Advertising can be very tricky - and very costly - if you don't pay close attention to your budget. And getting started if you don't have much experience can be really daunting. But there are some simple ways to test the waters without spending a lot of money.
First and foremost, consider your ad's purpose. You want to attract people to something they need or want. Your ad should identify what their problem may be - and then offer a solution or guide to help them. But the most important thing is that your ad is truthful. You need to be very comfortable standing behind its statements.
Creating effective ad copy is equally tricky. If you're in a program that provides training and sample ads, by all means use them. If you're creating your own, my recommendation would be to keep your copy simple, even a bit understated. Using catchy phrasing and attention-getters is fine, but be a bit cautious. I react favorably to an ad that offers me a possible solution to my problem. And I go right by any ads that state something like 'make $$$$ in just weeks with this simple process.' Why? 'Cause I just don't believe or trust them. Remember your ads should build trust and credibility for you and your product, the same as your social network profile does in that arena.
Where to start? I'd suggest free classifieds. Do a google search on Free Classifieds. There are several sites I've used (and many more) that you could look at:
1) www.usfreeads.com
2) www.classifiedsforfree.com
3) www.global-free-classified-ads.com
4) www.salesspider.com
Most will require you to open an account; it's strightforward and free. One thing you want to be sure about is that you can post links in your ads. In some cases, you may have to upgrade (usually for minimal amounts) to a non-free status. Make sure you put your ads in the right categories and subcategories (usually business opportunities, home-based business, work-from-home or whatever industry your product falls into). You can play around a bit with the subcategories to test which seem to be the most effective.
Most free ads do not renew automatically. So you'll have to set up a schedule to do your renewals. And do not forget to track your ads so you can see what's working and what isn't. Play around a bit as you start out. But don't spend large amounts of money on paid advertising til you have a sense of what IS working for you. You can expand into that arena later.
One more thing, I never use my primary email account for ad responses. So if you don't have a second email account, I'd set one up.
No comments:
Post a Comment