The basic principle of ROI marketing is to create efficiencies between the first point of contact or promotion and the desired result. For instance, if you want to produce some type of transaction, why have the potential customer wade through screen after screen of copy? Take them directly to a page where they can get basic information but also have the opportunity to complete the transaction.

If done properly, ROI marketing can take a poorly performing campaign and increase its effectiveness tenfold. Here are 10 tips to help you get started using ROI marketing:

1. Use short, catchy headlines. Don't get too creative or esoteric. Make sure your selling points are the primary focus.

2. Include a strong call to action. If you are offering 10 percent off, highlight that and use bold typeface to draw attention to the offer.

3. Adjust the creative to the audience you are trying to influence. Don't try selling $50,000 servers to a company of five employees.

4. Keep your message and creative focused. If you're selling travel specials, don't focus on the functionality of your site; concentrate on offers you want to sell.

5. Use different touchpoints on the page to reinforce the overall message. On your own site, run promotions at the top, middle and bottom of your pages. On sites where you are marketing, see if you can buy takeovers during specific times of the day where your creative will dominate a particular page.

6. Make the desired action clearly visible. Don't underplay the action. If you want someone to click, tell them where.

7. Take them where they need to be. Once you have captured a potential customer's attention and they have clicked through to your site, don't bury the transaction event five screens away from the entry point. Give the potential customer the opportunity to complete the transaction immediately. In fact, if you can carry the transaction within the initial promotional message, take advantage of that opportunity.

8. Keep it simple. Once you have the prospect's attention, don't make him or her wade paragraph after paragraph of copy. Get to the point immediately, and offer them additional opportunities for information if they desire it.

9. Show the product. If the product is worthwhile, it's worth showing. A picture is worth a thousand words.

10. To create a transaction, you have to create trust. Keep a link to your privacy statement in clear view. Make sure customers know the transaction is secure. Place the security certificate emblem in clear view. Do everything you can to build that feeling of trust with the prospect. It may mean the difference between one transaction and 10.

Make your marketing work for you. Whether you are placing campaigns on other sites or using search engines to drive the bulk of your traffic, make that investment in time, money and energy really count.