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How and Where to Advertise


HOW & WHERE TO ADVERTISE

A Quick Study in marketing, plus recommended advertising/mailing list
sources...

More than anything else, the key to success in business depends on
how and where you advertise. You must advertise or forever remain
unknown. If you have "the better mousetrap," you have to let the
people know about it, or your ideas and efforts will come to
nothing.

Everybody seemingly has an idea for a product, a service or a
"how-to" manual of some kind. Many people spend half their lives
perfecting a product, learning how to perform a special service, or
writing a book - only to end up penniless and heartbroken because
"no one beats a path to their door" to buy whatever it is they're
trying to sell.

In most cases, it's a matter of whether you want to "go down in
history" as just an other inventor, hard-worker, author or you want
to "sell a product and enjoy the rewards."

Always do some basic common sense product analysis and market
research before you begin building, learning or putting together
something you want other people to buy. The same kind of "research"
will save you time, frustration, and money, if you apply the same
principles to every "selling opportunity" that arouses your
interest.

Make up a check list of questions that must be answered before you
embark upon any project or get too deeply involved in any selling
situation. Such a check list should answer the following questions:


l) Who will I sell it to?

2) Do these people really want, and need it?

3) How large is the market?

4) How will I reach these people & get them to buy?

5) Is anyone else selling a similar product, service or
book?

6) What makes my product & strategies different?

7) Can I supply the product at a price the customer will
pay, and still make a profit for myself?

8) How much time, effort & money will I have to invest in
order to reach my profit goals?

9) Do I really have the resources, and the stamina to carry
this idea through to success?

Once you've answered these questions - completed this bit of basic
product analysis and market research - then you can start planning
exactly how you intend to sell it, and map out your advertising
strategy from there. You'll find success in any selling effort,
much easier, and much more profitable, if you honestly and
objectively answer these "check list" questions before you begin.

It's absolutely imperative that you analyze the product, and profile
your prospective customer - the saleability of your product, and the
demand for such a product by the people you want to buy. One other
thing, don't ever overlook or "poo pah" your real and/or imagined
competition.

When people neglect to analyze the product, and answer the basic
market research questions, they're almost certainly doomed to
failure. These are precisely the reasons for failure amongst people
who attempt to start a mail order business. We get literally "tons
of mail order offers" for products that are losers; and even offers
from people trying to sell us our own materials and/or related items
which we can buy at wholesale prices.

When Sears & Roebuck sends out a new catalog or sales circular, do
you "really" think they send one to Montgomery Ward? Another thing,
this "we're all friends and in the same business, so you buy from me
and I'll buy from you" philosophy may keep you busy and your mailbox
full, but it'll never result in profits on your P & L sheet.
Advertise in the media that reaches your buyers, and send your
direct mail materials to people most likely to buy - not to sellers!

Remember, your first task is to determine who your most likely
customers are, and then design your advertising campaign to reach
those specific people. Generally, you wouldn't try to sell
pantyhose with an ad in a car care magazine; or socket wrenches with
an ad in a magazine for brides-to-be.

In other words, design your advertisements to appeal to "your kind
of customer,: - send $5 for our report on How To Write Order Pulling
Ads - and then, place these advertisements in the publications these
people buy and read. If you're selling gift items, crafts and other
merchandise, advertise in those kinds of publications - general
merchandise catalogs catering to that kind of buyer. If you're
wanting to recruit sales people, dealers and distributors, place
your ads in publications reaching the people looking for these kinds
of opportunities.

I don't recommend that you begin, or attempt to launch your business
via direct mail, but when the time comes for you to expand into
direct mail, be discriminate - select mailing lists for your type of
customer. Do-it-yourselfers for shop tools, cosmetics buyers for
jewelry and self-adornment merchandise, how-to-book buyers for your
crafts, hobbies & self-improvement books, opportunity seekers for
business start-up manuals, and proven advertisers for your
publications.

So, when you read in a business success article that you should
place your ad in publications carrying similar ads - the advice
being given is "to place your ads in publications `reaching' your
kind of buyer." Just because it's a publication reaching mail order
people and you're selling imported gift items by mail, doesn't mean
your ad will pull from exposure in that publication. Always add one
more answer: Does it reach a large number of the type of buyers I'm
selling to?

Definitely, this is where many mail order entrepreneurs go wrong,
and very definitely, this is the fallacy of advertising in the M/O
ad sheets. Analyzing the type of people a publication reaches; and
the loyalty as well as true interests of a publication's readers;
and then determining whether of not they'll respond to your ad, is
easy if you will just ask yourself a few common sense questions...

Mail Order Ad Sheet: These reach beginning and small mail order
dealers... Their appeal is largely egotistical to see the
advertiser's name/ad in print - read by other mail order dealers to
see who is advertising, what's being advertised, and for the
accumulation or compiling of mailing lists. Very little if any
response comes from the recipients who are looking, not for things
to buy, but for shortcuts to more profits.

Mail Order Tab Sheets: These reach basically the same audience as
the M/O Ad Sheets... Generally more appealing because of the
"instructional" articles and greater space devoted to mentioning
who's doing what/names in print & free publicity. Rate these
according to the "information" being passed along in the articles.
Usually, these publications pull a greater response than the ad
sheets, but still, they're largest audience is one made up of
sellers.

Mail Order Dealer Catalogs: These reach the mail order dealers,
plus a very large segment of specific buyers - generally related to
the overall kind of merchandise offered within the catalog. Unless
there are "business building" articles, the recipients generally
toss them aside after a quick glance... These are very good
showcases for your dealer/distributor ads, and it it's an
"established" merchandise catalog of the kind of product you're
selling, these catalogs can be very good advertising outlets for
you...

Extra Income Magazines, such as Money Making Magic, Venture and
Entrepreneur: These publications individually reach a very loyal
basic subscriber list, most of the people wanting or hoping to get
started with, or already involved in a spare time extra income
project, and tremendously large numbers of "first time" readers with
each issue. Look for, and rate them according to the balance of
actual "business building" articles they carry, in relationship to
their advertising - and overall, according the quality of the
publication as well as the audience each is trying to reach - do the
articles really help you, or are they "publicity write-ups" for the
advertisers... You'll find that these magazines are retained, and
referred to by the recipients for years... In almost every case,
you can expect a good response from your ads placed in one of these
magazines - provided you've got a good ad and it's geared to the
readers of that particular magazine.

Remember: The bottom line is in knowing your type of buyer -
presenting your product or opportunity in a style that appeals
especially to that type of buyers - and then placing your ad in the
publication reaching your kind of buyer.

Cooking magazines for recipes; mechanical opportunities in the
mechanics magazines; self-improvement books and merchandise in
general merchandise catalogs; and income opportunities in the
business building self-help magazines such as Money Making Magic!

Besides matching the profile of your customer with the demo-graphics
of the publication, it's also important that you match your selling
prices within the average price range of everything else offered in
that publication. Running an ad to sell a book at $65 in a
publication featuring $20 books, probably won't pull for you. By
the same token, any ads attempting to promote "reproduction type"
reports in a magazine selling $50 books, probably won't bring very
many responses for you either.

To achieve success - know your product, profile your prospective
buyer, design advertising that appeals to the self-interests of that
specific kind of buyer; and place your ads in publications reaching
those kinds of buyers. If you're trying to sell by direct mail,
send your offers to prospective buyers - not sellers of the same
type of materials you're attempting to sell.

Very few people recognize a legitimate opportunity, even when you
hit them over the head with it - even so, unless you've got
something REALLY NEW, and a deal that really is THE OPPORTUNITY OF A
LIFETIME, save your money and don't try to push your program onto
other mail order dealers who may already be selling it.

Assuming that you "know" your typical customer, and the best media
to reach this kind of customer, the next step is putting your ad
together. It's been said millions of times before, but it's
important that you UNDERSTAND, and REMEMBER: Your ad MUST appeal to
the self-interest of your prospect. It must somehow be different,
and better, than all the others, particularly if your product is
being advertised in the same publication by other mail order
dealers.

Nothing beats originality. Write your ads from a different angle.
Lead off with the answer to every customer's most important
question: What will I get if I send in my money?

Use words to paint pictures of success, wealth and happiness.
Eliminate the customer's fears of being taken or ripped off. Picture
yourself in your prospective customer's shoes, and give him real
reasons to send his money to you. And finally, make it easy for him
to order - call toll free; use your bank card; order now and we'll
bill you later; self-addressed envelope.

Don't be too determined to sell your primary product from your ad.
Chances are, if it's as good as you say it is, and you really want
to make big profits, you should use a sales letter 4 or more pages
in length. Consider a "leader" item, and run an ad such as this:
FREE RAGS TO RICHES MAIL ORDER OPPORTUNITY guide! Send your name,
address, zip code & two first class stamps.

Then in response to all the takers of this Free Offer, include the
complete sales letter, brochure, order form, and self-addressed
return reply envelope with the booklet you send out. Using this 2
step method, some people have attained 60 and 70 percent sales for
their primary product.

Another angle? FREE BOOK! Mail Order Millions From A Shoestring
Beginning! Send your name, address, and zip code, along with $1 for
shipping and handling.

In response, you send out the book and a sales letter inviting the
recipient to avail himself of your mail order business consulting
services.

Again, the rules are: Determine who you want for a customer. Get
his undivided attention, and then sell him your product or service.
Simple, easy, and it works every time! All it takes is a little bit
of common sense on your part!

A small, inexpensive classified ad offering a "most wanted" leader
item, followed up with a dynamic sales letter... and your success
is virtually guaranteed! As a means to an end, particularly if
you're wanting to enlist people to sell your product for you -

Start an ad sheet - run exchange ads with every ad sheet publisher
in the country - there are literally thousands of them. (Send $1 for
our complete listing of mail order publications...)

But, instead of running ads to promote your ad sheet, run your
"leader item" offer and follow up with your sales letter on your
primary product. From this, you'll get fantastic FREE exposure;
inquiries from people you can actually sell to; and the virtual
"no-cost" establishment of a nationwide sales force to promote your
business.

Do chain letters really work? In no way, form or fashion! But, this
method of running your "leader item" ad as an exchange ad, will work
- and besides, it's legal! The end result will be what the chain
letter promoters are promising you - People all over the country
promoting and selling your business for you.

You can't do it all by yourself. You must multiply yourself -get
other people to help you, and present your product offer to as many
potential customers as possible. And so long as you're working from
a limited budget, there's no way on this green earth you can afford
the kind of advertising costs necessary for overnight success! Send
$5 for our report, How To Build A Nationwide Dealer and/or
Distributor Network.

Finally, comes the moment of truth. Do you have what it takes - the
ability to go on studying, learning, and adapting - the dedication
and the stamina to last it through to the kind of success you want?

It's important that you do your homework - product analysis and
market research - the rest is merely common sense. You've got it,
now use it! For sure, it won't be easy - there's work ahead, and
lots of comprehension required - but you CAN do it, and the end
result will be well worth the investment. After all, what have you
got to lose but a try at total success?

From here on out, the ball is in your court and an investment of
some kind of action on your part is required...


PUBLICATIONS TO PERUSE AS ADVERTISING SHOWCASES...

Money Making Magic Frontier Times
722 NE Paloma Ave. PO Box 3338
Gresham, OR 97030 Austin, TX 78764

Grier's Almanac Grit
1824 Northeast Freeway 208 West Third St.
Atlanta, GA 30329 Williamsport, PA 17701

Woman's Day Workbasket
1515 Broadway 4251 Pennsylvania Ave.
New York, NY 10036 Kansas City, MO 64111

American Rifleman Bowling Journal
1600 Rhode Island Ave., NW 1825 N. Lincoln Place
Washington, DC 20036 Chicago, IL 60614

Camping Journal Coin World
229 Park Avenue South 911 Vandemark Road
New York, NY 10003 Sidney, OH 45365

Field & Stream Furniture
383 Madison Avenue 229 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10017 New York, NY 10003

Hi-Fi Stereo Review Mechanix Illustrated
One Park Avenue 1515 Broadway
New York, NY 10016 New York, NY 10036

 
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