MassNet Marketing Blog

Evaluating effective marketing methods is always a decision that needs to be thoughtfully considered. Before you take the plunge, one thing to be sure of, is that you totally understand the pricing structure.

Many small business owners have decided to implement a ‘pay per lead’ marketing program without fully understanding the exact methods used to pull those leads. In addition, if you’re not careful, your new lead program could end up costing you considerably more than you originally anticipated.

Should you decide to begin a ‘pay per lead’ marketing strategy, here’s some tips to help:

1. Make sure that you carefully evaluate the pricing structure.

2. Know your target market.

3. Research and analyze your industry specifics.

In addition, take some time to frequently re-evaluate your existing marketing strategies. One of the benefits that small business owners have; is the ability to quickly maneuver, zig and zag, and make changes immediately. If you find that your current marketing methods are not working, don’t be afraid to change them. Try something new, get creative, and go for it! If it doesn’t work out, don’t fret it – simply rinse and repeat…

As marketing consultants, our job is really about making your marketing efforts easier. As a small business owner myself, I realize how much easier it is to have others assist me with tasks that either; 

A. I don’t have time to do myself, or

B. I would simply prefer to place in the capable hands of other professionals.

The old saying goes something like this “SMART PEOPLE PUT SMART PEOPLE AROUND THEM’  -  which simply means you can’t do it all yourself. 

I truly believe that many business owners should try and put aside a small amount of time to examine whether or not they are asking for help when they really need it…  

But, how do you know when your business needs help?

It’s simple; the time to enlist the assistance of others is not necessarily when your business is sinking: 

The time to ask for help is before you leave the dock.

The time to ask for help is before you fall behind your competitors.

The time to ask for help is before the next sales rep comes knocking on the door.

The time to ask for help is before you lose money on outdated advertising methods.

Put yourself in a position of continuously being one step ahead, anticipating the next opportunity, recognize you can’t do it all yourself, and then find qualified professionals to help you get where you’re going.

There are several elements of marketing which include: public relations, promotions, publicity, advertising and sales.  The below story was written by an unknown author and helps define marketing and all its pieces.

If the circus is coming to town and you paint a sign saying “Circus Coming to the Fairground Saturday”, that’s advertising.

If you put the sign on the back of an elephant and walk it into town, that’s promotion.

If the elephant walks through the mayor’s flower bed, that’s publicity.

And if you get the mayor to laugh about it, that’s public relations.

If the town’s citizens go the circus, you show them the many entertainment booths, explain how much fun they’ll have spending money at the booths, answer their questions and ultimately, they spend a lot at the circus, that’s sales.

And, if you planned the whole thing, that’s Marketing!

If you want to make a powerful difference in boosting your ad response rates, then pay particular attention to your headline.

Why? Because five times as many people will read your headline than your copy. Quite simply, a headline is…an ad for your ad. People won’t stop their busy lives to read your copy unless you give them a good reason to do so. So a good headline promises some news and a benefit.

Think about the last time you browsed through your local newspaper. You checked out the articles, one by one, and occasionally an ad may have caught your eye. Which ads were the ones most likely to catch your eye?

The ones that looked like an article.

The ones with the headline that promised news.

The ones with fonts and type that closely resembled the fonts and type used in articles.

The ones that were placed where articles were placed (as opposed to being placed on a full page of ads, for example).

The ones with the most compelling headlines that convinced you it’s worth a few minutes to read the copy.

Remember that the headline you use is extremely powerful and very important to the overall response rate that your ad receives.