Thursday, March 26, 2009

Affordable Advertising on Craigslist

Promoting on Craigslist is definitely affordable.For the most part you don't have to pay a fee majority of the posts that are written on Craigslist.Craigslist started first as an organization that was free but in 1999 they began to charge for some of there services.Now, there costs to keep the site running are paid by charging small fees for adverts that are asking for help that are put on the San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York City Craigslist sites.Also, they charge for brokerage apartments that are listed in New York City.

A large amount of the posts advertised on the Craigslist which is over 300 sites don't pay any money.Because of these posting advertisements on Craigslist is definitely worth your while from a money making standpoint.Even though advertising is free time needs to be taken to post the advertisements properly because although even though there is no financial loss, poor posting may lead to a loss of time and resources if it produces poor profit potential.

Why Craigslist is Free


Even though the creator of Craigslist, Craig Newmark, was asked in 1997 about the chance of putting banner advertising on Craigslist to make a profit, he decided to keep Craigslist as a non-commercial site.

Even when Craigslist was changed into a for profit organization, it has not been infiltrated by big businesses websites or companies.Craigslist's mission statements show why Craigslist has continued to be non-commercial:


* Giving each other a break, getting the word out about everyday, real-world stuff
* Bringing back the human voice to the Internet, in a humane, non-commercial environment
* Making things simple, common-sense, down-to-earth, honest, very real
* Giving another option to impersonal, big-media sites
* Including every one, giving a voice to the disenfranchised, democratizing
* Being a collection of communities with similar spirit, not a single monolithic entity


Advertising on Craigslist vs.






Affiliate Marketing


Affiliate marketing is another type of marketing which many business owners find to be both worthwhile and affordable.

For many the appeal of affiliate marketing is the affiliates are not compensated for their efforts unless the business owner sees some type of gain from the advertising.This gain may be in the form of website traffic in the case of pay per click marketing, in the form of sales in pay per sale marketing or in the form of potential leads when a website visitor performs a specific action such as registering with a website or signing up for an offer.

While affiliate marketing is very appealing there are others who prefer advertising on Craigslist.The advantage Craigslist offers to advertisers is, of course, that the advertisers never pay for their business advertisements and the community receives a great deal of website traffic already so driving traffic to the website is not a concern.

Why Free Is Not Always Better


Keep in mind, there are some particular times where free advertisement is not necessary the most beneficial kind of advertisement you have available.

If you think of a product or service that Craigslist doesn't have a relevant category for.In that case advertising using Craigslist is probably not worth your while because, even though the advertising is free, in that case it is not likely not to get a huge amount of attention from members of your targeted audience.So in that situation, advertising on Craigslist is probably a real waste of resources and time.

Another example of a time when Craigslist will not be the best advertising choice is if the market is an overcrowded one with a large amount of competitors and advertisements.In a case like that it will be very hard to convert them into one of your own loyal customers so it may be more worth your while to purchase some advertising in a less crowded market.


About the Author

Uchenna Ani-Okoye is an internet marketing advisor and co founder of Free Affiliate Programs


Relaited Links:

Labels: , , ,

Monday, February 9, 2009

Book Marketing - 3 Ways to Drive Sales Using an Effective Book Cover Design

The cover of your book is a critical component of your book marketing strategy.It is the first impression people will have of your book and it may be the last.So it's essential that your book cover does more than convey your book's title.

Your book cover is your silent spokesperson and your mini-billboard.

So here are 3 ways in which you can maximize the impact of your book to help boost sales:


1.

Add Your Image


Naturally, this is not appropriate in all cases but it can work effectively whether you are well-known or not.

If you are well-known and your image is part of your overall branding then incorporating your image on the cover of your book will give your book brand recognition.Take Donald Trump for example.He incorporates his image onto the cover of all his books for to quote one of his book titles - "There's no such thing as over-exposure".

If you are well-known then your book represents a great opportunity to increase your recognition.People are generally curious to learn more about an author and to see what they look like.Authors are seen as very special people - celebrities even.Allow potential buyers and or readers to connect with you.So even if you don't want to include your image on the front cover of your book make sure that your image can be readily found.For example, consider including it on the back cover or on the inside flap if your book is a hardcover version.

2.List relevant awards or distinctions


If you have received a significant award for your writing or your work in the subject matter of your book then you can include this information on the cover of your book.

By distinctions I mean something that is worthy of note.For example, if your book has a TV connection your book cover is a great place to mention it.People have a tendency to believe what they see on television which is one reason why this is such a power medium and any TV links will massively boost the saleability of your book.

For instance, Dean Graziosi on his New York Times best selling book "Be a Real Estate Millionaire" mentions "As seen weekly on national TV since 1999".This instantly gives him a ton of credibility even if you've never actually seen Dean Graziosi on television yourself.

Another example is the book "Think Yourself Rich" written by the award-winning author Sharon Maxwell Magnus."Think Yourself Rich" was a major BBC television series and this was mentioned on the front book cover not one but twice.

3.Direct people to a free recorded message


Think of your book as a lead generator.

Your book should be just the first stage of a journey a reader shares with you.offer your readers different ways to interact with you.

So you can use your book cover to invite potential buyers and or readers of your book to phone you using a free phone number where they can listen to a pre-recorded message.Your pre-recorded message can outline a special product or service you might have and a special offer that is only available to individuals who purchase your book.

You might even want to run a special competition in association with the launch of your book and use your pre-recorded message to give details about this.People love competitions and structured astutely a competition that is run as part of your book launch can generate massive publicity for you, your company and of course, your book.


About the Author

For a great opportunity to learn first-hand about expert book marketing visit Book Marketing University.

And to listen to a FREE teleclass on how you can turn your book into an Amazon Bestseller visit Becoming An Amazon Bestseller.

Relaited Links:

Labels: , , , ,