"Changing Marketing Horses" Subtitle: (Using offline ads to create online sales)

I don't know about you, but there are times, more often than not today, that I get really burned out on the Internet. It seems that, after sitting for hours on end, almost at a given moment, I snap. I, seemingly, start to go blind, deaf, develop an unscratchable itch, and just plain lose it! That's when I refer to my now being in "Cyber-Vietnam."

And, though these personal debits are largely due to my having now been online for five years, combined with the fact that I spent, literally, almost 24 hours online daily at one point, the burn-out is usually attributed to being far too online-focused. Let me explain...

Though there are hundreds of thousands of people online today, you would think that, overall, marketing to them would be simpler by the moment. But, due to increased business competition as well, it is often more difficult today as opposed to when the Internet was in its infant stage.

So, as a business owner attempting to inexpensively bring attention to your product, services or information, what do you do when burnout arrives? How do you keep your business momentum flowing with increased sales, while eliminating online stress?

One way, is to focus on spending a few "cheap" dollars on offline resources for a while. And, I'm not saying the word "cheap," in the same way Bill Gates might say it, but I'm really talking CHEAP here.

And, no...none of that expensive high-dollar advertising in big city newspapers that charge $75 per 40-character line in their Sunday issues, or radio and television advertising, but really inexpensive resources know as "shopper" newspapers.

Oh, you've seen them...they're the little flimsy quality, tabloid-size papers not much thicker than toilet paper (in some cases thinner, depending on your brand of toilet paper), and usually distributed all over town, ranging in size from a few pages, to a size that can be used as a brandished weapon.

Some of these "shopper" names you might recognize include "Pennysaver" and "Thrifty Nickel," probably the two most popular national shoppers in the United States. And, though national shoppers are few, regional and local shoppers are very plentiful, with any given area often carrying several in number.

But, three of the best traits about these shoppers, are:

1. They are extremely cheap in which to advertise.

2. They are published weekly, which gets your message out with the speed comparable to that of ezines, while also giving it a decent lifespan on the street.

3. As opposed to newspapers that people read for the editorial content, with the advertising coming in at a distant second, 'shoppers' are the exact opposite, filled to the brim with advertising with very little, if any, editorial content.

In fact, in our Houston, Austin and Dallas/Fort Worth areas, the most popular 'shopper' is "The Greensheet," which I have used often over the years with fantastic results. This publication carries the advertising slogan, "Buy a newspaper to read...read a Greensheet to buy." Fairly cute, but says it all, marketing-wise, in my opinion.

Now, given the fact that, according to recent statistics, that just about 50% of the world is now online overall, combined with the fact that people flock to community shopper newspapers weekly to check out the best new deals, doesn't it make sense to merge these 2 efforts, while also alleviating online stress?

Why not create, either a small inexpensive classified ad, or an inexpensive Classified/Display ad (these are the ones with the borders/boxes around them and a bold headline), then run it in your own area shopper? And, though Classified/Display ads are slightly more expensive, they are still an incredible bargain in 'shoppers'.

Whatever your product, service or information, you can use 'shoppers' to direct these new prospects, who are probably not aware of what you have to offer, to your online web site, or to your auto responder of sales information.

Now, you probably will want to run the ad several times consecutively in order to guarantee most area readers see your ad and learn about your offer. And again, with the ads being very inexpensively to run, in 3-4 weeks you should really start to see some fantastic results, and probably much sooner, depending on your offer and the careful wording of your ad.

An added benefit is that, if your offer is enticing enough, prospects will be excited to get to your web site...much like a child opening a birthday or Christmas gift.

These inexpensive 'shoppers' translate into the possibility of a large number of offline prospects for your online product or service, and right in your immediate area. And, when ready, you could spread your marketing wings at very reasonable advertising costs through either placing your ads in the national shoppers, or region by region.

Copyright © 2002 Kenny Love Enterprises All Rights Reserved