Advertising Online Websites Using Traditional Print Ads
Ever think about advertising online websites using print ads?
No? Don't fret. Most people haven't thought about it. Most
people don't do this. But if you have a website that's well
written (contains great sales copy, that is) then maybe you
should.
Before we discuss the specifics of advertising online websites
using print ads, let's talk about why you'd want to do it. All
websites like to see traffic. But simply advertising so you can
attract more people to your site actually misses the point. You
want to draw more potential buying traffic. You want to draw
people to your sites that are interested in what you sell ...
who'd like to hear more about what you offer.
And once you get them there your job is to then convert them
into taking the next step in the buying process ... whatever
that is ... i.e., calling your business for more information,
filling out an order form ... booking an appointment ...
whatever.
If your business sites are properly set up (and many business
websites are NOT set up properly) then advertising online
websites using print ads WILL work. Print ads in traditional
media (such as newspapers) can generate huge amounts of traffic
... plus result in higher sales conversions ... which is the
name of the game.
One extremely effective style for newspapers ads is writing them
so they appear to be newspaper articles. Writing your newspaper
ad (or any other form of print advertisement) so it looks and
sounds like a news article works very well ... especially when
giving your reader information that will entice them into
visiting your URL for further information. An even cheaper way
to go about advertising online websites is simply using
classified ads. Like this one:
........................... New website shows Philadelphia
business owners how to create their own highly profitable
newspaper ads! See... www.sales-letters-and-marketing.com ...
for details. ...........................
This classified ad would pull traffic from interested business
owners reading the Philadelphia Inquirer - - which is the city's
large newspaper. Most importantly, it would pull targeted
prospects to my website.
Notice how the headline specifically calls out to a specific
group of people - - not the whole world. I'm not looking for 50
million curiosity-seekers to visit my website. I'm trying to
attract targeted readers ... people who might be interested in
using my services to help them create effective direct response
advertising.
The way to do this in a print ad is by creating a headline that
singles out the person you're targeting. Therefore, the most
important feature in a print ad will be the headline you use.
Advertising online websites using print ads won't be very
effective if your headline stinks.
The most important first "test" of any headline is to ask
yourself the following question ... "If my headline were the
only thing my reader sees, would it stand alone and make sense
to my targeted reader and offer them a benefit apart from any
body copy whatsoever?"
Read the above once again.
Notice the importance of a headline being able to stand on its
own, apart from any body copy. In other words, a BAD headline
for me to use in a newspaper ad would be ... "Joe Farinaccio,
Copywriter." That would be extremely ineffective. It doesn't
call out to anybody (in this case business owners). Nor does it
promise them any kind of benefit.
When advertising online websites using print ads also make sure
you have a special message just for the visitors arriving at
your website because of your print ad. If you don't have such a
message on your homepage all the time then you should put some
sort of special text link copy near the top of your homepage
directing visitors from your print ad to click on so they can be
taken to a page that follows up on the information you promised
to share with them in your print ad.
For example ... if I were running my ad (from above) in the
Philadelphia Inquirer I'd put a text link (in bold red lettering
to make sure I'd get the attention of these visitors) at the top
of my homepage saying something like ... "Readers from the
Philadelphia Inquirer looking for more information on writing
effective newspaper ads ... please click here."
This text link would then take them to a page where I could give
them the information they're seeking ... and sell my services
along with it. I hope you're beginning to see that effective
direct marketing uses all types of media. You can merge various
kinds of media (like traditional print with online) to make your
advertising effective.
Advertising online websites using print media is a great way for
many businesses to give a long sales pitch without the cost of
taking out a full newspaper ad. It likely won't have the same
"punch" as a large space ad in the paper, but using a small
space ad ... or even classified ad ... directing readers to a
webpage dedicated to furthering the sales process ... gives you
ample space to share all the details about your product/service
while saving money too.