Alex Tew’s Million Dollar Home Page was unique for probably a completely different reason than just making the million dollars. It has spawned an immense number of competitors and there are probably many more on the way. Googling presently returns 1.5 million search results for “pixel ads”.

The problem is many of them are just clones-with nothing to distinguish them from the growing pack other than perhaps limited specialisation- e.g. pixel ads for Christians, countries, towns. Its made kind of easier as you can even download free scripts to do this- for example from http://www.tradebit.com/filedetail.php/722486

So a couple of questions have to be asked.
· Is this viable long term? Has the novelty worn off and will anyone really be interested in looking at pixel adverts
· Are there any innovations that can make pixel ad sites stand out- ie rejuvenate the genre?

My answer is yes it can be a viable business for a few well run sites but then as I’ve just developed a site, I’m probably a bit biased. Alex Tew had ‘First Mover’ advantage, made his money and ran. However there are something like 30 million websites in existence, and I’d guess a large number of those, perhaps 2- 5 million are commercial and badly need web traffic. Word Tracker reveals 359 searches for “pixel ads” and nearly 200 for “Million Dollar Home Page” over the last 90 days so there is still some interest.

Lets examine the present crop and see in what way can they be improved upon. Note these are my own opinions and I could be (probably am) very wrong!

The premise on which a pixel ad website is offered is that it brings traffic to your site if you advertise there. To do that of course it must have a lot of traffic itself. It’s a chicken and egg situation. There are scores of sparsely populated websites that will never go anywhere and will eventually quietly die. Their owners have spent a bit of money preparing the site but thats where it ends.

Creating a website is easy but getting eyeballs there is not. Here are some principles that I believe provide one way forward.

1. Why stick with a monolithic block divided into 10 x 10 pixel blocks? Quite frankly it is both confusing and ugly. I think a future innovation may lie with smaller blocks, less intrusive in web page, just as google ads don’t take over a web page but enhance it by offering context sensitive adverts.

2. Why stick with just one page? My own site http://logoadz.com has a home page and anyone paying for an advert there can choose any six ‘tags’, each of which has a page of its own.

3. Why pay by the pixel? Be flexible on pricing. Why not pay by the block- conceptually they are the same price but the look of the site can be enhanced by offering pages of bigger adverts all the same size. Ten 100 x100 pixel ads looks much more attractive than the hotch potch you get normally.

4. Advertising has to be far more flexible than buying a space for 5 years etc. Why not offer advertising by the week, the month or any number of days? Advertisers can then test the site and see if they are getting the traffic they expect without a big financial commitment.

This needs the website to be fully automated so that advertisers upload their graphics and their advert is live within an hour if the images can be rebuilt that often. There are sites with individual graphics but the html overhead bulks the page size up inordinately. If the adverts are changed on a day to day basis then its more interesting for both human and search engine visitors to your website.

5. Provide click statistics so advertisers can feel they’re getting value for money. Tracking clicks isn’t rocket science. Nor is sending out a weekly email. Customer service is very important. It helps to keep them coming back.

6. Try and make your site look different to the Million Dollar Home Page; experiment with layouts. I find it depressing that a number of websites have cloned the layout, fonts and colours. There’s enormous scope to be innovative here and some sites have done this.

Have I succeeded with my own site? Well I have applied nearly all of these principles but as the site has not gone live yet it is too soon to tell. Its the first part of a package I’m producing for advertisers. Watch this space!

You’ve decided to launch your advertising campaign but you have no idea what would inspire others to buy from you. Or maybe you’ve already run some ads to no avail. How do you make your ad the one that stands out? After all, consumers receive thousands of marketing messages everyday. What makes what you’re offering so special?

In today’s highly competitive marketing environment, chances are your ad will get overlooked. Meanwhile, some other entrepreneur is making money and developing a highly effective ad campaign. The people that are successful in this area have spent considerable time going over their ads. And with enough effort, any business owner can achieve similar success.

In general, most ads will begin with a headline. And it is with this group of words that you must immediately grab your reader. Marketing experts say you need to grab your potential consumer’s interest within seven seconds. Seven seconds. That’s it! It’s best to start with powerful words that have already been proven to work. Why reinvent the wheel? Below are ten of the most powerful words in the English language, according to Yale University:

1. Discover
2. Easy
3. Guarantee
4. Health
5. New
6. Proved
7. Results
8. Safety
9. Save
10. You

Now, carefully review these words and practice writing enticing headlines that will attract attention. These ten examples will help you begin to write dynamic, attention-getting ads. As you progress, expand your "powerful word" vocabulary by reviewing other ads. Use your powerful words in not only the headline but also the body of your ad or the "copy".

The headline of your ad is not meant to tell your whole story but it is meant to make your visitor take a long enough look so they can read he rest of your offer, and hopefully inspire them to take some kind of action, whether it’s calling you, visiting your site, or placing an order.

Once you’ve written down ten to twenty phrases pick a couple with the most impact. Ask friends, family, and colleagues to read each one and pick their favorites. Asking for specifics will help you narrow down your list. You can probe deeper and ask them what made them pick certain ads. This will help you improve your ads and writing new ones.

Now you’re ready to write your ad. For maximum effect, continue to use powerful words throughout the entire ad, not just the headline. Be sure to include a "call-to-action" within the body of your ad. This could include phrases such as "call today!" , "visit our site", and many others. Use variations to test which ones have the best effect. By applying these simple steps to your ad campaign, you’ll quickly see a noticeable difference in your campaign results.

Copyright © 2005 Rhonda Winn - All Rights Reserved. Rhonda Winn has been helping small business owners since 2000. She is the author of the popular eBook, "How to Live Your Dreams and Achieve Unlimited Wealth in Small Business" Receive the first chapter free, when you join her bi-monthly newsletter today: SmallBizStartupKit.com.

You are free to publish this article as long as the content remains unchanged and copyright notice and byline is not removed from article.

Recently there was an article in USAToday by Edward C. Baig that cast doubt on the value of spending large amounts of money on pricey banner ads.

According to Baig, the Nielsen Norman Group, based in Fremont California, recently released a study where the Nielson firm asked more then 230 participants to research specific topics online. The participants were hooked up to sophisticated eye-tracking equipment that allowed the authors of the study to track what people were looking at on their computer screens.

Baig writes, “the study findings show companies still have much to learn about how best to present an online image.” The findings of the study suggest people see very little on most web pages – including the pricy banner ads at the top of most web pages.

This would explain why most banner ad click through rates are horrendously low. If most companies get a click through rate of 5% they are incredibly happy with the results of the ad campaign.

There are literally thousands of pay per click advertisers on the net who will gladly take your money with no promise of any return or guarantee of success.

For some small start up companies or people interested in starting a home based online business, you may want to consider where you spend your hard earned advertising dollars.

There seems to be a growing opinion out there that a credible press release may in fact be the way to go when trying to get your companies name in front of the masses. Many reputable companies can often do a press release for under two hundred dollars. If you consider that some of these companies that submit press releases have instant credibility with news sites like Yahoo! and Google, then you can easily see how your press release can easily get picked up and posted on the web.

The other thing you should consider if you are considering submitting a press release is old adage that “content is king” on the internet. There are many websites out there that are starving for online content. They would love nothing better then to post your press release online just to have content for their readers.

Gary Kelly is co-creator of the online dating website for golfers, http://www.DateAGolfer.com and http://www.PuttingForPar.com, a golf website specializing in personalized ball markers

We are bombarded with thousands of marketing messages daily…on television and the radio, on the internet, in magazines and newspapers, on billboards and other signs, and even at the bottoms and on the backs of receipts. The world is, indeed, a very noisy place. And in order to get heard, we need our marketing messages to be clear and concise.

A vague message is one that isn’t easily understood – it doesn’t speak to a potential customer or client. To be successful in business, our messages must clearly target a specific audience, explaining to them the features and benefits of our product or service. We need to get the public involved and interested enough to want to have further conversations with us. Only then do we have the entrée for beginning to develop a relationship with them, the first step in the selling process.

How can we ensure that our messages are all that they can be?

1. Define your target market. One of the best ways to create a clear output is to start with clear inputs. When it comes to anything you do for your business, you need to be very clear on your target market. Who do you want to reach with your marketing efforts? Define them as clearly as possible. Are they male or female? What are their ages, their occupations, and their lifestyles? Why would they want to do business with you? The more clear you are about who you want to work with, the more clear you will be when crafting your marketing messages.

2. Market narrowly, but deliver broadly. Your marketing message should be carefully focused to cater specifically to the needs and wants of your target market. One might think you’d be passing up opportunities for more customers or clients. The reality is that more people will be attracted to you if you position yourself as a specialist rather than a generalist. Folks associate a higher degree of expertise with a specialist, and, more than likely, you’ll be able to charge premium prices to reflect this marketing position. Once you’ve gotten their attention you can market many things to them (delivery broadly).

3. Talk about the customer, not yourself. Your marketing message should speak to the prospect, their particular needs and wants. What problems can you solve for the customer? Make a list of the top 10 problems that you solve for others. These should be the substance and focus of every conversation that you have. Avoid talking about yourself. People are interested in what you can do for them – sometimes even more than the specifics of the product or service that you offer. Your prospects needs and your solutions should be the focus of all of your marketing materials.

4. Explain the benefits. Not only should you explain the benefits of your product or service, but you should be able to explain the benefits of working with you. Features are defined as the distinctive characteristics of a product’s use or design. A benefit, on the other hand, is how the feature will add value to the prospect’s life. Carefully define your features and benefits. At the same time, what are the benefits of working with you? Do you provide 24-hour turnaround? Do you return emails and phone calls promptly? Do you offer a free introductory consultation? Do you provide additional value to your customers – extra reports, information or discounts on future purchases? People buy benefits, not features. What’s in it for them? Let them know!

5. Know your products and services. There is a lot to know when it comes to your products and services. The more articulate you are in explaining their features and benefits, the higher your chances of closing a sale. For each product or service you offer, make sure you can clearly articulate the features, the benefits, and the specific client need that is addressed. Word this information in language that prospects can clearly understand – that relates to who they are as a target market. Drafting a simple one-page summary of these details can help you to get clear on what matters most.

6. Keep it simple. The best messages are those that are simply said. People understand simple. The more complex the explanation, the higher the risk you run that you’ll “lose them along the way.” Again, refer back to the one page summary of your client needs, as well as product or service features and benefits. Provide information that is easy to understand. Don’t give more information until the client asks for the information. Always let the prospect guide the conversation.

7. Use a tagline. A tagline is a slogan or phrase that conveys something about a feature or benefit of something you offer. For example, the tagline for Chase Manhattan bank is “The Right Relationship is Everything”. This slogan clearly communicates that one of the features of working with them is relationship – not just any relationship – but the right relationship. Another example of a tagline is Alicia Smith: The DISC Ninja. The DISC Ninja implies skill, precision, and performance. What type of tagline can best describe you and your business?

8. Consult your R & D team. To create on-target marketing messages, run them by your friends, family, and colleagues before you release them to the world. Creating your own R & D team is a great way to experiment or to try out your ideas in a low-risk environment. Probably one of the best things to do is to get feedback from your current customers. They can tell you first hand what works and why. Never pass up an opportunity to get feedback, as it will help you to fine-tune your marketing message.

9. Provide clear and clean information. It should go without saying that you should provide clear, easy-to-understand information. This applies to everything from your business card to your website. Make sure you include your complete contact information on everything, including your email signature. Provide FAQ or Frequently Asked Question sections in brochures, on your website or on other marketing materials. Make sure that you make it as easy as possible for people to contact you and to do business with you. If they need to search for how to contact you, they may very well search someone else out. Along with the times and days you do business, include your business, cellular, and fax numbers, as well as your website and email addresses. Include instructions on how to return or receive a refund on an item. Clear and concise is the name of the game.

10. Understand the customer. Prospects, and even your current customers, are focused on one thing and one thing only; what’s in it for them. For the most part, they aren’t really interested in you or your product or service. They are interested in benefits. How can you solve their pain? How can you resolve their issues? If you keep this in mind, this will help you to create marketing messages that are focused and really hit their mark.

© Copyright 2004 by Alicia Smith

Alicia Smith, a Coach and Trainer whose specialty is helping people Make Money Now. This article is derived from just one of the 26 lessons contained in her audio program, Marketing Marathon Blunders From A – Z. To learn more about that course and her other products and services, please visit http://www.90DayMarketingMarathon.com or http://www.AliciaSmith.com. You can also email her at alicia@aliciasmith.com

Do you know how to write a great headline? You should because headlines are the lifeblood of your product/service.

Newspaper and magazine headlines are some of the best you’ll see. They depend on these headlines for sales. And since they have about 4 seconds to capture your attention, they better be good.

Who can resist not at least scanning a few lines after reading headlines like this:

"Attack Dogs Maul Helpless Kitten To Death"
"Exclusive: TV Star’s Secret Getaway Spot Revealed"
"How Attractive Do These People Find You?"
"The $1 Million Dare"

Each of these headlines has an element or combination of elements that affect you.

They tease your emotions and leave you hanging like the classical ‘what happens next?’ scenario.

And to satisfy your emotions, the solution is to read the story. Brilliant tactic, isn’t it?

Imagine your customers having to read your materials to satisfy themselves!

That’s what these headlines do.

What emotions do you invoke in your sales materials to captivate your readers? How do you plan to get them to read your ‘story’?

You should use as many hot-button emotions into your materials as you can. Solve your customer’s problems by offering them engaging copy.

Remember, when they visit your site or read your brochure, they are already in the market for your services. They want to make a buying decision. So don’t give them an excuse to go somewhere else.

Use stop-in-your-tracks headlines combined with engaging copy and you can’t go wrong.

Sammer Hakim is a Dallas-based copywriter serving clients worldwide and helping them with their sales materials. He can be reached at http://www.marketing-commando.com.

Use This Quick 3-Question Evaluation Process, So You Can Be Sure Your Message Will Sell!

EVALUATION #1: "Well, I Would Hope So!" When you make a claim, don’t think about it in terms of words coming out of your mouth. Think of it in terms of words entering your prospects ears. Then you’ll realize how ridiculous some claims actually sound.

Whenever you make a claim, ask yourself if the prospect will immediately echo this response: "Well, I would hope so!" For instance, an insurance agency faxed me the following reason to choose them over their competitors: "We will be there for you when you have a claim." Well I would hope so! You’re an insurance agency! Isn’t that what you do?

Statements like this have as much meaning as the haircutter telling you that your hair will be shorter after it’s cut, or as the gas station attendant telling you that you’ll have more gas after your tank is filled. Always, always, always ask this important evaluation question whenever you make any claim. Avoid pointless claims and it will improve your effectiveness by 500% immediately.

EVALUATION #2: "Who Else Can Say That?" Pay close attention to this one. The question is not who else can do what you do. The question is who else can say what you say. And, the answer to that is "just about anybody and everybody". We consulted with an auto repair facility that was, by FAR, the most awesome business of its kind in their area of influence. They put competitors out of business every year and monopolized their marketplace in the process. Small problem: Even though no other business could even come close to performing at their level, their yellow page ad looked virtually identical to all of their cheesy competitors.

Try This: Look at your ad and compare it to your competitors’ ads. If you can cross out your name on your ad and replace it with the name of your competitor or vice versa, and the ad is still valid, you failed the test! You failed to distinguish yourself from your competitors. You failed to differentiate your business. You look like everybody else!

EVALUATION #3: The Specificity Challenge. I could write an entire book on this subject. But, suffice it to say for sake of this newsletter, you need to quantify all of your claims. Businesses generally fail to create a compelling case to buy their product or service. Instead, they merely ask their prospects to buy without justifiable, rational reasons. Quantify your business in terms of:

1. Specifically, How Are You Different?

2. Specifically, Compared To What?

3. Specifically, Why Can You Do That?

4. Specifically, What’s Your Advantage?

If You Want To Distinguish Your Business From The Competition, Build A Case As An Attorney Would.

You need to realize that your business is on trial. You’re the attorney. And it’s a life or death sentence. Your customers and prospects are the jury. What will you say that will convince them to buy from you? What kind of specific evidence can you produce to PROVE beyond any reasonable doubt that they’d be a fool to not buy from you? Use your evidence to build and present your case.

Good luck with your marketing efforts.

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If you would like a FREE Ad Evlauation of any advertising pieces you may have, simply email to: support@mymondemand.com or fax to: (650) 649-2221. We will apply these evaluations, plus a few additional and provide you with a quantitative assessment of your ad piece(s).

About The Author: Marc Gamble, the author, teaches business owners, entrepreneurs, and professionals how to acheive bigger, bottom line results from their advertising & marketing efforts without spending more time, effort, or money. Learn marketing strategies and tactics to separate yourself from your competition and become the obvious choice to do business with. To learn more about how to improve your own Marketing Efforts and Achieve Better Results, visit: http://www.MYMOnDemand.com/vpc1_mgnm
Email: mgamble@mymondemand.com

The biggest sales meeting of your life lurks. A sales meeting where you’re career may well skyrocket if you close the deal. You’re psyching yourself for the big ‘Sales’ day.

You press your clothes so crisply; you could swear the folds could cut you. When you’re done, you lay in bed rehearsing your day tomorrow. You visualize yourself closing the biggest sale ever. Then after a few minutes, you slowly doze off.

Then you rise early still thinking sales.

You climb in the shower still thinking sales.

You put on your finest clothes, new shoes, spend 20 minutes on your hair and are meticulous about everything looking perfect.

As you grab your folder to head out, you give yourself a quick glance over in the mirror.

You think to yourself, you clean up pretty well. You quickly rehearse a few lines, poses and smiles. A few bursts of your best fragrance and you’re set!

And yes, you’re still thinking sales.

You get to the clients office and are warmly greeted. You take pride they noticed how immaculately groomed you are. They welcome you into their office and gently push the door until it clicks shut.

After a few words and glances around the office, it falls eerily silent.

This is it.

It all boils down to this.

You collect your thoughts, clear your throat, stand, take a deep breath, and look at your client square in the eye and you…

Just stand there. You don’t say a word.

They raise their brows in puzzlement. Then tilt their head inquisitively wondering if you’re ok.

And you just stand there rocking back and forth on the balls of your feet, lips curled inwards but looking great with your new clothes and shoes.

Ok, what does this have to do with your sales materials or website?

TOO MANY SALES MATERIALS AND WEBSITES JUST STAND THERE DECORATED WITH THE MOST AMAZING GRAPHICS, FLASH AND DESIGN BUT DON’T TALK TO THE CLIENT!

Well, you won’t sell a damn thing looking pretty. You must “talk” or you will simply lose the business. Not just any talk. The right talk your clients respond to.

You may think

“Well, I do have content on my site and sales materials so ‘I’m not just standing there, I AM saying something”

Re-imagine the above scenario. But you’re mumbling and the client’s face is squinting in aggravation trying to understand what you’re saying. Or using abrasive language the client doesn’t appreciate. Or present yourself in a way that makes you appear unprofessional, insecure or not confident. You don’t mean to come across that way of course, but you do. Bottom line: You need help.

A professional copywriter will know exactly how to give you the best sales presentation possible for your product/service. They will grab your audience’s attention, hold it and engage their minds towards buying from you. That’s their job. They answer questions, overcome objections, ease fears and strengthen confidence in your business.

Isn’t that a lot more valuable to you than just looking good?

It’s no accident materials professionally written consistently outsell materials written by those who think there’s nothing to it.

There’s plenty to it because the fact you’ve read this far, proves engaging copy does what I claimed in this article!

Sammer Hakim is a Dallas-based copywriter serving clients worldwide and helping them with their sales materials. He can be reached at http://www.marketing-commando.com.

Often considered as “plain Jane’s” of the print world, trade magazines prove that there is more to a market than just a pretty face.

Trade magazines are written for a specialized audience and typically focus on one specific area or industry. Even the ads reflect this focus.

They assume the reader is familiar with the material that’s covered and though it can be quite technical, they aren’t usually written in a scholarly manner – this is good news for writers seeking to ad power clips to their portfolios.

Trade magazines provide a large, open and lucrative market for freelance writers because with so many competing magazines there is always a huge need for content and being an expert isn’t a prerequisite for industry publication.

Try putting “trade magazines” into a search engine such as Google.com and you get well over 250,000 hits. Now try “consumer magazines.” At 86,000 hits it’s easy to see where the markets lie.

Now is the time! There are literally thousands of FREE trade magazines available by subscription on the Internet and more become available every day. They cover every subject and every angle imaginable. They are also some of the best paying markets in the business.

Get Your Money Where Your Trade Is Or Isn’t!

You don’t need to be an expert to get published in trade magazines as long as you are very familiar with what your target magazine is buying.

The ABA Journal for lawyers, pays between $400-$2000 per article and requests that all material be centered around the law, or practicing the law, but they also buy pieces focused on legal news, current trends, the business of running a practice and technology for lawyers. This leaves room for writers who don’t happen to be law experts to find a niche’ in this publication. Can you write about the newest technology or software that would be appropriate for law office staff? Can you offer a fresh approach for making a waiting room delay more enjoyable for their clients?

Across The Board is a non profit magazine for leaders in business, government and more. It’s 60% freelance written and pays between $50 -$2500 for articles, essays, book excerpts, humor, personal experiences and opinion pieces. They also buy reprints. No expertise needed here! An article focused on the positive philanthropic policies of a fortune 500 company or the uplifting personal story of some one helped by such an organization would be right at home in this venue.

Of course, if do have an area of expertise consider exploiting it in the trades too.

The American Journalism Review –at 80% freelance written, covers expose’, ethical issues and personal experiences. Paying between $1500 and $2000 per piece for 2,000-4,000 words. Online, in the news and real time media focuses all apply.

Looking for Markets -in all the right places

As I said earlier the Internet is an incomparable resource of markets specifically for trade magazines and below are my two favorite places to shop for FREE magazines to find markets:

Free Magazine Trade Source is one of the most comprehensive sites for you to subscribe to trade magazines that you would like to target for article publication. They literally have hundreds of free publications.

TradePub.com is another excellent source for FREE trade magazine subscriptions. They also have hundreds of high quality magazines to chose from - it’s amazing really.

Don’t abandon what you know to work either Writer’s Market currently has a list of 550 paying trade markets listed with contact information, rate of pay and a description of the types of submissions accepted and there are many others only a mouse click away. And many other writer’s website have market listing that include trade market information. You can look for more places to find writer’s markets on the Resources for Writers page.

With their plain industrial covers and unilateral focus trade magazines have been the unattractive sibling of consumer oriented magazines for a very long time. It’s a reputation undeserved in the freelance writing market. With no true need for specific expertise in most publications maybe it’s time for us all to take a second look at the lucrative opportunities available for freelancers that write for trade publications.

About The Author

Angela Butera Dickson is a full service, freelance copywriter offering some of the best prices on the web. From articles to brochure copy, ghostwriting to marketing letters, she can help you cultivate a polished, professional business image: www.angeladickson.com, email: angela@angeladickson.com

Word of mouth advertising creates an awareness campaign where your business information travels from person to person, creating a world wind of awareness. For a new business start-up, word of mouth marketing is often the best and most effective advertising method.

Here are some steps that you can take to start a viral word of mouth marketing campaign about your business:

Acquaintances: Approach your friends, family and neighbors initially, followed by contacting other people you know in your community and beyond. To begin your campaign, you may take a broad approach to spread your information; ultimately streamlining your message to your target market.

Networking: Both online and off, networking is the backbone of the word of mouth marketing. You need to have a large network to build a database of prospective customers. Find forums and other groups where your target market ‘hang out.’

Website: It’s the Internet age. Establish your website with good, focused keywords to get favorable results from the search engines. Also, keep your website, user-friendly with easy navigation and complete updated information about everything regarding your business.

Freebies: Everyone loves to get something free. Create a free report or ebook related to your idea or product and give it away to potential customers, asking them to give the item to their friends and family as well.

Mailers: You can use email or postcards or pamphlets about your business to inform your acquaintances prior to calling them.

Word of mouth advertising has stood the test of time and is effective for every business. There are simple, affordable methods of starting a viral marketing campaign that will spread like wild fire. By putting into place some or all of the ideas mentioned above, you can create a world of advertising for your business.

About the Author: Sherry Frewerd publishes ‘Website Building Mom’ http://websitebuildingmom.com where you can find free information, reports and ebooks created to help you build a professional, money-making website.

Have you ever wondered why your perfectly fine classified ad fails to attract the attention you desire? There should be dozens-no, hundreds-of perspective buyers swamping your e-mail inbox with offers. After all, you are offering a mint baseball card, a vintage coat, pristine used car, those wholesale-priced sporting goods, and whatever other attractive items are in your inventory. Instead, you only have a slow trickle of questions, a handful of sales. What gives? More than likely, your sales are slow because you have not mastered the three techniques of writing a classic classified ad.

Of course, give yourself credit for recognizing one important facet of today’s selling world. You decided to sell your stuff at an online classified site. As anybody in the business knows, online classified ads get you more privacy, a broader selection of buyers, and a wealth of tools to help you keep tabs on your transactions. When compared to a newspaper, cyberspace is also a wee bit more spacious. There are billions of pages on the Web, and only a few dozen in your typical neighborhood rag. For you, that means a lot more space for your ad to say the least.

With that space, however, comes great responsibility-and great potential. The extra room gives you the freedom to include as much product description and sale copy as you want. You can’t just slap together a whole bunch of information, though. You need to use the three special ad writing techniques that will attract buyers and seal the deal: attention, interest, and action.

Attention. Make sure the buyer stops at your ad instead of the thousands upon thousands of others out there in cyberspace. Your ad’s title is the first lure to grab his or her attention, and the first component of a catchy title is the item’s best feature, whether it’s the price, the item’s rarity, or its popularity. Next, be sure the title includes keywords or other synonyms for your item that a buyer might use in a search. For instance, a buyer could search for "automobile" instead of "car," "pullover" instead of "sweater."

Interest. Once you have the buyer’s attention, hook them with details. There is a direct relationship between the amount of information you provide and the number of sales you’ll make. So describe the item as completely as possible-size, color, material, designer, model-and provide a clear, digital photo to finish the job where your words leave off. Even offer your prospective customer the item’s history if possible.

Also, try to list as many possible benefits that your sales item could offer the buyer. Come up with some that the buyer probably wouldn’t think of on his or her own. And zone in on specific benefits. Use what you already know about your target. For instance, if you were selling a car, you know that whoever is looking at your ad is in need of a vehicle. If your car is compact, perhaps the buyer is in search of great gas mileage. Or perhaps it’s power he or she wants if your car is a sports model.

Action. Finish your ad strongly. Don’t just suggest to the buyer that you offer a great deal. Tell them it’s a fantastic offer that they can’t pass up. Use phrases like "Call me now before someone else does" or "Buy now, this opportunity won’t last long." Be cordial while you’re pressing the issue, of course. Thank them for reading your ad and make sure they know you appreciate their business.

Most importantly, your customers will also value your honesty throughout the whole ad. So whether it’s the attention, interest, or action you’re shooting for, never lie or exaggerate. Go so far to include any defects if your product is not in mint shape. Your honesty will build trust, and trust above all else makes an ad work. What’s more, it makes for repeat customers.

Remember, if you use all three of these elements-or four if you include honesty. When you’re finished with it, it should read something like the two examples below.

Example 1:

Discover the beauty of a Forest Hill Home
2500 sq. ft. home, 4 bedroom, 3 baths, double garage, upgraded kitchen, 12 ft. ceilings
This open concept house is situated in a historical landmark district of Rhode Island. It’s a wonderful neighborhood to raise your family, with nearby schools and amenities.

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Call for an on-site appointment. Thanks for looking!

Example 2:

Looking for an inexpensive used car that drives well? only $4,950.
2003 Honda Civic, Limited Edition, 65,000 miles, manual transmission, CD, AM/FM radio, power steering, low maintenance. Great on gas - this car will save you $$$ on high gasoline prices.

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Send me a message now. Thanks for looking!

Donald Lee is the public relations manager for Buysellcommunity.com. Buysellcommunity provides free classified listing services for individuals and businesses to market their products and services online. For global and localized classifieds, please visit http://www.buysellcommunity.com - Free Buy and Sell Classifieds -