Online Advertising / Web Advertising / Business Advertising
A powerful ad is one of the most important aspects of your success. The secret to a successful ad is your HEADLINE. You only have a split second to grab your targets attention. Your potential customer will most likely scan the ads and only read one if it catches their attention. Write your ads with passion, excitement, and benefits.
Use this powerful approach when creating your ad copy.
A
-Attention
-Grab your targets attention
I
-Interest
-Create curiosity
D
-Detail
-Provide details
A
-Action
-Call for action
Create an urgency to act now. Creating a successful ad will take a great deal of time and effort. You'll need to write it and re-write it over and over again before you come up with a great ad.
We all know the importance of a powerful headline. However, writing a great headline isn't as easy as it sounds.
An effective headline will literally force your potential customers to learn more. It will instantly ignite a certain emotion and intrigue them to read on.
In order to write an effective headline, you must learn how to use specific words to achieve a specific reaction.
Before writing your headline, you must first learn a little bit about the basic human motivators. According to psychologist Abraham Maslow, human behavior is always
the result of one or more of five basic needs. He listed these needs in a sequence that he refers to as "the hierarchy of human needs."
He believes that until a less important need is met there won't be any desire to pursue a more important need. Below are the five human motivators, beginning with the basic needs and continuing to the most important needs.
Physiological - Basic human needs include hunger, thirst, shelter, clothing and sex.
Safety (Security) - Human need for physical, emotional and financial security.
Social (Affiliation) - Human need for love, affection, companionship and acceptance.
Esteem (Self Esteem) - Human need for achievement, recognition, attention and respect.
Self-actualization - Human need to reach their full potential.
When you are aware of the basic human needs, you can incorporate these needs into your writing. A great headline will appeal to your potential customers' emotions. You must feel their needs, wants and desires and write your headlines with passion and emotion.
When writing your headlines, keep in mind, you only have a few seconds to grab your potential customers' attention. If your headline doesn't immediately catch their attention, they'll simply move on and never return. Below are several
different formulas used by professional copywriters to write compelling headlines.
How to
"How to Increase Your Sales Up to 500% by Using This One Simple Strategy"
Headlines beginning with 'how to' are very successful, as the Internet is all about information. Internet users have a strong desire to learn. A headline beginning with 'how to' immediately grabs your potential customers' attention and forces them to read on.
Question
"Are You Sick and Tired of Working For Someone Else?"
Headlines written in the form of a question are very effective, as they appeal to your potential customers' emotions. When they read a headline written as a question, they'll answer the question in their mind. If the question identifies a specific need, want or desire, they'll read on.
Command
"Double Your Income Within the Next 12 months -- Guaranteed!"
A command headline focuses on the most important benefit your product or service has to offer. It instantly demands your potential customers' attention and intrigues them to read on.
News
"Announcing a Brand New Breakthrough in E-Publishing"
News headlines are very effective and used to announce new products and services. They are written in the form of an announcement or introduction and create curiosity.
Testimonials
"Internet Marketing Exclusive is Pure Genius -- Our Sales Have Increased by 40%!"
Headlines written in the form of a testimonial are very effective, as they instantly begin building trust.
When writing your headlines, certain words, when combined together, will literally draw your readers' attention to your ad. Below are of few of these "Power Words" that consistently work.
Breakthrough
Discover
Discovery
Easy
Free
Guaranteed
Hidden
Incredible
Love
Master
Money
New
Powerful
Profits
Proven
Results
Revealed
Scientific
Secret
Shocked
Shocking
Ultimate
Uncovered
You
Your
According to a Yale University study, the following words
are the most powerful words in the English language.
Money
Discovery
Save
Easy
New
Love
Health
Proven
You
Results
Guaranteed
Safety
Just as certain words ignite different emotions, certain
subjects have a broader interest than others do. Some of
the most popular subjects include wealth, love, health
and safety.
Take your time and try the different formulas according to
your needs. Use a combination of the power words and write
a headline that sells. By learning the art of writing headlines
that focus on the basic human needs and emotions, you can
increase your sales considerably.
Testing and Tracking Your Strategies
Developing and implementing a strategic marketing plan is an essential part of your success. However, unless you're testing and tracking your strategies, you may be losing a great deal of time and money.
You can dramatically increase your sales simply by taking the time to test and track your results. Not only will it help you to determine what's working and what's not, but it will also enable you to focus your efforts on the strategies
that produce results.
When testing your marketing strategies, keep in mind, a strategy that produces results for one person may not produce results for you. There is no 'set in stone' strategy that works for everyone. You must develop your own style and technique and test your results to determine what works for you. Below are some ad tracking resources to assist you in your testing and tracking endeavors.
Ad Tracking CGI Scripts
LnkinLite
If you're looking for a simple way to track clickthroughs, then LnkinLite may be your answer. This free script will enable you to easily keep track of the number of clicks a specific link receives. Instead of using your standard link within your advertising, you can use a link created by this script. It will track the number of clickthroughs and instantly redirect your visitors to your URL.
Willmaster's ProLinkz
This powerful script is a link creator, tracker, disguiser and manager all in one. It will enable you to create uniquely coded links that redirect to any URL you specify
and count all hits and referrers. Cost - $45.00
AdTrackZ
This script will enable you to set up an entire ad tracking campaign including statistical reports for referring URLs, what browsers your visitors have installed, what operating systems your visitors are using and much more. Cost - $47.00
Ad Tracking Services
LinkCounter
A free service that tracks the clickthrough rates of your links. In addition to tracking your links, LinkCounter hides the URL of the link destination. This will prevent users from removing or changing your affiliate ID when visiting an affiliate site through your link.
HyperTracker
The PRO version of HyperTracker contains a number of advanced features including: unlimited advertising campaigns, tracking of sales and actions, special scripts that let you promote your own website
address in your campaigns and much more.
Adminder
An online tracking system that will enable you to track an entire advertising campaign. It will enable you to see how many visitors were generated by each of your ads, keep track of sales that were generated by each ad and calculates the
cost-per-click, cost-per-sale, and click-to-sale ratios for each ad.
If you'd rather not use any of the products and services listed above, you can use some alternative methods. Below are some example tracking methods you can use to track your response rates:
URL
You can track your ads simply by adding some special coding to your URL. To code your URL, add a question mark followed by a special tracking code to the end of your web address. Your coded link will still open your web page. Your code
should look something like this:
http://www.yourdomain.com/?ad1
The text after the question mark should identify a specific ad. You can code it however you'd like.
To view your results, you'll need to look at your log files. Your code will be displayed within your log files beside your URL.
Email
You can track your email responses to specific ads by using the email subject. Select a specific word to be placed within the email subject for each ad. Although you can request that a certain word be placed within the email subject, many times it won't be supplied. To avoid this problem, you can create a special email link that will automatically fill in the subject when clicked on. Your link should look something like this:
mailto:[email protected]?subject=ad1
Testing and tracking your strategies is an essential part of doing business. By concentrating your efforts on strategies that produce results, you can not only increase your sales, but you'll also save yourself a great deal of time and money.
Ezine Advertising
Ezine advertising is one of the most effective forms of advertising used on the Internet. Many ezines sell ad space that may include sponsor ads and/or solo ads. However, solo ads will produce the best results.
Visit the Directory of Ezines for a complete list of publications.
Sponsor Ads
Another great way to promote your products and services is to run sponsor ads in ezines.
Below, is a list of large, highly responsive publications that accept sponsor advertising. Please note, prior to spending any major money, make sure you always test your ads first. A good way to do this is to start out by running an ad in AIM. They offer ad space reasonably priced for just this purpose. Once you have an ad that's pulling a good response rate, you can then buy a more expensive ad.
Active Internet Marketer (AIM)
http://www.inetexchange.com/inet-mailer.html
DEMC E-Magazine
http://www.demc.com/Advertise/advertise.html
Web Marketing Today
http://www.wilsonweb.com/ads/2-line-ad.htm
BizWeb E-Gazette
http://www.bizweb2000.com/ads.htm
Advertising Resources
Place your 40 word text ad in front of thousands of ClickBank affiliates for 700.00 per month. This provides massive exposure.
Google Adwords Enables you to manage your own account, with ads sold on a cost-per-impression (CPM) basis. There's no minimum deposit required. Your ads appear on the right side of the Google search results pages.
Google Adwords Select™ Enables you to manage your own account, and with cost-per-click (CPC) pricing, you pay only when users click on your ad. You control your costs by setting a daily budget for what you are willing to spend each day.
Ezine Advertising.com is the Internet's Search Engine for Ezine Advertisers. Their database includes Email Newsletters and Discussion Lists that accept sponsorship and/or classified ads.
Google Adwords
If you're looking for a low-cost, yet highly effective means of advertising your products and services, then Google AdWords may be your answer.
Google AdWords provides a simple way to purchase highly targeted advertising, regardless of your budget. Unlike other sites selling banner ad space and pay-per-ranking, AdWords provides advertisers with highly effective text ads that are displayed with the search results. Studies have shown that highly targeted keyword advertising produces an average of four times the industry standard clickthrough rate.
Google, one of the premier Search Engines, receives over 29 million searches each day. Their popularity most likely stems from the speed and accuracy of their search results. Needless to say, placing your text ad with Google Adwords will be a highly effective way to advertise your products and services.
It is a well-known fact that text ads perform much better than banner ads. What better way to target your audience than through a popular Search Engine? Your potential customer is there for a reason -- they're looking for something. When a Google visitor types in their keywords, they are almost instantly presented with their search results. On the right side of the results are colored text boxes containing targeted advertisements that match their search terms.
When you place your ad with AdWords, you will have the ability to select a list of tightly targeted keywords including all of the following:
Keyword Matching - Shows your ad when a search includes your selected words.
Phrase Matching - Shows your ad when a search includes your selected phrases.
Exact Query Matching - Shows your ad when a search contains your exact keywords and no others.
Negative Keyword Matching - Will not show your ad if a search contains certain words you select.
This unique targeting technique will enable you to create a highly targeted ad campaign and test your ads with a high rate of accuracy. What's more, you can even target your ads to a specific country or language.
The great thing about advertising with Google AdWords is that you will have complete control over your ad and how much you'd like to spend. You can open an account with a credit card with no minimum deposit required. Once you place your ad, it can begin running almost immediately.
Their advertising rates are very reasonable. The amount you spend on your advertising campaign will depend on two factors: (1) the number of times your ad is displayed and (2) the position, one through eight, in which your ad appears. The advertising rates are as follows:
Position 1 - $15 per thousand ads shown
Position 2 - $12 per thousand ads shown
Position 3 - $10 per thousand ads shown
Position 4 - 8 $8 per thousand ads shown
The position of an ad is determined by how well it is performing. Ads with a higher clickthrough rate will receive a higher position and in turn will cost more.
In order to increase your clickthrough rate and spend less money, try to select keywords and phrases that specifically target the product or service you're offering. Avoid using common words, as these will use up your ad displays very
rapidly. Instead, select words that specifically target your product or service. For example, instead of using a general keyword like 'software,' use a keyword that focuses on a specific software such as 'FrontPage 2002.' Or, a little less focused, 'web design software.' In addition, make sure you use your keyword phrase (search term) as the title of your ad. This will increase your clickthrough rate considerably.
When you set up your account with Google, make sure you use a different ad for each search term. Not only will this increase your ad's relevance in the search results, but it will also increase your clickthrough rate.
Once you place your ad, you can easily track your ad's response rate and make adjustments instantly. This is a great, low-cost way to find out which ads are performing the best.
Google AdWords provides Internet marketers with a cost-effective alternative to banner advertising. If you want to increase your traffic and sales, give AdWord a try -- you'll be glad you did.
For further information, visit Google AdWords:
http://adwords.google.com
Pop-Windows
It's a proven fact that the use of popup windows is a highly effective marketing technique that produces great results. However, they can be very irritating to your visitors. How can you use this powerful marketing technique without offending your visitors? Compromise and use a popup window that only displays the first time your visitor enters your site.
Your first step in creating your popup window will be to create an HTML document that will contain your window contents. The key to using this technique effectively is to give your visitors a reason to respond to your offer. For example, if you're using your popup window to gain new subscribers to your publication, offer a free gift just for subscribing. This will increase your response considerably.
Below, is an example popup window that you can use to gain new subscribers. It is set up with "tables" and will adjust to fit your new window. Copy and paste the following code into your HTML and edit as needed:
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>Claim Your FREE Gift</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY BGCOLOR="#ffffff">
<CENTER>
<TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" ALIGN="Center">
<TR>
<TD BGCOLOR="red"><P ALIGN=Center>
<FONT face="Verdana,Helvetica" SIZE="3" color="white">
<B>Claim Your FREE Gift!</B></FONT>
</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD><B><FONT face="Verdana,Helvetica" SIZE="3"><BR>
Subscribe to YOUR PUBLICATION for a wealth of information
to assist you in YOUR PUBLICATIONS SUBJECT. <FONT color=
"red">ALL new subscribers will receive YOUR FREE GIFT.
</FONT></FONT></B><BR>
<BR>
<FORM METHOD="POST" ACTION="YOURFORM.cgi">
<CENTER>
<TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" ALIGN="Center">
<TR VALIGN="Top">
<TD>
<INPUT type="text" name="email" value="[email protected]"
size="20" onfocus="value=''">
<INPUT TYPE="submit" VALUE="Subscribe"></TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
</CENTER>
</FORM>
<P ALIGN=Center>
<BR>
<A HREF="javascript: self.close()"><FONT face="Verdana,
Helvetica" SIZE="2">Close Window</FONT></A><BR>
</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
</CENTER>
</BODY>
</HTML>
Save your new document as "popup.htm" and upload it to your server where you store your HTML documents.
Your next step will be to place the following script within your HTML
after your <BODY> tag.
<SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript">
<!--
function GetCookie(name) {
var arg=name+"=";
var alen=arg.length;
var clen=document.cookie.length;
var i=0;
while (i<clen) {
var j=i+alen;
if (document.cookie.substring(i,j)==arg)
return "here";
i=document.cookie.indexOf(" ",i)+1;
if (i==0) break;
}
return null;
}
var visit=GetCookie("COOKIE1");
if (visit==null){
var expire=new Date();
window.name = "thiswin";
newwin=open("popup.htm", "dispwin",
"width=350,height=350,scrollbars=yes,menubar=no");
expire=new Date(expire.getTime()+7776000000);
document.cookie="COOKIE1=here; expires="+expire;
}
// -->
</SCRIPT>
If you saved your new window document as anything other than "popup.htm," you'll need to change the "popup.htm" text within the script to your new file name. You can also change the width and height settings to whatever you'd like.
However, make sure that all of the information within your window is visible.
Popup windows provide Internet marketers with a great way to gain new subscribers, introduce new products and announce special offers. Their response rate is outstanding. With the use of this great script, you can use the power of popup windows without continuously nagging your visitors.
