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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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