Effective Advertising On Import-Export Lists & Bulletin Boards
By Harith Al-Jibury
The goal of this article is to share with you my experience in writing
what I consider effective ads on the international on-line Trade Leads
(Export-Import) FREE mailing lists like UNTPDC-ETO, EEUROPE and Trade
Related Bulletin Boards.
Just like most people in this new virtual world of the Internet, I have learned things the hard way. Hundreds of on-line hours and countless sleepless nights in reading, trying and learning. I believe that what personally worked for me shall also work for you.
Most Offer/Demand lists distribute 40-300 ads a day. Let us keep in mind that our on-line audience are trigger happy busy people. They love to hit the delete button. They are intelligent and bright so we are not going to insult their intelligence. They hate words associated with spam like: Get-Rich-Quick, Earn Easy Money, The Best Product On The Net, Let Me Show You etc.. . However, that doesn't mean that you shouldn't be creative in writing your ads.
Short and very sweet: Your ad has only few seconds to live on those people monitors or die for ever. So we are not going to write a long love story. Our ad should just serve to trigger action (response). No more no less. We wish people to visit our websites looking for more detailed information or better contact us for the same.
Let us start by writing the Ad: In my opinion, the ingredients of any good ad shall cover:
- Subject: 30-40 characters (not words) that indicates the content of the ad without using spam related attention-grabbers similar to those in get-rich-quick ads. Write as much key benefits of your product/service in few words.
Some of the words that work well in the subject are: Quality, Reliable, Serious, Competitive, Effective, Free, Your, How, Secrets, Improve and Discover.
Remember that the SUBJECT is the most important aspect of your ad.
- Body (copy): To be short. 5-10 lines of 55 characters each.
Offer/Sell: The body shall cover
the most important benefits related to your product/Service. So think Benefits!
Ask yourself: What do my prospects get out of purchasing my product? Mention the benefits not only the description and details of your product.
Demand/Buy: The body shall cover the exact specifications (if possible) of the required product, the quantity and delivery terms. This will save you the time of viewing many irrelevant responses.
Misc (miscellaneous): The body could be any of the two above cases or just a clear written announcement.
In all above three cases, it is recommended that the ad ends with a Call
For Action like: "Visit our web site for more
details" or "Write us for more information and prices" etc.. You must tell the readers what you want them to do.
Remember to provide your complete contact details.
In general an ad should contain the 4 elements: Attention, Interest, Desire and Action.
One important note. When you are advertising online, try to reply to inquiries (response) generated by your ads within 48 hours. I have discovered that I "lose" prospects if I wait longer. People of this virtual world demand and expect prompt action.
We should keep in mind that ethical on-line FREE advertising takes
lots of time. It is a continuous process that should be kept dynamic
and fresh.
I Wish You Good Luck With Your Advertising.
Harith Al-Jibury
Danex Marketing & Business Resources
Denmark
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