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What You Need To Do To Avoid Burning Money On Advertising
Copyright (c) 2006-2022 Mark Silver
Advertising. Curse? Money hole? Or powerful venue?
It seems so obvious: where else, for a few hundred dollars, could you get in front of thousands of people? And it's true that many of them are really wanting what you're offering.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of advertising ends up being good to wrap fish in, and not much else. People cry up "But it's getting me exposure," and that's true, to a point. However, is it really increasing sales? Is it really getting people the help they need?
Every time I look through a newspaper, especially the alternative papers, I see so many ads, and my heart feels a little sad. Because I know behind most of those ads there is a jewel of a human being, really wanting to help. But the ad isn't making the connection at all.
Let's think about it for a minute before you rush to get your hard-earned money in before the publication deadline. What's going on for the person reading the newspaper?
First: they've seen it all before. Second: your offer is probably between the 100th and 1000th (literally) that they've seen today. Third: even if they are an ideal prospect for you, they are probably thinking about something other than your business.
Because of this overwhelm, most advertisers try to keep turning the volume up higher and higher. I just opened up an alternative magazine randomly to a two page spread of ads. Out of 16 ads, 12 of them have some "special offer" of one sort or another. And 14 of them are making a direct pitch to have you "schedule an appointment" or otherwise buy something now. Of the other two, one is a restaurant, and the other doesn't make any kind of offer at all.
Does it work? No, it doesn't work. I've called people to find out how their ads were working for them, and they told me: "I get a couple of calls from it, maybe."
Remember that people only buy when they feel safe enough- when the relationship has built to the point where they can trust their initial attraction.
Here's The Foundation You Need To Make Your Ad Effective:
* Know the Three Journeys.
The First Journey is when a stranger becomes interested in your business, and chooses to become a prospect. A prospect who is looking for gold in your business.
The Second Journey is when that prospect spends time in direct relationship with your business, and when they see enough gold, they become a customer.
The Third Journey is when they've had an ecstatic experience as a customer, and want to help other people find the gold, so they become a raving fan.
Advertising is First Journey marketing. Your only goal in advertising should be to show enough gold to get them to want to be a prospect. Forget about selling them anything.
How do you show them the gold?
Keys to Effective Advertising
* Talk to one person, and call their name.
On a crowded Manhattan street, elbow-to-elbow with a sea of people, I still heard someone speak in a conversational voice- "Mark." I turned my head around. Of course they were talking to someone else, but it still caught my attention.
Your ad needs to speak to one person, and call their name. In marketing, the next best thing to a personal name is your Who and What. "Golfers"=who "is knee pain affecting your swing?"= what.
* Educate them in a helpful way.
If you have room, take the time to maybe explain one point that will be helpful for them in the problem they are facing. For smaller ads you can just point them towards a web page where you want to educate them about something helpful.
For instance: "Most pain is actually caused by stress. Stopping the stress means decreasing or stopping the pain. Right now, just notice your knee pain. See if you can notice where your legs and hips feel tense, and breathe into the tension. As it relaxes, see how the pain feels." If you have more space, you can go into more detail.
* Offer a trade: their contact information for something valuable.
"Of course, your knee pain isn't gone completely. This is just a clue. If you'd like a free article, with illustrations, on how to decrease knee pain and help your swing, just go to www.golfkneepain.com. And, we'll give you an additional golf swing tip every week."
* Finally, don't ignore design.
Keep it simple. In a loud, overcrowded world, simplicity and straightforwardness have the best chance of being noticed. Use plenty of white space. Easy-to-read fonts, avoid cursive or fancy fonts, and avoid complicated patterns.
Try Robin Williams (not THAT Robin Williams) book, The Non- Designer's Design Book.
Have fun with your advertising.
My very best to you and your business,
Mark Silver
Mark Silver is the author of Unveiling the Heart of Your
Business: How Money, Marketing and Sales can Deepen Your Heart,
Heal the World, and Still Add to Your Bottom Line. He has helped
hundreds of small business owners around the globe achieve
success without losing their hearts, through integrating 1500
years of spiritual tradition with down-to-earth business
practices. Get three free chapters of the book online:
http://www.heartofbusiness.com
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Top-Level Category: Articles
10 Most Recent Articles Written by Mark Silver
Hey! Why the Long Sales Pages?
Written by: Mark Silver |
Distributed: 2009-04-01 |
Word Count: 868 |
Page Views: 3123
| Votes: 7 |
Rating: 1.71
So, you get one of those emails from someone whose business you
kinda like. And it's got some enticing little message in it - so
you click to take a look at the offer. And suddenly you find
yourself in highlighter land. Broad streaks of yellow, lots of
exclamation points, and pages and pages of words making all kinds
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Distributed: 2009-02-26 |
Word Count: 821 |
Page Views: 4700
| Votes: 12 |
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Distributed: 2009-01-27 |
Word Count: 841 |
Page Views: 7958
| Votes: 11 |
Rating: 1.82
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Distributed: 2009-01-21 |
Word Count: 1016 |
Page Views: 3220
| Votes: 7 |
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Written by: Mark Silver |
Distributed: 2009-01-05 |
Word Count: 1101 |
Page Views: 3055
| Votes: 8 |
Rating: 2.50
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Distributed: 2008-12-23 |
Word Count: 1037 |
Page Views: 3012
| Votes: 5 |
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In a past Moneyflow class, one of the participants was promoting
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Distributed: 2008-12-01 |
Word Count: 1002 |
Page Views: 3523
| Votes: 7 |
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Day after day we're being treated to news of the global
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Written by: Mark Silver |
Distributed: 2008-11-17 |
Word Count: 1160 |
Page Views: 3044
| Votes: 8 |
Rating: 1.38
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How many hours do you have to spend in front of a computer to
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Why Clients Don't Buy-- and 8232;The Hierarchy of Choice
Written by: Mark Silver |
Distributed: 2008-11-14 |
Word Count: 1352 |
Page Views: 2961
| Votes: 8 |
Rating: 2.13
So you struggle over getting all the details just right, like
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Can Branding Ever Be Heart Centered?
Written by: Mark Silver |
Distributed: 2008-10-27 |
Word Count: 807 |
Page Views: 3065
| Votes: 6 |
Rating: 2.33
Sometimes the world delivers up vocabulary words that are just
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Distributed: 2006-05-11 |
Word Count: 563 |
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Distributed: 2006-05-07 |
Word Count: 0 |
Page Views: 4879
| Votes: 3 |
Rating: 0.33
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Word Count: 0 |
Page Views: 4679
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Rating: 0.33
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Distributed: 2006-05-07 |
Word Count: 0 |
Page Views: 4183
| Votes: 4 |
Rating: 0.75
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Word Count: 0 |
Page Views: 13556
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Rating: 0.33
When did Americans stop taking responsibility for their own
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Word Count: 0 |
Page Views: 6212
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Word Count: 0 |
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Word Count: 0 |
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Word Count: 486 |
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| Votes: 11 |
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Dads everywhere have Sonora Smart Dodd to thank for getting
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of her mother.
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Distributed: 2004-05-03 |
Word Count: 0 |
Page Views: 5161
| Votes: 2 |
Rating: 0.50
Sell yourself, not your products or services. The point we
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Written by: Kamau Austin |
Distributed: 2006-05-11 |
Word Count: 840 |
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| Votes: 11 |
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worthy of any mortgage that may interest you.
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Written by: Kamau Austin |
Distributed: 2006-05-11 |
Word Count: 563 |
Page Views: 5038
| Votes: 11 |
Rating: 1.36
If you want to have a party that everyone will be talking about
for days and years later, hire a good DJ to run your music and
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party.
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Distributed: 2006-05-11 |
Word Count: 718 |
Page Views: 4141
| Votes: 14 |
Rating: 2.64
If you want to experience adventure at every level of your next
trip, you need to go beyond the usual resorts and places to stay.
If you're like most travelers, personal safety remains a priority,
especially in today's world. A growing number of savvy travelers
have found the perfect balance between adventure and comfort.
Building your Credit to get a Mortgage
Written by: Kamau Austin |
Distributed: 2006-05-11 |
Word Count: 840 |
Page Views: 5110
| Votes: 11 |
Rating: 2.09
You are thinking about purchasing real estate. However, you are
not sure if your credit is good enough to get a mortgage. There
are things that you can do to build your credit so that it is
worthy of any mortgage that may interest you.
Flowers Are The Perfect Gift For Father's Day
Written by: Wesley Berry, AAF |
Distributed: 2008-02-20 |
Word Count: 486 |
Page Views: 5611
| Votes: 11 |
Rating: 2.09
Dads everywhere have Sonora Smart Dodd to thank for getting
Father's Day started. In 1909, Sonora sat in a church in Spokane,
Washington listening to a sermon expounding on the virtues of
motherhood. But, as she sat there, she thought about how special
her own father was since it was he who raised her after the death
of her mother.
7 Tips to Hiring a Good DJ for your Party
Written by: Kamau Austin |
Distributed: 2006-05-11 |
Word Count: 563 |
Page Views: 5038
| Votes: 11 |
Rating: 1.36
If you want to have a party that everyone will be talking about
for days and years later, hire a good DJ to run your music and
light show. Hiring a DJ can actually be fun. Just follow these
simple tips, and you are sure to have a fabulous DJ for your
party.
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Written by: Jeb Maxwell |
Distributed: 2010-01-20 |
Word Count: 595 |
Page Views: 4390
| Votes: 8 |
Rating: 1.25
Ann Arbor, Michigan is the home of the University of Michigan, a
leading institution of higher education. Ann Arbor is a wonderful
place to visit. The University is co-mingled with the city and
greatly expands the cultural places and events available in the
area.
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Distributed: 2005-09-14 |
Word Count: 0 |
Page Views: 1898
| Votes: 5 |
Rating: 1.20
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The "Proprietary Blend" Nutritional Supplement
Written by: Will Brink |
Distributed: 2006-02-10 |
Word Count: 0 |
Page Views: 3139
| Votes: 5 |
Rating: 0.60
In a nut shell, I went onto cover each of these common marketing
terms that are used to sell supplements to unwitting consumers
and explained each in detail as to what I view as their common
misuse within the market place.
Brink's Unified Theory of Nutrition
Written by: Will Brink |
Distributed: 2006-02-24 |
Word Count: 0 |
Page Views: 2075
| Votes: 5 |
Rating: 0.60
Regardless of the topic, a unified theory, seeks to explain
seemingly incompatible aspects of various theories. In this
article I attempt to unify seemingly incompatible or opposing
views regarding nutrition, namely, what is probably the longest
running debate in the nutritional sciences: calories vs. macro
nutrients.
7 Steps to Successful Telemarketing
Written by: Kamau Austin |
Distributed: 2006-05-03 |
Word Count: 0 |
Page Views: 2746
| Votes: 5 |
Rating: 0.40
Telemarketing is not as easy as it looks. Telemarketing involves
talking on the phone to someone you do not know and trying to
convince them to buy a product, use a service, or sign up for a
special offer. Many times, telemarketers fail because they are
not doing the job properly.
Offer More Payment Options than your Competition
Written by: Bill Platt |
Distributed: 2004-05-03 |
Word Count: 0 |
Page Views: 3423
| Votes: 5 |
Rating: 0.40
In order to be successful online, you must provide your
customers many quick and easy ways to pay for your goods
and services. It is not enough to ask folks to send a money
order or check to your house or place of business. You must
do more.
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