Successful internet advertising is productive internet advertising

SUCCESSFUL INTERNET ADVERTISING IS PRODUCTIVE INTERNET ADVERTISING

Successful internet advertising is productive internet advertising and doesn't have to be expensive and should not be confused with internet marketing

As explained in the previous chapter, internet advertising is a different but related field to internet marketing. Fail to get your marketing right and create brand awareness, and your internet advertising will not pay the dividends you were looking for.

If people know about your products and services they will either go looking for you or be more confident and therefore amenable to buying from you if they recognise your brand. If they don't know you from Adam, your advertising has got to overcome objections that your internet marketing should already have taken care of. People buy products and services because they have heard of them and recognition instils confidence. If your product or service is not known, you are likely to lose out to higher profile competition.

So on the assumption that you have implemented a sensible marketing campaign let's start to look at internet advertising in order to drive traffic to your website and increase online sales.

Internet advertising comes in many shapes and forms and I will be covering the best of the best.

As well as internet advertising strategies that you should avoid.

Spam
Banner adverts
Pop ups and pop unders

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SUCCESSFUL INTERNET ADVERTISING

The first thing you need to do to create a successful internet advertising campaign (and you need to do this before you decide what type of advertising will be best suited to your needs) is decide what you want your advertising to do. The obvious response is "increase sales" but that is too simple a response. You have to ask yourself the following questions because advertising has to be specific with a clear advertising message. Successful internet advertising is productive internet advertising and doesn't have to be expensive and should not be confused with internet marketing.

Advertising works when everything is clearly thought through. It fails when the advertising is not clear, succinct and targeted.

Who am I trying to target?
What am I actually selling?
What is my advertising message?
What is my advertising budget?
What are my sales targets?
Am I trying to sell online or obtain enquiries?

WHO AM I TRYING TO TARGET WITH MY INTERNET ADVERTISING

All advertising is targeted whether it is television, newspaper, magazine or internet advertising. Advertisers will seek advice on which television channels, what times and which programmes will be best suited to their target audience. With newspapers you have to decide whether you are going after a business, intellectual, female audience or the great unwashed who read the tabloids. The same applies to magazines although you will normally be choosing a male or female readership or a highly targeted audience such as gardening or fishing etc. It is a mistake to think that the internet is any different when it comes to most internet advertising, and many companies make the mistake of paying for a blanket audience when they should be targeting specialist traffic.

So who are your target audience? Male or female? Age groups? Business, intellectual, householders or the great unwashed (i.e. the lower income, low intellectual market who own nothing of value but are always prepared to buy anything that takes their fancy)?

You may have a product that will appeal to every market, but a greater percentage of one market will like your product more than it will appeal to another. Blanket advertising is always more expensive than advertising to targeted audiences and you will be wasting money by paying to reach audiences that may not be interested in your product or service.

You therefore need to know your market place and choose which audiences you wish to aim your internet advertising at.

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WHAT AM I ACTUALLY SELLING?

This may have an obvious answer but when it comes to successful advertising the underlying message is key. If you sell beds your advertising message may be "a good night's sleep" or "an end to back pain" or "a romantic bedroom." The bed may be the product but the benefits are the selling points. You may want to sell a bed but your customer is actually looking for a decent night's sleep. You have to therefore decide what message you want your advertising to convey.

Don't make the mistake of trying to convey a number of messages all at the same time, as they will all get lost in the melee. You want your advertising to say something that is clear and succinct and therefore hits home to a specific target audience. Someone with a bad back is not necessarily going to be looking for a bed to furnish a romantic bedroom. An insomniac will not necessarily have a bad back and may be too tired for a night of lust. Someone who is looking for a bed for romantic interludes may be put off by the thought of the bed being used for orthopaedic purposes. Fix the bad back with a decent bed, get a good night's sleep and the romantic nights may follow.

Obviously some products and services lend themselves to a wide audience. The problem with this type of advertising is that advertisers send a weakened message by trying to appeal to, and incorporate, everyone in their advertising message.

I think nothing of spending £300 on a pair of hand lasted shoes. I have shoes that I have owned for twenty five years and which still look as good as new. They are comfortable, don't make my feet ache, are classical in design so don't go in and out of fashion and are an excellent investment. When I buy shoes I am looking for quality, comfort and longevity. My sons on the other hand wouldn't be seen dead in these types of shoes; they think nothing of paying £150 for a pair of fashion shoes and then chucking them away after six months or so because they are either out of fashion or fallen apart. The thought of buying shoes for comfort or because they could still be wearing them in twenty five years would never occur to them. We all wear shoes but we buy shoes for different reasons - not just because we have to put something on our feet.

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The Golden Web - The Internet Entrepreneur's Definitive Guide to Making Money Online

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