Marketing With Classified Ads-What It Takes To Make Them Work
Marketing With Classified Ads-What It Takes To Make Them Work
Marketing with classified ads is so popular online because it is cost effective and it works.
Correction: They work when they have all the following parts and these parts are working together to churn sales.
Before you get started you get started it's crucial that you dispel one very age old ad writing myth: getting it right the first time. Nobody, not even an ad writing wiz, can put together a profit pulling classified ad in mere minuets and nobody gets it perfect in their first attempt.
Professional ad writers will produce 20-30 variations of each part in order to put together a well written classified ad that delivers.
That said your classified ad should contain the following: an attention grabbing headline a compelling body, and a clear call to action.
An ad writer who is able to produce a profit pulling ad knows that every ad needs to have all those parts and that each part has only one, job and it should never multitask.
The headline:
Your headline sells your ad. Your ad may never get read without an attention grabbing headline, which is why 80 percent of your time should be spent creating a captivating headline. If you don't pull your readers in from the get go, the chances of you closing the deal is slime.
On that note, avoid making the mistake of writing cute or sensational headlines with no relevance to the offer just to get attention. Even if you do get one or two sales you won't be creating a positive business to customer (B2C) relationship. No web business (or any business for that matter) can survive without that. You can be catchy while still be being honest.
Your headline should excite the reader so use action words and avoid sounding passive in your classified ad. Marketing with classified ads is not a passive activity. You can also try creating curiosity or asking a question. Remember, draw the reader in and be prepared to answer the god of all customer questions "what's in it for me?"
What do you do if the publication you are using does not allow headlines? Use the first few words as a make shift headline or indent the ad so it stands out.
The body:
The purpose of the body is to set up the call to action. It must clearly layout the benefits of owning the product or the service, or point out what the prospect is missing out by not owning or using it. In other words, it should answer the "what's in it for me" question.
Write down all the functions of your product or service and then write down the list of benefits for those features. If you can not think of a benefit for that feature then do not use that feature.
As a customer, I don't want a list of what the product or service will do. I want to know what it will do for me. Once again "what's in it for me?"
The call to action:
The call to action is what you want the reader to do. Do you want them to visit your site? Subscribe to your ezine? Make a purchase? Whatever it is it should be clearly stated.
If you want them to visit your site create a sense of urgency. Why? Because your offer has to be more important than whatever they are doing now.
Your marketing with classified ad is written then you're done right? Wrong! For starters you should proofread your ad for spelling errors and read it out loud to see how it will sound to the reader.
Next, you need to test your ad. Test your classified ad multiple times to figure out what works. It's a surefire way to spend less so you can make more.
If you take your time make sure you include all the parts necessary for an ad, and test to make sure each part is doing its job you will create a classified ad that truly works.
Marketing With Classified AdsWhat It Takes To Make Them Work - To learn more about this author, visit Jeff Casmer's Website.
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Not all ezines are created equal; some of them have poor formatting and lack luster articles, and others are a breath of fresh. But nearly all ezines, good or bad, have classified ads.
Marketing with classified ads is so popular online because it is cost effective and it works.
Correction: They work when they have all the following parts and these parts are working together to churn sales.
Before you get started you get started it's crucial that you dispel one very age old ad writing myth: getting it right the first time. Nobody, not even an ad writing wiz, can put together a profit pulling classified ad in mere minuets and nobody gets it perfect in their first attempt.
Professional ad writers will produce 20-30 variations of each part in order to put together a well written classified ad that delivers.
That said your classified ad should contain the following: an attention grabbing headline a compelling body, and a clear call to action.
An ad writer who is able to produce a profit pulling ad knows that every ad needs to have all those parts and that each part has only one, job and it should never multitask.
The headline:
Your headline sells your ad. Your ad may never get read without an attention grabbing headline, which is why 80 percent of your time should be spent creating a captivating headline. If you don't pull your readers in from the get go, the chances of you closing the deal is slime.
On that note, avoid making the mistake of writing cute or sensational headlines with no relevance to the offer just to get attention. Even if you do get one or two sales you won't be creating a positive business to customer (B2C) relationship. No web business (or any business for that matter) can survive without that. You can be catchy while still be being honest.
Your headline should excite the reader so use action words and avoid sounding passive in your classified ad. Marketing with classified ads is not a passive activity. You can also try creating curiosity or asking a question. Remember, draw the reader in and be prepared to answer the god of all customer questions "what's in it for me?"
What do you do if the publication you are using does not allow headlines? Use the first few words as a make shift headline or indent the ad so it stands out.
The body:
The purpose of the body is to set up the call to action. It must clearly layout the benefits of owning the product or the service, or point out what the prospect is missing out by not owning or using it. In other words, it should answer the "what's in it for me" question.
Write down all the functions of your product or service and then write down the list of benefits for those features. If you can not think of a benefit for that feature then do not use that feature.
As a customer, I don't want a list of what the product or service will do. I want to know what it will do for me. Once again "what's in it for me?"
The call to action:
The call to action is what you want the reader to do. Do you want them to visit your site? Subscribe to your ezine? Make a purchase? Whatever it is it should be clearly stated.
If you want them to visit your site create a sense of urgency. Why? Because your offer has to be more important than whatever they are doing now.
Your marketing with classified ad is written then you're done right? Wrong! For starters you should proofread your ad for spelling errors and read it out loud to see how it will sound to the reader.
Next, you need to test your ad. Test your classified ad multiple times to figure out what works. It's a surefire way to spend less so you can make more.
If you take your time make sure you include all the parts necessary for an ad, and test to make sure each part is doing its job you will create a classified ad that truly works.
Marketing With Classified AdsWhat It Takes To Make Them Work - To learn more about this author, visit Jeff Casmer's Website.
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Joe DagerJoe Dager is President of Business901, a progressive coaching company providing no-nonsense direction in areas such as Lean Six Sigma Marketing and organized referral marketing. What others say: In the past 20 years, Joe and I have collaborated on many difficult issues. Joe’s ability to combine his expertise with “out of the box” thinking is unsurpassed. He has always delivered quickly, cost effectively and with ingenuity. A brilliant mind that is always a pleasure to work with.” - James R. If you want to learn more about Business901, start a conversation with us. We can be found @ Web/Blog: Business901.com Web/Blog: FundingYourNonprofit.com LinkedIn Profile Follow me on Twitter - Visit Joe Dager's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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