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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 re wards."
Always do some basic common sense product analysis and market research be fore
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 re
search 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 discrimiate
- 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 publications
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
from the recipients who are looking, not for thing 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 demographics 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, ad dress, 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...
Frontier Times Grit
PO Box 3338 PO Box 5
Austin, TX 78764 Sarasota, FL 34230
Woman's Day American Rifleman
1633 Broadway-42nd Floor 1600 Rhode Island Ave., NW
New York, NY 10019 Washington, DC 20036
Coin World Furniture
911 Vandemark Road 229 Park Avenue South
Sidney, OH 45365 New York, NY 10003
Mechanix Illustrated
1515 Broadway
New York, NY 10036
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