People want to know what benefits they will get by dealing with you. Today, in online arena, we use basically three methods of contact with potential customers - Ads, such as you might place in a Newsletter, Sales Pitches delivered by email, and information from your web site. While approach is certainly different in each, there are four maxims that all must contain, which brings us to "A" in AIDA.

Attention

To motivate your prospect, you must get their attention quickly. This is where your headline plays an important part. If that is dull and uninteresting, they will move along to something else. Most businesses buy out of necessity, but most end user consumers usually buy for convenience. So, depending on your target market, you have to base your sales effort on what they are looking for, and how you can help them. You can basically forget outrageous claims that so many make. While you might find a sucker or two, most people are simply too smart to fall for that.

A question is a good way to rouse their interest. Try to figure out what their "hot buttons" are, and if they were yours, what would get your attention. If you can get them to mentally answer question, you have gone a long way to getting their attention. This is most important in your ads where space is at a premium.

Interest

Once you've got prospects attention, you must keep their interest by showing them two things. They must know that you understand their problem and that you have solution. Here it pays to restate problem and then tell them how you can solve it. This is best done on your web site, or in a "long" sales letter that they have asked to receive. At this juncture, they are looking for information, and brevity is not to your advantage here. Try to anticipate their questions, and more you can answer in your presentation at this point, better.

An image should be used as an attention getter. It should draw people in to read words used in ad. Words sell - not pictures. Each word used in ad should lead person to desired outcome. In case of a classified ad, desired outcome should be to have them request more information.

Sales are seldom made from first ad someone sees describing your product, service or opportunity. If you can get someone to ask for more information, your ad has done first part of job.

Anyone involved in Internet Sales without a web page is simply spinning their wheels. Many of web pages however are disaster areas. People get so creative in their design, they forget their primary purpose. Once you have gotten someone to this point, it is now time to close sale, and this is where many people "miss boat".

Think about it - your ad had to have been effective as it got them to your web site. They are looking for additional information. Some people want presentation in quickest possible fashion, while others are willing to spend time researc hing your offer. To be effective you should try to accommodate both groups.

An effective presentation will provide a synopsis of what you want to cover. It should also have a "link" where a person can be sent for in depth information. This is definitely a case where more is better. But you should not use words simply to fill space - they should all be carefully crafted to bring person to your order page.