A Proven Marketing Technique Now Has a New Partner. Here's How to Use it Effectively to Increase Your Sales.
By Curt Berresford
In mail order, the "two-step" advertising process has been used successfully for decades. To use that process, you place small, low-cost ads to whet the interest of the prospect and get them to ask for more information. Then you can send them as large a mailing as you need to thoroughly and fully describe your offer, along with order forms and a substantial sales pitch.
The Two-Step process saves you money because you pay for small ads rather than the large, full-page ads necessary to fully describe and sell your product or service. You save postage, too, since you only mail to interested prospects. While most mail order dealers use many techniques to sell, the Two-Step has proven reliable and effective.
Now a whole new way to use the Two-Step sales technique has been born and is exploding in popularity.
The new Two-Step uses the Internet and mail order together. The idea is to place your sales flyer or information on a web page, then simply add the web page address to your small print ads. You still mail out information to those who request it. But anyone with Internet access can visit your web page 24 hours a day to see your materials, as well. You've covered both bases.
There are many services that will place your ads and offers online for you, so you don't need Internet access to work the new Two-Step. It's important that you choose a service that places your sales info on a page of its own, with a unique web site address. For the New Two-Step, don't use an online ad mall that places your ads along with many others on a single page.
One service to consider is www.JKPowerMail.com, a mail order oriented web site that understands the New Two Step. Not only can they give your materials a unique web address, but they can even place your camera-ready flyers on the page.
There's a big added bonus to the New Two-Step not found in mail order alone. With it, you also might expose your offer to people who spend more time online than reading mail order publications. Since your materials are "out there," anyone on the Net can see them.
A net trick is to work the New Two-Step for online-only offers. If you have Net access, even part time from a library, you can sign up for many different online dealership programs, usually called "affiliate programs." Most give you a web sales page for the offer. But if you don't have the time or inclination to put a lot of effort into online promotions of your new dealership, you're not likely to enjoy much success.
In comes the New Two-Step. Place small, inexpensive print ads mentioning your online offer. Your ads don't ask people to write requesting more information, they ask people to visit the web site you list. I've personally used this technique many times with great success.
As you plan your advertising, don't overlook the simple and inexpensive Two-Step Technique and its cousin, the New Two-Step. Both approaches are proven winners.
The above article was written by Curt Berresford, an author, business owner and webmaster. Contact him at 682 Third St., Beaver, PA 15009 or email curt@paperdots.com
For your Two-Step advertising, find the Internet's most comprehensive listings of print ad publishers, typesetters and print and mail services at :http://www.BizAds.com
Get great free information and resources for you home-based, Internet or micro business at:http://www.PaperDots.com
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