6. Forums. Next step is to join forums or discussion boards. Not only will you learn heaps from them but, you will have opportunity to help others too. This is also a really good and discreet way to advertise. You will earn respect and have people coming back for more. When you post in a forum, you are involved in very highly targeted crowd, and when you contact them you leave your information in your signature (including your website address) for world to see. Just be aware that most forums do not allow you to advertise your business. Don’t disregard their policy as you will only get your self booted from sites for life.

7. Search Engines. You might have noticed that we use search engines for a great deal of our work. They would have to be one of best inventions on internet! Use them…..find your submission sites, forums and places to link your site, find info for your article etc….You will soon notice that your articles are listed in search engines which can only gain you more and more traffic at absolutely no cost.

There are a number of ways to expose your business without spending a dime. Not only are they free but they will give you more targeted traffic then you can possibly handle, if done right. Don’t get me wrong, I am not promising you road to wealth. As I said before I can’t be sure that you will follow these steps correctly. But what I do know is that they actually work, without using them you basically have no hope at making a profit.

So what is your USP? Are you fastest in your industry? Do you offer a level of service and expertise that your competitors can’t touch? Does your product do what other products can’t? If so, SAY IT! And communicate it clearly. Your USP should be focal point for your brochure.

2.Are you showing or telling? I’m from Missouri “Show-me” state. I guess we are a group of “we’ll believe it when we see it” types. But I don’t think this attitude is limited to Missouri, every consumer everywhere would rather see that your product or service will deliver rather than just hearing you talk about it. So how can you effectively SHOW how your product or service works in confines of a brochure? There are several ways: 1. Testimonials. Good ones show exactly how your product or services have impacted a real person’s life. 2. Charts, graphs, and comparison. If you can save people money create an easy to read chart or graph that shows how much you’ll save them. If you outperform competition show that in a comparison of some type. Show you product in use if possible. Showing is always more powerful and more persuasive than telling…

3.Are you speaking customer’s language or your own? Most brochures read more like a brag report or like CEO patting him or herself on back rather than offering valuable info to prospect. Your brochure should be focused on your customer and his or her needs – not just your company. Yes, you want to show that you have won awards and what not, but you have to go beyond just mentioning your accomplishments and show how you can enrich your customer’s lives.

4.Are your speaking in specific or general terms? People are leery of generalities, but more trusting of specifics. If you say you will save people “a ton of money” that is significantly less powerful than saying that on average your customers save 25% or $100 when they start using your product or service. If you say you are fastest – quantify how much faster you are and tell your customer why it should be important to them. Specifics are rich with meaning and are powerful…generalities are worthless. Anyone can say that they are best. Only a few companies can give proper specifics to prove it.

Here’s your assignment: take your brochure or ads and compare it to your competition’s brochures or ads. Now, try to imagine what your reaction would be if you had no previous knowledge of you company, your competitor’s companies, or your industry. Would any of brochures cause you to say “wow – I would be a fool not to do business with THAT company?”

My guess is that none will even come close. If your brochure is under performing then go to work on four things mentioned above.

Don’t let your brochure widen confidence gap – span that gap. That’s where money is…on other side of confidence gap.