Now I'm not promoting any of these products so you will have to find them yourself on the net. I have used them all and these are the best of the best for me. You might feel differently!
It does not have to cost you a fortune to advertise on the net. The following is a quick but helpful overview of free resources for those on a budget. If you are in small business or just an individual I am sure you will gain a lot from this report. Paid advertising can be very effective if done correctly but how do you know what is effective and what is a waste of money. The answer is you use free classified ads first to test your products and advertising. Some people never use paid advertising and sell their product or service to thousands of customers without investing a cent so don't underestimate the power of these sights. Free does not means cheap or inferior.
The first problem you will face is information overload. There is just too much stuff to get through from writing your ad to keywords so I am going to simplify the whole process for you into logical steps. I should ad that I have a huge online business that involves the use of all these tools and I have shown literally hundreds of people who have also become successful. As an online marketer of some years it is easy to take it for granted that you know how to do certain things. I have tried to simplify stuff so even a novice can understand this software. If you don't get it I assure you that you are no dummy and not alone in your confusion. Fortunately each software that I have mentioned comes with a help section so you can read your way out of trouble.
Writing ads that work.
1. You will require a word processing program like MS Word, word pad or note pad or any other as long as you can copy and paste from it into you ad. Basically an ad is made up of a Headline, Body copy and call to action. More on this later. Do not use the form supplied on the classified web site to write your ad because you will spend hours writing the same thing over and over again. If you don't know how to copy and paste look up your help screen and learn, it is easy. You will be placing the same ad on many different web sites so it is important to have consistency in your content as well. More on this later.
2. An ad must have an attention grabbing Heading or Headline. There are lots free of articles on ad writing just search Google. If you were your customer the one question you would be asking yourself is, What's in it for me? So do not make your ad a whole list of features but talk about the benefits to the customer. Sell the sizzle before the steak.
3. Structure: After you have gained their attention with your heading you must keep their interest by explaining what is in it for them by talking about the benefits.
4. The desire stage is when you tell them what will happen if they do not purchase.
5. Finally the call to action. You give them specific instructions on what they must do next to get your product.
6. Now if you find it difficult to write an ad and let's face it we are not all talented word smiths I suggest that you check out the classified ad sites and see what others are doing. Not the free classified but the paid classified because the free classified are full of newbies. Also don't make the mistake of thinking because you know your product you know your customer and how to write an ad to attract them. Don't be like the guy who spent over $100,000 on advertising he wrote himself only to discover that his ad was driving his customers to his opposition. Advertising copy writing is a skill and a science and it has to be learnt. There is a thing called split testing and it is 100% effective at refining your add but it takes a few weeks to do. The good news is it is all free.
7. This is not a tutorial on ad writing so that is all I will say at this stage.
Web sites.
1. Last report was that there are over 1500 free classified ad sites.
2. Not all classified ads sites are the same, some are local some are international; some allow network marketers and multi level marketing some do not.
3. Some classified ad sites only allow text and yet others will allow you to post pictures and even videos.
4. All classified ad sites will give you the option to enhance your ad by paying for some extra service but at this stage don't pay for anything to anyone. If you are new at this you need at least a month to test the market with your ads. The good news is you can place an ad immediately.
5. All classified ad sites realize that if they are going to get you as a paying customer they must allow you to try their service for free.
6. Now because ad campaigns can be week's months or even years long the ad site will allow you to place you free ads for an indefinite time. They don't mind as long as traffic is coming to their site it doesn't matter to them how effective your ad really is for you.
7. Some ad sites will not allow you to place multiple ads, some will allow you to place 10 a day and others have no limit.
8. With 1500 different variations you have a lot to choose from.
9. The most helpful feature I find is the daily report and relists email that some sites will send you. It tells you how many people viewed your ad over what period and asks you if you want to relist or modify that ad. This can be so helpful if you are trying to perfect your ad.
Signing up.
This can take hours of your valuable time to sign up to the various different websites so my first recommendation is that you download the free version of Robo Form. This program is super easy to learn and will save you hours and hours once you have filled in the initial form. In the free version you can list up to 10 different free ad sites so instead of filling out your username and password each time you want enter a site you just click your Robo form and it does the rest. If you want to you can expand the client number by investing in the paid version later.
Keywords
This is how the search engines find your ad so it is important that you have the right words listed in the section that asks for keywords. There is a free program called Free Keywords and it is very helpful in finding the right words. It takes a little bit to understand but I found that after about 2 hours I was able to generate fantastic lists and it made a real difference to the number of people coming to my ads.
Tracking
Everyone will tell you that you must track the effectiveness of your ads. Now AdtrackZGold is free to try but eventually you will have to buy it when the trial runs out. Hopefully by the time that happens it has made you enough money to pay for itself. Now this is a little more complicated but well worth the time you take to get to know how to work out where your customers are coming from. In other words it will tell you which ads are working the best for you. It is common knowledge that by simply changing a little thing on your ad you can become highly effective. If you are running an ad campaign made up of different ads on many different sites it will give you and statistical report. (It does heaps more but we are keeping this simple for you) There is absolutely no point in placing random ads all over the web, you need to be organised.
Getting Organized
Essential PIM Pro is a free program to help you organise your campaigns so that you know what you have placed, how long it will run and when to renew. If you are not organized you are doing yourself a great disservice and could easily miss an important detail in your campaign.
Pictures
I use IPhoto plus for making and editing my photos only because it was free in 1998 and I am used to it but if you have MS Office the chances are you will have MS Publisher or Power Point or even MS word is good for making pictures and there are hundreds of photo editing programs on the market that are free. The main feature your program must have is the ability to crop your photo, resize it and change its format to JPG. If you don't understand what I have just said look up image manipulation on the net.
Free Clip Art
Of course if you don't have a digital camera to take a shot of your face or a scanner is digitalize a hard copy photo you are at a disadvantage because it is all about relational marketing. People need to see an image of who they are dealing with as well as the product. This is where free clip art comes to the rescue. Word, Publisher and Power point all have free clip art and it is copyright free so you can use it in your image. If you are lucky enough to have the latest version of Power Point you will also have access to some pretty good lettering and graphics. The main thing to remember here is to only search for photos in clip art and disable clip art , movies and sound. The photo library is comprehensive and free.
There are other websites that cost money that will supply you with images and even sites that will design your ad for you for a fee. Don't use them yet if you want to save thousands of dollars. This whole thing is a learning process and all learning takes time. I suggest you take that time and learn how to use this free stuff first to help you make a good decision when it comes to paying out good money.
Slide Shows
Sometimes a free classified site will ask you for the code or url or embed code for your photo or slide show or video. So instead of just copying and pasting you have to come up with program code. No problem. There is a free program called Slide that not only converts your images to code for you to copy and paste into the website but it supplies a large range of fancy graphics to trick up your presentation.
You can also create slide shows and enhance your videos. This is a terrific free resource for you.
Video
You can upload your videos (if you have them) free of charge through Tubemogal.
This will place your video on 12 different sites and produce viewer reports. Whilst it is not strictly a fee advertising site it can produce reports on how many and who viewed your video. Its handy for split testing your video before you place it on your ad.
Movie Maker
This is a free piece of software for making a video. It comes with all windows operating systems under all Programs, accessories, entertainment. Whilst it is basic it is still powerful and should not be dismissed.
The above is all you really need to run a professional ad campaign. In truth I estimate that it will take you about four months at 1 hour a day to master these programs. Most people give up or become distracted from doing anything in the first twenty one days. My formula for success is finding a buddy to do it with. That way you have someone to bounce your ideas off. I am a qualified work place trainer and what I have written above and supplied you for free has the potential to make your advertisements highly effective. Over the years people have paid for what you have learned for free so don't take this for granted.
Well that is it, I wish you good luck with your campaigns. I will write more on this subject later so come and visit again in a week or two.
It does not have to cost you a fortune to advertise on the net. The following is a quick but helpful overview of free resources for those on a budget. If you are in small business or just an individual I am sure you will gain a lot from this report. Paid advertising can be very effective if done correctly but how do you know what is effective and what is a waste of money. The answer is you use free classified ads first to test your products and advertising. Some people never use paid advertising and sell their product or service to thousands of customers without investing a cent so don't underestimate the power of these sights. Free does not means cheap or inferior.
The first problem you will face is information overload. There is just too much stuff to get through from writing your ad to keywords so I am going to simplify the whole process for you into logical steps. I should ad that I have a huge online business that involves the use of all these tools and I have shown literally hundreds of people who have also become successful. As an online marketer of some years it is easy to take it for granted that you know how to do certain things. I have tried to simplify stuff so even a novice can understand this software. If you don't get it I assure you that you are no dummy and not alone in your confusion. Fortunately each software that I have mentioned comes with a help section so you can read your way out of trouble.
Writing ads that work.
1. You will require a word processing program like MS Word, word pad or note pad or any other as long as you can copy and paste from it into you ad. Basically an ad is made up of a Headline, Body copy and call to action. More on this later. Do not use the form supplied on the classified web site to write your ad because you will spend hours writing the same thing over and over again. If you don't know how to copy and paste look up your help screen and learn, it is easy. You will be placing the same ad on many different web sites so it is important to have consistency in your content as well. More on this later.
2. An ad must have an attention grabbing Heading or Headline. There are lots free of articles on ad writing just search Google. If you were your customer the one question you would be asking yourself is, What's in it for me? So do not make your ad a whole list of features but talk about the benefits to the customer. Sell the sizzle before the steak.
3. Structure: After you have gained their attention with your heading you must keep their interest by explaining what is in it for them by talking about the benefits.
4. The desire stage is when you tell them what will happen if they do not purchase.
5. Finally the call to action. You give them specific instructions on what they must do next to get your product.
6. Now if you find it difficult to write an ad and let's face it we are not all talented word smiths I suggest that you check out the classified ad sites and see what others are doing. Not the free classified but the paid classified because the free classified are full of newbies. Also don't make the mistake of thinking because you know your product you know your customer and how to write an ad to attract them. Don't be like the guy who spent over $100,000 on advertising he wrote himself only to discover that his ad was driving his customers to his opposition. Advertising copy writing is a skill and a science and it has to be learnt. There is a thing called split testing and it is 100% effective at refining your add but it takes a few weeks to do. The good news is it is all free.
7. This is not a tutorial on ad writing so that is all I will say at this stage.
Web sites.
1. Last report was that there are over 1500 free classified ad sites.
2. Not all classified ads sites are the same, some are local some are international; some allow network marketers and multi level marketing some do not.
3. Some classified ad sites only allow text and yet others will allow you to post pictures and even videos.
4. All classified ad sites will give you the option to enhance your ad by paying for some extra service but at this stage don't pay for anything to anyone. If you are new at this you need at least a month to test the market with your ads. The good news is you can place an ad immediately.
5. All classified ad sites realize that if they are going to get you as a paying customer they must allow you to try their service for free.
6. Now because ad campaigns can be week's months or even years long the ad site will allow you to place you free ads for an indefinite time. They don't mind as long as traffic is coming to their site it doesn't matter to them how effective your ad really is for you.
7. Some ad sites will not allow you to place multiple ads, some will allow you to place 10 a day and others have no limit.
8. With 1500 different variations you have a lot to choose from.
9. The most helpful feature I find is the daily report and relists email that some sites will send you. It tells you how many people viewed your ad over what period and asks you if you want to relist or modify that ad. This can be so helpful if you are trying to perfect your ad.
Signing up.
This can take hours of your valuable time to sign up to the various different websites so my first recommendation is that you download the free version of Robo Form. This program is super easy to learn and will save you hours and hours once you have filled in the initial form. In the free version you can list up to 10 different free ad sites so instead of filling out your username and password each time you want enter a site you just click your Robo form and it does the rest. If you want to you can expand the client number by investing in the paid version later.
Keywords
This is how the search engines find your ad so it is important that you have the right words listed in the section that asks for keywords. There is a free program called Free Keywords and it is very helpful in finding the right words. It takes a little bit to understand but I found that after about 2 hours I was able to generate fantastic lists and it made a real difference to the number of people coming to my ads.
Tracking
Everyone will tell you that you must track the effectiveness of your ads. Now AdtrackZGold is free to try but eventually you will have to buy it when the trial runs out. Hopefully by the time that happens it has made you enough money to pay for itself. Now this is a little more complicated but well worth the time you take to get to know how to work out where your customers are coming from. In other words it will tell you which ads are working the best for you. It is common knowledge that by simply changing a little thing on your ad you can become highly effective. If you are running an ad campaign made up of different ads on many different sites it will give you and statistical report. (It does heaps more but we are keeping this simple for you) There is absolutely no point in placing random ads all over the web, you need to be organised.
Getting Organized
Essential PIM Pro is a free program to help you organise your campaigns so that you know what you have placed, how long it will run and when to renew. If you are not organized you are doing yourself a great disservice and could easily miss an important detail in your campaign.
Pictures
I use IPhoto plus for making and editing my photos only because it was free in 1998 and I am used to it but if you have MS Office the chances are you will have MS Publisher or Power Point or even MS word is good for making pictures and there are hundreds of photo editing programs on the market that are free. The main feature your program must have is the ability to crop your photo, resize it and change its format to JPG. If you don't understand what I have just said look up image manipulation on the net.
Free Clip Art
Of course if you don't have a digital camera to take a shot of your face or a scanner is digitalize a hard copy photo you are at a disadvantage because it is all about relational marketing. People need to see an image of who they are dealing with as well as the product. This is where free clip art comes to the rescue. Word, Publisher and Power point all have free clip art and it is copyright free so you can use it in your image. If you are lucky enough to have the latest version of Power Point you will also have access to some pretty good lettering and graphics. The main thing to remember here is to only search for photos in clip art and disable clip art , movies and sound. The photo library is comprehensive and free.
There are other websites that cost money that will supply you with images and even sites that will design your ad for you for a fee. Don't use them yet if you want to save thousands of dollars. This whole thing is a learning process and all learning takes time. I suggest you take that time and learn how to use this free stuff first to help you make a good decision when it comes to paying out good money.
Slide Shows
Sometimes a free classified site will ask you for the code or url or embed code for your photo or slide show or video. So instead of just copying and pasting you have to come up with program code. No problem. There is a free program called Slide that not only converts your images to code for you to copy and paste into the website but it supplies a large range of fancy graphics to trick up your presentation.
You can also create slide shows and enhance your videos. This is a terrific free resource for you.
Video
You can upload your videos (if you have them) free of charge through Tubemogal.
This will place your video on 12 different sites and produce viewer reports. Whilst it is not strictly a fee advertising site it can produce reports on how many and who viewed your video. Its handy for split testing your video before you place it on your ad.
Movie Maker
This is a free piece of software for making a video. It comes with all windows operating systems under all Programs, accessories, entertainment. Whilst it is basic it is still powerful and should not be dismissed.
The above is all you really need to run a professional ad campaign. In truth I estimate that it will take you about four months at 1 hour a day to master these programs. Most people give up or become distracted from doing anything in the first twenty one days. My formula for success is finding a buddy to do it with. That way you have someone to bounce your ideas off. I am a qualified work place trainer and what I have written above and supplied you for free has the potential to make your advertisements highly effective. Over the years people have paid for what you have learned for free so don't take this for granted.
Well that is it, I wish you good luck with your campaigns. I will write more on this subject later so come and visit again in a week or two.
Leith Drinkwater. Work Place Trainer, Coach, Mentor, Teacher and business owner.
For more information visit. http://www.theanswertoday.com
For more information visit. http://www.theanswertoday.com
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