Only One Chance
by Bob Osgoodby
This is a real life story, so bear with me while I give somebackground information.
We have a "free ad" section at our web site where people canplace an ad for their business. Ads are submitted weekly andpublished on the web. Now, to place an ad, someone has to visitour web site and fill out a form, containing their email addressand the copy of the ad. We try to make it as easy as possible,but the bottom line is many people are not serious, and don'thave a clue as to how to run a business on the web let alonepromote it.
When the ads are received, we send an automatic response to theperson who submitted it. Perhaps one out of ten has an incorrectemail address and the response is returned as undeliverable.What a waste of time.
How do they think that someone could respond to their ad if theiremail address is incorrect? Not only that, but bad addresses areautomatically purged from our file so their ad never even getsposted.
Going through our archives, I found some real gems - what do youthink about these offers?
"Join our MLM and earn beg income". This is either a typo orthey are promising very little in the way of earnings. Thisperson obviously didn't proof their copy before submitting thead.
Another ad promised huge earnings, but gave no contactinformation. Not a web site URL or an email address to befound. Guess they figure it is so powerful an offer, we will"beat a path to their door" - another waste of time.
"Make Money! Turn $10 into $40,000 CASH like I did" - but wait -this guy is using a free email account. If he's making all thatmoney, wouldn't you think he could afford one for ten bucks amonth - maybe he is saving all those $10 bills so he can earn$40,000 CASH with each one.
"You can make 500% Profit without investing any money" - need Isay more!
“Online Pharmacy - No Perscription Needed” – I knew the medicalprofession had handwriting that was difficult to decipher, but Ithought they could at least spell. Run, don’t walk to the nearestdelete key on this one.
"Tired of the "Rat Race"? Free online training and no capitolneeded!" Did this guy mean "capital"? I'll hang on every wordhe has to say.
"Exciting,EasyandProfitable" - guess this person never learnedhow to use that big bar on the bottom of the keyboard. I thinkyou see where this article is going.
If you are going to advertise a business on the web, and youpresent less than a professional image - you're not going to dobusiness. If you present yourself like the above examples, enjoyyour "walk on the quiet side". Most people are not idiots, andI'm sure the authors of the above ads are not either. But whygive that impression? I sure wouldn't do business with any oneof them.
I read another ad for Web Design and the HTML coding in his adwas wrong. That surely built a lot of confidence in his abilityto design sites for me.
Most people scan poorly constructed ads and simply "click away".Guess they feel like I do. If you don't care enough to write acredible ad, why should I think you'll care about me if I buyfrom you?
Many people rely too heavily on the spell checker on theircomputer. This is a mistake. After you do spell check, getsomeone else to read it. When writing something, many times youget so close to the article, you miss mistakes that someone elsewould quickly find. Many words that are being used incorrectlywill pass spell check.
Remember - you usually get only one chance to make a sale when aperson sees your ad. If it is well written, and has an attentiongetting headline, you just might make that sale. If you want todo business on the web, get serious or people will come to theconclusion that you are someone who "Doesn't Have a Clue" andlook elsewhere.Did you know that subscribers to Bob Osgoodby's Free Ezine, the "Tip of the Day," get a Free Ad for their Business at his Web Site? Great Business and Computer Tips - Monday thru Friday. Instructions on how to place your ad are in the Newsletter. Subscribe at:
http://adv-marketing.com/business/subscribe2.htm
| DISCLAIMER: The content provided in this article is not warranted or guaranteed by Developer Shed, Inc. The content provided is intended for entertainment and/or educational purposes in order to introduce to the reader key ideas, concepts, and/or product reviews. As such it is incumbent upon the reader to employ real-world tactics for security and implementation of best practices. We are not liable for any negative consequences that may result from implementing any information covered in our articles or tutorials. If this is a hardware review, it is not recommended to open and/or modify your hardware. |
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