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blind.
The qualified ad is specific. It includes several details to inform
the reader about what you are selling. The people who respond to
highly qualified ads usually are specifically interested, and
produce the best quality prospects with the highest perce ntage of
sales. Since the ad may be a few words longer, it is the most
expensive to place.
The partially qualified ad offers a special benefit, such as money
or self-improvement. The readers have some idea of what you are
offering, but don't know the specifics.
Blind ads offer only the few details, are inexpensive to run
because they are short, and bring in the largest response. However,
blind ads product the lowest percentage of actual orders because
they are often answered just out of curiosity.
The best place to start is - you guessed - the middle. A partially
qualified ad is a good test ad. It doesn't need to be specific about
your product, so it brings in inquiries that can be used over and
over for related items. You can rewrite it with more details or trim
it down later.
What's the best guideline? PROFIT. If you compare the actual orders
received from the number of inquiries for each of your ads, you have
the rate of conversion. Aim for the ads which pull best for you.
KEYING THE ADDRESS
How do you determine what inquiry response cam e form which ad? You
code the company name or street address so you can dtermine what ad
pulled the response. This is called keying the address, and it's one
of the most important tips in mail order classi fied advertising.
The simple key is a two-part letter and number code. The letter
stands for the name of the publication, and the number represents
the month the ad appeared. You can make up any code as long as you
keep track of what publication it appeared in. You can add the key
to the address by hyphenating the street address to include the
code. Or you can key the company name by adding specific initials.
The surest way to key is to add the code to the address in the form
of department, division, or suite number. Be careful it doesn't
conflict with any other addresses nearby.
WRITING CLASSIFIEDS
Writing your own copy for a classified ad is easy. There are so few
words you need to use that you don't have to worry about being a
writer or a professional in advertising. You are your own expert in
selling your product.
The selection of words is the most important aspect of classified
ad copy. You need to choose precisely, by don't skimp on words to
save the cost in the ad.
The best way to prepare copy is to first write about your product
or service at length. Go ahead - list all the benefits. Scrutinize
the features and write them down. What sticks out? What is so great
about your product? What can it do for the reade r who will take the
time to write for more information? How can your product help? Will
it show how to earn money, does it offer self-improvement, can it
help accomplish something appealing and significant?
Choose a heading that points out the most significant aspect or
feature of your product. Follow up with a few words or details, and
finish with a request to write for more information. The best word
in a classified is "free," but you must follow up wit h something
free.
SAVE MONEY PLACING ADS
Most classified ads are billed a certain charge per word, so you
want to keep
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