions while I sleep; if you put it in your headline, you had better be able to effectively prove it in your copy.

Many experts believe the shorter the headline, the better. I don't necessarily agree with that. However, keeping your headlines to fifteen words or less is probably a good idea.

Make sure your headlines are easy to read. When typesetting your headlines don't use fancy fonts, reverse type, all caps or italics. I recommend you utilize a simple, easy to read type style such as Times Roman. You can see an example of this on my website.

Headlines that evoke some type of emotional response are the most effective and generally make more sales. Emotions motivate people into action. The stronger the emotion, the quicker the action. Therefore, headlines that make the reader afraid of losing something or excited about gaining something will invariably produce the best results.

Using the proper words and phrases is critical. Below I've listed just a few of the words and phrases that, over the years, have proven to be very effective at grabbing the readers attention:

Save... Amazing... Finally... Love... Secrets Of... Announcing... Free... Luxury... Security... At Last... New... Bargains... Obsession... Breakthrough... Protect... The Truth About... Discover... How To... Rewards... Yes... Sale... You... Are You... Sex... Win... Improve... Do You...

After grabbing your readers attention, this is where you want to answer the question, "What's in it for me?" To do this, you have to know a little about your target audience. What are they interested in? What are their priorities? What makes them respond?

Craft your headlines to use words and phrases that will pique your potential buyers interest. If you are targeting people interested in starting their own home business, try phrases such as "Stay Home And Make Money" or "Kiss Your Job Goodbye Forever". If your product happens to be diet pills, try "Lose 10 Pounds In 10 Days".

A word of caution here. This is the point where headlines tend to get unbelievable. Make sure that your claims are truthful and that your copy supports their truthfulness.

Once you have a firm grasp of the aforementioned basics, look around your house and select several different products, and write as many headlines as you can think of for each product.

Write variations of the same headline until you have exhausted all the ideas you can think of. This will be both frustrating and difficult at first, but it will become easier with practice. Remember, nothing worthwhile ever comes easy.

After you have your list of headlines, make sure each one passes the test for the following criteria for a good headline. 1. Does it grab the readers attention? 2. Does it answer the question, "What's in it for me?" 3. Is it truthful? If a potential headline does not meet these three criteria, rewrite it or eliminate it from your list altogether.

Continue using the process of elimination, one headline at a time, until you're left with what you feel are the three best and strongest headlines, based on the criteria presented in this article.

How will you know which headline is the best overall?

Unfortunately, there's no way to know for sure until you test them against each other. The headline that pulls the most sales or responses is your winner!

About The Author

Dean Phillips is an Internet marketing expert, writer, publisher and entrepreneur. Questions? Comments? Dean can be reached at mailto: <a href="mailto:dean@lets-make-money.net">dean@lets-make-money.net</a>

Website: <a href="http://www.lets-make-money.net" target="_new">http://www.lets-make-money.net</a>

Why Not Use the Humble Fax in Your Advertising Strategy?

When my daughter complained recently about the prohibitive cost of news media advertising, we had a discussion about the ways in which she could sell her range of body products (hand creams, lip balms etc). I explained to her that huge firms like K Mart wouldn't spend millions of dollars annually for advertising if it wasn't necessary. But every week, a K Mart catalogue arrives in our mail box. Every week, like clockwork, ads appear on television for K Mart specials ... there are always specials.

All of us in business, whatever our size, need to have an effective, efficient advertising strategy. If you can afford an all bells and whistles television advert and run it in prime time like K Mart, that's great. Most of us however, can't afford that type of advertising and have to find alternatives that are cheap, but still bring home the bacon.

A few years ago email looked like being a cure-all for those of us without huge budgets. Unfortunately, spammers killed the golden goose; it is now only effective for selling to those who have agreed to receive our messages. And even then, there's no guarantee that the messages we send will not be deleted by overactive spam filters long before they reach their intended destination. Adding to our misery is the anti-spam legislation in the US, AUS and various other countries that makes the task of legitimate marketers unnecessarily difficult when it comes to email marketing.

Fortunately, the "Spam Act 2003", at least in Australia doesn't outlaw sending commercial fax messages *. So suddenly, the fax has fallen back into favour because it has several additional advantages: <li>It's cheap. Not as cheap as email and some pay-for-click advertising, but much cheaper than advertising in news media. <li>You can target specific markets <li>You can send as many pages as you like (but don't irritate recipients) <li>It's quick and simple <li>You don't need a fax machine <li>While it's true recipients can discard faxes, most arrive and at least have a chance of being read <li>You don't have brochures left over when a product or price changes

There are many service providers out there in cyberspace who provide a comprehensive faxing service. I pay my provider up front and can do a broadcast message to as many fax numbers as I please by clicking one button ... Send! When the broadcast has finished I receive an email message telling me how many were successful and unsuccessful and the cost for the transmissions. It beats hell out of doing it manually. The last transmission I sent involved 58 destinations that cost me $10.44 AU or $0.18 per A4 page. Of the 58 sent, all arrived.

Here's how I run my campaigns.

First I decide on a strategy eg, the first part of my current strategy targets real estate agents across the Australian continent to whom I'm selling a marketing package. I look up real estate firms using the Google search engine and almost without exception, each agency is listed with phone and fax numbers. I use a great little program called Web Data Extractor to extract the fax numbers from each of the addresses. It takes a couple of minutes to collect them and save them in a data file. When I import the data file into the list management section of my fax service provider, I'm ready to broadcast.

Automatically extracting fax numbers in Australia, unlike extracting URLs is not illegal.

After the broadcast, sales and queries flow in up to a week or so later. So far, sales have far exceeded the expense for faxing and I've just completed faxing to real estate agencies in one Australian State. There are still thousands more to go in the remaining five States and two Territories.

My sales message consists of a standard A4 page that I created and saved as an Adobe PDF file.

It is worth noting that many target markets do not have their fax numbers displayed on the Internet. This being the case, do a little research as you design your strategy to determine whether getting fax numbers will be problematical. If so, find another target market. Once you've found one with fax numbers, the rest is fairly easy, provided your products or services fit their range of needs.

Another benefit I receive from the fax provider I use is a free fax number whereby people can fax me and the fax arrives as an email. This suits me perfectly as I only print those faxes for which I need a hardcopy. The rest I file in a relevant folder on my hard drive.

You should now be thinking about some opportunities to use broadcast faxing in your business. If you're in doubt, spend a few bucks to give faxing a test run. If it works as well for you as it does me, I'm sure you'll take to it like a duck to water.

Here's to many successful fax campaigns.

* - You need to check out the spam laws in your own country before embarking on a fax advertising campaign

Published June 2005. Copyright Robin Henry 2005.

Robin Henry is an educator, human resources specialist and Internet marketer whose firm, Desert Wave Enterprises, helps individuals and businesses improve their performance by using smart processes, smart technology and personal development. He has a number of tertiary qualifications including a Master of Education degree majoring in education technology and online learning. He lives at Alice Springs In Central Australia. Visit <a target="_new" href="http://www.dwave.com.au">Desert Wave Enterprises</a>

Advertising 101

Advertising has truly become a part of all of our lives as consumers, as business owners, as parents, as concerned citizens. We simply cannot escape from its presence no matter how hard we try. Considering how pervasive advertising is in our daily lives, it's no surprise that people have such extreme views about it.

Many home-based business owners want to steer clear of it altogether. They might dabble in marketing or use some sales strategies, but most don't want much to do with actual advertising. Unfortunately, this is a mistake on their part and it usually comes as a result of not understanding the purpose of advertising.

So what is the true reason for advertising? According to Michael Corbett, author of The 33 Ruthless Rules of Local Advertising, you should advertise &quot;to create an equity position in a target market and to ...motivate a sufficient number of consumers...&quot; In simple language, you advertise so that people will know you exist and will keep you in business. What's so evil about that?

Absolutely nothing! Here are a few very good reasons why you need to start advertising today:

1. Potential customers are constantly shopping

The truth is that most people are always looking for ways to spend their money. They don't always realize it, but they are. That's why banner ads, commercials, and billboards work even though they are being viewed miles away from the business. If you don't advertise, you're missing out on a chance to tap into that human desire.

2. Potential customers may forget you

While the desire for shopping may be permanent, a consumer's memory is not. Even if they have had a tremendous experience with your business, even if they've recommended you to their friends and family, even if you were the only company they ever thought of doing business with, after awhile they would forget you or forget how to get in touch with you.

3. Potential customers don't always make buying decisions immediately

Another tried and true rule about consumers is that they don't always decide to buy as soon as they see an ad. For example, if you see a commercial for a fast food restaurant right after Thanksgiving dinner, you're not going to run right out to the drive thru after seeing the commercial. However, the next time you're hungry, you might remember that commercial and choose to stop in then. So the idea of advertising is to plant an image in consumers minds so that when they need your product, your business comes to their minds.

4. Customers rely on name recognition to guide their consumer choices most of the time

Why do people still buy name brand products over generics even when the price difference is significant and the quality of the products is equitable? Because of name recognition! Consumers respond to names that are familiar whether they are buying a new car, a computer, a lawyer, or ketchup. If you want to succeed, you need to be sure that your targeted audience will know your name when they hear it and will think of your name when they need your product. Advertising can make that happen.

On the other hand, many business owners see advertising as a quick fix. If business gets a little slow, a newspaper ad or a direct mail piece will fix everything in a jiffy. That's not the case either. Let me give you a few reasons why.

1. Advertising works on a six month cycle

Many times when people think their advertising hasn't worked, it's because they haven't waited long enough to see results. Generally, the advertising you do today won't fully pay off for another three to six months. For that reason, if you want to ensure a consistent stream of customers, you need to continue to advertise all the time. Advertising only when business is slow simply won't save your business because by the time you start seeing results, it may be too late.

2. Your problems are related to another step in the process

Another reason advertising can't cure everything is that simply attracting customers is only one step of the process. Once you lure them in, you need to have the content or the customer service to convince potential buyers to take that next step. If any step in the process is lacking, then no amount of advertising is going to help.

3. You are neglecting your current customers and their potential

Don't make the mistake of focusing all of your efforts on finding new customers when your best source of additional revenue is being neglected. Past customers are more likely to become repeat customers, plus they don't require the additional expenses of marketing and advertising.

As you can see, the truth about advertising is that it can be a powerful force for your success if handled correctly. Too many people see it as an evil force or as a business miracle when the reality is somewhere in between.

Vishal P. Rao is the owner of: <a target="_new" href="http://www.work-at-home-forum.com/">http://www.work-at-home-forum.com/</a> An online community of people who work at home.

How To Tame The Buying Beast Inside Your Customer

What if you can understand and control your customer's mind? What if you can influence, persuade and motivate your customers to buy from you? Well, I'm not talking about a magic trick or lay down a lesson of motivation. It's about understanding the different reactions made by the human mind in various situations. I'm going to briefly discuss 3 key aspects of psychological secrets that you can apply in your promotion efforts for a certain increase in customer response. They are,

1. Curiosity
2. Because / Reason Why
3. Greed

Curiosity

What is it? Curiosity can be defined as &quot;the desire to know the unexplored&quot; in simple terms. People want to know things that many others don't know. They like to discover the 'secrets' that only some people know. The desire to know is a compelling force in marketing, so we have:

* Secrets of the Diet Industry Uncovered
* What Time Share Companies Don't Want You To Know
* Msteries of A Youthful Appearance Revealed
* The Hidden Keys of Car Buying

People don't want

* How to Diet Successfully or
* A Guide to Buying Cars

for example. First set of titles surely outshines the second set of titles because the former takes advantage of curiosity. You must design your advertising in a way that arouses curiosity. Getting to see the powerful of curiosity? (When compared the two sets above)

Because / Reason Why

Telling people a valid reason for your action is another great influencer in human behavior. People will trust you if you can offer a reason for what you are doing. Say you offer a 50% discount on your digital cameras for the last 10 days in this month. People are too smart today and start to think it's probably because you want to get rid of your defective products or because its 2 days before the expiry date (in case of food items). Wouldn't you and I think the same way when we see a similar message?

Give them a true believable reason. For example, let's say you have a slow time of the year and you want to increase your business during this period. Make a special, limited time offer. Offer to throw in an extra free bonus or a special discount simply because it's your "slow time" and you need to pay your staff anyway.

Don't you think people will believe it? If you can give a solid reason for a particular action, people will have no doubts about what you say - there is simply very little room for doubt.

Greed

People are greedy. I'm not talking about food but 'greedy' in a marketing perspective. Everybody feels from &quot;what's in it for me&quot; syndrome. They really want to know how your product can benefit them. Notice that, the "customer's will buy benefits and not products". Confused? You'll see what I mean in a minute.

Analyze the following list of benefits written about a digital camera.

* Can store over 200 photos
* Supports every color you can see
* Manual included so you can start even if you have no previous experience

This will certainly open the eyes of a person who has an idea of bu'ying a camera one day. This is in complete contrast to the following, where the 'product' is described.

* Has a memory of 6000k
* Supports 16-bit colors
* 60-page manual included

Customers don't want a memory of 6000k, but they want to store 200 photos. Get it? You must clearly tell the customer how will they benefit by bu'ying your produc't. You can then describe the prod'uct itself, when they are looking for more information.

To make this point clearer, understand that,

"Customer's will bu'y benefits and 'not' the features."

Okay.. Whats the difference between features and benefits? Features describe the product itself - what it has. Benefits describe the advantages a customer gets by bu'ying the product. The first list above is a benefits list and the second is a features list.

Benefits will drive customers to explore more information about the product. This is when you should give them the features and describe the product itself. To summarize, get customers into looking for more info by telling them the benefits and then describe the prod'uct. This will assure the best results.

I laid out just 3 powerful tactics here. There are many more 'explored' and 'unexplored' secrets, and hope you can discover a few too. Please let me know if you do. I hope this information was helpful to you and wish you good luck and success in your future mark'eting efforts.

Fahad Hassen is the publisher of &quot; Forbidden Psychological Secrets " eBook, which has over 25 proven secrets of controlling your customer's 'subconcoius' mind and influencing them to b'uy from you.

Visit his site at <a target="_new" href="http://www.mafoor.com/forbidden">http://www.mafoor.com/forbidden</a>.

Using Flyers to Advertise Your Online Business

Using flyers is one commonly overlooked method of advertising offline. Flyers are extremely easy to create. They also allow you to exhibit some of your creative side, making it just that much more fun to make money.

In some areas, you may be able to put up as many flyers as you can afford to duplicate! The more flyers you put up the better chances you have of making money.

Go to the web site of the product your promoting, and save their web page to your hard drive. Modify the page a little bit so that it is in the form of a flyer, and be sure to include your own affiliate link on the flyer to ensure you make money.

Once you are satisfied with the way it looks, compile a list of all the possible places you may be able to put up your flyers,(ie) college campuses, neighborhood bullentin boards, supermarkets, etc. If you don't have the time to place them, consider hiring someone to do it for you.

If your flyer directs your potential customer to a web site, then the only traffic you will receive are those people who would take the time to enter your web address into their Internet Browser. That's pretty qualified traffic!

Let's break it down and estimate the amount of sales/traffic you could receive from a well planned offline flyer campaign.

Say you print 500 flyers promoting an affiliate product that you signed up for. If you put up 500 flyers on bulletin boards that allow your flyers for two weeks, you have an almost 100% guaranteed exposure number of 500 times 14 or 7000 impressions. If 1% of 7,000 are converted to a $30 dollar sale, you have just made $2,100 or 70 sales.

Now that's good money if you ask me.

All you have to do is find a way to convert your affiliate products web site to a flyer, and print out as many copies as you can afford. Then the small task of getting them circulated.

Several months ago I ran a test campaign similar to this and started to receive sales the day after I posted all my flyers.

You may want to add flyers as part of your advertising plan.

Copyright 2005 Paul Jesse

Paul Jesse is a rerired government employee turned Internet Marketer. For Work at Home Resources and Opportunities, visit his site at: <a target="_new" href="http://www.SheaMarketing.com">http://www.SheaMarketing.com</a>

Dont Put All Your Eggs in The Same Basket

Solution: You can protect yourself by partnering with other lead sources because it is unlikely that they will all have a problem or technical issue at the same time.

Other alternative: It doesn't hurt either to use a few marketing tools to generate leads for your business. Again don't just depend on one marketing medium to generate leads because it may slow down at one point. Just think about other ways to get qualified leads. You can use Direct mail, Call Centers, Newspapers, Radio, TV, Online Advertising etc..

Don't just depend on one lead source. If your supplier goes out of business, you won't get your leads.

What do you know about voice broadcasting?

Voice Broadcasting Marketing

A legal, and simple solution for getting hundreds, or thousands of calls out almost instantly!

Gives you the power to deliver a targeted and personalized message to a targeted audience in the geography of your choice. You can reach:

Consumers: Select by: Income, Age, Geography, Home Value and more.

Businesses: Select by Job Title, Business Type, Sales, Employee Size.

Deliver your message to answering services and/or live respondents AND allow them to be connected to your office with the push of a button.

Direct Connect

"To speak with a representative now, press ONE."

There's nothing more POWERFUL & EXCITING than instant response, and with Direct Connect, your customers and prospects have the ability to respond to your offer instantly, with the push of a button.

"Please hold while we connect you."

They will be transferred immediately to your call center or sales office, no matter where. Then you can speak directly with them to close that sale, gather needed information, verify or change appointments... the possibilities are endless! This service has been proven to increase effectiveness of telemarketing campaigns as much as 75%.

How It Works

Your campaign can be constructed so that if an answering machine answers, one particular message is delivered (or the call is disconnected, if desired). If a live person answers, a different message is delivered, giving them the chance, with the push of a button, to respond to an offer, acknowledge receipt of an important announcement, renew a subscription, or with Direct Connection even connect to one of your live sales agents instantly... the possibilities are endless!

Reach Existing Clients

You MUST STAY IN TOUCH with existing clients and reinforce customer loyalty for your products and services. Earlier this week I did an email broadcast to all my past clients and prospects and as a result I received phone calls from many prospects. Keep in mind that everybody is very busy and they cannot always remember you. Your clients and prospects can easily be distracted and forget about your company.

Two main reasons. First they receive many offers from your competition, second they forgot all the benefits of your product/service. If you do not stay in touch with existing clients or prospects, they will go somewhere else. It's been PROVEN! So don't let them go to your competition!

When was the last time you got in touch with past clients or prospects? OH!!!

Customer Retention and Loyalty Programs

It has been proven that keeping in touch with customers keeps them coming back... keeps them loyal. Create goodwill and maintain top-of-mind awareness for your business or service with special offers, announcements, thank you... the possibilities are endless!

Use Voice Broadcast Services to:

Offer loyalty discounts

Special of the month

Overstock

Create awareness of products and services

Announce new products and services

Send "Thank You" for recent purchases

Find out if they were satisfied with past purchase

Ask for referrals

Reach New Prospects

As I said earlier it is wise to use multiple marketing tools to generate leads for your business. You MUST test different marketing tools to generate leads so that you know what works best. Voice broadcast serves as a stand alone and complimentary marketing tool.

How many marketing mediums have you tested so far? What additional tools have you recently thought about to reach new prospects and past clients?

Direct Mail Support - Call-Mail-Call Campaigns

It has been proven to DOUBLE the effectiveness of your direct mail programs if you notify customers ahead of time to look for special offers they are about to receive in the mail. Then, follow up after your mailing to remind them of time-sensitive materials and re-state your offer once again for maximum effectiveness. Plus, when you compare the costs of calling versus mailing, you'll see why this is such an effective addition!

The Benefits of Voice Broadcasting

Voice Broadcast systems can reduce customer service costs and enhance your organization or business by:

Providing high volume contacts and notifications

Expanding hours of operation

Automating routine calls thereby freeing employees to concentrate on more complex duties

Speeding response times to message recipients

Expanding call capacity faster and at a lower cost

Reducing the cost of employee or call center agent turnover

Voice broadcasting benefits can show an immediate return on investment and make any business or call center more profitable.

Use Voice Broadcasting Services:

Savings4Merchants can broadcast messages for you within minutes announcements, urgent sales events, reminders, last-minute polling and canvassing, even notes to clients or agents in the field, anywhere around the country... the possibilities are endless.

Professional Scripting and Recording Services. Our experienced voice-broadcasting writers and professional voice talents will give you the professional touch you need.

Here Are My 3 Suggestions:

Don't just rely on one lead supplier as you put your business at risk if your supplier has a technical problem and cannot deliver leads you purchased.

Don't just rely on one marketing technique to generate new business. Test different mediums and see what work best for you. Remember that consumers and businesses are everywhere. People watch TV, listen to radio, read newspapers, surf the net and you can reach some at home or place of business. REACH THEM using every techniques available today.

Use a simple and automated tool to stay in touch with existing clients and new prospects.

It's Easy to Learn More About Voice Broadcast & Find Out How to Use it Legally For Your Business. This Simple Marketing Tool is Ideal to Stay in Touch With Your Past Clients & Generate New Business.

Andre Plessis
Marketing Consultant
Savings4Merchants
<a target="_new" href="http://savings4Merchants.com">http://savings4Merchants.com</a>
Tel: 818-341-2972 or Toll-Free: 888-872-2285
Big Marketing Ideas Without The Big Spending! Happy Marketing!

How to Use the 3 Most Common Direct Marketing Measurements to Increase Your Profits!

John Wanamaker, a 19th century entrepreneur, once famously made the statement, &quot;I know that half of my advertising is wasted, I just don't know which half.&quot; Fortunately for today's marketers, there are scientific ways to determine which half is wasted, and which half is not, through the use of common direct marketing measurements.

Advertising is, and has always been, part art and part science. With direct marketing, the science part takes center stage as there are common direct marketing measurements that can be utilized to verify the results of the advertising.

With the increased popularity of direct marketing, the success of advertising can be measured through a variety of common direct marketing methods such as cost per acquisition, cost per piece, and response rate.

Before continuing in describing these common direct marketing measurements in detail, it is beneficial to review one of the direct marketing tools needed to determine the success of the mailing. The most important direct marketing tool is the response mechanism. This is how you can gauge the success, or lack of success, of a direct mail campaign. This is the mechanism by which the prospect will use to respond - it may be a postcard to request more information, an 800 number to call, or a website address to place an order. You can than utilize this response to determine the success of the direct mailing.

The first of the most common direct marketing measurements is the cost per acquisition. The cost per acquisition can be determined by taking the total cost of the mailing and dividing it by the number of responses. For example, let's say the total cost of a mailing is $2,000 and 20 people respond. The cost per acquisition is $100. This is an important tool to find out if the cost to obtain a new customer is in line with the profits that you will receive.

The second of the most common direct marketing measurements is the cost per piece. To find the cost per piece, you would take the total cost of the mailing and divide it by the total number of pieces sent. For example, if the total cost of the mailing was $4,500 and you sent 2000 direct mail pieces, the cost per piece would be $2.25. This is an important figure to keep in mind, because by lowering the cost per piece (as long as the number of responses stays the same), you can lower the cost per acquisition.

The third of the most common direct marketing measurements is the response rate. The response rate can be calculated by taking the number of people that responded and dividing it by the number of people that were sent the direct mail package. For example, if 2000 people were mailed a direct mail package and 20 people responded, the response rate would be 1%. This is an important tool that you can utilize to forecast the success of future mailings.

By using all three of these common direct marketing measurements, you can finally determine which half of your marketing is working, and which half is not.

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Measure the Response of Your Advertising Campaigns by Using Promotional Products

For most companies, gone are the days of spending money just for the pleasure of seeing their name on TV or the Internet.

Most companies today are forced to insist on results. Yet on average, up to 80% of advertising is wasted because it doesn't work. If only you could know which of your campaigns make up the 20% that is making you all your money. If you knew that, you could stop wasting 80% of your advertising budget and put the money saved towards doubling up on the 20% of your advertising that is working.

But how can you know which of your advertising campaigns are working and which are failing?

The secret is in promotional products. I'm talking about pens, mugs, t-shirts, et cetera, imprinted with your company logo. These things hold the key to measuring the ROI of every marketing medium you are using. They keep all your other marketing honest.

Here is how it works:

Step 1: In every advertisement that you create, you must include an incentive for your customer to take action now in order to receive a free gift. Of course the free gift is a promotional product imprinted with your company logo. Each advertisement should offer a different free gift.

Step 2: When they respond to the ad or take whatever action you want them to take, they will also ask for their free gift. Depending on what gift they ask for, you will know which ad they are responding to.

Step 3: Calculate your ROI for each separate campaign.

Step 4: Stop running the campaigns that aren't working and increase your investment into the campaigns that are working.

If you response rates don't rise dramatically, this is a good indicator that your existing marketing isn't working as well as you thought.

The author, Nathan Cain has more ideas that will help your business marketing efforts.

Visit his <a href="http://www.Web-Magnets.com" target="_blank">promotional products</a> web site at <a href="http://www.Web-Magnets.com" target="_blank">http://www.Web-Magnets.com</a>

How to Write B2B Ads That Catch Customers

Are your business-to-business ads working for you? If they are not making sales, are they at least generating interest in your company? Are they making an impression on your potential customers by making you stand out in a crowd? If not, then you should take a look at this article and get those ads working hard for you.

Don't just fish for customers, catch them!

1. ALWAYS include your company name in the first sentence, preferably as the first word. Don't start out with 'we'. And briefly state what you do right away. For example: &quot;Solinc designs plastic injection molds.&quot; You want them to know who you are right away. Also, many B2B sites don't allow visitors to view the total ad without paying or registering. You want everybody to at least be able to search for you on the Internet. This can also help your ad to appear on some search engines.

2. You need a 'hook' to reel in your readers. There are probably plenty of other ads right next to yours so you need to get them within the first sentence or two. Use some great adjectives. Which is better: &quot;Solinc designs injection molds.&quot; Or &quot;Solinc expertly designs high quality, precision injection molds.&quot; Now they know who you are, what you do, and why you are special.

3. Ask a question about why your reader should choose you and answer it. Questions such as &quot;Do your customers demand high quality?&quot; &quot;Are you looking for a total solution package?&quot; Then tell them that's what you deliver, you've got what they need.

4. Clearly state what you do step-by-step. Use bullets, numbers or short dedicated paragraphs. Make a list of your products and services. Then tell a little bit about them. Don't forget to use your adjectives here. Give them a 'line' to find the bait.

5. Give them some food for thought. It's time to ask them another question. This time ask them about a problem they might have that you can solve. For example, &quot;Are you completely satisfied with your current supplier?&quot; &quot;Are you frustrated with late deliveries?&quot; &quot;Are you looking for faster and more reliable service?&quot;

6. Give them a call to action. This is your 'sinker'. Offer them the answer to their questions by contacting you today. Don't let them get away.

If you follow these steps you are on your way to catching some customers. But you need a few more pieces of bait to land the big catch.

?Include your keywords and company name throughout the text. This can help your ad land in the search engines. Avoid using the words 'we' and 'it' and 'our product'.

?Use 'you' often. It pays to include your potential customer in your ad.

?Be entertaining or subliminal, but don't be boring! This can be a bit tricky in some areas of business, especially manufacturing. A good trick is to use a product noun as a verb and couple it with an adjective. An example would be for injection molds. Not the most entertaining subject, but: &quot;Inject some speed into your production with high quality molds by Solinc.&quot; And you've got a line with pull.

?Be sneaky. Some B2B sites don't allow you to put in your email address or URL in the ad copy. However, if you spell out &quot;dot&quot; or &quot;at&quot; in your addresses your potential customers can find you.

?And finally, be polite. Never use all caps or more than one exclamation point at a time, be careful of poor grammar or bad spelling. Show your potential customers you care.

Don't forget, practicing and proofreading lead to good ad copy, which leads to good sales.

Steve Koons works in the marketing department of Solinc Die and Mold and lives in Seoul, Korea. To read more of his stuff visit his blog: <a target="_new" href="http://www.injection-molds.blogspot.com">http://www.injection-molds.blogspot.com</a> <a target="_new" href="http://www.solinc.net">http://www.solinc.net</a>

A $40 Million Dollar Little Known Referral Strategy

Would you like to know how a car wash chain with only 12 locations has cleaned over 33,373,975 cars and has an annual revenue of over $40 Million (that is not a misprint) using little to no paid advertising?

Well, sit forward because I'm about to tell you. The company name is "Car Spa" and here's how I discovered their brutally effective referral strategy. I often go to Taco Bell to have lunch and read a book. I noticed a little flyer next to their cash register.

A few days later I stopped in with my family to get a frozen yogurt and right next to the cash register was the same flyer.

The next day, I took my family to our favorite buffet restaurant and low and behold, there was a stack of Car Spa flyers.

I then started asking the people at these locations what the deal was with the Car Spa flyer that they had next to their cash register and they all said that some old guy comes around every week and replinishes their stack.

I asked them, "Do you have some type of reciprocal arrangement with Car Spa?" They all said, "No... they asked if they could put their flyers there as a gift to our guests and we said sure."

Here's a copy of the referral flyer that Car Spa uses to drive traffic. http://www.marketingbestpractices.com/temp/car_spa.pdf

Pretty simple. Notice the 48 hour guarantee.

They're All Over the Place!

Before you knew it, I started noticing their little discount flyers ALL OVER THE PLACE.

The copy center I use had a stack of Car Spa flyers.

The barber I use had a stack of Car Spa flyers.

The oil and lube place I use had a stack of Car Spa flyers.

The local handicraft shop my wife goes to had a stack of Car Spa flyers.

My son's dentist had a stack of Car Spa flyers in his office.

My local chiropractor friend had a stack of Car Spa flyers in his office.

An apartment complex office I visited had a stack of Car Spa flyers.

Everywhere I went, I saw a stack of Car Spa flyers. It was amazing. The have these little "referral lead generation magnets" all over the place.

So I Finally Visited Car Spa

And it wasn't any surprise that they were so busy that it took about 15 minutes of waiting just to get my car into their car wash.

I then went inside their office to wait for my car and noticed that they did NOT have one flyer from another business inside their office.

They were able to get all those other businesses in the area to send them referrals without having to do one reciprocal referral arrangement. And they did it simply by asking the business owners. That's all.

Car Spa probably gets 100 times the amount of referrals of any other business in the area as a direct result of this simple referral tactic.

If you have a brick and mortar business, what's stopping you from doing the same thing? All it takes is a couple of hours a day and a handful or referral flyers to pass out.

Copyright 2005 David Frey

David Frey is the author of the best-selling manual, "The Small Business Marketing Bible" and Senior Editor of the highly-acclaimed, "Small Business Marketing Best Practices Newsletter." To get your free lifetime subscription simply visit <a target="_new" href="http://MarketingBestPractices.com">http://MarketingBestPractices.com</a>

Small Business Image

The single easiest way to increase sales is to look professional. People believe what they see. If you look the part, you get the part. You must be committed to keeping a positive image in the mind of every customer. What you may not realize is that a high public image may not cost as much as you are led to believe. In a small business, image is fifty percent (50%) of your business. The impact you have on your customers, whether it be your appearance, cleanliness of your store, equipment, uniforms or the style of your classy color brochures. You must continually re-audited your small businesses image. Even if your first impression is great, you can lose it just as fast if you fail to handle simple details, because things change and customer buying behavior and perceptions change with local, regional, national and world events and views.

Here are a few areas that are the cornerstone of your &quot;new image&quot; if you choose to audit your current image for a slight make over. Customers will judge you by:

The clothes you wear

The way you carry yourself

The equipment you use

The people you hire

The advertising you choose

Phone conversations

Your work quality

Cleanliness of your equipment

Your general appearance

Literature, signage and business cards

Let's face it, this is not a new idea and if you are already in business for yourself, you probably already have a head start. You have uniforms for you and your workers, confidence through training, nice store layout and new equipment. You also would not have been reading this article if you were not serious about your company's image. A positive image reflects integrity, success, customer service, doing it right and the will to succeed and service your customer.

All you have to do is continue to take pride in your work, store, uniform, advertising, equipment and most importantly, yourself. If you take pride and effort, it will show. These are just basic winning attitudes to maintaining an award-winning attitude. Remember this saying: &quot;It's surprising how lucky you get when you are working hard.&quot;

Your customers will be true to you if you are true to them and any competition you might have will never have a chance. Your customers will help you by word of mouth advertising. They will take your business cards, hand them out to friends, relatives and business associates. Think of public image costs as an army of sales people. All of this is free; you don't have to even ask for it. Just try your best and pay attention to the image you are projecting. People will see this and help you. The results are phenomenal. Think about image.

"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; <a target="_new" href="http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs">www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs</a>

Developing a Formal Brand Messaging Document

Ensure everyone in your company sings from the same sheet of music when it comes to communicating a consistent brand message.

Imagine one of your customers calling six different people in your company. The customer asks why they should consider purchasing your product. What do you think these six people would say? Would their explanation be consistent?

That's where brand messaging comes into play. In the audio book, &quot;Sound Advice on Brand Marketing,&quot; author Tom Miller says brands need to speak with a single unified voice in every communication with customers and prospects.

&quot;Brand messaging is a formalized document that captures the most important points about your brand,&quot; says Miller. &quot;It is then used to create all of the various brand communications, such as ads, press releases, web sites, literature, and so forth.&quot;

The best place to begin the brand messaging process is with the elevator pitch. &quot;Think about getting on an elevator with a senior executive from a great prospect company. He asks you to tell him why your product or service is so special and better than all the others are. You've got 30-seconds. Go!&quot;

Distilling your brand message into a short, memorable description or value proposition sets the stage for the rest of the brand messaging to flow in a logical, informative fashion. &quot;It may take a little hard work now, but it pays big dividends in the future,&quot; says Miller. &quot;Not only is your message consistent, you should also realize major time savings in developing communications pieces. The heavy lifting from a messaging perspective has already been done.&quot;

Tom Miller offers brand marketing advice each week in the free audio newsletter from What's Working in Biz ? <a href="http://www.whatsworking.biz/full_story.asp?ArtID=92" target="_new">http://www.whatsworking.biz/full_story.asp?ArtID=92</a> ? and is president of the branding firm, Miller Brooks.

About The Author

Richard Cunningham is a principal of What's Working in Biz, <a href="http://www.whatsworking.biz" target="_new">http://www.whatsworking.biz</a>, a publisher of business audiobooks and online audio programs on marketing, sales, and small business strategies.

Nine Power Words To Punch Up Your Ads

As every professional politician and public relations man knows words have the power to entice, persuade and motivate people into a specific course of action.

There are certain words that I refer to as "Power Words" that I learned, back in the dawn of time, when the dinosaurs still roamed the earth.

For example, if I say to my daughter "clean up your room please" I get a totally different reaction than when I say "clean up your room NOW", even if both phrases are spoken in the same tone. When I use the word now, I know that she will clean up the mess, and that I have at least a 50-50 chance that she will do an adequate job.

My first exposure to this "Power" was at the hands of one of my mentors, now long-since dead, sad to say, who told me a story.

It seems that a trucker pulled into a roadside cafe in Amarillo, Texas and said to the waitress " There must be a million rabbits out there. I swear I've just squashed a dozen."

Compare the reaction when the story goes: It seems a trucker pulled into a roadside cafe in Amarillo, Texas and said to the waitress " I've just run over a bunny"

In both cases a small change in wording provokes a different reaction.

That's the "Power"of words !!

When used in your advertising material, such words can be almost irresistible. Here are 9 "Power Words" for you to try out.

1...Secret (or little-known) used either alone or together (little-known secrets) are both "Power Words" that appeal to the curiosity of the reader. "What does he know that I don't" Few people blame their lack of success on their own efforts (or lack of effort), so they are comforted by the thought that they are failing because they have been denied vital information.

2...System appeals to the desire for simplicity and lack of real effort required. If someone already has a system in place, "all I have to do is put my name on it and plug it in !!"

3...New (or Improved) appeals to the sense of urgency. If something is NEW then you have to get it fast before everyone else does to maintain your competitive edge. Strangely a laundry product has advertised for many years that it was "New and Improved". It's difficult to see how it could be both, at the same time, but it shows the power that both these words have that the advertiser decided to use them together, as re-inforcement for each other.

4...Power is itself a "Power Word" suggesting that if only the reader had the knowledge that you have, he/she would be able to accomplish anything.

5...Magic is almost interchangeable with power, but it also suggests that an objective can be reached without effort. This appeals to both the lazy (like me) and the impetuous who want to attain their goal immediately.There is a natural tendency to assume that any one who makes his living in Advertising and Promotion must know something that is hidden from the rest of the world. Some arcane formula like "ABRACA- DABRA" or "Open Sesame" that magically transforms them into "gurus" or "prophets", that we must slavishly follow.

6...Immediate, of course suggests that something can be done instantly. This again appeals to the sense of urgency, and has a magic-like ring to it. Why wait - have it NOW !!

7...Insider suggests that the writer has information that cannot be known to the world at large, therefore if you will only pay for this you can attain an edge on the rest of the competition.

8...FREE (note: this often appears as FR~E in ads because of the ISP filters that seem to abound today)this word included in any headline will increase acceptance of your message - but make sure that when you say FR~E that you mean FR~E. If you attempt to charge for something that you have advertised as FR~E, you will lose all credibility.

9...YOU The reader is only interested in the potential benefit that he/she will receive from your product. The old advertising maxim is still valid "Sell the sizzle not the steak". Look carefully at your product and think of all the reasons that I, or anyone else would benefit by owning it.

For example, if you were selling big, gas-guzzling cars, you would stress the comfort, luxury interiors, prestige, reliability and smooth riding capacity of the car.

If you were selling those cars that are so small the driver has to sit with his/her knees against their chin you would stress the fuel economy, zippy sporty ride, cornering and road handling ability of the car, affordable price and ease of parking.

At the end of each sales page, or large ad you should also stress your "guarantee"(oops - another "Power Word - I should have titled this piece 10 Power Words. - Ah well !). You will be accepting payment for your product exclusively through credit cards, and the vendors will reverse any credit to your account, if the customer complains.

It is far better to make a positive "Money Back ( Another Power Word - that makes 11. So sue me, I can't count !!)Guarantee" than to have a negative " I'll give you your money back if you holler loud enough ". If you're going to have to do it anyway get some extra (that makes 12) mileage out of the situation.

I'm sorry that this article ran a little long, but you can consider the last 3 "Power Words" as a bonus (Oh no !! That's 13), make it an added (we can't end on 13 - that's unlucky - make it 14) bonus.

In closing, read as many of the ads that you see on-line as you can. You'll see how experienced marketers use these powerful words to motivate their readers, and perhaps pick up some ideas, that I didn't include.

All the best in your marketing efforts

Martin Cargill

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Martin Cargill gives a FREE mini-course on

Internet Marketing at his website

<a href="http://www.millionsbynet.com" target="_new">www.millionsbynet.com</a>

This and his newsletter " Independence Day Ezine " are

available FREE on an opt-in basis only.

************************************************************

About The Author

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.

<a href="mailto:capnblack_ca@shaw.ca">capnblack_ca@shaw.ca</a>