How to Breathe New Life into Your Advertising Campaign

by Karin Peavy

If you haven't made many sales or perhaps none at all, don't be discouraged. Use this 10-point checklist to breathe new life into your advertising campaigns and improve your response rate.

>>

Remind people they are ordering through a secure server. Tell them you won't sell or share their e-mail address and that all their information will be kept confidential.

>>

Your advertisement should outline benefits and not just features. In addition, your ad's headline should attract your target audience. You should also list testimonials or guarantees.

Here are two free resources you can use to learn how to write effective ads and headlines.

People usually don't purchase the first time they visit. The more times they visit your site, the greater the chance they will buy. The most effective way to get people to return to your site is to give them a free subscription to your e-zine. You can accomplish this by posting a sign up form or guestbook on your website. You could also list free and low cost resources on your website and update them regularly. Ask visitors to bookmark your site and visit again and again to discover newly added items.

>>

People will feel more comfortable if they know who they are buying from. Publish a section called "About Us" (or "About Me" if you're a sole proprietor) on your web site. Include your business history, profile of employees, contact information etc. Here's an example of my own "About Me" page.

>>

Accept credit cards, checks, money orders, and other forms of electronic payments such as PayPal, ClickBank, etc. Take orders by phone, e-mail, website, fax, mail, etc.

>>

You need your own domain. To find if a name is already taken and to register your own domain name go here:

Make sure your website is easy to navigate through. If you site has dozens of pages, consider including a site map.

Websites are most effective when the material all relates to one theme including the graphics.

When you use free stuff to lure people to your website include it below your ad copy or on another web page. If you list the freebie above your ad they may never look to see what you're selling.

>>

You won't sell steaks to a vegetarian. You want visitors that are interested specifically in what you offer. Consider surveying your existing customers to see what made them decide to buy from you. This information will help you improve your target marketing and advertising.

If you don't yet have a customer base, use ezine advertising to begin building one. Find ezines that cater to an audience interested in your marketing area. For instance, if your product relates to humor find publishers that distribute humor ezines.

>>

Every experienced marketer knows you must work at constantly improving various aspects of your business...especially your ad copy since it's the lifeblood of your business. This is how you get the word out. So, you must be willing to try different headlines and revise ad copy if necessary.

Use an ad tracker for your advertising campaigns to measure how many clickthroughs you receive for a particular ad.

>>

Many people are interested in your product but they put off buying it till later and eventually forget about it. Entice them to buy now with a freebie or discount and include a deadline date when the offer ends.

If your business is at a standstill, it doesn't have to be. Use these 10 techniques to breathe new life into your marketing efforts.