Reverse marketing, also known as reverse advertising is thought by most internet marketing gurus to be a giant waste of time and resources. How could a method of online advertising that revolutionized the industry now be so totally useless? And if it is so obsolete why are so many people still utilizing it? Ah. So many questions.

So just what is reverse advertising? Reverse advertising is the technique used by people who own FFA (Free For All) pages to send the owner’s ads out to the people who post ads on the free sites. In a nutshell here is how it works. FFA pages are free to anyone who wants to post their link or short ad. In return for getting to post a free ad, the owner sends a confirmation link to the advertiser requiring that they agree to accept one ad from the owner of the site. So in essence the owner of the site gets to send out thousands of ads each day, depending on the number of people that “post� their ads to his/her site.

A few years ago, this was the advertising wave of the future. Thousands of these FFA sites popped up almost overnight saturating the internet marketing world. In the beginning they were very effective. An advertiser would gladly receive the email for the chance to get their ad out. And they read the email ads. Wow, what a concept. But then came spam, ISP filters, and automatic mailbox cleaners. A person now can post to the FFA page, confirm the link and then never have to deal with reading the ad that follows. There are also so many other types of free and low cost advertising available that a growing number of people are eliminating email as a way to deliver their ads.

But the number of people that keep posting to FFA pages remains high and auto submitters make it such an easy process that there is hardly any downside to the poster. If this method has become so ineffective, then why are there still thousands off FFA sites available? People like me continue to host these sites. I personally host 4 different FFA sites. The answer is simple. They do produce results. I will be the first to tell you that reverse advertising of this type is not nearly as effective as it was five years ago. But for the new internet marketer, there seems to be a natural inclination to post to these sites.

Whether or not it is the best form of return for your investment dollar can be debated. I certainly would never pin my entire advertising budget on this or any one type of advertising. But in my opinion as long as people are there to post, there will be a certain percentage of those people that will scan through the emails they receive in return. So most important is to have a subject line that catches the eye. I have also found it is best to set a delay between the time the link is confirmed and the time the reverse ad is sent out. I use a delay of 2 days and when the site allows it I set the delivery time for around 7:00 P.M.

Only you can decide what is right for your business but I have found that I do get a few customers from my reverse advertising efforts. Finding good quality FFA sites to host takes some research but can have some very pleasant results. Remember to test, test, test.

Willis Brown is an online marketer who specializes in helping the newcomer understand how to build an online business. Using a step-by step approach including finding a niche that suits the individual, list building, and teaching the tools necessary for success in this highly complex business. You will learn the same techniques used by Willis to grow his own business. Free and low cost advertising strategies are emphasized. Willis also conducts giveaways of valuable marketing gifts and tools. Visit http://www.reach4success.net and see what all the buzz is about. You can also read my online blog at http://www.reach-4-success.blogspot.com Follow my progress as I strive to make a living online in two years.