When Is An Ad Not An Ad?

One marketing technique used by advertisers old and new is to conceal sales pages as something else.

The Infomercial, for example, extends the TV Advertisment into something that prentends to be an informative program.

Likewise, newspaper and magazine advertisments often mimic the style of news reports or editorials.

In Internet Marketing we can also make use of this technique, in a number of ways.

The most common method is to write an article. The article provides useful and interesting information yet also sells a product.

I don't just mean the resource-box here. You can submit a blatantly advertising article to an e-zine if you like, but you can't expect them to publish it. If however you paid for it as an ad, they would be likely to publish it for you. Unfortunately you'll hit a snag.

This problem is similar to the newspaper ads mentioned above. Often, in newspapers, the ad has a nice "This is an Advertisment" line tagged to the top! Pretty much ruins it's effectiveness, right?

The same thing happens in e-zine advertising. You'll either get the article/ad stated as such in the subject line or at the top of the e-mail body. Publishers have to do this to protect themselves, but it instantly marks out your article as an ad.

There are alternatives. If you enter into an agreement with a publisher, i.e. a Joint Venture, they may print your article as you provide it without boxing it out as an ad. Again this happens in the newspaper world - often without you realising OR tagges as an "Advertising Feature".

Another way is to disguise your article. Don't blatantly sell in the article, but pre-sell. Excite your reader to the possibilities of whatever your article is selling without actually mentioning it. Then the link in your resource box would lead to a site that does the rest.

You of course get the added benefit of the fact that articles are essentially free to publish :-)

The last method we can use is `fake` web-sites. These sites are again focused on selling a product but disguised as a news report, article, resource or similar. Often that would involve selling behind the scenes via e-mail (with e-mail capture at the site). Or the site could provide free information and a problem, and a (paid) way to eleminate the problem.

You can see this in action at Virus Killer, Ad-Ware, Evidence Eliminator sites and similar. The site looks like a "Warning! Your Computer Is Infected!" page, or perhaps provides a report on the latest viruses and offers a (sometimes free) way to fix them.

These tehniques are very useful in selling anything online and take advantage of humans basic emotions. You are more likely to believe a voice of authority, or what appears to be!

(C)2004 Stuart Reid

About The Author

Stuart Reid publishes Netpreneur News and maintains Netpreneur Now and it's Members Site. To join Netpreneur Now visit: http://www.netpreneurnow.com

webmaster@netpreneurnow.com

---

You Gotta Think -- Strategic Internet Marketing!

Have you ever been lost in the woods - wondering... Read More

7 Ways to Become an Obvious Expert in Your Field

Obvious Experts enjoy a compelling advantage over their competition; they're... Read More

Sales Training: How To Succeed Online By Networking Your Business

The backbone of business success is communication.And networking is one... Read More

A Website Model That Makes Money Online

I would like to share with you one simple stratergy... Read More

How Internet Marketeres Can Create Their Own Powerful Niche... Even In an Over-Crowded Industry!

For some reason, people who look to the internet to... Read More

Beginner?s Guide To Free For All Sites (FFAs)

For those of you who don't know what an FFA... Read More

How The Right Domain Name Can Improve Your Sales

So you're starting a website and have visions of making... Read More

Dealing with Refund Requests ? Internet Marketing

I think we all cringe and dread when we open... Read More

What Does Success Look Like?

While we are well into the 21st century too many... Read More

Overcoming The Fear Factor In Online Sales

No I am not talking about the classic board game,... Read More

Get Permission to Earn Income Online for Life

Today, the internet is an excellent media to reach out... Read More

How To Let Your Customers Search For YOU! ? Part 3

Thank you for stopping by part 3 of the article... Read More

Guaranteed Sign Ups-What Are They?

Every business needs customers that's axiomatic.When you work on the... Read More

How Old is Too Old?

How does a 74-year-old newbie break into the world of... Read More

Niche Marketing: Finding JV Partners

Joint Ventures (JVs) are one of the most powerfull techniques... Read More

Starting an Internet Business is not for Everyone

Creating and building your home internet business does not need... Read More

Are You Willing To Pay The Price?

Do you believe that there is a price to pay... Read More

Use Photos as Part of your Marketing Arsenal

Photos should be important parts of your marketing. The photos... Read More

3 Simple Steps for Revealing Marketing Secrets of the Experts

Learn the easy method I use to reveal marketing secrets.... Read More

Ten Tried And Tested Viral Marketing Campaigns

Believe it or not, viral marketing did not originate from... Read More

Sneak Up On Your Competition

Dear Internet marketers: After going through a couple... Read More

The Forbidden Fruit: Marketing Credit Cards Online

A common question and topic of discussion among Internet marketers... Read More

Internet Marketing Reality Check

There are thousands of web sites, books, CD-ROM's, cassette tapes... Read More

Marketing Your Business - How Do I Adapt To The Internet?

The way we do business is changing rapidly. From VOIP,... Read More

9 Pointers for Evaluating a Business Proposal

Finding a business opportunity on the net is easy. But... Read More

So What If You Dont Have A Website?

Gasp! Choke! Gag! That's how people react when you tell... Read More

6 Ways to Guarantee Your Website Will Fail (and how to fix them)

1. Your website is an electronic brochure 2. Can't be... Read More

When Is An Ad Not An Ad?

One marketing technique used by advertisers old and new is... Read More

3 Reasons Why I Never Delete Spam Immediately

All of us hate spam and all of us have... Read More

5 Keys To Making Money Online

Would you believe there are tens of thousands of people... Read More

Part Time Internet Marketing with A Full Time Approach

The deluge of people wanting to make money on the... Read More

Avoid a Summer Sales Slump

Did you ever see the movie "Terminator 3" by Arnold... Read More

Do You Really BELIEVE You Have What It Takes To Make Your Website A Success?

Last week, on a cold, dark Friday night I stood... Read More