After your website is designed and optimized to bring you a desired result, the next step is to expose your business via your website. Marketing is the "name of the game."

Effective marketing exposes your product or service to the right customers, that is, your target audience. Reaching the wrong customers means little or no sales. Trying to sell Real Estate to infants will eventually make you a starving salesperson.

Effective marketing focuses on the benefits - not the features - of your product or service. It convinces your customers that your product or service will save them time and money, help them realize their dreams and help them improve their lives.

There are several methods that you can use to promote your business. You will find that some are more effective than others for your type of business. Here are some marketing methods or strategies that entrepreneurs are using successfully.

• Classified and Display ads
  
• Direct Response Marketing
  
• Viral Marketing/Signature File
  
• Joint Venture Marketing
  
• Endorsement
  
• Email advertising
  
• Reciprocal Links
  
• Affiliate programs
  
• Radio and TV ads
  
• Press Releases
  
• Name Branding
  
• Search Engines

Let's consider the first 2 methods and see how you can use them effectively to expose and expand your business.

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MARKETING METHODS

Classified and Display ads

The purpose of a classified or display ad is to capture your viewer's attention and to prompt that viewer to take a certain action. That action should be clicking on a link to a web site or requesting more information by e-mail or snail (postal) mail.

There are a few things that make an ad effective. First and foremost is the headline. It has been said that 70% of your ad's effectiveness depends on the headline. The first thing the viewer sees is the headline. That headline must grab and arrest the attention of the viewer in a few seconds or else the ad is a waste. Would the following headlines grab your attention? "Anonymously Yours" "FEEL BETTER and EARN" "Your Income Is Waiting."

Attractive headlines use powerful words like secret, revealed, proven, better, improved, discover, guaranteed, shocking, how to and the two most effective words in advertising, FREE and YOU. Consider this headline: "YOU Can Get a FREE Sample of this Proven Sleep Remedy. No Obligations!" Is this headline effective? You bet it is, especially if the viewer has trouble sleeping.

For your ad to be effective, the body of your ad should clearly state one or two benefits of your product or service. There is a clear distinction between feature and benefit. The quietness of a humidifier is a feature. The fact that it can be placed a few feet from your head without disturbing your sleep is a benefit. Emphasize benefits not features!

Instead of stating benefits, you may choose to ask a few direct questions that stir certain strong emotions. "Are you sick and tired of driving to and from work?" "Does your boss make 2 or 3 times what you make and does almost nothing around the office?" "Would you like to cut your living expenses by as much as a half?" These questions should direct the reader to take action NOW! A time limit is very effective in prompting immediate action from your viewer.

Try to limit your classified ads to 5 lines or less. Display ads in offline media give you a little more room to say more and to include graphics. Try to get your display ads on the right side of a newspaper or magazine, if you use these media for advertising. Remember, offline marketing is still alive and well. Magazines like Popular Mechanic and Redbook still pull very well.

Direct Response Marketing

Direct Response Marketing is the opposite of institutional advertising that you see a lot of on TV. Big companies like Ford, Chevrolet, Coca Cola, AT&T, Visa, Sprint, Home Depot, IBM and Carnival Cruise Lines pay a high price for 30 or 60 seconds of air time. That kind of marketing is done to create awareness of an image. Actually, it is better known as "image" marketing.

Direct Response Marketing is done to get a response from the viewer, not to create an image. An example of this kind of marketing is the unsolicited letters you receive in the postal mail. Credit card companies, mortgage companies and insurance companies use direct response marketing frequently. A plain or attractive envelope is mailed to you with a letter soliciting your response. A postage paid return envelope is included for you to use if you decide to respond. Most persons do not respond on the first or second mailing. In fact, research has shown that those who respond do so after they have received about 5 to 7 mailings.

Although Direct Response Marketing can be expensive, it is very effective if it is done right. The "tighter" the target market the better the response rate. Research is a must to determine who is included in your target market. Research will also indicate how well your target market responded to similar offers. It will also help you set the best price for your offer and the best method to approach your target market.

Direct Response Marketing targets a select group through e-mail, postal mail or telephone. Your presentation is very important. The saying "You don't get a second chance to make a first impression" is very appropriate in this kind of marketing. Although your target audience may be receptive to your offer (because of similar purchases in the past) you do NOT have the right to confront in a "hit or miss" manner. To get maximum response from your audience, you MUST make a timely, appealing and professional presentation.