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Ever think about advertising online websites using print ads? No? Don't fret. Most people haven't thought about it. Most people don't do this. But if you have a website that's well written (contains great sales copy, that is) then maybe you should.

Before we discuss the specifics of advertising online websites using print ads, let's talk about why you'd want to do it. All websites like to see traffic. But simply advertising so you can attract more people to your site actually misses the point. You want to draw more potential buying traffic. You want to draw people to your sites that are interested in what you sell ' who'd like to hear more about what you offer.

And once you get them there your job is to then convert them into taking the next step in the buying process ' whatever that is ' i.e., calling your business for more information, filling out an order form ' booking an appointment ... whatever.

If your business sites are properly set up (and many business websites are NOT set up properly) then advertising online websites using print ads WILL work. Print ads in traditional media (such as newspapers) can generate huge amounts of traffic ' plus result in higher sales conversions ' which is the name of the game.

One extremely effective style for newspapers ads is writing them so they appear to be newspaper articles. Writing your newspaper ad (or any other form of print advertisement) so it looks and sounds like a news article works very well ... especially when giving your reader information that will entice them into visiting your URL for further information. An even cheaper way to go about advertising online websites is simply using classified ads. Like this one:

'''''''''

New website shows Philadelphia business owners how to create their own highly profitable newspaper ads!

See' www.sales-letters-and-marketing.com ' for details.

'''''''''

This classified ad would pull traffic from interested business owners reading the Philadelphia Inquirer - - which is the city's large newspaper. Most importantly, it would pull targeted prospects to my website.

Notice how the headline specifically calls out to a specific group of people - - not the whole world. I'm not looking for 50 million curiosity-seekers to visit my website. I'm trying to attract targeted readers ' people who might be interested in using my services to help them create effective direct response advertising.

The way to do this in a print ad is by creating a headline that singles out the person you're targeting. Therefore, the most important feature in a print ad will be the headline you use. Advertising online websites using print ads won't be very effective if your headline stinks.

The most important first 'test' of any headline is to ask yourself the following question ... 'If my headline were the only thing my reader sees, would it stand alone and make sense to my targeted reader and offer them a benefit apart from any body copy whatsoever?'

Read the above once again.

Notice the importance of a headline being able to stand on its own, apart from any body copy. In other words, a BAD headline for me to use in a newspaper ad would be ' 'Joe Farinaccio, Copywriter.' That would be extremely ineffective. It doesn't call out to anybody (in this case business owners). Nor does it promise them any kind of benefit.

When advertising online websites using print ads also make sure you have a special message just for the visitors arriving at your website because of your print ad. If you don't have such a message on your homepage all the time then you should put some sort of special text link copy near the top of your homepage directing visitors from your print ad to click on so they can be taken to a page that follows up on the information you promised to share with them in your print ad.

For example ' if I were running my ad (from above) in the Philadelphia Inquirer I'd put a text link (in bold red lettering to make sure I'd get the attention of these visitors) at the top of my homepage saying something like '

'Readers from the Philadelphia Inquirer looking for more information on writing effective newspaper ads ... please click here.'

This text link would then take them to a page where I could give them the information they're seeking ' and sell my services along with it. I hope you're beginning to see that effective direct marketing uses all types of media. You can merge various kinds of media (like traditional print with online) to make your advertising effective.

Advertising online websites using print media is a great way for many businesses to give a long sales pitch without the cost of taking out a full newspaper ad. It likely won't have the same "punch" as a large space ad in the paper, but using a small space ad ... or even classified ad ' directing readers to a webpage dedicated to furthering the sales process ' gives you ample space to share all the details about your product/service while saving money too.