4. Using list of hot buttons you came up with in step three above, you should see how you can integrate them into a twenty word or less ad that accomplishes what you defined in step one. When writing your ad, most important words are first three, and must be selected with great purpose. They should call out to your potential customers.

5. If your goal is to get reader to identify themselves to you as a potential customer, you should offer free additional information about your product or service. This way you get customer to call you and give you their name and address, so you can send them something in post. You would normally do this by saying, “for a free information pack please call (your number here).

6. After your ad is written to your satisfaction, you should search out a number of highly targeted newspapers and magazines that your customers might read. Then you find ones with least amount of classified ads in, and run your test ads there. Always avoid general interest publications. The ad price rates are too expensive in them and response too small, go for specialist publications.

7. Before ads appear you need to develop your ad response pack. This is free information that people who see your ads will be calling about. It is this response pack that will generate sale. Having a good response pack is critical to success of your classified ad project.

8. When your ads appear, you should keep a track of total number of enquiries for each ad, and from which publications they came from. This lets you know which ad works best, and which publication pulls most interest. You can then use this information when you roll out ad on a wider scale.

One final point to remember, success of a classified ad is determined by sales that are generated by follow-up effort (the response information pack), not by lead generating ad itself. It is important that you spend much time and effort considering content to be included in your response pack, but that is another topic.

Jason

In all your marketing efforts, whether to existing or new customers, consider following factors:

1. Value for money - ensure that your customers know they are getting good value for their money.

2. Quality - offer best quality products possible for price you intend to charge.

3. Company image - handle all enquiries professionally and ensure that staff knowledge and training is up to date.

4. Turn around - offer best order turnaround you can. You could offer express delivery for an extra charge, or even waiver delivery charge on high value orders.

By concentrating on all of above factors, a good customer relationship can be built right from very first contact and then maintained for a long lasting and profitable partnership.

Thanks for reading

Jason