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Major Communications
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Major Communications
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By S. Hunter and G. Kosch
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If you are thinking about getting a Home Page or if you already have one, there are some things you must know before you part with your hard earned dollars and some things you need to do to get results.
The best way to advertise on the Internet is with a Home Page. A Home Page is like a traditional ad except that it can be interactive and allow your customers to get information instantly and if available to contact you electronically means. Customers love this technology because it gives them more of a feeling of being able to contact the company and get prompt attention.
But advertising with a Home Page on the Internet is not going to guarantee you results. The following factors are what will make it or break it for you in terms of the results and profits your home page will reap.
1) The quality and value of the product you are selling. Most users of the Internet are a savvy, educated consumer group. They aren't easily misled, nor will they easily fall for gimmicks and inferior merchandise. If your product, service or opportunity is timely and of good value then it will likely be of interest, but if it's a cheap gimmick, don't put the down payment on the yacht quite yet.
2) The copy in your Home Page. You wouldn't run a misspelled, punctually incorrect advertisement in your local newspaper yet some people will do so on the Internet. This is downright stupid. If you can't compose a decent advertisement on your own then consider paying someone to do it for you. Copywriters are professionals whose job is to write ad copy that will motivate prospects to take action. Paying a professional is money well spent. Even if you can run a couple of sentences together and think the ad looks pretty good, it might not be an ad that "pulls." Getting the ad copy done right by a professional may actually save you money in the long run given the alternative of composing your own and getting no results at all.
3) How you promote the existence of your Home Page and if or how the advertising service you have selected promotes your Home Page. It's fair to say that no promotion equals no results, and therefore no product sales. People need to know that your Home Page is on the World Wide Web and you have something they want - promotion is how you do this. Keep reading for specific ideas on exactly how to do this.
4) The location of your Home Page. Where you place your Home Page on the World Wide Web can be likened to the difference between advertising on a city's main street and setting up shop on a distant planet and hoping that a star traveller will stop in. You want to have your page placed in a large traffic area of the Internet such as in a theme mall or with a large advertising service that offers mass promotion.
Your Home Page must be strategically placed on the Internet or three things will happen
1) No one will know you are out there
2) No one will visit your site
3) You will have wasted you money!
How do you place your Home Page strategically?
You want to put your Home Page in a theme mall run by a competent Internet advertising service. Malls on
the Internet are like traditional retail malls. They are filled with "storekeepers" who house their stores
within a Home Page. Having a store in a well promoted mall is going to bring you more traffic and sales
then setting up a store in a back alley. Being in a mall gives you these advantages;
* you benefit from the traffic the mall brings in
* you benefit from the promotion the mall providers do
* you get qualified leads when placed in a theme mall related to kind of product or service you are selling.
You must take out a Home Page with a qualified advertising service. Keep these points in mind
-Established minimum 2 years experience with the Internet
-Qualified HTML and computer programmers
-Ability to mass advertise your Home Page or the main site both on the Internet and in the traditional print
media
The third point is extremely important because it will make all the difference in the response rate to your ad. If the advertising service does not have the experience and the marketing resources to advertise both on and off the Internet, chances are the response to your ad will be minimum to nil.
You shouldn't be asked to pay an arm and a leg for the Home Page or additional services. A good guideline
is the following:
* Home Page $15- $50 per month
* Color Graphics $20 - $100.00
* E-mail Links free
* Additional Pages $20-50 per page
* One time fees are the best or your monthly fees could be quite high if you have graphics and extra pages.
A Home Page as an advertising strategy is a smart one but you need to remember that advertising on the Internet is unlike any other type of advertising. Keep these points in mind:
1. You are not limited to a certain size of ad. Your Home Page can be a web site with multiple pages, color graphics and other exciting features.
2. Your Home Page can be changed at any time for very little charge unlike a television ad or print advertisement where mistakes or deletions can be both costly and time intensive.
3. Your Home Page is not a static ad that simply states what you have to offer. Your Home Page should allow customers to interact with you and/or your company. Customers interact by "clicking" with their mouse on an image or phrase on your Home Page to learn more about a certain topic. In this way your Home Page is like a store front where people can enter your store and explore different "rooms" or "shelves" which are really linked pages of information. In this way customers can tour around your Home Page perhaps clicking on a "FREE OFFER" icon to go to a page that details what they will get if they act now to order. Perhaps they might then click on a "MAIL BOX" icon to be taken to an e-mail screen where they can type out a request to you for more information. Or they might click on an "ORDER" icon which takes them to an order form which they simply print out, fill in and mail or fax to you.
4. There are no hard fast rules about advertising on the Internet since there is no precedent and the technical methods of doing web publishing are changing every day. One thing is true: the Internet is a VERY BIG PLACE and you will get lost if you don't know what you are doing. This is why we have assembled this checklist to share with you what we know works and to help you get the most out of your Home Page!
Have you been promoting your Home Page by including your EXACT address on all marketing materials? Your Home Page address should be included on your letterhead, business cards, envelopes, card deck cards, package stuffers and all advertising materials. The more you get your address out there to your customers and potential customers the more traffic you will get to your page.
Is your Home Page customer-centered? Does your ad "talk" to each person who visits your Home Page. Does your ad give people a reason to act RIGHT NOW! You have to create excitement and a sense of urgency about how and why your product/service will help that individual. Always lead with benefits for the customer. Make an offer that customers can't resist! How do you do this? Tell customers what benefits they will get if they act today !
Here are some ideas:
You will get this- an $X value!
Limited supply -- order today!
15% off to the first 100 callers
Free "X" if you order "X" today!
Buy 2 get one FREE if you call by ____.
Call before January 30th to get your FREE gift (an $X value)
Have you incorporated into your ad a way to get leads? For example include a coupon that people can print and mail to you for more information, to receive a free catalog, or to order. Even if a customer just requests information and doesn't purchase today you will be able to retain their name, address, phone etc. for a mailing list for future sales offers.
Have you considered offering several ways for customers to contact you? Remember the Internet is unlike other advertising forms. Internet users are of the electronic communications age and are used to events happening quickly. Remember they can "click" off your Home Page as quickly as they can "click" it on. Users prefer communication methods that give them an immediate response. If you provide only a mailing address on your Home Page as a contact source you may not get any responses. Why? Because this is the age where technology permits instantaneous access to information. Consider including the following in your Home Page to meet the demand of this new age consumer.
* A toll free number where customers can access more information (consider though you might get calls from all over the world.
* A fax number
* A fax on demand number - This is a system that allows you to provide order forms, applications etc on a fax on demand system. With this technology customers can have access to what you have to offer 24 hours a day. Customers have only to call the fax number from their fax phone, select the documents and the documents are then faxed directly to them at no cost to you! The caller pays the charge and gets the information instantly.
* Your electronic mail (e-mail) address. If you have an e-mail address make sure it is linked to your Home Page so that visitors to your Home Page can e-mail you right from your page to get information, purchase etc. If you want to set up an e-mail address you will need to have a computer and contact a service provider to set you up with electronic mail capabilities. The cost is usually only about $5 a month.
* Your postal address.
* Offer a Guest Book where visitors can sign is and comment on your site, offer you feedback, subscribe to your mailing list etc.
A note here about Internet security. You may want to be careful about what personal information you include on your home page since the information will be available publicly around the world.
If you are not getting the results you want from your Home Page have you considered having a professional copywriter rework it for you? Not everyone can write an advertisement that is going to capture people's interest and get people to act. This is why there are professionals who are trained and highly skilled at this. Think about the ads that have got your attention in the past, they weren't written by the average person, they were designed by highly skilled professionals. Too many people try and save money and design their own ad. In the long run they usually lose money because the ad doesn't interest people and no one buys what you are offering. Copywriters are trained writers who know how to create marketing materials that will pull interest and motivate people to act on your offer. The cost is well worth it.
Have you made your Home Page interactive, exciting and updated it periodically? Too many people make the mistake of thinking that ad copy that works in a brochure or a magazine will work on the Internet. This is not always true. If you have a real "grabber" it may work but chances are it will still need to be changed periodically and updated with new offers, products etc. Don't make the mistake of taking out a one year Home Page and never changing it. New people will be coming by to see your Home Page and previous patrons will return if you treat them right.
Have you included pictures of the item/product you are selling? People like to see what they get. If you are selling products why not include pictures and graphics on your Home Page. You've heard the expression "a picture is worth a thousand words." It's true. If you are describing how great your product is and what it will do for the customer consider including a picture of it.
Have you considered putting your entire catalogue or sales brochure on the Internet? If you have an entire line of products why not put them on display on the Internet within your Home Page. To do this you can set your Home Page up like a table of contents or store directory. Visitors to your page are greeted with your on-line catalog message and can then "click" with their mouse on an image or section that interests them. And bang they are "transported" to that part of your catalog where they can view what you have to offer. Just as easily they can "click" on an icon and go to an order form to make their selections.
Have you included testimonials from satisfied users of your product? Have you ever seen those before and after pictures in the weight loss program ads? Wouldn't you agree that those pictures with captions from satisfied customers speak volumes over all the wonderful things the company has to say.
Have you included an order form as part of your web site or on fax on demand? This is an important. Why? Because if you've captured someone's interest and they want to buy now or act now, who wants to discourage them with delays. On-line order forms are simply printed, filled out then mailed or faxed to you - quick for the customer and quick for you. With the up and coming secured credit transactions it will soon be safe to order on the Internet with credit cards. Up until this point giving your credit information over the Internet is a risky business.
Have you considered offering customers something for free just for coming to your page. Internet users just like you and I, like to get something for free. You can get people to come to your site by offering a free sample of your product either on-line or by mailing it to them in exchange for their name, address, phone number etc. It doesn't have to be anything elaborate or costly to you. Some ideas are a free disk, cassette, report, product sample etc. If you are willing to offer customers something for free, say so right on your Home Page.
If you have a newsletter, media release or other communication have you thought about putting it on the Internet as an electronic version? This is a great way to keep people updated, make product announcements, give a sample of a subscription offer etc. The cost to do this is inexpensive (especially when compared to the high cost of doing it in print form). Electronic publishing is practical, inexpensive and timely.
If you are in network marketing why not co-op the cost of setting up another Home Page or better yet have someone in your downline set up a Home Page. This is a great way to increase your exposure through multiple Home Pages and multiple listings. Or have a member of your downline promote the products and another member the business opportunity.
What have you done to your Home Page to make it unique and exciting?
These are just some of the features you can add to your page for a variety and appeal.
* a picture of yourself
* links to other Home Pages
* pictures of your product(s) or a complete on-line catalog
* Flashing words or phrases
* color page dividers
* button graphics that add impact to your message
* order form
* color backgrounds on your Home Page(s)
* different colored links (viewed and unviewed)
* tables/charts
* additional pages allowing your Home page to be like a table of contents or an interface into other exciting
pages of text and graphics.
* marquis
If you have e-mail capabilities, have you added a signature file that tells people where to go to find your Home Page. I suggest using a "catch line" to peak the prospect's curiosity. Imagination and brevity are the keys to a good signature file.
Have you surfed the net in search of news groups that are related to your Home Page? You can post an announcement in these news groups that you have a Home Page at such and such an address and that you are offering a FREE report/cassette/newsletter to the first 50 visitors or some other such tidbit to entice visitors to your page. Examples of news groups are entrepreneurs, and multi-level marketing, make money fast and many more.
There you have it, lots of practical ways to get results from your Home Page. Don't expect to sit back and make a million with a Home Page on the World Wide Web - yes, it's like everything else good in life, it takes time and effort.
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(c) 1997 INCOR Enterprises Inc. George Kosch and Sandra Hunter
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