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Don't Blame the Messenger
Author: Bob Osgoodby
I recently had a call from a fellow in Scotland and taking into
account the time difference, it was about 2PM there. He called
to complain that the ad he placed with us two weeks ago, hadn't
produced any leads. While he was venting, I looked up the ad he
had submitted.
He was in an affiliate program, and they provide a personalized
web site, which not only gives information about the program,
but also tracks the leads. He didn't include the web site in his
ad, and his only method of contact was by email. The ad he
originally submitted was full of spelling mistakes and grammatical
errors, which we had cleaned up prior to posting.
As he slurred his way through the conversation, I realized that
he probably had a very long liquid lunch, and when I tried to
explain what he needed to do, he called me a "con artist" and
hung up.
Now is this to be expected if you provide web space, or run an
ezine which allows advertising? Not usually, but as in real
life, there are people like this on the web. Ad space in an
ezine or on a web site, is just that - space, and the web has no
magic. If you write a bad ad, you will not get responses. The
same ad in a print publication, such as a newspaper or magazine,
would yield the same results. You can't blame the messenger, in
this case the space provider, if your ad doesn't produce.
Many people have fantastic results with this type of advertising,
and they all have a few things in common. They are selling a
quality product at a reasonable price, and have taken the time to
develop a good ad. They also realize that the only purpose of the
ad is to get someone to request more information. They all have
a web site that gives complete details, and where they make the
actual sale.
Just having a quality product or program at a reasonable price
is not the only thing you need. You must advertise it in an
intelligent manner. The ad you place is referred to as the
"tease". If this is done properly, it gets you to the next step
in the sales process, and that is the "education" stage. People
want information about the product or service they are about to
buy.
When people get to your web site, or ask for further information,
it is because they are interested. This is the case where "more
is better". The more information you can give them, the greater
the chances you have of making a sale.
A very common mistake is to confuse the "tease" with the
"education stage". If the web site gives little or no
information, it is in effect just another "tease". You can't
expect people to buy if you do this. You must provide solid
information on how they will benefit from your offer. Others mix
up the "education" stage with the "tease", and try to give too
much information in their ad. Neither approach will produce good
results.
The final stage in this process is referred to as the "close", or
the "call for action". This is where you give the person a
reason for becoming your customer. This can take various forms,
but every good ad campaign has one.
All of these elements from the "tease" to the "close" must be in
place if you hope to be successful in your internet marketing.
Miss anyone one of them and you will join the ranks of the "also
rans".
If your ad doesn't produce, examine each of the three stages to
see if it would get you to buy. Have a disinterested person
look at your sales effort. Sometimes you might get so close to
the process, you can't honestly evaluate what you're trying to
accomplish.
You must of course get ad space that is reasonably targeted to
your potential market. The ad for your product should appear in
places that your target market will visit. Don't forget that it
might take 5 to 7 exposures to your ad before someone bites.
Don't be discouraged if immediate results are not forthcoming.
Above all, don't blame the messenger - that is simply a copout.
They did their part by making the space available and
disseminating it to their subscribers - did you do yours?
About the AuthorBob publishes the free weekly "Your Business" Newsletter
Visit his Web Site at http://adv-marketing.com/business to
subscribe. As a bonus, get 40,000 FREE E-Books from
Larry Dotson, when you visit http://www.ldpublishing.com ...
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