As Claude Hopkins presented in his Scientific Advertising manydecades ago, there are scientific ways of tracking your Marketing andAdvertising and determining clearly and unequivocally what works andwhat does not. Without knowing the facts about what is effectivelyincreasing your leads, and subsequently your sales success, you mightas well be throwing money out the window-literally.

All you have to do is reflect on your own Marketing to realize the truth inthe old statement: 90% of Advertising does not work, problem being,which 90%? If you could identify and harness the 10% that does work,you would truly have power in your hands. Well, the fact is that you can.

Below are examples of Marketing that you can track. But don't stop afterimplementing! If results are not analyzed on an ongoing basis, andconsequently, what works is not repeated, you will be back in that 90%void.

A powerful ad

A good ad must follow these guidelines in order to reach its maximumpotential and yield beyond your expectations:

1. Don't make it look like an ad! The more it resembles the publicationitself, the better results you will see. That is why an advertorial-an adthat looks like news or an editorial-is such a powerful device.

2. Make use of a strong headline. This requires a great deal of time andeffort. As Hopkins himself stated, he would spend the most time on theheadline, discarding many along the way. Only after having abulletproof headline, would he continue with the rest.

4. Tell a story. Give readers a story that reels them in, with which theycan really connect.

5. Make it newsworthy. You wouldn't read the paper or your favoritemagazine if the content were not newsworthy, right? Same goes for anad. Make it substantial and important.

6. Include an offer. This is your chance to make them do something!Offer something they cannot resist and which will make them takeaction? now. If you don't offer anything, you greatly minimize thechances of making the sale. Think of this: what are the odds that theywill be ready to purchase from you that instant that they came acrossyour ad? Answer: extremely low!

7. Make it easy for people to contact you. 24/7 is ideal, but otherwise,make your phone or email or other type of access extremelystraightforward and be responsive. Never intimidate your audience inany way when interfacing with them, so that they always feelcomfortable and taken care of.

8. Have a tracking mechanism in place. And this is the final key element.You must track your success! That is how you can be scientific in yourapproach, and what will ultimately reveal if your tactic is indeedsuccessful or not.

You can track via a telephone extension, by denoting a Department inyour address, or via a URL. Tracking activity on a URL (Web address) isextremely easy these days, and extremely powerful.

Lead generation and follow-up on the Web

Lead generation is how you collect prospectives as time goes on,making up the audience you will stay in front over time-in other words,you future customers. The Web, if used properly, can generatetremendously for you. And through automation, follow-up on those leadsbecomes both easy and a surefire way to win buyers over.

The important thing is to lure them on every page of your site via an offerthat prompts them to submit their email address. Don't let them gowithout doing so! Just like an ad, visitors are usually passing by, and willnot likely return. Give them an article or other useful piece of informationthat will then give you permission to stay in touch.

Once visitors have opted in, you store their email addresses for future(and frequent) communications. Staying in communication can look likethis:

* A monthly newsletter that you send out. This does not have to be hardwork! You can have a short feature that you or someone on your teamwrites monthly. You can then supplement with a wealth of free contentthat is available on the Internet.

* An article of interest. This brings a topic of interest to you audience andeducates them. You are not selling what you do, but talking about it, oryour industry, or some area that is intriguing to your readers. Youposition yourself as their perfect choice, but without the in-your-faceselling tactic!

* A recommendation. Very powerful, as you are sharing informationfreely, creating trust and strengthening your bond. Recommendationscan include a good book (on investment, good business practice, well- being), a piece of software, or performance improvement tool.

* A link to an informative area of your site. You can also point them to anew area of your site-informative, of course, never bragging aboutwhat you do or who you are (think about what a turn-off that is to you asa consumer). By bringing them to a page or area that is of use to yourvisitor, you are sharing and educating. Should they choose to navigateand learn more about you and your product or services-well, that isalways their choice.

In this manner, you remain in front of your prospectives, and you do sowith useful materials. They will appreciate it, and in constantly givingthem information that benefits them, you stand out as the expert andtrusted source. Meaning the odds are in your favor of getting the sale inthe long run.

Build your money-making machine with powerful tactics such as these,and watch your company grow in leaps and bounds. Best of luck!

Josh Barinstein is President of Red Frog, Inc., the Portland, Oregon adagency that provides worry-free experiences and powerful results in theareas of Marketing, Print design, Web/CD-ROM development, andVideo production.

Learn more at http://www.RedFrogInc.com or by calling 888-955-0550.

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