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You need to take a portion of your profits
every month, up to 50 percent in the beginning, and invest it back into your
business in quality advertising.
That is not to say you should ignore word of
mouth, and viral marketing, but real advertising delivers real results. Use it
to keep bringing in new business.
When advertising online be careful to get your
ads placed in areas where your target audience is likely to gather. CPC - cost
per click - ads are a good choice online, because you only pay if you get a good
reaction.
Text ads are also getting a much better
response these days, as opposed to banners and other flashy methods. Banner ads
only seem to be effective in building a brand, not in getting measurable, on the
spot results.
Pop-ups are nearly dead, given the availability
of pop-up blockers, and the fact that the next generation browsers are coming
out with pop-up blockers built in. Apparently people don't like pop-ups - I know
I don't - so avoid them, unless you want to irritate your audience.
Print advertising, on the other hand, is much
easier to target, and even if you have an online business, I wouldn't recommend
ignoring the potential of print. Run your ads in magazines and newspapers that
deal with your subject.
Whether on line or in print, you'll want to
test out different wordings for your ads, and do small runs, until you find the
words the pull readers in the way you would like, not just to get inquiries, but
results.
When writing your ad, don't say "We Have Blue
Widgets!" - People don't really care about what you have, they care about what
they want - so "Get Your Blue Widgets Today" is probably going to be more
effective.
Ask a question, or if you have something to
offer for free - a free sample, info packet, or test drive - advertise that. Be
sure to focus on what the customer gets, not what you have.
When you find an ad that pulls well, stick with
it. Don't change until it stops working, or until you change your offering.
Re-Invest in your business, and you can double
and triple your profits with ease.
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