** FREE Advertising Questions Answered. **

1) If we accept that every business must have a mailing list. To me this is fundamental. The new business with one customer has a mailing list of one plus prospects? That list is a means of communicating with the customer, verbally or in writing. Failure to communicate could mean losing the most valuable asset of the business, so your potential customers are just as important. Cherish your customer(s) and grow your mailing list to consist of customers, lapsed customers, potential customers (qualified prospects), prospects and possibly new leads. You can tailor your communications to the whole list or segments of the list. Learn how to grow and manage your list. 2) How do we grow the list? One of the most profitable ways is to use classifieds advertisements. Classified advertising is best used to build a list of qualified prospects. A qualified prospect has been turned from a prospect (someone who may have a need for your product or service) to someone who has an identified need for your product or service. Because they have responded to your advertising efforts they have indicated a possible need. Use classifieds to offer a free catalogue, booklet or report relative to your product or service. 3) Generally you can sell anything from classifieds so they are great for pulling enquiries with lines such as: Write for further information; free booklet offer, send for product or service information. Be creative in what you offer and have fun developing your advertising skills as you build your list. 4) Advertise all year round. Responses will vary, but by keying your advertisements to the month they appear, and by careful tabulation of your returns from each keyed advertisement you will find that steady year round responses will continue. It has been known for enquiries and orders to still be coming as long as two years after the date of an advertisement! The media used for classifieds can lie around for a long time. 5) How can I decide where to advertise my product or service? Targeting! You have to know your target market there are many sources of information. Public libraries, trade journals, the Internet and good old word of mouth. In the UK we have BRAD (British Rate and Data). You are sure to have similar where you are. BRAD contains information on nearly all journals and magazines in Britain. However you do it, make a list of the addresses, circulation figures, reader demographics and advertising rates. Individual trade journals will provide a 'media pack' if you ask. The pack contains all of the necessary data. Advertising costs money so at all times you must be sure that you are building your list profitably. The very best way to build your list for free is to get free advertising which you can do by offering an article(s) to the journals. The best free advertising is from the issue of regular press releases. Editors are always looking for news. Get to know the journals that cover your specialisation and issue a press release on a regular and repeating basis. This keeps your name in front of your whole list, customers to prospects, and can offer information, free, this is what works every time 'free information'. Don't be daunted at the prospect of writing press releases. We show you http://www.be-your-own-business-expert.com/How_To_Write_a_Press_R elease.html here. Tip: 'The man who knows most is the first to want to know more'. Use press releases to offer him free information as part of your program of advertising. ***************************************************************** **** Resource Box: Article by Michael Harrison, Author, Publisher and Business Consultant. Learn from an expert: Go to: http://www.be-your-own-business-expert.com/ Subscribe for your Free weekly newsletter. Information for career and business minded people. Subscribe today http://www.be-your-own-business-expert.com/Bulletin.html Access our archives when you subscribe. ***************************************************************** **** **Attn: Ezine Editors / Site Owners / Webmasters / everyone** Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or on your site as long as you leave all links in place, do not modify the content and include our resource box as listed above. You can use other articles similarly from http://www.be-your-own-business-expert.com/Articles.html OR subscribe to our FREE newsletter issued weekly. Each issue is packed with motivational, business and personal development material. Subscribe now at http://www.be-your-own-business-expert.com/Bulletin.html When you subscribe you will access our archives - no matter what your interest/specialisation there will be information there to help you. Subscribe today to receive the very next issue of 'byobe Bulletin' - Do you get it?