Advice Please

[Amanda33]

So far in my Marketing I have worked mostly with free marketing in order to learn this on my own. Thank goodness I have recently discovered the world of forums for help. I have found a great site to market for as well as a part time energy business that offers a great program. I have had some results from free ads and am willing to invest a little into to advertising as I don't have a lot for start up cost. So my question is do the paid ads really work like they say they will, and how do I decide who will give me the best option for my money?

[Jamie C]

Hi Amanda

You really haven't provided enough information for us to help

What exactly is it you are trying to market? Service? Product?

What is your startup budget for advertising?

What is your ongoing monthly budget for advertising?

What niche is it in? (eg. making money, outdoor furniture, blogging, etc)

Different niches are suited to different forms of advertising. When you talk about paid ads, you have the option of...
- paying for fixed banner ads on specific websites/magazines
- pay per click ads where you pay only when someone clicks the ad (eg. AdWords)
- pay per impression where you pay for every 1,000 times your ad is displayed
- paid mail outs where you pay someone to send out an email promoting your product to everyone on their list
- paid social media blasts where you pay someone to promote your product on their facebook or twitter account

Depending on the people you are trying to reach, certain advertising methods will work better than others.

Think about who your potential buyers are, what websites they visit, what magazines they read, where they are located, their age range, what keywords they would be interested in, and how active they are likely to be on social media.

This step is essential - you really need to have the answers to these questions before you can choose the best ad campaign.

Good luck, and feel free to PM me

[Online Sam]

Come back with more info, we'd love to help...

it's horses for course depending on your offer and your market.

[Robin Bull]

I agree with the girls. You've not given a lot of info. However, with that said...whether or not it would work would depend on the location of the paid ad and how your paid ad is worded.

[mslindakay]

I agree, more information is needed! Paid ads most definitely work but you can also get burned. Always do your homework

[malea]

They do work ..but it depends on what you are marketing...who you are targeting and what your ad looks like

[mountainmom5]

Have you looked into facebook ads at all? Those are working great for some folks.

[SandraGenJobs]

Google ads seem like a good idea, especially if you're a beginner in the online marketing, Share some more information and we'll be glad to help.

[carlamae]

Totally depends on your niche! You may be able to get a LOT of free exposure depending on your business model.

[IGotThePower]

Amanda, to answer your question, YES, some paid advertising works.
You say you're in the Energy Service niche, I'm guessing is some type of solar energy or something to do with electricity? If so, Facebook would be a good start for pay advertising. You can choose to advertise in the groups that talk about energy service.

If you have another service such as lets say.. Weight Loss program, you can choose to advertise in groups that talk about weight loss in facebook and so on... you get the pic