by: Sylvie Minson
Easily Double or Triple Your Profits in Any Business
To some it may seem like common sense, but many folks running their own businesses don't do this one simple thing to keep their business and profits growing.
Whether you're running an online, mail order, or traditional business, the key to increased profits is, of course, more customers and more sales. The best way to get more customers is advertising.
You need to take a portion of your profits every month, up to 50 percent in the beginning, and invest it back into your business in quality advertising.
That is not to say you should ignore word of mouth, and viral marketing, but real advertising delivers real results. Use it to keep bringing in new business.
When advertising online be careful to get your ads placed in areas where your target audience is likely to gather. CPC - cost per click - ads are a good choice online, because you only pay if you get a good reaction.
Text ads are also getting a much better response these days, as opposed to banners and other flashy methods. Banner ads only seem to be effective in building a brand, not in getting measureable, on the spot results.
Pop-ups are nearly dead, given the availability of pop-up blockers, and the fact that the next generation browsers are coming out with pop-up blockers built in. Apparently people don't like pop-ups - I know I don't - so avoid them, unless you want to irritate your audience.
Print advertising, on the other hand, is much easier to target, and even if you have an online business, I wouldn't recommend ignoring the potential of print. Run your ads in magazines and newspapers that deal with your subject.
Whether on line or in print, you'll want to test out different wordings for your ads, and do small runs, until you find the words the pull readers in the way you would like, not just to get inquiries, but results.
When writing your ad, don't say "We Have Blue Widgets!" - People don't really care about what you have, they care about what they want - so "Get Your Blue Widgets Today" is probably going to be more effective.
Ask a question, or if you have something to offer for free - a free sample, info packet, or test drive - advertise that. Be sure to focus on what the customer gets, not what you have.
When you find an ad that pulls well, stick with it. Don't change until it stops working, or until you change your offering.
Re-Invest in your business, and you can double and triple your profits with ease.