One-step advertising is when the ad goes all out and asks for the sale. This is also known as ‘selling off the page.’ It is by far the hardest advertising method, and is very difficult to achieve successfully when selling a high value or complicated product or service. [I call this kiss on the first date advertising]

On the other hand, two-step marketing, or lead-generation advertising is relatively easy to achieve, and your response will be much higher than if you used one-step advertising. Two-step marketing

  Therefore when you start using two-step marketing you will attract more potential clients. Now that you have them you can cultivate the relationship until they know, like and trust you. And when they do they’ll find it easy to take out the purse and pay you good money.

But How Do You Get People To Respond To Your Ad

Let’s look at an example:

If you read the following ad and you had a problem at home then I am sure you’ll respond.

Are You Ashamed of 

Smells

 In Your Home?

Get Your 

FREE Report 

On 

How To 

Get Rid Of Smells

Visit 

ProudSmellingHome.Com 

Today

Do you think this advertisement is enticing enough that people would be moved to ask for the free report?

This is an example of a free gift that would make your prospects eagerly anticipate receiving it. These reports costs you almost nothing to produce but it could transform your business, reduce your advertising cost and make you more successful.

Let me conclude with a nice idea from a blogger who reminds us that two-step marketing also allows you to measure the success rate of your advertisement. And if you are in advertising you know how much more business you can have if you can show the success rate. The number of prospects that asked for the free stuff.

The work you do today creating your two-step marketing approach and tools will pay back many times.

Have Fun

Johan

P.S. Say Good By To Cold Calling When You Use Two Step Marketing

John Jantsch wrote an excellent article on two-step marketing. His idea on cold calling is excellent and I recommend it:

Set-up a 2 step lead machine and you can say goodbye to cold calling while generating all of the qualified, permission based leads you can handle. I know, I know, you shouldn’t ever need to cold call but, if you do, do it this way.

Call up those prospects on your list and instead of trying to convince them to give you 5 minutes of their time a week from Tuesday, offer them the address of your power-packed free info and then shut-up. Your prospecting time will be much more productive if you can use it to turn cold calling into 2-step prospecting.

Let’s consider the new process (see diagram):

1. You have identified the target population you want to attract to your business.
2. You have designed a two step advertisement that invites people to your website to get the free report. (See Get Your FREE Report in the green box). Your ad is designed to attract people who are interested in your product but not ready to spend money yet. Instead of allowing them to pass-by you give them an opportunity to make  a small commitment that will not cost them money. They have to give you their name and email address in order to get the free gift. 
3. As soon as they give you their contact details you can cultivate them in your cultivation pool; you can now send them regular free tips giving them advice on your product/service until they are ready to take out the money and buy.

In order to use the cultivation pool you need to:

1. Agree that all people reading your ads are not ready to spend money today and that they must be brought into your cultivation pool.
2. Design all your promotional material so that it invites potential clients to your cultivation pool.
3. Create a blog/newsletter/auto-responder but you can also do it manually with a fax or answer machine.
4. Create free gifts, free reports and e-tips that you can publish on your blog from where it can be sent to your clients and potential clients.

May you cultivate those people who want to do business with you but who are not ready today. Because if you do they will not end up with your opposition.

Regards

Johan Horak

P.S. Coffee News South Africa local marketers provide a fully inclusive marketing solution for small businesses. Contact us today if  you want to take control of your marketing efforts using these ideas. Not only will we help you with the design of two step ads we will also create your cultivation pool and teach you how to use it.

P.P.S. Do you like cold calling? If you do then you are one of a few. If you don’t like cold calling then read how the cultivating pool (two step marketing) can help you become more effective when you cold calling.