|
|
| www.1001TopWords.com |
|
|
Two kinds of Advertising for a Marketing Strategy
Advertising is the lifeblood of any business. If you do notlearn how to advertise your products and services bothefficiently and effectively, you won't be in business long.While the Internet has lessened or eliminated many of thecosts normally associated with starting and running a smallbusiness, and it's now easier than ever, you'll neverrealize significant profits if you don't grow your businessthrough effective marketing. There are really just two kinds of advertising - that whichyou pay for and that which you get for free. And bothshould have their place in your overall marketing strategy.The problem arises when one does not understand how or whento use each. Everywhere we look it seems that someone is claiming youcan get rich online by taking advantage of the freeadvertising the Internet offers. While it's a true statement, the misleading part is thatit's almost always followed by something like, "We'll giveyou a list of over 984324874984 places to advertise forfree!" They normally go on to explain how anyone can getrich on the Internet because all of the advertising isfree, and if you just send them $29.95 ... well you knowhow it goes. Unfortunately, as anyone who has tried posting zillions offree ads on the Internet will tell you it just doesn't workthat way. What you really need to know about posting freeads online is that for the most part it's a waste of time -unless you're targeting other marketers - because anoverwhelming majority of people who visit free ad sites areother online marketers like you who are trying to promotetheir own business. Effective "free advertising" strategies do exist, but theyaren't what the average online marketer thinks of whenhearing this often hyped-up phrase. Are you ready for the one concept that separates the menfrom the boys, so to speak, online? Here it is: Free advertising is the laziest way to promote your site! You don't really think that Yahoo became the most popularweb site on the Internet, getting millions of visitors perday, by using free advertising strategies do you? Heck no.Among other things, they spend millions of dollars per yearon things like buying advertising on other big sites andadvertising on both radio and television. Now before you say you don't have millions per year tospend on advertising, allow me to show you how you canapply these concepts to your business on a smaller scale.The good news is that if you use the right approach you canstart with a few dollars. It doesn't really matter whatyou're marketing, but let's assume that you sell artwork atyour web site. How could you utilize paid advertisingprofitably? Now before I scare you off with the thought of having tospend lots and lots of money on advertising, there'ssomething that you need to realize. And it's a basicconcept you should be able to immediately agree with: If you spend $50 on advertising and it generates more than$50 in net profits, that's a good investment. Simple right? Well, through the use of proper testing and a"scientific" approach to advertising, there's no reason youcan't turn your original $50 ad into millions of dollars inprofits. It's just a matter of developing a system thatcreates a profit, and then reinvesting your initial profitsback into your business in order to further expand youradvertising. Remember the artwork? Assume that through proper trackingof your website you're able to determine that 1 out ofevery 100 visitors to your site buys artwork. Let's alsoassume that on the sale of every artwork you make a $50profit. Do you see that any ad you buy which delivers morethan 100 visitors to your site per $50 spent is aprofitable investment? Promoting a site should be approached with this type of ascientific or mathematical attitude. Any advertising you dois either profitable or not, and you need to know which itis so you don't waste time and money. Here's a somewhat simplistic strategy that you could use toget started: Use a combination of free or low-cost strategies to promoteyour web site, generating initial traffic which will serveas a starting point. Through proper tracking of your site,determine the exact "value" of a visitor in terms ofdollars and sense. This is absolutely critical. Utilizepaid advertising that proves to be profitable according tostep 2, based on the value of a visitor and the number ofvisitors generated. Through ongoing testing, tracking, andtweaking, try to increase the value of a web site visitoras well as response to your advertising. Repeat steps 2-4as necessary - or forever. The power of this scientific ormathematical approach to web site promotion is that onceyou have completed the steps you will have an almostautomated advertising campaign that can literally send youall the traffic you need. Rather than spending hours andhours each day promoting your site, you simply buy moreadvertising. The bottom line is that there are only 24 hours in a dayand there's only so much you can do during that time. Freeadvertising strategies can be effective, but normally,anything that's "free" is going to "cost" you time. On the other hand, if you could spend $1,000 a day onadvertising to make $1,000 a day in profits -- withoutspending hours doing it -- why wouldn't you just do that?It's not hard at all. Consider Overture.com for example,where you can buy click-thrus for as little as 1-25 cents. That fits the formula quite nicely. Overture alone won'tsend you enough traffic to make you rich, but it's a goodexample of effectively promoting your site without spendingmuch time doing it. There are lots of others. Give this 2-step scientific approach a try. If you find youjust can't seem to make the formula work, there can only bea few reasons for it - either you're not advertising in theright places, your web site isn't doing its job, yourprofit margins are too low, or your product or serviceitself is the problem. Figure out which it is and you can'tfail. Steven Boaze, Chairman, is The Owner of Boaze.comCorporate Web Solutions Which houses Web Development services. Steven is also the author of two successfulBooks along with numerous articles on Marketing and Advertising published by Boaze Publishing. http://www.boazepublishing.biz Copyright © 1998-2004 Boaze.com
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Wife?s Marketing Prowess Helped Edison See the Light It is well known that Thomas Edison was an inventor, a genius, and he never slept. Did you know that Mrs. Edison was a genius and never slept too? She was the marketing guru behind his engineering success.True, Tom had discovered what is today known as the light bulb. When he showed it to the Mrs. Mina Edison, his second wife, she asked "what are you going to call it?" Discount Promotional Items ? How to Save Money It takes money to make money is an adage we hear everyday in the business world. So, when it comes to getting promotional items, you've got to budget for it. Or do you? Free and Easy School Fundraisers | Elementary and High School Fund Raising Ideas Parents are always looking for free and easy ways to improve their child's education. School funding plays a big part in the education that your child receives, especially if you are in a smaller school such as a church school or private, independently owned school. There are several school fundraising and fund raiser programs that a parent can participate in that will help with the goal of raising funding for their school. The following paragraphs describe some of the most easy, effortless and popular school fundraising ideas in which parents can participate:1. Campbell's Labels for Education -- The Campbell's Labels for Education fundraising campaign has been around for many years and provides large amounts of funding to schools throughout the country each year. The process is simple -- simply peel off the labels of your Campbell's soups and turn them into your school. Your school will then send them in to Campbell's to redeem them for school funding. Also, did you know that all Campbell's labels aren't worth the same amount of money? I found that the Campbell's line of Chunky Chilis are actually worth 5 soup labels! Campbell's makes lots of other products that you can turn into your school for funding -- it's not just limited to soups! For more information on the Campbell's Labels for Education fund raising program and many of the Campbell's products that are worth funding for your school, visit the Labels for Education website.2. General Mills Box Tops for Education -- This fund raising program is very similar to the Campbell's program listed above. Simply purchase any General Mills products with the Box Top for Education label on it, turn it in to your school, and they in turn will send it in for school funding. It's that simple. You can find out more about this fund raiser program by visiting the BoxTops For Education website.3. Scrip Advantage -- The Scrip Advantage fund raising program provides school funding through purchasing of gift certificates from popular retailers (such as Macy's, JCPenney's, Home Depot, Shell, Kroger, and Gap) nationwide that it has relationships with in large quantities and at a discount. Scrip Advantage then makes these gift certificates available to nonprofit organizations (in your case, your school) at a discounted rate. When your school sells these same gift certificates to its families and members at face value, the difference between the discount rate and face value is the school's weekly profit. There are hundreds of retailers on the list, and your school is probably already a participant in the program. Call your school office to find out of they are a participant and sign up! If they aren't have them visit the Scrip Advantage website for more details on this fund raising program.4. Your Local Grocery Store ? Many grocery stores have fundraiser programs where they will donate a percentage of the money you spend for groceries to the school or organization of your choice. For instance, in my area there is a Food Lion store that has a card called the MVP card where you can get grocery items at a discount price if you are a MVP member. Then each time I shop at Food Lion and use my MVP card, a portion of my total grocery purchase will be donated to my school. It's that simple! Hey, we all have to eat, so why not benefit your school in the process, since it is so effortless! To see if there is a Food Lion in your area, visit the Food Lion website. If there isn't then check with your local grocery stores -- I'm sure at least one of them has a similar fund raising program.5. Restaurant Benefit Night -- This is an idea that I think is great! Local restaurants (such as Fuddruckers, Chick-Fil-A and CiCi's Pizza to name a few) have a benefit night that provides funding to the school or organization of your choice. It works like this -- you go to the restaurant and when you order your food, tell them the organization that you would like them to fund. The restaurant then takes a percentage of your meal total and donates it to the school or organization of your choice for funding. Many restaurants have these types of fund raising programs, so next time you go, inquire about it and enjoy your food even more, knowing your are funding your school!6. Department Store Contributions -- Did you know that you can provide school funding every time you use your department store card? For instance, Target offers a school fundraising program where for every purchase you make on their Target Visa or Red Card, they will donate a percentage to the school of your choice. All you have to do is link your card to the school of your choice through the Target website and they'll send the money to your school. Again, it's just that simple!The paragraphs above list just a few easy and effortless school fund raisers and fund raising ideas. They don't require selling of candy bars, candles or pizzas (not that there's anything wrong with those fundraising ideas, but they require more effort), and they provide your school with funding year round, for buying items and things that you would normally buy anyway.Good luck with your school fund raisers and fund raising! Wealth Knowledge & Power ? Lost Secrets From Ancient Masters Behold! He with the light cometh! Is A Marketing Plan The Same Thing As A Communications Plan? How does a marketing plan relate to an organization's communications plan? What are the differences? Is the marketing plan just one aspect of the communications plan? Should one consider combining them into a single document? Be a Smarter Marketer - Learn the L-A-W for Trade Shows People attend trade shows because they are in a specific industry and want to learn more. They want to know what's new and how you will help them. Six Ways to Boost Response on Your Surveys and Gain More Useful Information So... you spend time and effort putting together a survey, so you can have real information about what your customers and prospects are actually looking for. And you send the survey to your in-house list--but the flood of responses you're expecting is only a trickle. Integrity and Marketing - Finding the Right Balance When marketing themselves to leads and prospects there are five common mistakes people make, all which can be easily avoided by finding the right balance to maintain your personal and professional integrity in all pursuits. The Marketing Funnel: Simple, Effective Marketing Strategy No matter if you're publishing your first book or producing your first invention, you need a simple, effective marketing strategy. So, hiring a marketing agency to develop and implement that strategy will bring raving fans flocking to stores or your website to buy your incredible offering, right? 8 BIG Benefits To Selling Big Ticket Items The Name Game Pop quiz! If you have to say goodbye to your hard earned money to purchase something you've always wanted, who would you rather trust: an unknown provider or one who has an established name in the industry? Every Days a Holiday! You probably know that February 2nd is Groundhog Day. But did you know that it is also Kiwi Fruit Day, Laugh and Grow Rich Day, and Bonza Bottler Day(tm)? Each of these holidays was created by someone who wanted to commemorate or promote something. FYI-Bonza Bottler Day occurs each month when the number of the month is the same as the number of the day (e.g., March 3, April 4, etc.) and it is heralded as "an excuse to have a party at least once a month." How to Protect Yourself Against the Hidden Cost of Shipping to Trade Shows Trade Shows are lots of work, but they can generate lots of new business for their participants. In addition to the expense of staffing your booth, food, lodging, display, travel, etc. you need to consider how will you transport your equipment to and from the event. This sounds like a simple task, but few freight carriers deliver to trade shows. Why don't many carriers ship to trade shows? Anytime you have lots of businesses shipping to the same destination on the same day there will be problems. Every hour the driver must wait in line to unload their delivery will cost the shipper extra money and delay the remaining deliveries in the trailer. This "waiting charge" is in addition to the freight quote given by the freight forwarder or carrier. Eight Steps To A Great Marketing Plan Step 1: Where Am I Now? How To Start With Absolutely Nothing And Create Wealth online in 30 days or less. Without a doubt, if you asked me, Shane if there was only 1 marketing strategy that you could use on the Internet, what would it be? Without hesitation I would say joint Ventures. Joint Ventures are easily the most lucrative Marketing Strategy ever invented and if you learn to do it right, will likely be the ONLY marketing strategy you will ever need to use. Psychology of Setting Prices Pricing is one of the four major components of marketing. Psychological pricing forms one of the key elements of demand pricing wherein the consumer demand is the main focus. The price and quality relationship that governs the central theme of the consumer market relationship is surrounded by uncertainty and gives the consumer the perception that higher the price, better the quality. Mobile Marketing a New Age Strategy More and more companies seem to be looking for new and innovative ways to market their products. Overlooking most of the traditional marketing techniques, more companies are pioneering the relatively new mobile marketing campaign. Mobile event trailers and vehicle graphic wraps are bringing the products directly to the consumers. With an array of games, giveaways, contests and twenty-five foot product shots surrounding and engaging the consumer, it's hard to see why this form of marketing is not more widely used. The Fine Art of Relationship Marketing The buzzword these days is "relationship" marketing. Just what is it? And why is it important? Relationship marketing is so much more than "networking. It's gathering support of your friends, peers, and business contacts. It's developing strong, lasting, unique relationships with your most valuable asset, your customer. It's what keeps people "coming back for more." It's an excellent way to shorten the traditional routes of building trust, create opportunities, increase valuable contacts, to achieve success and excel in business. A Tool For Selling New Ideas! Imagine tossing a pebble into a crystal clear pond on a still day, & watching the ripples make their way to the shore. A tiny cause has a massive effect. Take the Logo Litmus Test Here is your C.I.T.T. (pronounced "kit")[Color ? Illustrate? Type ? Test]COLOR. Color plays a major role in influencing particular moods and feelings about your company. Don't believe me? Look at Dove? soap. You'll find the shampoo bottles are white. White conveys purity, simplicity and a sense of cleanliness. It's strategic and makes sense doesn't it?! Have you noticed that you can associate an industry by its color? Blue is a popular color for technology companies and bottled water companies, for instance. How about identifying a certain mood by color? Quick, what mood do you think the color red evokes? Could be romance or anger or urgency...
|
| © Athifea Distribution LLC - 2013 |
