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Archive for January, 2009
Jan. 23rd 2009
Classified ads are one of the most overlooked methods of advertising, yet for those that have implemented the strategy, tremendous results are being captured. Approximately one-third of all advertising revenue in newspaper publications, both online and offline, is generated from the classifieds section. You can market your business opportunity within your city, your region, your country or even internationally using online and offline classified ads.
Classified ads are also offered in a variety of print forms, including newspapers and magazines. In fact, most of these forms of print media have large sections dedicated for classified ads, typically in the rear section of the publication. While printed classified ads will almost always require payment for the space, most online classified ads are offered for free. So, if you are looking for a way to leverage direct marketing for your business, classified ads are an effective strategy for very little budget outlay.
Research your Target Market
There are several things that need to be done before you are ready to design and launch your classified ad marketing campaign. To start, you need to research your target market and the kinds of classified ads that have proven effective for similar businesses. There is a tremendous amount of research available on the Internet regarding strategies and implementation plans for a variety of classified ads. Consider things as:
* What types of publications would your ideal lead read?
* Which of your products and services would be the most ideal to leverage with a classified ad?
* What is your overall budget and time available to dedicate to this direct marketing campaign?
* What response rate are you expecting? How much revenue do you anticipate generating from this program? How are you going to generate this revenue?
* Is your business ready to handle an influx of volume? Do you have any capacity issues?
* Who will you assign to manage the implementation and the lead follow up?
* What is your objective for the classified ad? Do you want readers to click on something or call your business? Are you selling a product or service? Are you offering a free item in order to capture opt-in information from website visitors so that you can market to them at a later date?
* How will you follow up with the leads that are captured from the direct marketing classified ad program?
Once you have properly planned for your implementation, you are ready to start designing your classified ad for roll out.
Jan. 22nd 2009
Email advertising allows for a business to communicate with customers through emails, rather than just communicating through the Internet. In comparison to off line advertising, email advertising is a method of communicating much like sending a piece of mail to the individual’s home. However, there are more rules in place that you have to follow in order to be safe in your marketing efforts. Email advertising is a method of advertising any online business needs to have in place to be successful.
Email advertising is the method of sending emails to a consumer in the hopes that they will come to the website of the business to make a purchase. The process requires a good deal of planning and often times is best done by professionals with the experience to handle the process. This form of advertising is quite successful, when done properly, but it can take a bit of experience to make that happen.
Email addresses must be collected and used properly, for example. If you send an advertisement to an individual who has not said that you can send them such emails, you could risk a lawsuit, since anti spam laws are quite specific. Even if you disregard this law, no one likes spam and most people don’t respond well to this type of advertisement. Instead, you will need to dedicate your time to finding an appropriate method of gathering these email addresses and using them according to the terms of that gathering.
For example, you may ask for a customer who has visited your website to check a box that allows them to receive your newsletter each week or month. If this is the case, your newsletter needs to contain more than just an advertisement; it should also contain some information.
In addition to these considerations, for email advertising to be successful, you must also take into consideration the management of the email addresses and the email advertising program. The emails must be designed to get responses. Responses are simple visits to your website where sales are made. Additionally, you need a professional image that really stands out from the rest, since most people get a large number of such emails per day.
The advantages of email advertising are important to note. People respond better to email ads than they do to random ads that are found at the websites that they visit. They also react to them. A catchy title is an important part of luring them into opening the email and clicking on the link to get to the site.
As you consider the many ways to market your business, be sure to look at the advantages of email advertising. For many individuals, this is the best overall type of marketing since it connects you to the consumer directly, without having to go through various other websites in the process. People respond to this method of advertising, too. Boost your sales by advertising through email.
Jan. 21st 2009
In contrast to the doom-and-gloom forecasting in the media, Microsoft recently announced the results of a study of more optimistic small business owners (many of whom, we assume, engage in Internet marketing and advertising). Commissioned by Microsoft Live Small Business and Elance, the study found:
“…nearly 60 percent of small-business owners believe that 2009 will be as good or better than 2008, while 37 percent are worried about 2009 but believe their businesses will weather the current economic storm. Despite it all - and staying true to their entrepreneurial spirit - 86 percent of business owners state that they are happier running their own business over working for someone else.”
Jan. 21st 2009
It’s common knowledge that people who have websites want everyone to know about them. They are excited, even if the website is just one for fun instead of for business. But there are things that should be remembered about building website traffic. There are Do’s and Don’ts when it comes to advertising a website that everyone should follow.
Don’t spam your link around the Internet.
Spamming is illegal, and you are going to find that engaging in this practice will quickly ban you from all of the major search engines. When a link is banned, no one can search for it on a place like Yahoo, Google or MSN, which means that the only way people are going to see it is if you give him or her the link.
Do show discretion when you are posting your link.
When a link is posted in a non-threatening way, people are going to be more inclined to click on it. It’s like those annoying commercials that are on television. If a commercial annoys you, you will be less inclined to buy the product.
Don’t reply to a person’s blog simply to post your link.
Think about it. How would you like it if people used your blogs, your stories, your work to advertise their products and services? It gets to be annoying and you feel as if the attention is being stolen from you.
Do show an interest in the blog’s contents.
When you reply to someone’s blog, mention something in your reply about its content so they know that you really read it and are not just using it as an excuse to post your link. Once you have made a true comment, then you can post a link.
Don’t hound people about visiting your site.
Once you give someone the link to your site, if they are an online friend, don’t keep asking them every five minutes what they thought of it. That’s a good way to lose an online friend and a good way to get some bad publicity about your site.
Do give them breathing room.
Once you have given someone the link to your website, say that you hope that they will leave you feedback and that you value their opinion about your website. Then let it go. When they are ready to tell you what they think, they will.
Think about your own experiences and what you wished people had done when you were on the other side. Then let that be your guide.
Jan. 20th 2009
The ears of Internet marketers and advertisers perked up when Microsoft recently announced it had inked a deal with Verizon to deliver mobile search and advertising. The agreement, which runs for five years, will hit the consumer market in a few months via Verizon Wireless feature phones and smartphones.
According to the company’s press release:
The addition of Microsoft’s mobile search and advertising services enhance the long-standing strategic Verizon-Microsoft relationship. Under the five-year agreement, Microsoft will manage search and display advertising on Verizon’s Mobile Web service, creating a one-stop integrated way for advertisers and ad agencies to reach mobile consumers.
There was no word about the terms of the agreement, but the press release went on to say:
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said, “Mobile search and mobile advertising offer tremendous opportunities for innovation and growth, and Microsoft is in a unique position to deliver a fully integrated, voice-enabled solution for Verizon’s customers. We are confident that our advanced mobile search and mobile advertising technologies will help consumers get the most out of their mobile computing experience and help advertisers reach consumers who are on the go more effectively.”
Jan. 20th 2009
There is an investment involved with using a press release service, so it is important to find the right service to get the job done. A business does not want to invest in a service that is not going to deliver the results that they desire. When that is the case, a lot of money and time is wasted, so it is a really good idea to take a look around and see what service is the best service.
Do they meet the criteria?
There are some reputable press release services out there on the Internet that are submitting press releases on a daily basis to news outlets. Simply go to Google News and look to see which wire services are the most popular so that you can make sure your press release service is submitting to those outlets. Look at the quality of those releases to make sure that they are submitting only the best. A poor release means that the press release service may not be one that takes a look at the press release before submitting. It isn’t enough to take a business’ money and then just submit poor content to a directory.
However, when in doubt, it is always ideal to look at reviews on the Internet about the various press release services. This is because people are honest about their experiences for the most part. If they’re happy about the service, they’re going to talk about it. If they’re not happy with the service, they’re going to talk about that as well. It is very important to weigh and compare those reviews because there will be some that are not legitimate. Some individuals write bad reviews just because they can.
Reviewing the site
Another way to really make an informed decision about choosing the best press release service is to review their site. Look for any testimonials and look at the guidelines, FAQs, etc. There is a lot of information on these websites, so it is important to take a look at how they are laid out and how they relay information to the customer. If the site is hard to understand or hard to follow, then there is a chance that their service will not be straightforward. It is important that the press release service have a site that anyone could easily browse.
Jan. 19th 2009
Some who follow Internet marketing would say that former Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang overstayed his welcome, but it looks like he’s finally vacated the chair for good. Yahoo! recently announced that Carol Bartz will take over the CEO spot. She comes from Autodesk, where she was Executive Chairman and, prior to that CEO. In a statement issued by Yahoo, Chairman Roy Bostock said:
“We are very excited to have Carol Bartz leading Yahoo! into its next era of growth. She is the exact combination of seasoned technology executive and savvy leader that the Board was looking for, and we are thrilled to have attracted such a world-class talent to Yahoo!. She is admired in the Valley as well as on Wall Street for her deep management expertise, strong customer orientation, excellent people skills, and firm understanding of the challenges facing our industry. Carol meets all of the criteria we set for the search and is the only person to whom we offered the job. The Board is united in its view that her energetic and decisive leadership style, coupled with a proven track record of driving growth, operational excellence and shareholder value, is exactly what Yahoo! needs to get back on a path toward achieving its full potential.”
We’ll see where her leadership takes the company, and wish her well.
Jan. 19th 2009
When someone first starts out with article marketing, they find that they are inundated with information. They are told to do this and that, that customers would rather read this, or that this topic is good.
But something that they may not know about are the different formats that are used in article marketing. So here are some of the most popular.
1. One of the most popular types of articles is the list article. They are popular because they are quick to write and quick and easy to read. This type of article is written by listing out some of the key points that are related to the topic you have chosen. Each of the points should begin with a good action word and followed by a few sentences.
2. Another popular format is FAQ articles. Like the list article, this is an article that is very easy to write and gives readers the information that they are looking for. Compile a list of the questions that customers asked and write the answers to the questions.
3. If you are looking to get a big number of articles written in one day, a good format is brain dump. The writer freewrites everything they can think about the topic for anywhere from ten to fifteen minutes, and then takes a break. Once the break is over, they summarize what has already been written and then start all over again. When the brain dump is over, you can find that there are a few pages worth of material, anywhere from 1500 to 3000 words of material. The only thing that is left is to break that down into smaller articles.
4. Another popular format is pros and cons articles. This is a great format because it shows people the negative as well as the positive, and lets them decide for themselves. It can also give you a chance to voice your opinion.
All of these formats won’t work for every subject, but they are some of the formats that people have found to be useful. Look at your topic and decide which format is going to be right for it. You want the article to make sense and to appeal to your readers.
Jan. 16th 2009
There are a lot of different words and phrases that come up when people are discussing web advertising. Some of them can be hard to understand, so here are some of the more commonly used terms and what they mean when it comes to web advertising.
Hit: A hit count is not an accurate reflection of effective advertising. A hit records all files that are loaded from the server. For example, if a webpage has ten graphics on it along with text, it will register eleven total hits whenever that page is loaded. When a webmaster quotes how many hits their page receives, keep this in mind.
Page Views: When the term page view is used, it means number of times a complete page is shown.
Impressions: Impressions means the number of times an advertisement on a website is shown.
Visitors and Unique Visitors: When the term visitor is used, it means the person who is coming to, or visiting, your site. For example, if there are one thousand people who visit a site, that would be one thousand visitors. Even though there are one thousand visitors, there may only be around two hundred unique visitors.
The difference between unique visitors and visitors is that unique visitors are those people who have visited the website for the first time on that computer. This isn’t completely accurate, though, because some websites count on a 24-hour basis, which means after the 24 hours are over, the person who visits the website is counted as another unique visitor.
Circulation and Reach: When the word circulation is used in reference to web advertising, it is referring to the number of people who subscribe to an ezine or a newsletter. The word reach includes the number of people who get a copy of the ezine or newsletter though someone else, perhaps via a colleague or a friend.
When it comes to the terms that are used in web advertising, it’s best to know what they truly mean so that you aren’t misled. The more you know about the terms that are used, the better prepared you are to make informed decisions.
Jan. 15th 2009
Securing free traffic is actually much easier than you might imagine. With a new online business up and running, the next step is to get it noticed. To accomplish this, you need to have a number of marketing and advertising tricks up your sleeve - things that will grab a person’s attention and draw them to your site so they can see for themselves the great products and/or services you have to sell.
More and more, online business owners are looking at alternative free traffic options - ways of generating a large amount of traffic but without spending a fortune. The good news is that website promotion with free traffic can be just as successful as the results you might get from the high dollar options. Three of the tips for securing free traffic are the following:
1. Free Traffic Exchanges - Although this is one of the oldest methods associated with web promotion, traffic exchanges let you earn traffic simply by going to other websites that are within a specific network. The way it works is that the more network sites you visit, the more points you earn, which exposes your site even more. To start free traffic exchanges, you have two options - manual or automatic surfing. Both options have advantages and when done right, they can be highly beneficial.
2. Signature Files - Free traffic can also be gained by using signature files. This simply means that at the end of a written article, within a posted comment on a blog site, in a forum, or any other place that you might send information or respond to another person’s information, you have the opportunity to include a signature file. This small file is more like a resource box that would include your name or website name, along with the URL address connected to a hyperlink. This way, a person interested in what you have to sell can simply click on the link and within seconds, be directed to your online business.
3. Article Marketing - You can also drive free traffic to your website by using article marketing. With this, you simply create an informative yet brief article that addresses a potential problem a customer might have. The key is to choose content that is relevant to the type of product and/or service you sell. With solid information and keyword rich content, you can then begin to submit your articles to numerous directories. The exciting aspect of this is that many of the directories for free traffic will also allow you to provide a direct link taking people directly to your website. This means you can reach potential customers by the information in the article and again by the link being offered.
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