Stop Willy Nilly Advertising

Getting attention for your website and all of the products, services and information that you have to offer is usually at the top of your mind when you first launch a new internet based project.  The idea of advertising will come to you sooner or later and it can be a really good move.  Before you pay for some kind of web advertising though, it is important to have a plan with a purpose.

Know who you want to advertise to.

If someone hasn't pressed you to specifically identify your target market yet - let me be the first.  If you can't tell me several key things about your target customers, you are not going to be able to make the smartest decisions about advertising.

At the very least, you should be able to describe your market's age, income level, family stage. gender, values, passions and interests as they would apply to your products or services. 

If you know these things, you can evaluate advertising opportunities by asking if your unique target market is likely to view or hear your ads in a particular place.

Landing Page

Most of the time when I click on ads around the web, I arrive at the advertiser's website on their home page.  The truth it that the home page is not usually the right place for someone to land.  If you are running an ad campaign to tell women that you have a great skin care product that will solve dry skin issues, send me to the exact page that highlights and offers the product for purchase.

If you are running an ad for a free ebook, send me to a page that does one thing: offer the free ebook!

Good Copywriting

The text on your website and the text in your advertising needs to be crafted with an eye for 'good copy'.  Good copy highlights benefits and pulls your target market in to learn more and ultimately to make a positive decision.

Your first try at writing an ad may look like this: 'Visit our website for a free ebook about women's skin care.'  A copywriter would give that simple statement an injection of excitement, ending up something like this: 'Snag your own copy of our free eBook that's giving women new hope for softer, younger skin!'

Don't Flit - Be Persistent

There is such a wide variety of advertising available on the internet.  You may try one newsletter ad and not get the reaction you were hoping for so you quickly move on to something else.  It could be that you would be better off sticking with that newsletter for a few more ads.  Repetition is a proven advertising tactic. 

Choose a venue your target market frequents and market to them there.  Learn from your efforts and be ready to tweak and improve your ads as you go.