Advertising Information

Become a Storyteller Not an Advertiser and Watch Your Traffic Increase


When you read the newspaper, do you read advertisements as closely as you read news stories? Do you believe advertising as readily as you believe news stories? I don't and neither do most people I know.

Because we have advertising shoved at us from every angle we tend to ignore it, but we pay attention to news or public interest stories. Not only do we pay more attention, we also are more likely to believe news stories than your basic advertisements. When your news is published either online, on the radio, TV or in newspapers people automatically feel that since it's being published it must be worthy information.

I read somewhere that "Advertising is what you pay for. Publicity is what you pray for". This is so true. You can spend a fortune on advertising and yes, it will bring you some traffic but traffic is only part of what you need and it stops when the advertising stops.

What you really need is PUBLICITY - free publicity so that your information reaches your potential customers and people will begin to get to "know" you. When people see and hear your name over and over they will begin to think of you as an expert in your field. They will trust your judgment and buy your products or the products you endorse. They will also recommend you to others which in turn cause a chain reaction and the process starts all over again. One of the best ways to get free publicity is by writing articles and press releases then submitting them to the third party sites and newspapers for publishing. Plus with a price like FREE, why not take full advantage of it?

The most important thing to remember when writing news is to write a STORY not a sales pitch. Don't you hate it when you ask someone about a product and instead of them telling you what it is and how you could benefit from it they go into this "elevator speech" about its features and why it's a good product ("it comes with this and that, plus as an added bonus you get?.") Please! If I wanted to hear a sales pitch I'd turn on the TV.

Sales people call it "selling features instead of benefits" but among news editors this is called, "selling the store, not the story" and it's the WRONG way to get your news published.

You should be trying to sell a STORY connected to the product instead of trying to sell the product itself. Why you ask? Because people love stories! We've been listening to and telling stories for centuries and we will continue to for a long time to come. People will pay attention if they think they're going to hear a good story but will turn away if you give them a sales pitch.

By writing like a storyteller, you will get free publicity which will increase your traffic and your sales.

** Melody Spier is a work at home mom of two teens. She is the owner of Ballyhoo Virtual Services a Virtual Assistant business catering to women in business. She specializes in business marketing and promotion with article and press release submissions, blog maintenance as well as many other services. You can contact Melody by visiting http://www.BallyhooVA.com or by email Mel@BallyhooVA.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Canada.com

Microsoft web browser that covers its tracks could hit Google’s ...
Times Online, UK - 4 hours ago
Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft are fighting for bigger shares of the world’s internet advertising market, which is estimated to be worth $40 billion a year ...
IE8 Privacy Features Threaten Advertising — Including Microsoft ... IT Business Edge
Internet Explorer 8’s InPrivate Could Block Advertising Wired News
Microsoft's newest browser may block ads The Associated Press
Financial Times - BizReport
all 438 news articles


CNET News

Let the 'Spore' advertising blitz begin
CNET News, CA - 5 hours ago
So far, this is the first advertising for the game that I've seen in public. But I can only assume it's just the beginning of what will be a very large ad ...


Actors, advertisers extend commercials contract
The Associated Press - 5 hours ago
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two actors unions and the US advertising industry said Monday they agreed to extend a contract covering commercials on TV, radio, ...
Commercial Actors, Unions Agree To Further Contract Extension Broadcasting & Cable
all 102 news articles


The Business Desk

Johnston Press hit by house market woes as property advertising slides
Scotsman, United Kingdom - 5 hours ago
By Peter MacMahon JOHNSTON Press yesterday revealed that tumbling returns from the property and job markets had left its advertising revenues down more than ...
Johnston Press sees advertising revenue at its regional newspapers ... guardian.co.uk
Johnston reports advertising woe The Press Association
Johnston Press profits fall 16% after sharp drop in ad revenues Independent
Telegraph.co.uk - Times Online
all 39 news articles


Asia Media Journal

Advertising: Online about to overtake radio in slow ad market
guardian.co.uk, UK - 5 hours ago
Europe's biggest media buyer yesterday reduced its forecasts for the global advertising market for this year and 2009 as a result of a slowdown in the US, ...
Media buyer Carat cuts advertising spend forecasts Reuters
Carat Bullish on Online Ad Growth Wired News
Report: Online Advertising Not Affected by Downturn ADOTAS
Press Gazette - Asia Media Journal
all 26 news articles


Canada.com

iPhone Web Claims Draw Governmental Rebuke in UK
Slashdot - 10 hours ago
The government is only enforcing truth in advertising. Not everything they do is automatically wrong, ok? *no matter how much it may annoy us. by Candid88 ...
Apple iPhone 3G TV Commercial Pulled Due to False Advertising Mobile Magazine
Apple's iPhone ad banned in Britain International Herald Tribune
It must be a rough day in Cupertino ZDNet
Marketing Pilgrim - Gearlog
all 313 news articles


MediaPost Publications

Mobile search and advertising co JumpTap raises $26m: JumpTap is ...
TMCnet - 9 hours ago
27--Israeli-American start-up JumpTap, which search and advertising solutions for mobile telephones, has announced that it raised $26 million in a fourth ...
Mobile advertising co JumpTap raises $26 million Globes
Canada to probe Google-Yahoo advertising deal Computer Business Review
JumpTap takes on Google CNET News
MarketWatch - Xconomy
all 27 news articles


First Financial Bankshares Names Randy Christian as Senior Vice ...
MarketWatch - 5 hours ago
has named Randy K. Christian as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Advertising. Christian will work with First Financial's family of ten community banks ...
First Keystone Financial Announces Hugh Garchinsky Appointed as ... MarketWatch
all 14 news articles


LA Times Hires Advertising Sales Chief
Wall Street Journal - Aug 26, 2008
s largest newspaper, naming an executive to oversee advertising sales, a role that had been vacant for months. The hiring of Scott McKibben as chief revenue ...


mediabistro.com

US newspapers face sharp drop in advertising sales
Independent, UK - Aug 26, 2008
By Stephen Foley in New York Advertising saleS are slumping across the US newspaper industry, as it faces a double whammy of a weakening economy and a ...
The New York Times Company Reports July Revenues MarketWatch
July Ad Revenue Falls 16.2% at NYT Co. on Plunge in Classifieds Editor & Publisher
NYT Co. Advertising Revenue Falls 16.2% in July Media Buyer Planner
Wall Street Journal - Wired News
all 32 news articles

Advertising - Google News

home | site map
© 2006