Here's another classic example of the "screwdriver and the nail" situation...

Some marketer created a poorly designed ad, submitted it into a high-circulation but totally non-targeted publication, and suddenly became an expert on "why classified ads don't work."

Classified ads work, if you use them correctly.

Place classified ads in highly targeted ezines/newsletters. It's a quick way to get exposure for your product or service.

You can either barter (exchange products/services as payment for your ad placement) with the publisher or you can pay cash if you choose to.

Low-cost classified ads can also be placed in offline publications where you can usually demand much higher prices for your products. The craziness of selling "one million ebooks for a penny" does not exist in the offline world.

Pick a publication that would cater to readers who are interested in your product. Targeting is very important here as well. Too many people go for larger circulation numbers and completely ignore who the readers are. If the readers of that publication are not interested in what you have to sell, you won't be able to sell anything no matter how large the circulation size of that publication is.

Remember to test your ads cheaply first. When you find a winner that is getting great responses, that's when you can roll it out with full force, in multiple publications. (You'll need to track the responses of your ads from each ezine/publication that you advertise in to figure out how responsive they are. To do this, simply use a unique web address or a unique email address for each ad in each publication.)

If the ad does not seem to work well in a particular ezine, don't advertise in that one anymore. At least not with the current ad.

In short, test an ad first before you pay to have it published in multiple ezines. Then, test each ezine to see what kind of results they produce. If it makes you a profit, continue running it. If it doesn't, pull the ad from that ezine.

Keep in mind that you're not trying to "sell" directly from the ad. You're only generating leads or driving traffic to a particular site.

And remember to add the "viral" effect.


How can you make your ads viral?

Simple. Instead of offering a free report or free information, offer a great little ebook for free! Make it viral, offer the receiver (and the future readers) distribution rights, with the option to customize the ebook...And, you're off to the movies!

You may or may not make much profit up front. That's fine. Don't worry about it.

Your main goal here is to spread your ebooks and reports out to as many people as possible, as quickly as possible!

Remember that all those ebooks have your links within them. That will create the stampede of traffic that you're looking for.

And when that happens, be ready with a system that will turn visitors into subscribers and/or into buyers! (And later, into "repeat" buyers.)

Of course, you have to know how to create powerful ads that get responses.

A good way to do this is to create a powerful headline that promises an important benefit or solution. If you're offering a free ebook or report, list the biggest benefit your book offers. Always sell the benefit! Your headline has to grab the readers' attention!

Next, make them an offer they can't refuse! In this case, offer them your 'free' ebook!

Finally, tell them how they can get it. If you're using a website url, tell them to "click here" or "go to this site to get it now!" or something along those lines. If you're using an autoresponder address, say something like "send any mail to..."

Keep it short, clear, and to the point. You don't have much space to work with in classified ads so you can't afford to be too wordy.

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