How To Effectively Use The Internet As A Powerful Marketing Medium
            by Robert Imbriale, Professional Business Coach

Are you still trying hard to figure out how to make the Internet work for you? I guarantee, you're not alone! I've been working with the Internet almost since it began and I finally feel confident that I have found the most effective way to market any product or service using this new medium.

Like many marketers, I've tried all the usual marketing techniques. I began with a simple multi-page web site and went to every search engine to list my web address. After about a year, I was able to reach about 5,000 "hits" to my site. In marketing terms, it was a dismal failure.

One night while looking for ideas on promoting a web site, I found a site that exchanged ad banners between sites. Thinking that might work, I quickly designed a really slick banner and sent it off to this site. Well, months later when I checked back to see the numbers, my banner had been displayed hundreds of times, and only once did anybody actually click it to get to my site! Yet another failure, but a valuable learning experience!

My mailbox was eventually full of companies offering "bulk E-mail" programs and services. Some even offered free list of E-mail addresses!  The hype was irresistible! What it meant to me was that I could literally send millions of unsolicited E-mails to promote my site, at no cost!

Like many folks, I jumped on the bandwagon to test this latest marketing gimmick.  I didn't send millions of unsolicited E-mail my first time. I tested a list of about 50,000 E-mail addresses and sent out a very short 10 line message inviting the recipient to visit my site.

It wasn't too long after those messages went out that I got stern warnings from both my service provider and web host to stop immediately or my accounts would be terminated! Upsetting people is not the way to execute a powerful marketing program!

There had to be a way to promote a product or service without upsetting anybody. Classified ads on hundreds of web sites are probably never seen because I've placed hundreds of them without results of any kind. What would it take?

I found the answer in my E-mailbox one morning. It came in the form of an E-zine (which is just another way to say "electronic magazine"). This clever little device is essentially an E-mail with usually one or two articles along with other information pieces and quotes. But what really struck me is that each and every on of these offered classified advertising. In each edition there seemed to be at least 20 paid classified ads.

After doing a little more research, I found that some of these E-zines have substantial circulation. But the most impressive part is that every single person on their list has specifically requested to be on that list to receive the newsletter every time it is released.

Once again, I thought I had found the answer. The only difference is that this time. I had really found the answer! The cost was very low to place an ad, and the circulation was in the thousands. And every single person getting these E-zines was on the Internet, or at least had the ability to send and receive E-mail.

Some testing was in order. I placed my first classified ad. It went out to more than 300,000 people at a net cost of under $40. If you have followed my work, you know that you wouldn't try to actually sell anything from your classified ad, but rather what you seek to do is get the reader to respond.

In this case, I had them come to my web site via a "hyper-link" that was placed at the end of my classified ad. So all the reader had to do to respond was click on the link found in my ad. And many of them did!

What they found when they hit my site was the marketing copy I would typically use in any powerful sales letter. The copy sold the product. To order, all that was necessary was that they fill out a simple online order form and send it on its way with a click of the mouse.

The whole process was as automatic as it could be, but what mattered most is that it worked! It's now possible to hit over a million prospects with your classified ad for much less than $100! With that in mind, I knew I had found the secret to Internet marketing.

Let's look at the process again. First, you must get out there and subscribe yourself to as many of these E-zines as you can find. Once you begin to receive them, read each one from start to finish. What you want to understand is what audience each one is attracting. Are they primarily a business crowd, or it more towards personal development, health and fitness, or investing?

Just as in any media, you must know who you are reaching before you place any advertising. Once you've narrowed your search down to a handful of E-zines, your next question is how many people are receiving it, how often, and how much will it cost to run your classified ad.

Now, write your ad so that it will attract your target prospects and make them really want to visit your web site. You ad has to be compelling, powerful, and it must get attention!

Now, make your web site a powerful sales tool. Present the main benefits of your offer up front and close the sale! Have an order form that is easy to complete and send back to you.

What you may also want to consider is having some way to track to activity on your site so that you can immediately tell if your ad was successful. If you are getting plenty of traffic on your site and no orders, then you may need to rewrite the sales copy on your web site.

Once you have perfected your marketing system, you can continue to run classified ads and you will just keep on selling, selling, selling, with dramatically less of an investment than in any other medium!

Now for my money, this is your best bet. So start subscribing to those E-zines today and start reaping the benefits of low-cost, yet highly effective advertising! Oh, and one more thing, let me know how you do..

ROBERT IMBRIALE is a nationally recognized Business Coach, Speaker, and Copywriter. Many companies have used his marketing techniques to dramatically expand their businesses without spending a fortune. If you would like a Free Business Check-Up for your business, a seminar schedule, or further information, contact Mr. Imbriale's office toll-free at 1-888-226-8109 or via e-mail at: probizcoach@juno.com

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