Quick and Instant Marketing Soup

Everything happens Quickly and Instantly on the Internet. In the blink of an eye your easily transported around a whole planet. It's a smorgasbord !! The web site you just visited could be in Singapore, the e-mail your reading now could have come from Alaska. The Internet is just one big Soup Bowl of Information just waiting for you to come and gobble it up.

We live in a world of "Everything Quick". Quick Food, Quick Money, Quick credit, Quick Advertising, Quicker Cars and the faster we get Quicker, the better!!

Not only is it possible, but it's not that complicated to achieve. Most experts agree that advertising in ezines is THE quickest way to effectively generate more traffic to your website and increase your sales.

Ezine Classified Advertising is incredibly popular which means most ezines are being filled with classified ads. Some people use their lunch time to glance over their e-mails while chowing down. The average ezine reader sees hundreds of headlines and classifieds every day, taking a quick peek to if it might be worthwhile. So, How does your Classified Ad Look ?!

The 3 things

Every ad needs 3 basic things. A HEADLINE that stands out, Quick and easy to understand CONTENT, and an ADDRESS on how to get there.

Your HEADLINE should say everything in 5-7 words or less. It should for all intensive purposes "make the sale" Some ads look fantastic using all capital letters and then switching to lowercase for the content, but on the flip side, remember it can end up looking tacky as well.

Your CONTENT should always be very specific. It has to or it becomes cyber-trash very quickly. A favorite Internet saying i've heard is to " KISS IT " or, in it's original form, * Keep It Simple Stupid !! * Big words can be overwhelmingly impressive but i have found that shorter words easily read and just work better. ..... (ironic eh)

Part 1 The Headline is your menu

How do you make eye grabbing HEADLINE? I'll bet you didn't know it's always been right in front of you the whole time, and your going to wonder why you never thought of it. Ready??..... Your email box.. It's a treasure trove of headlines just waiting to be found. Now, i'm not saying that you steal someone else's headlines. That wouldn't be nice at all, now would it!!

That doesn't mean you can't get idea's from them though. Here's a simple way to find a few "catchy headlines" (You need to do this fast OK. Really Fast!!) Every time you open your email box, Quickly scan the contents. Which one do you remember the most?

It doesn't really matter which one it was, just be honest with yourself. Begin a list of catchy phrases and write it down somewhere. If you have more than one email box use it too. (Build's your list quicker)

The next step is the Fun Part. Sit down and start butchering these Headlines!! Go for it!! Grab a word here, a phrase there, change a couple words around in a sentence. Replace words that would better identify your opportunity or service your promoting.

Soon you will have a nice selection of Headlines you created yourself. No one has a monopoly on words, so i'm certain the Internet cops won't bother you for this apparent "theft" of words.....ya think??

Part 2 The Content is your appetizer

Most classified ads usually contain around 25-50 words each. You only have so much space, and you have to say everything in a little teeny tiny spot. I can't emphazise how very important it is that the content "grabs" the readers attention. This is the meat of the ad.

Create an irresistible offer. Tantalize your readers, entice them into wanting to take a bite. Make an offer that is so overwhelmingly attractive, that they would have to be insane to pass it up. Give them a tidbit by adding something free. Anything, just make it free.

What's that?

You say your not so good at writing classified ads like that? I'll wager a bet you are!

There is a way to write great ads quickly. Yup you guessed it!! Read a few of the emails and save the ones that caught your eye. Get out the knife and cut up those ads using the same technique you used for Headlines.

Once you have 6-8 contents ads written, simply get the Most Excellent Headlines YOU created and start slicing and dicing. Mix them up, change them around until your happy with them. You might end up with over 20 different ads to chose from... (bummer huh)

CHOP-CHOP time again!! You don't want those 20+ ads... do you? Some of these ads aren't quite as as good as the others. That's OK, it's time to trim the fat anyway. Select the 5 choicest ads and remove the remaining ones

Part 3 The Address is the dinner bell

E-mail address or Website address. The person reading your classified ad has 2 options. Read the next ad or click your link. They have either eaten enough of your ad, or their ready to gobble up the main course.

Your ADDRESS is a way to get more information about the opportunity you are promoting and is achieved by putting either your Web site ADDRESS to take the visitor there or an E-mail ADDRESS to contact you directly.

You can spice up your address by giving your webpages catchy names, but a draw back is the length it may create. problem is, People don't like 86 character website addresses. Their either too hard to remember, or mistakes are made when entering it into their browser. You just lost a prospective sale right there. (another bummer huh)

Another option is using a re-directed address. There are several companies that offer this service FREE, which allows you create nice short, easily remembered website addresses. Two places that give you 3 different addresses are rename.com and iBoost.com Thats 8 different addresses leading to the same page

***Caution; It's not wise to submit these redirect addresses to the search engines because, they don't like being tricked. Duplicate sites usually get "UN-indexed" .....rather quickly and forever too!

Dinner is served! Pass the Gravy!!?

You have a visitor!! Hopefully your ad was tasty enough to bring you the Gravy too!! You got them there so give them your main course. Make sure you get a counter or some kind of tracking system set up to follow your ads progress to see which ones worked the best...... (i'll save that for another article)

About The Author

A.L Haines is the editor for several leading Internet Marketing publications supporting free Internet marketing opportunities and resources.

http://alhims.tripod.com

http://articlesarchives.netfirms.com

---

Newsletters are Marketing Machines!

Is your business publishing a print or e-newsletter? An informative... Read More

5 Steps to Success: A Surefire Way to Achieve Your Goals

No doubt you started this year with some big ideas... Read More

Mark Twain?s Great Marketing Idea

To tell you the truth (and about 53% of this... Read More

How to Avoid the Line Extension Trap

If you follow the prevailing logic of most modern companies,... Read More

Like Brushing Your Teeth

What do the following things have in common: brushing your... Read More

The Right Logo

The Logo: a little historyLogotype, commonly know as a logo,... Read More

Promotional Magnets: Promotion that Sticks

Some people are happy with just a business card. For... Read More

Postcards: Awareness Tool or Selling Tool?

Are postcards better for building awareness or for selling?In my... Read More

The Exiler

THE EXILER (your search for true brand attributes ends here!)With... Read More

Basic Brand Building

A brand is the essence of who you are. The... Read More

How To Use The Og In All Of Us To Make More Money

5000 B.C. -- somewhere near a cave in MontanaOg the... Read More

Nine Advance Networking Skills for Seasoned Networkers

A seasoned networker knows the real meaning of networking --... Read More

Getting More From Your Customer

We are all customers of one product or another. How... Read More

After The Mailing Is Done, What Happens Next?

If you're doing any sort of marketing effort, whether it's... Read More

Three Alternative Methods On Getting Quality Testimonials with Bonus

Here are three alternatives to increase your testimonial numbers or... Read More

Business Card Design - How to Stand out and Get Noticed

One of the most powerful, yet over looked weapons in... Read More

Key Marketing Strategy - You Need To Stay Visible!

If you want to get consistent results from your marketing,... Read More

Do You Get Attention With Your 30-Second Introduction?

I went to a networking event the other day where... Read More

Digital Printing vs. Press Printing ? A Comparison Guide

When it comes time to print your brand identity materials,... Read More

Making Networking Work

Several years ago, "networking" was the hot buzzword. Everyone was... Read More

Color Part 1: Accuracy

Color is one of the most difficult parts of a... Read More

Postcard Direct Mail Marketing Works (Its Cheap, Quick, Affordable and More)

Used the right way and with the right audience, postcards... Read More

Off The Shelf Software for Making Business Lists

Available to all small businesses are business lists, which come... Read More

The Secret to 100% Success With Your Marketing

There's a secret to marketing, which is so simple, yet... Read More

Every Days a Holiday!

You probably know that February 2nd is Groundhog Day. But... Read More

Want to Increase Your Business? First You Need to Understand where You are at!

Are you having trouble understanding basic situational marekting concepts? Then... Read More

Trade Show Exhibit Booth ? 7 Tips to Improve Yours

Once you have decided to participate in a trade show,... Read More

Ten Breakthrough Marketing Ideas

Ten Breakthrough Marketing Ideas1. Create a directory of web sites... Read More

Build Relationships

Personal marketing makes it easier to sell, by building relationships... Read More

Five Most Common Mistaken Beliefs About Joint Venture Marketing

Apart from being the fastest, easiest, and most profitable strategy... Read More

3 Quick Robotic Online and Offline Marketing Strategies to Help You Work Less and Make More Money

What is Marketing? There are many text book answers to... Read More

Market Planning -- Getting the Word Out

"There are those who get things done and those who... Read More

Getting The Big Picture Series: Part 2-Whats Beneath The Surface?

When you take a piece of gold to a pawn... Read More