In my last article, I talked about the importance of your product or service being “worthy” if you ever hope to have raving fans or excited customer evangelists.
One of the ways you can ensure that your product or service is worthy is by making sure that your product or service (or your company or business) stands out from what your competitors offer.
But what do you do if your product or service doesn’t naturally stand out?
Stick with me, because you’re about to learn nine things you do to can make your product or service stand out from the competition.
Are you ready? Here you go…
9 Ways to Create a USP (Unique Selling Proposition)
1. Personality or Brand – One way you can stand out from your competitors is based on who the founder/CEO of the company is or the person/identity that represents the company.
If your founder, CEO, or company are unique, then make sure to emphasize them in all your marketing and ads.
Examples: Steve Jobs & Wendy’s
2. Backstory – How the company (or founder) got into this particular business is another way you can stand out from your competitors.
If you have a unique backstory, then make sure to tell it. And tell it over and over again.
Examples: TOMs Shoes – According to the website, founder Blake Mycoskie “witnessed the hardships faced by children growing up without shoes” while traveling in Argentina in 2006.
“Wanting to help, he created Toms Shoes, a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a new pair of shoes for a child in need.”
Clif Bar – Clif Bar is a family and employee-owned company that believes happy, healthy people create the best food. Their culture, pay, benefits, holistic wellness programs, and dedication to employees’ career growth create a unique and meaningful workplace. Where we take ourselves lightly and our work seriously.
3. Experience – The experience people have from buying or using your product or service to get the result they want.
If the experience you currently provide isn’t that unique, then think about what you can do to make it unique, fun, and different.
Examples: Disneyland and any high-end restaurant
4. Process – How the company does what it does, creates the product, performs its service, or brings about the promised results.
Example: Aquafina claims their water goes through a seven-step HydRO-7 filtration process that supposedly takes out more solids than other filtration methods, which makes it the purest bottled water you can buy.
5. Product or Service – The product or service itself is unique.
This is a rare way to stand out. But if this is true, then make sure to point it out to your prospects.
Example: iPhone (when it first came out)
6. Price – Lowest price. This is the least effective way for MOST businesses to stand out. But if this is true, then make sure to let your prospects know.
Example: Walmart
7. Promotion or promise – If you can’t find a way to make your product or service stand out from my previous six examples, then you can offer a unique promise to your prospective patrons.
Examples: Dominoes = 30 minutes or less
8. Place – Physical location and/or the channel (or media type ) you will use.
This is a way to stand out from your competitors that most businesses and companies overlook. So take time to think about ways you can leverage this in your unique situation.
Example: Blendtec Blender – Tom Dickson is the founder of Blendtec. And Tom is an inventor.
Back in 1975, Tom’s curiosity was piqued when he used a vacuum to clean up some spilled wheat kernels. This curiosity drove him to revolutionize the home wheat milling industry, taking it from stone grinding to his patented, stainless steel, milling heads.
But, like most inventors, Tom didn’t stop there. He dreamed of inventing the perfect mixer using the freshly milled flour from his mill, so he could make homemade bread in minutes.
And that is how he came up with the Blendtec Blender.
But Tom is a unique sort of guy. In order to test how strong his new blender was, he decided to try blending 2x2s. And guess what? It worked!
So how did he go from that to producing viral videos? George Wright, Blendtec’s marketing director, heard about Tom’s habit of testing the blades by blending boards, so he had an idea.
Why not video Tom blending up items that you normally can’t (and probably shouldn’t!) blend?
“P90X fans swear by the workout, a mix of jumping, yoga, martial arts, and strength training that, in fact, isn’t all that revolutionary. But the secret of P90X’s success is the marketing.”
So by using these 9 ways to create a more effective USP.
Standing out from your competition is one way you can make your product more worthy.
But let me give you some questions you can ask that can help you to make your product more worthy.
Questions To Help You Make Your Product “Worthy”
For the rest of the articles in this series, I’m going to focus on cultivating, coordinating, and celebrating your fans and customer evangelists.
But having a product or service that’s worthy is the starting point that will impact your ability to do any of the other things I’m going to show you.
So let me leave you with these questions to help you work on making your product worthy.
Who are you trying to help? You have to understand the target patron group you will market to. And you have to understand if they are the best group to actually market to, based on what the company offers.
What are you actually offering? What forms are we selling it in? Can you change or improve this in some way in order to make your product or service more worthy?
What problem are you solving for them? Can you add, subtract, or in some other way change the problem you’re solving?
What are you asking for in exchange for what we are offering? Is the transaction just monetary? Or are you also asking for a time commitment, a commitment to a community of customers with similar needs, desires, etc.?
Read the First Two Articles About the 12th Marketing Fundamental You Need to Succeed
If you have read my last two articles, you can do that below:
I came across a story that I want to start with today. It will give you a humorous way of thinking about the biggest problem you have when it comes to trying to re-engage inactive customers.
Then I will reveal 6 different things you can do to begin wooing your customers back.
A Well-Known Broadway Producer’s Problem
The well-known Broadway producer Jed Harris once became so convinced and worried that he was losing his hearing that he finally went to see a specialist.
The specialist began testing Harris’ hearing. But he did it in a very unconventional way.
He pulled out a gold watch and asked Harris, “Can you hear this ticking?” “Of course,” Harris replied.
The specialist then walked to the door and asked the same question again. Harris concentrated for a second and then answered, “Yes, I can hear it clearly.”
Then the doctor walked into the next room and repeated the question a third time. Surprisingly, Harris said he could hear the ticking.
“Mr. Harris,” the doctor concluded, “there is nothing wrong with your hearing. You just don’t listen.“
The Biggest Problem You Face
I tell you that story because the biggest problem that you’re going to face in trying to re-engage your former customer is getting them to listen to you again.
Because the odds are pretty good that if they stopped purchasing from you, they probably also have stopped listening to your regular communication through email and/or direct mail.
That means that if you want to win them back, you’re going to have to do something different to get their attention.
To help you with that, I’m going to reveal six things below that you can do to capture their attention, get them listening, and encourage them to become an active customer again.
6 Powerful Ways to Win Back Former Customers
IMPORTANT: Please pay close attention to the specific order that I’m presetting these to you.
Why? I’ve listed them in this order to show you the sequential order you should take in applying these things. In other words, you should try 1-3 before trying 5-6.
With that out of the way, let’s take a look at them:
1 Share testimonials from other successful customers or clients – One of the reasons that customers stop purchasing from you is because they stop believing that you or your product/service can actually help them.
Sharing detailed testimonials from satisfied customers explaining how you/your product helped them can help overcome their doubts.
2. Share case studies of how your product or service helped a customer to succeed – This is another way to help them overcome their doubt that you or your product/service can help them.
But by sharing case studies, you’re doing something more. You are giving them a more in-depth view of the success that other customers have experienced.
Not only that, case studies usually provide some lessons that your inactive customer can relate to and also learn from.
That’s what makes case studies an even more powerful way to attract these former customers.
3. Make them a special discounted or bonus offer if they come back – A very effective way to re-engage previous customers is by making them a special offer.
It could be a special discount that you normally don’t offer, or it could be a special bonus that they get if they purchase from you again. (Important: Make sure that either of these offers has a time limit so that you create urgency.)
Don’t worry about the money you’ll lose by offering them a discount or the money it’ll cost you to provide the bonus.
Instead, focus on the amount of money it would cost you to gain a new customer and/or the amount of profit you will gain from this customer if they become a regular customer again.
4. Offer them special customer service or training to help them succeed – Another reason your customer might have stopped purchasing from you is because they didn’t know how to use your product effectively in order to produce the result(s) they wanted.
In case that’s the reason they didn’t take your special offer (mentioned above), you should try offering them some kind of extra help or training that will help them to achieve their goals.
A simple offer like this could be all it takes to convert a former customer into a committed customer.
5. Make them a downsell offer – After you’ve tried all of the above ways to attract your former customer back to you, and haven’t had success, you should try offering them a downsell offer.
If they haven’t shown interest in the product/service you’ve been offering them, it could mean that they stopped purchasing from you due to a lack of finances. They might just not have the funds right now or anymore.
That’s why offering them a lesser product/service (that, therefore, costs less) might be just the thing that’s needed to get them to purchase from you again.
6. Offer them a completely new or different product or service -If they haven’t responded to any of the above ways to re-engage them, then the final reason that they might not be responding might be that they aren’t interested in that particular product/service (or the end result it provides) anymore.
That means the last option is for you to offer them a completely different product or service – something that solves a completely different problem or pain point or helps them achieve a totally different goal.
There you go. You now have 6 different ways to begin reactivating your inactive customers.
But there’s one last thing you can do to powerfully implement these 6 things.
Combine Them for Maximum Impact
Instead of just using these six things occasionally or randomly, you should consider using them as a part of a coordinated winback campaign designed to strategically reactivate former customers.
To do that, you need to take the 6 ways listed above and use them to create an automated email campaign that you can use to plug your inactive customers into.
Here’s how you can do that:
Have the first emailthat’s programmed to go out be an email focused on recent testimonials you’ve received from successful and happy customers.
Have the next emailthat’s sent out 2-3 days later share an in-depth case study with lessons that your inactive customer can relate to and learn from.
A few days later, you can send out an email that has a special offer or special bonus that they’ll receive if they respond within 7-10 days. (NOTE: If they respond to your offer, have your automated email system unsubscribe them from the winback campaign.)
If they don’t respond to your special offer or bonus, then schedule an automated email to send out a few days later with your special training offer.
If that doesn’t encourage a response, have the next email in the queue set to send them a downsell offer.
Lastly, program your final email focused on offering them a totally different product or service.
What if they don’t respond to ANY of these emails?
If they don’t respond to and of your emails, then it’s time to take drastic action.
I’d suggest that you purge them from your lists and add them to a list that you only send occasional updates or offers to.
Why? If you leave them on your regular lists, they could negatively impact your open rates or click-through rates, which could impact your email deliverability.
The Importance of the 11th Marketing Fundamental
Many businesses totally drop the ball when it comes to customers that leave their business.
Some don’t even notice when a customer stops purchasing or becomes inactive.
Others don’t do anything to try to win customers that they know have stopped purchasing.
Finally others, only make a half-hearted effort to winback former customers.
Don’t be like these businesses. Former or inactive customers are a source of revenue that could really make the difference in your company succeeding or failing. They deserve your full attention and effort.
Read back over the five articles focused on the 11th marketing fundamental. But do yourself a favor. Don’t just read them. Apply them.
That’s the only way you’ll see results.
The 12th and Final Marketing Fundamental
It’s hard to believe it, but we’re nearing the end of this series on The 12 Marketing Fundamentals You Need to Succeed.
My next article will begin my final series of articles focused on the 12th marketing fundamental.
Stay tuned. You don’t want to miss them!
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The right winback email can be an extremely effective way to re-engage inactive customers.
The problem you might be experiencing is trying to figure out how exactly to create that winning winback email.
Well, if that’s you, today you’re in luck. Because today, I’m going to give you an example you can rewrite and reimagine for your own purposes.
But first, I have a question for you: How many times do you think the same story can be told effectively?
The answer just might surprise you. Plus, understanding the answer will show you the incredible value of the letter you’re about to see.
The Many, Many Adaptations of The Prince and the Pauper
In 1881, Mark Twain’s novel The Prince and the Pauper was published in Canada. It was later published in the U.S. in 1882.
Within Twain’s lifetime, the story was adapted into a stage play. But I don’t think Twain could ever have imagined how popular and long-lasting his story would become.
Believe it or not, over the 141 years since The Prince and the Pauper was first published, it has been adapted 35 times.
The adaptions have ranged from other plays to comic books, films, TV shows, and even video games. Some have been direct or faithful adaptions like the 2000 film of the same name.
Other adaptations have been loose adaptations like the 2011 film Monte Carlo (starring Selena Gomez) or the CGI musical adaption Barbie Princess Adventure (2020).
Why am I talking about The Prince and the Pauper?
Because I want you to see that some themes and types of content have a lasting impact. That means that they can be effectively used over and over again.
That’s good news.
Because that means you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. All you have to do is reimagine the original theme.
Today, I’m going to show you a letter that one business used 100 years ago to successfully re-engage, or winback, their inactive customers.
The basic theme you’re about to see can easily be used to create your own winback email that can help you to re-engage your inactive customers.
Before I show you the letter, I want you to see the results that this letter got. Why? Because when you see the results, you’ll be even more convinced to pay close attention to this letter.
The Incredible Results of a 100-Year-Old B2B Winback Letter
The letter was mailed in 1922 to just 425 customers who had stopped buying. And here are the amazing results that one letter produced:
It brought in 32 direct orders amounting to $1,092 ($18,122.13 in 2022).
It brought in 15 payments of small past-due accounts totaling $789 ($13,093.74 in 2022).
It brought 103 answers from B2B customers saying that they would order more gloves as soon as their stock ran down.
That’s already a 35% response rate. But wait, there’s more…
32 said poor business (on their part) was the only reason for not ordering.
And they received 9 answers with specific complaints.
That’s amazing, isn’t it? Are you ready to see the letter itself?
Good. I’ll show it to you and then reveal some lessons that you can learn from it and apply to your own re-engagement email.
The Successful Re-Engagement Letter
Below is the original letter.
See how many lessons you can learn from it before you take a look at the eight lessons that I’m about to reveal to you.
8 Lessons You Can Learn from This Letter
Let’s look more closely at the letter and I will point out eight lessons you can learn from it to create your own winning winback email campaign…
====
Gentlemen:
Ever had a good customer suddenly quit buying goods in your store? If so, what did you do?(LESSON 1: With B2B customers, you can and should start in a way that helps to put them in your shoes.)
You waited until you saw him again and then said, frankly: “We haven’t seen you in the store lately, Mr. Jones. What is the matter?”
You went at him STRAIGHT FROM THE SHOULDER in an attempt to find the real reason why he quit you.
Then Mr. Jones probably told you EQUALLY FRANKLY his reasons. If his complaint was a just one and you had made a mistake — we’re none of us perfect — you did your level best to make amends.
This is just the attitude in which I am writing YOU this morning. I can’t see you face to face, but I can TALK with you.(LESSON 2: Be upfront and transparent about the purpose of your email.)
We haven’t had an order from you since last fall, and I would certainly appreciate it if you told me “right out in meeting” WHY NOT.(LESSON 3: Tell them specifically how long it’s been since they’ve purchased from you.)
If any department of this business has failed you, I want to know it.
The fact that this business isn’t PERFECT is surely not due to any lack of effort on our part, or because we aren’t trying to make it so.(LESSON 4: Admit that you/your business isn’t perfect.)
Every season finds us grown out of last year’s clothes — literally so this year, when we had to move into larger quarters.
Every season finds us selling better gloves and working harder WITH our customers to make THEIR sales larger, cleaner, and better.(LESSON 5: Tell your lapsed customers about the new products that you have since they’ve been gone.)
Just put yourself in my place for a minute or so. Turn this sheet over NOW, and answer this letter as you would like to have it answered if you had written it. Don’t mince words.(LESSON 6: Ask for an immediate response.)
Give it to me “hot off the bat.” Enclosed is a stamped envelope to make an answer convenient. (LESSON 7: Provide a link or phone number as a way for them to reply.)
I am looking forward to hearing from you with the keenest interest.
Very sincerely, FRANCIS T. SIMMONS & COMPANY
P. S. I am enclosing two yellow order blanks. If, as I sincerely hope, nothing whatever is wrong, and you have merely overlooked filling in your stock, these blanks will be an easy way for you to tell us your needs. Any gloves that we send you must please you, your sales people, and your customers, or we do not expect you to keep them. (LESSON 8: I love this because they’re not afraid to ask for the sale. Remember the great response rate they got and let that give you the boldness and confidence to do the same!)
====
Now, it’s your turn.
Take this basic template and add your own twist and style to it.
8 Steps to a Winning Winback Email
To get you started, I’ve listed the 8 lessons or steps below to make it easier for you to write your winning email to re-engage your former customers.
Start your email in a way that helps to put them in your shoes.
Be upfront and transparent about the purpose of your email.
Tell them specifically how long it’s been since they’ve purchased from you.
Admit that you/your business isn’t perfect.
Tell your lapsed customers about the new products that you have since they’ve been gone.
Ask for an immediate response.
Provide a link or phone number as a way for them to reply.
Don’t be afraid to ask for the sale.
The only thing left for you to do is to come up with the subject line of your email.
(Maybe you could try a shortened version of the first sentence of the letter? Subject Line: Ever had a good customer suddenly stop buying?)
Can you do me a favor? If you test this out, I’d love to hear the results you get.
Keep your eye out for my next article. It’s the last article on the 11th marketing fundamental and it will reveal…
6 Powerful Ways to Win Back Former Customers.
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In my last article, I revealed the 11th marketing fundamental: You need to continually reengage your lost or former customers (also known as remarketing).
Why is remarketing or customer re-engagement so important for your business or company? The following three stats will reveal why:
These stats reveal the truth I shared in my last article…
No matter what you do, no matter how great you are, and how great yourproduct or service is, you will eventually lose customers.
If all businesses deal with customer loss or churn, the question is: Why do so many businesses and companies lose customers?
6 Reasons Why Customers Leave a Business
There are many unique reasons that a business might lose a customer. But here are some common reasons…
Your customers move out of town. They no longer live close enough to make buying from you feasible. This applies mainly to physical business that offers physical products or services that can’t easily be shipped long distance.
Think of businesses such as a restaurant or dry cleaners. If you have a business like that, it’s hard to serve your customers if they’re in a different state. Or, for example, if someone moves to another state they’re not going to use your gas station anymore.
Your customers no longer need your product or service. They are in another stage of life or they might have solved (or no longer have) the problem they originally needed your product or service for.
Do you want an example of a former customer like this? It could be a parent whose child grows up and no longer needs your daycare service. Or it could be a person who changes jobs/interests/fields and might no longer be interested in your membership site.
Your customers had a bad experience with your customer service or with your product or service. If someone has a bad experience with your product or service, they could easily decide to just stop doing business with you – without ever letting you know.
If they do happen to come to you with their complaint and don’t feel like they were taken care of properly, then they will also be gone.
According to Forbes, businesses are losing $62 billion per year through poor customer service.
Your competitor wooed them away with lower prices, better results, or better service (or all three). This is probably the one way that businesses actually worry that they will lose customers.
How common is this problem? U.S. companies lose $136.8 billion per year due to avoidable consumer switching. (CalMiner.com)
They no longer have the finances to pay for your product or service. I couldn’t find any stats for this reason. But we all probably have done this to a company at some point.
The bills grow and you decide to ditch cable. Or you decide it’s time you finally had a decent amount in savings, so you have to cut some things out. That means you decide to make coffee at home and no longer grab coffee at your favorite local coffee shop.
They felt ignored by your business or company. They felt like they didn’t matter to your business or that you took them for granted.
You might be surprised how many customers leave for this reason. 68% of customers leave you because they perceive you are indifferent to them. (SmallBusinessTrends.com)
Which of These Reasons is Causing You to Lose the Most Customers?
I would encourage you to go over this list and begin to examine and investigate which of these reasons is causing you to lose the most customers.
Because you can’t actually do anything to solve a problem unless you’re aware of what it is.
In my upcoming articles, I will reveal some ways that you can reengage your former customers to try to win them back.
In fact, I think you’re going to be surprised at one of the sources I use to help you to do this. Stay tuned.
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A 2022 Marketing Lesson from the 650-Year-Old Leaning Tower of Pisa?
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is known worldwide for its nearly four-degree lean. Unlike many famous buildings, it’s not famous for its exquisite details or impressive construction.
It’s famous for one main reason: It was built on an unstable foundation. I always thought that tower started leaning after standing there for a long time.
But do you know what I found out? The tower started leaning during its construction in the 12th century because the soft ground it was built on couldn’t support its weight.
And that makes perfect sense.
Do you know what the word “Pisa” means in English? I found out that the city of Pisa got its name way back in 600 BC. It comes from a Greek word that means “marshy land.”
I think The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a great object lesson for marketers and companies that want to succeed this year.
If you don’t build your marketing on the deep and solid marketing that has stood the test of time, you shouldn’t be surprised when everything you’ve worked for comes tumbling down.
The Successes of 2022 Will Be Built on the Marketing Fundamentals of the Past (*Skip This If You’ve Read the Other Articles in This Series*)
In 2022, I believe that the biggest marketing breakthroughs will take place at the intersection where opportunity and the fundamentals meet.
The people and companies that will succeed the most this year are the ones that keep their eye out for opportunities and then build their success on the strong foundation of the fundamentals.
What fundamentals? The marketing fundamentals that have existed for at least 100 years and that will probably exist for at least another 100 years.
How do I know this will be true? Because this has been true for a century, before and after the internet.
(I don’t have time to go into details here, but the success of Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other top companies are inextricably connected to the same marketing fundamentals that were used in 1922 and even earlier.)
For that reason, I’m going to continue the series I began a year ago at the beginning of 2021. (Important: I will be updating all of my previous articles to refer to 2022.)
The 12 Marketing Fundamentals You Need to Succeed in 2022
Today, I’m going to reveal the 11th marketing fundamental you need to succeed this year.
If you haven’t read the other articles in this series, then you should read the next section. It will help you to understand the importance of the marketing fundamentals I’m sharing with you.
Here are the first 10 of the marketing fundamentals you need to succeed this year…
The First 10 Marketing Fundamentals:
Here are the ten marketing fundamentals that I’ve revealed so far are in this series:
The third marketing fundamental is follow-up. Because two of the biggest mistakes many companies make are tied to follow-up. They don’t follow up at all. They don’t follow up enough.
The fourth marketing fundamental is a unique selling proposition. Because if you’re ever going to get your prospects to choose your company, product, or service over your competition, then they have to know WHY and HOW your business is different and better than any of the other choices.
Alright, you’re now ready to discover the 11th marketing fundamental.
The Local Restaurant That Was Popular with Senior Citizens
Back in the Bay Area, there used to be a local restaurant in a small strip mall that is very popular withsenior citizens. I don’t know how or why it became popular with this niche, but it did.
I was driving by it one day and realized that if they didn’t add new customers to their business, then eventually all of those customers will no longer be around to be able to eat there.
I don’t mean this to be morbid, but since this business deals with people in the later stages of life, they will eventually lose all the customers they currently have.
But before you think, “Yeah, they better do something about that!”
This also applies to YOU and YOUR business or company.
What this business and ALL businesses and companies need to do is to add new customers or reengage former customers.
Why? Because of a simple fact: No matter what you do, no matter how great you are, and how great yourproduct or service is, you will eventually lose customers.
Many businesses and companies focus on getting new customers. But they forget about the need to reengage former customers.
That’s why you need to focus on the 11th marketing fundamental: You need to continually reengage your lost or former customers. Some also call this remarketing.
The mistake that many businesses make is they begin to rely on the fact that they have customers and expect their current clients/customers to always be around.
They don’t do anything to ensure that they will be around. They just expect them to be.
That’s why in my next series of articles, I will be focusing on the 11th marketing fundamental. If this resonates with you, then subscribe below so that you will be automatically notified when my articles go live.
Catch Up on What You Missed in This Series
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For my last article in my series on The 10th marketing fundamental, I want to emphasize something that I touched on briefly in a previous article: repetition.
I bet it’s a power you take for granted. Let me explain…
Can you remember the words to one of your favorite songs in high school, even if it’s been years or decades?
Of course, you can. You sang that song over and over for weeks on end. That’s the power of repetition.
Can you remember the name of your best friend in Elementary school?
You probably can. You spent time with that person daily over many years. That’s the power of repetition.
Can you recite the ABCs or remember the multiplication table?
Of course, you can. You recited and practiced those things over and over and have used them in various ways for years and years. That’s the power of repetition.
But that’s not all.
Do you have a habit that’s hard to break? That’s the power of repetition.
Are there actions and behaviors that you do (right or wrong, positive or negative) that you only first began doing after someone constantly encouraged you to do this over and over again? That’s the power of repetition.
Marketing Is No Different
Why do we think marketing is going to be any different?
If you want your company, product, or service to be remembered, it’s going to take repetition.
If you want to educate your prospects and or customers about their problems, needs, and goals – or about the benefits of your company, product, service, it’s going to take repetition.
If you want the use of your product or service to become a positive habit in peoples’ lives, it’s going to take repetition.
If you want to influence your prospects or customers to take certain actions or begin certain behaviors, it’s going to take repetition.
Let me say that again in a different way… Without repetition, it will be very difficult to:
“If you want to know the future, look at the past.”
– Albert Einstein
“Why should we look to the past in order to prepare for the future? Because there is nowhere else to look.”
― James Burke
The Fundamentals of the Past Reveal the Future of 2022
In 2022, I believe that the biggest marketing breakthroughs will take place at the intersection where opportunity and the fundamentals meet.
The people and companies that will succeed the most this year are the ones that keep their eye out for opportunities and take advantage of these opportunities by harnessing the fundamentals.
What fundamentals? The marketing fundamentals that have existed for at least 100 years and that will probably exist for at least another 100 years.
How do I know this will be true? Because this has been true for a century, before and after the internet.
(I don’t have time to go into details here, but the success of Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other top companies are inextricably connected to the same marketing fundamentals that were used in 1922 and even earlier.)
For that reason, I’m going to continue the series I began a year ago at the beginning of 2021. (Important: I will be updating all of my previous articles to refer to 2022.)
The 12 Marketing Fundamentals You Need to Succeed in 2022
Today, I’m going to reveal the 10th marketing fundamental you need to succeed this year.
If you haven’t read the other articles in this series, then you should read the next section. It will help you to understand the importance of the marketing fundamentals I’m sharing with you.
Here are the first 9 of the marketing fundamentals you need to succeed this year…
The First 9 Marketing Fundamentals:
Here are the nine marketing fundamentals that I’ve revealed so far are in this series:
The third marketing fundamental is follow-up. Because two of the biggest mistakes many companies make are tied to follow-up. They don’t follow up at all. They don’t follow up enough.
The fourth marketing fundamental is a unique selling proposition. Because if you’re ever going to get your prospects to choose your company, product, or service over your competition, then they have to know WHY and HOW your business is different and better than any of the other choices.
Alright, you’re now ready to discover the 10th marketing fundamental.
Prospect and Customer Amnesia?
If your business or company is going to succeed, then your prospects and customers need to remember you exist when they need what you offer.
But here’s the problem: Many prospects won’t buy immediately from you. Why not? There are many reasons. Here are just a few:
They might want to look around.
They might want to check you out on Yelp or other review sites.
They might not have the money or a strong enough need/desireto buy.
They’ve never heard of you before and want to get “used to” the idea of buying from you.
They just might be in a hurry and not have the time to purchase today.
The problem this causes is that they have to remember that you or your business exists when they finally needor want what you offer.
You might be thinking about your business every day, but your prospects aren’t!
And I hate to break it to you, but this isn’t just true of prospects. It’s also true of your customers!
They might purchase from you once. But when they have the same need/desire again, they might not think of your business first – or at all!
Out of Sight, Out of Mind
The old saying “out of sight, out of mind” is true about your customers.
There was a local steakhouse that closed in a city near where we used to live in the Bay Area. When I drove by and saw the building was vacant I realized that I NEVER thought about eating there when I was thinking of a place to go out to.
I totally forgot they were there. And I like steak!
I bet the restaurant owners never realized this. They just thought people were choosing not to eat at theirrestaurant. In reality, there were probably many people that didn’t even have them on their “radar.”
There are restaurants or other retail stores that I’ve purchased from once in the past and I never went to again.
Why? It wasn’t that I didn’t like the place. It was just that I never thought about them again.
What’s the 10th marketing fundamental? It’s that you must find ways to make your business more memorable to your prospects and customers.
They must remember you or your product when they’re ready to buy what you offer.
You have to come up with ways to help your prospects and your customers remember your business. You have to come up with ways to get them in a HABIT of purchasing from you.
In my upcoming articles, I’ll reveal some things about why you need your business to be memorable that I bet you’ve never thought of.
And I’m going to show you some unique ways to be on (and stay on) the top of your prospect’s or customer’s mind.
If that sounds interesting to you, then subscribe below so that you will be automatically notified when my articles go live.
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The reason that every business should focus on their backend marketing is because the real money is made on the backend.
As marketer Todd Brown says, the aim of front end marketing is to generate a new customer. The goal of the back end marketing is to generate profit.
So today I wanted to give you a list of some back end marketing offers that any business or company can use in their back end marketing campaigns.
All they need to do is apply some creativity to any of them.
1. MORE OF THE SAME
Offer your customers more of what they already purchased.
If they purchased one product you offer them more of the same type of product. If they purchase one service, then you offer them another one of the same type of service.
These types of offers are usually made for products that are consumables. In other words, products or services that people regularly repurchase.
They’re one of the easiest and most successful backend marketing offers you can make. Because if a prospect has purchased a certain product or service from you, they’ll probably purchase the same product or service again.
2. SAME BUT DIFFERENT FORMAT
For this marketing backend offer, you would offer your customer more of the same thing but in a different format.
If they purchased a book, you could offer them an audiobook. If they purchased an audiobook then you could offer them a video course.
These types of offers are usually made for content-based products. But with some creativity. they can be used for other types of products or services.
If they purchased your Saas product, you could offer a course on how to accomplish a goal or offer them a conference as a backend offer. This is what Salesforce does by offering their annual event Dreamforce.
3. SAME BUT DIFFERENT SIZEOR AMOUNT
For this marketing backend offer, you offer them more of the same thing by offering different sizes or amounts of the same product they already purchased.
If they purchased a 60″ TV for their living room, you can offer them a 39″ TV for their bedroom.
If a customer purchased your SaaS product, you could sell them a team or enterprise version of your product.
If someone bought one dinner at your restaurant, you could offer them a gift card for dinner for two. An online tutoring company could offer tutoring books on certain subjects (tutoring in a different format).
4. DIFFERENT BUT RELATEDPRODUCTSOR SERVICES
Offer your customers different products or services than the ones that they’ve already purchased from you.
But make sure that they have some sort of connection to the purchases they’ve already made. In other words, you can think of these as accessories.
For example, if you own a hardware store and someone has purchased paint, you could offer them paintbrushes. It’s not more of the same product (more paint). But it’s a product that ties into the original purchase.
A web design business could offer web hosting services or even social media marketing services that promote their businesses or their websites via social media.
5. DIFFERENTBUT UNRELATED PRODUCTS OR SERVICES
Offer your customers completely different products or services than the ones that they’ve already purchased from you.
But with this marketing backend offer, the products or services don’t have to be directly related to the exact purchases they’ve already made.
If someone purchased paint from your hardware store, you could offer them a home decorating service.
If a hair salon could offer manicures or facials. A web hosting company could offer group coaching or mastermind groups.
6. SUBSCRIPTIONS
This is where you offer your customer your product or service on a subscription basis. This could be monthly or yearly.
Why would your business or company want to do this? As marketing legend Dan Kennedy says, it gives you the ability to create reoccurring income versus episodic event income.
You’ll Only See Results If You Apply These to Your Business
If your business or company currently doesn’t offer any backend marketing offers, I’d encourage you to begin offering the easiest and most effective of these backend offers: begin offering your customers more of the same or what they’ve already purchased.
If your business or company already uses backend marketing offers, then I’d encourage you to look at my list and see if you can add any of other these backend marketing offers to your sales funnel.
But do something. The only way this list is going to make any difference in your business or company is if you apply them.
Previous Articles on the 9th Marketing Fundamental
That’s all I’m going to share on the this 9th marketing fundamental.
If you haven’t read my previous articles on the 9th marketing fundamental, I’d encourage you to do that. You can click any of the links below to do that right now. (All links open in a new window.)
My next series of articles will be focusing on what I call the 10th marketing fundamental. It’s the next thing you will need if you want your business or company to succeed this year.
Stay tuned. You won’t want to miss it.
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I want to do that by showing you when the best time is to make your first backend offer to your new customer.
I’ll also reveal the best time to send your second backend offer and how often you should consider sending backend offers.
In the process, I’ll also show you three common mistakes businesses and companies make when it comes to backend offers.
But before I do that, I need to tell you a quick story about what happened when I took my sons to a bowling alley while on vacation visiting family recently.
Why do I need to start with this story? Because it reveals some powerful lessons about backend marketing and backend offers.
I’ll explain more in a minute. First, let me tell you what happened…
The Unexpected Backend Marketing Lesson I Learned on Vacation
After Christmas, my family and I flew out to Colorado to be with extended family and celebrate New Year’s together.
Before we flew back home, we took all of the kids to go to a local, high-end, bowling alley/arcade.
I didn’t know it at the time but I was about to see some great backend marketing in action.
You see, after the kids were done bowling, a message popped up on the screen offering us tokens if we texted the bowling alley at a certain number.
The best part of the offer? We could text them right away and use the tokens before we left.
After we texted them, all we had to do was go up to the counter and show them the automated text message we received, then delete it in front of them (so we couldn’t use it again).
That was until the next day when I received my first text from the bowling alley…
FIRST TEXT
Thanks for your recent visit to (name of business)! We are grateful for the pleasure of serving you.
We would appreciate it if you would take a minute and give us some feedback on your recent visit. (They had a link here).
The fun doesn’t need to end. Come back and visit within the next 14 days and receive up to 40% off your purchase. Get offer>> (They had a link here).
TextSTOPtoEnd
SECOND TEXT
But that wasn’t all. Three days later, I received this short but effective text message…
Join your friends at (name of business) to enjoy live music tonight at 8:00pm! Reserve> (They had a link here.)
Show this text and get $5 off a $25 purchase. 1/7 only
Stop2End
(IMPORTANT: I changed the wording slightly in both of the above texts.)
I was REALLY impressed with the backend marketing that this business used. I’ve since received another text from them that I’ll mention a little later.
But I just want to focus on those two texts because you can learn several important lessons about backend offers from them.
A Quick Review for Those Who Missed My Last Two Articles
In my first article, I revealed that the 9th marketing fundamental you need to succeed this year is backend marketing. In other words, the marketing that you make to your existing customers.
If you haven’t read these articles yet, I’d encourage you to scroll back up and read them as soon as you’re done with this one.
Now let’s get back to the lessons you can learn from this high-end bowling alley/arcade…
SIDEBAR: What is a Backend Offer (or Back End Offer)?
For those of you who don’t know, a backend offer is an offer you make to an existing customer.
The First Mistake Businesses Make With Their Backend Marketing
Believe it or not, one of the biggest mistakes businesses make with their backend marketing is waiting too long to make their first backend offer.
They mistakenly think that making a backend offer too soon will make their customers upset. And that thinking makes them afraid to pull the trigger and make a backend offer.
This causes them to wait days or even weeks to make an offer and so they miss out on the opportunity to build momentum off of their customer’s purchase.
The Best Time to Make a Backend Offer
When is the best time to make a backend offer? The bowling alley sent me a text the day after I was there. That means that within 24 hours of being there, I received the first text to come back again.
That’s pretty good. Many businesses and companies are too afraid to make a backend offer that soon. So I give the bowling alley a lot of credit for sending that first text.
But do you know what would’ve been even better than sending me an offer the next day? It would’ve been better to send it to me right after I sent them the text.
You see, the best time to send a backend offer is right after a customer purchases from you.
Why Should You Make a Backend Offer Right Away?
There are several reasons why you should make a backend offer right after your customer purchases from you, but here are two important ones:
If you sell a great product or service (and you should), the moment right after a customer purchases from you is when they’re the happiest about their experience and therefore most likely to buy.
This is when your customer first realizes their need for other products or services. You know what I mean.We’ve all purchased something and then immediately realized we also need something else. (I’ll talk more about this when I share the types of backend offers you can make in my next in my next article.)
The Second Mistake: When You Should Make Your Second Backend Offer
After waiting too long to make the first backend offer, the second backend marketing mistake that businesses make is waiting too long to make the second backend offer.
Let’s look again at the example from the bowling alley.
They sent me the first text/first offer the next day. Then they sent me a second text with a second offer three days later.
Did they risk getting me upset by sending me a text three days later? Some might say so. But I don’t agree. I think it was a really smart move.
Here are five reasons why I think it was a smart move to offer a second backend offer within 72 hours of making the first backend offer:
I might not have read the first text.
I might not have had the time, money, or interest to respond to the first offer, but I might now.
Offering another offer helps to weed out any people who will be too bothered by receiving offers.
It’s a different offer. Different offers appeal to different people.
It’s still really soon after I first purchased, so I’m probably still happy and more likely to buy again.
I’d encourage you to test making your second backend offer within 72 hours of making your first offer.
You might find out that you bother some people and you’ll get some unsubscribes.
But you also might find that you make a bunch of additional sales and the customers that you keep are better quality.
That seems worth the risk of testing this out, doesn’t it?
The Third Mistake:How Often You Should Make Backend Offers
When it comes to backend marketing, the third common mistake that businesses and companies make is not making enough backend offers.
They don’t make enough backend offers because they’re again afraid to upset their customers.
Now you don’t want to be annoying and keep hitting your customers over the head with offer after offer.
But that doesn’t mean that you need to go to the opposite extreme and hardly ever make any backend offers to your customers either. Instead, try to find a happy medium.
I told you that the bowling alley sent me another text besides the two I mentioned above. What was it? It was another a MLK Day offer that was sent 10 days after the second email.
How do you find a happy medium between hardly ever making backend offers and annoying your customers with too many backend offers?
Again, the only way you can really find out is through testing.
4 Takeaways
I hope this article has got you to think about your backend marketing and how you should set up your sales funnel with backend offers.
Before you leave, let me leave you with these four takeaways you can begin testing:
Make sure to send your first backend offer right away – no later than 24 hours from the purchase.
Test making your second backend offer 72 hours after your first one.
Test making your third backend offer 10 days after that.
Test how regularly you should continue making backend offers so that you don’t leave too much money on the table or don’t annoy too many customers.
Stay tuned for my next article on the 9th marketing fundamental. I’ll reveal the types of backend offers that any business or company can and should make.
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The easiest and best way for you to help a business make more money is by focusing your marketing on your current customers.
You want to use backend marketing to get your customers to buy more often. If you don’t get people to buy more often, your business will have a hard time staying in business.
Let me show you what I mean by telling you a story about an incredible light bulb…
The Longest, Continuously Lit Light Bulb
When we think of the light bulb, we think of Thomas Edison, because he was the inventor of the light bulb.
But just like any product, as soon as it came out many people tried to improve it and make a better one.
One of the men who came up with a better version of the light bulb is Adolphe Chaillet. And the Shelby lightbulb is his creation.
Chaillet liked to do a theatrical product demo where he’d have a big theatre marquee-like light bulb bank.
In it would be one bulb of his own design, and the rest would be bulbs by competing brands. Then, Chaillet would start slowly dialing up the power. One by one, the competitors’ bulbs would all explode.
Every time, Chaillet’s bulb would be the last one shining.
One of his amazing lightbulbs made it to Livermore, California, when a shop owner donated it to the town’s volunteer fire department in 1901.
He did this because he didn’t want the firefighters to have to ready their horse-drawn “hose carts” in the dark. Eventually, the old-fashioned hose carts were replaced with fire trucks.
The bulb hung between the firehouse’s two garage doors and the firefighters were aware of it but didn’t think much about it.
The bulb hung down from a long cord, and it was low enough that you could walk by and tap the bulb and watch it swing back forth.
Bored firefighters would even throw Nerf balls at it.
In 1971, the first fire chief was brought in and he noticed the old bulb and asked people how long it had been hanging there. No one knew for sure, just that it was a LONG time.
So he had people research it and found out it had been light for 70 years! If you think that’s impressive it has now been lit for almost 121 years!!
This product was so good no one needed to buy any more lightbulbs!
GE bought the company and met with others in their industry and came up with a standard that their bulbs would only last 40 days.
This is the first case of something called “planned obsolescence.”
You Have the Same Problem
This is the same problem your business or company has if it doesn’t have any other products or services to sell after you sell your first one.
That’s why you must have additional backend products or services – that they need and want – that you can offer to your customers.
You want to train your customers to buy more and to keep coming back for additional products and services, so you can help them even more!
Because you DON’T just want to sell to them more!You want to take care of them more. When you do that, your customers will happily keep purchasing from you over and over again.
A Reminder and a Challenge
I wrote today’s article for two reasons:
I wanted to remind you just how important it is for you to have additional products or services to sell to your customers.
I wanted this article to challenge you to think about any way your business or company might be overlooking this truth or not fully implementing it.
With that in mind, I want to leave you with these questions to think about:
What additional products or services are you currently offering your customers? Are these the best and most desirable you can offer?
Is there any area of your business or company where you’re not offering your customers more products or services they can purchase from you?
What other products or services can you begin to offer your customers?
Stay tuned for my next article.
We’ll continue this series by looking at the types backend offers you can make, the best ways to make these offers to your customers, and the importance of increasing your customer’s lifetime value.
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When I took martial arts, we went over the basics in almost every class. Why?
Because the most complicated moves were usually just a couple of different basic moves put together. Or an advanced move was based on the same simple motion of a basic move.
When you join the military what kind of training do they give you? Basic Training.
Success in any area of life comes from knowing and perfecting the basics. In other words, success is about the fundamentals.
Well, guess what? It’s no different when it comes to marketing and business success.
The 12 Marketing Fundamentals You Need to Succeed in 2021
Today, I’m going to reveal the 8th marketing fundamental you need to succeed this year.
If you haven’t read the other articles in this series, then you should read the next section. It will help you to understand the importance of the marketing fundamentals I’m sharing with you.
*Skip This If You’ve Read the Other Articles in This Series*
In my first article of the series, I laid an important foundation that I have continued to build on. In that article I said…
Based on some things I’ve been reading from the experts I follow, there are some interesting trends and predictions that are said to be coming our way in 2021.
These trends and predictions will be opportunities for people that know how to leverage them.
But I believe that the sweet spot in 2021 is the place where opportunity and the fundamentals meet.
You see, the people and companies that succeed the most are the ones that keep their eye out for opportunities and then take advantage of them by harnessing the fundamentals.
What fundamentals? The marketing fundamentals that have existed for at least 100 years and that will probably exist for at least another 100 years.
The third marketing fundamental is follow-up. Because two of the biggest mistakes many companies make are tied to follow-up. They don’t follow up at all. They don’t follow up enough.
The fourth marketing fundamental is a unique selling proposition. Because if you’re ever going to get your prospects to choose your company, product, or service over your competition, then they have to know WHY and HOW your business is different and better than any of the other choices.
Alright, you’re now ready to discover the 8th marketing fundamental.
Marketing FundamentalsBefore, During, and After the Sale
So far, the marketing fundamentals that I’ve been focused on have all been ones that happen BEFORE the sale.
Well, believe it or not, marketing fundamentals aren’t just important before the sale. They’re just as important during and after the sale.
When you apply the first seven marketing fundamentals, a certain percentage of your targeted audience will take you up on your offer and purchase from you.
And it’s during that purchase that many companies miss a huge opportunity. That’s why the 8th marketing fundamental is upselling.
The Real Creator of the First Combo Meal
Some of you might not realize this but there was once a time when combo meals didn’t exist.
When was this frightening and barbaric time? Pre-1958. Maybe you’re like me. I always thought that McDonald’s was the creator of the first combo meal. Well, that’s wrong.
From what I understand, a restaurant called Burger Chef came up with the idea for a combo meal in the late 1950s. Before they did that, you had to order a burger, fries, and a soda individually.
Even though the combo meal was a little cheaper than ordering each item separately, the total profit they made from each combo was more than if that customer didn’t order all three of those items.
That means they might have lost a small percentage of profit from customers who would’ve ordered the three items separately.
But think of the higher profits they made from the customers who might have only ordered one or two of those items.
Plus, think about how much easier and economical combo meals made it for the customers who would’ve ordered the items separately.
I bet that that ease in ordering and the money saved caused those customers to come back and come back more often.
4 Benefits of Upselling
You might not have realized it but you just heard the main reasons every company should implement upsells of some kind. Done correctly, upselling can:
Increase your profit per customer
Make ordering easier for your customers
Help your customers save money
Encourage repeat sales
In my upcoming articles, I’ll show you how your company can begin to implement upselling and/or improve the upselling that you’re already using.
I’ll also share some examples of businesses and companies doing upsells effectively, and dive a little deeper into why your company needs to maximize upselling. Stay tuned.
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An Unexpected Content Marketing & Copywriting Lesson from A Quiet Place II
A few weeks ago, I went to see The Quiet Place 2 with my sons. It was one of the first movies I’ve seen since the pandemic started.
It was awesome. If you’ve seen the first movie, I’d say that the sequel was as good as the first one, if not better.
It’s such an intense and powerful movie. The crazy thing about this movie is that the intensity comes from the silence.
In fact, It’s so quiet at times that you feel like if you make a sound during that moment of the film, either you or one of the people on the screen are going to die. 🙂
Have you ever wondered why or how you can feel so connected to what’s happening on the big screen?
Well, I’ve been thinking about that and I’ve come to realize that there is a neurological explanation for why horror films work.
Why should you care about how horror films work?
Because it reveals the same reason that powerful content marketing or copywriting works.
The Neurological Reason Horror Films Work
Many years ago, I read a great book by Daniel Goleman called, “Social Intelligence.”
In the book, he talked about a then relatively recent discovery of brain cells that sort of act like a neural WiFi.
You might’ve heard of these cells. They’re called “mirror neurons.” What do these cells have to do with the way horror films work?
And, more importantly for us, what do these cells have to do with the force behind powerful content marketing or copywriting?
Let’s see if you figure it out from what I reveal to you next…
Mirror neurons are what allow us to pick up on, feel, and mirror what others are feeling.
Have you ever watched one person telling an exciting story and see their friend’s face and body begin to respond with similar signs of excitement? That’s the mirror neurons in action!
The way Goleman describes this phenomenon is very powerful. He simply says…
“Emotions are contagious.”
Did you catch that?
The only reason that horror films work is because of mirror neurons! If our brains weren’t designed in a way to cause us to feel what others are feeling, horror films wouldn’t work!
Without them, content marketing and copywriting wouldn’t work either.
Powerful Content Marketing & Copywriting Lessons from A Quiet Place II
Really think about what Daniel Goleman is saying.
The most powerful type of influence is when a person shares emotions, actions, and feelings with another. It influences us on a deep, even subconscious, level.
When John Krasinski wrote and directed A Quiet Place and A Quiet Place II, he didn’t try to tell us what the characters were feeling
He wrote the stories in a way that would powerfully show the audience the emotions and feelings of the characters.
By showing us these emotions and feelings, he tapped into the audiences’ mirror neurons. This caused us to connect with the characters so that we felt what they felt.
The secret behind powerful content marketing and copywriting is to make sure that you show your audience the feelings and emotions that you want them to experience.
That’s the way you draw them into your content or copy and really influence them.
*SIDE NOTE: Just to be clear. I’m NOT talking about manipulating or deceiving people. I’m talking about motivating people in an honest way. But I am suggesting that you do this in a way that many people overlook or never think of.
How to Create Content or Copy That Powerfully Influences People
Have you ever wondered…?
Why is it that when you as a content marketer, copywriter, or business owner tell people about your product, service, or business, they aren’t influenced like they’d normally be?
In other words, why aren’t their mirror neurons activated? It’s because you aren’t harnessing the secret that John Krasinski knows.
YOUR ERROR: You are telling people things that you want them to feel.
Instead, you need to show them what you want them to feel and experience.
Telling people what you want them to feel won’t help them see, hear, and experience the problems that others like them have had.
Telling people what you want them to feel won’t help them see, hear, and experience the solution that your product or service has provided for others like them.
And telling them these things will never activate their mirror neurons!
If they don’t feel and experience these problems and your solution, you will have little hope of influencing them.
What is the solution? Again, take a cue from John Krasinski.
THE SOLUTION: Start showing people what you want them to feel through others’ stories.
Another key reason that your content or copy doesn’t influence people is because it’s coming from you.
You see, when you tell others these things, they know you want to sell them something and this causes them to put up their guard. It blocks (or at the least somewhat dulls) the natural influence that happens between two people.
It stops the mirror neurons from doing their thing. What’s the solution?
In it, he explains exactly why this type of content is so powerful. He says…
“When people are unsure about how they should act or feel, they observe people around them. This is known as social proof. Research shows that when we observe others, our brains simulate what they are feeling.”
Later, Adams explains, “Social proof can be used to show people the preferred course of action or appropriate behavior.”
– Grouped: How Small Groups of Friends Are the Key to Influence People by Paul Adams
Let me take what Paul said and put it into the context of what I’ve been talking about here…
In the same way, we begin to act like the people on the screen in A Quiet Place II (i.e. we become very quiet and afraid), people look to others for social proof.
Through that proof, they begin to act the way that they see others acting. They emulate them.
YOUR SECRET WEAPON: Social Proof
What I’m trying to get you to see is that top content marketers and copywriters know what John Krasinski knows.
They understand the power of stories that are packed with feelings and emotions that they want their audience to feel.
IMPORTANT: You don’t have to create fictional, false, or fake stories to do this. Instead, you can simply use the real-life stories of your customers.
Share their testimonials
Share their stories
Share their case studies
TIP: When do all of this, make sure that you share these things with a focus on the emotions of these stories and not just the facts of the stories. Why? Because emotions are what will make the mirror neurons kick in!
Think about it.
When you share testimonials, you are having others tell the truth about your product or service through their experience. Their words have a much greater chance of being felt than yours alone.
When you share case studies, you are allowing prospects to vicariously go through the experience that someone else has had.They get to “feel” the same process and results.
When you ask customers to submit testimonials and then share them with your prospects, it will have a much greater impact than your own words about your business ever will. This provides the social proof your prospect is looking for.
What you have just learned about mirror neurons and the neurological reason powerful content marketing or copywriting works is something that most content marketers and copywriters don’t know.
That’s why I used the word “secret” in the title of this article. (It wasn’t just a marketing trick.) For that reason, I would encourage you to read this article again.
And this time write down a couple of takeaways you can apply right away to your content or copy. Then begin actually applying them.
Over time, you will become better at creating content and copy that taps into the mirror neurons in a natural way. The end result will be that your content or copy will have a greater impact than it ever has before.
When that happens, reach out and let me know about it. I’d love to hear how this secret impacts your results.
If you liked this article, can you do me a favor and share it? I’d really appreciate it.
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Successful Content Marketers and Copywriters Think Like a Lawyer or Speaker
Successful content marketers and copywriters are successful because they realize that their job is very similar to the job of a lawyer or speaker.
No successful lawyer ever wins a case without considering the questions or objections people listening will have to their arguments.
No successful speaker puts together a powerful and convincing talk without considering the same things.
Successful content marketing or copy is written with an understanding that the task before you isn’t to influence the convinced.
Your job is to convince the unconvinced and inspire the uninspired. It’s only when you do that that your content or copy is successful and produces sales.
That means that creating successful content or copy comes down to creating content or copy that powerfully overcomes the objections and questions that your market has. (I touched on this briefly in #7 of The 11 Indispensable Elements Behind All Great Content or Copy.)
What are the objections and obstacles that are keeping your prospects from buying? The answer to that question comes from something powerful that Zig Ziglar once said.
The Five Basic Objections and Obstacles Keeping You from Making a Sale
As a former door-to-door salesman, Zig Ziglar had amazing insight into the common things that keep people from buying.
In fact, he broke them down into five obstacles. He said…
“Every sale has five basic obstacles: no need, no money, no hurry, no desire, no trust.”
Zig Ziglar
Important Disclaimer and Why I Hope Some of You Fail:
The advice I am about to give you can be used in honest or dishonest ways. It can be used to manipulate people for your own gain or to motivate people for their benefit.
In pointing these things out, I am assuming that you will use them in honest ways in order to motivate people for their benefit. In other words, I’m assuming you are offering a legitimate solution that really helps people.
If you aren’t planning on using these things in honest ways, to motivate people for their benefit, so that you can really help them, then I hope that all your marketing fails. 🙂
Otherwise, any “success” you achieve through dishonest marketing will ultimately make you, your business, and your life a failure.
Alright, now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, let me reveal the five obstacles your content or copy must overcome.
The 5 Obstacles All Successful Content (or Copy) Must Overcome
1. No Need
Your content or copy must help your prospect to see their need for your solution. It should do that by revealing and amplifying the problem that it helps them overcome.
Why? Because all of us tend to overlook or downplay the problems in our life because we’ve become so used to them.
If you don’t help them to see the seriousness of their problem, they will stay stuck. And they definitely won’t buy from you.
2. No Money
Your content or copy must make your prospect see such a great value in the solution you offer that the price you’re asking for it seems like a deal.
You must also help them see the cost of staying in their situation with their sane problem.
Why? Because we all spend money on things that are valuable to us. Even those of us who say we don’t have much money, spend all sorts of money on things we value.
Do you want proof?
How much total money do you spend monthly on streaming services? According to Cord Cutters News, the average American household spends $47 a month.
How much money do you spend on going out to eat every month? According to The Simple Dollar, The average American spends $232 per month eating meals prepared outside the home.
How much money do you spend every month at Starbucks (or Pete’s, Dutch Bros, or ?)? According to Cliff & Pebble, the average American spends $12 a month at Starbucks.
How much money did you spend to buy your smartphone? According to Statista, the average price of a smartphone in the consumer segment in the United States is forecast to reach $580.27 in 2020. (NOTE: According to Engadget, the average American gets a new phone every 3 years. That means these phones cost us about $193.42 a year.)
How much money do you spend on your smartphone every month? According to Money Saving Pro, the average American spends $114 a month on their phone bill.
If you take all of these together, the total amount the average person is spending every month on these things is $423 a month!
Remember, this is all based on the average American, not wealthy Americans.
Look, I am not suggesting that you don’t need things like a smartphone. But do you need to pay the amount that you are actually paying for them? No!
So when any of us say that we don’t have the money to purchase something, it might be true.
But it’s only true because we’re already spending money on the things I listed above (and many other things I didn’t list), things that are valuable or important to us.
That means that the thing keeping people from purchasing from you really isn’t a lack of money. It’s that they don’t see what you’re offering as valuable or important.
Your job is to change this perception.
3. No Hurry
Let’s face it. If you don’t give people a compelling and valid reason to purchase now/today, they will probably delay the purchase.
Why? Because most of us are afraid to make decisions – especially purchasing decisions. We don’t want to waste our money, get ripped off, or look/feel stupid.
We don’t necessarily delay our purchases because we don’t need or want the solution today. We delay them because we are afraid to make a mistake.
Now, there obviously are some purchases we should delay. There are also some that we should probably never even make. (Maybe because we’re already in debt and/or we don’t really need the item.)
But there are other purchases that we shouldn’t delay (once we gather enough info) because the cost of delaying the decision ends up ultimately costing us more.
What kind of purchases cost us when we delay them? Here are just a few that I quickly thought of:
Certain insurance
A solution that can improve our health
A solution that can improve your business
A purchase that replaces another more costly, regular expense
Etc.
If you are selling something that can really help people right away, you should always make sure to give people enough information to understand that and to see the benefit of purchasing it now.
I’m not saying you should create content or copy that forces people to make a rushed decision. You shouldn’t do that.
But you also need to balance the fact in knowing that, by default, most of us will delay a decision, even when it’s to our own detriment.
That means that you will need to create content or copy to overcome this fact. If you don’t, you will not make as many sales and/or help as many people as you could.
4. No Desire
People won’t purchase your solution if it is not desirable to them. Why would they, unless someone or something is forcing them to?
That means that unless someone is forcing or requiring people to purchase from you, you will have to overcome this obstacle.
That means you have one of two choices:
You need to make your solution desirable.
You need to tie your solution to what your prospects already desire.
To accomplish that second choice, you have to know what people desire. Here are some of the basic things we all desire:
What is attractive
What is helpful/useful
What is entertaining, fun, or pleasurable
What relieves current or future pain or problems
What helps us achieve our goals or desires
If you want to make your solution more desirable, it must honestly possess some (or many) of these qualities.
Or it must be connected to something that your prospect already wants that possesses these things.
5. No Trust
I will never, ever purchase anything from someone I don’t trust. Neither will you. Your prospects are the same.
That’s why you want to make sure that your prospects trust you or your company. You might think, “Why wouldn’t they trust me or my company?” Well, how about the fact that they’ve been burned by people like you or companies like yours?
That means that they’re not going to assume that they should trust you. They’re going to assume that they shouldn’t.
They’re going to want to trust you, and even look for clues that you or your company is trustworthy, but the burden of proof is on you and your company, not on them.
What are some ways that you can prove that you and your company are trustworthy? Here are a few ways that come to mind:
Share what customers think about you by using customer testimonials
Share your product or service’s ratings or reviews from third-party sites and sources
Share what industry experts or influencers think about you by asking for and then sharing what they have said about you
You should also share the names of influencers and experts that you/your company have worked with, alongside, or worked for.
Only create and/or sell solutions that actually work
Only offer them for a fair price
Have great customer service that helps and takes care of every customer or client
Have guarantees to take the risk off of your purchases and put it on you and your company
Those are just some of the ways you prove that you and your company are trustworthy. But the key thing for you to remember is that you do need to prove this fact.
You cannot assume that prospects will automatically believe or think that you’re trustworthy.
Greater Results Than the Competition
There are other objections, questions, or obstacles that you might need to overcome for your specific niche or market.
But if you make sure to always address these 5 obstacles, your content or copy will produce greater results than many of your competitors will see.
And you will have a much better track record of creating successful content or copy.
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New. Marketers know that people are attracted to anything new. That’s why marketers use the word whenever and wherever they can.
The funny thing is that “new” even attracts and mesmerizes marketers and companies.
Look, “new” is awesome. I love new things, new methods, new tools, etc.
But I’m here to tell you that when it comes to marketing, “new” is overrated and in many ways an illusion.
You might think that the only way your company can succeed in 2021 is by harnessing the latest, greatest marketing technique.
Well, I’m here to politely tell you that you’re wrong. It’s not the new marketing techniques that you should be focusing on. It’s the old, forgotten marketing principles.
I’ll explain what I mean in just a second. But first, I need to tell you a quick story to explain what I mean.
Ancient Technologies and Inventions You Never Knew Existed
I used to love watching a show on The History Channel called Ancient Discoveries.
The show featured ancient technologies and ancient inventions that are thought to be modern but actually existed in the ancient world.
Why don’t we know about these ancient technologies and inventions? Because they’ve been lost and then reinvented. We basically forgot about them.
What were the types of technologies and inventions that they revealed in this series? Amazing ones like these:
A computer-like device that may have been used to calculate the movements of stars and planets called the Antikythera Mechanism
Automatic doors and coin-operated machines invented by a guy named Heron in ancient Alexandria.
A jar that appears to be an electric battery
Archimedes use of solar power to defeat the Romans
And many other amazing things you wouldn’t believe existed in the ancient world
Unbelievable, right? Who would’ve thought these things were invented centuries ago?
Well, you’d be just as amazed to discover that many of the new marketing methods have been around for almost a century (some longer than that).
Ancient Marketing Methods You Never Knew Existed
I love discovering and reading old marketing books. For me, it’s like finding a lost treasure that most people have forgotten ever existed.
One of the main things that I’m constantly discovering in these old marketing books is the fact that many of the marketing methods and marketing techniques that we think are new were actually invented
Split testing& ad tracking – Claude Hopkins was talking about tracking ads and split testing in his book Scientific Advertising back in 1923 – 98 years ago
Lead generation – As I’ve been reading some classic books on advertising by John Caples, I was struck by this realization: many of the famous ads he talked about all focused on capturing leads, not making direct sales from their ads. Many of these ads are from the early 1900s (over a century old)!
Content marketing – I’ve discovered the oldest known content marketing to exist. And they are over two hundred years old!
My point?
In the same way that the ancient technologies and inventions were overlooked until rediscovered or reinvented, many of the marketing methods many think were invented in the dot-com days were created way before then.
The early internet pioneers and the early dotcom companies just were smart enough to harness these methods that the mainstream business world had forgotten.
And this is the real reason for their massive success.
The 12 Marketing Fundamentals You Need to Succeed in 2021
As I said at the beginning of this series back in January, I believe that the sweet spot in 2021 is the place where opportunity and the fundamentals meet.
You see, the people and companies that succeed the most are the ones that keep their eye out for opportunities and then take advantage of them by harnessing the fundamentals.
What fundamentals? The marketing fundamentals that have existed for at least 100 years and that will probably exist for at least another 100 years.
In fact, I believe that there are 12 marketing fundamentals that all companies should be focused on if they want to succeed in the second half of 2021.
So far, I’ve revealed what the first seven marketing fundamentals are. Since it’s been a while since my last article, let me give you a quick recap…
The First 7 Marketing Fundamentals:
Here are the six marketing fundamentals that I’ve revealed so far are in this series:
The third marketing fundamental is follow-up. Because two of the biggest mistakes many companies make are tied to follow-up. They don’t follow up at all. They don’t follow up enough.
The fourth marketing fundamental is a unique selling proposition. Because if you’re ever going to get your prospects to choose your company, product, or service over your competition, then they have to know WHY and HOW your business is different and better than any of the other choices.
The 7th marketing fundamental if your content or copy. Once you have chosen your “who” and your most powerful offer, you must choose the right words to inspire and influence your target audience to take action (whatever you decide that should be).
I’ve already shared two important articles on this 7th marketing fundamental:
Over the next few days, I will share two more articles on this particular fundamental.
One will be about the obstacles that all successful copy or content needs to overcome and the other article will be about the secret behind powerful content marketing and copywriting.
I think you’re really going to like them so stay tuned.
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Whether you are a content marketer or a copywriter, you face the same challenge. You must make your content or copy stand out from the rest in your niche.
If you don’t, you will never sell the product or service you’re promoting. And you definitely won’t last in your job or your career very long.
That means it’s imperative that you learn how to create better content or persuasive copy.
Well, I want to show you one way you can make ordinary content or copy feel extraordinary.
Do you know the best part about what I’m about to reveal to you? It’s a method that many people don’t know or completely overlook.
In order for you to fully understand this method, I first need to tell you a story, or better yet, a legend.
Because the legend you’re about to hear contains the secret behind this powerful method…
The Legend of the Extraordinarily Ordinary Tea
There once was a group of elderly, cultured gentlemen who met often to exchange wisdom and drink tea.
Each host did their best to find the finest and most costly varieties of tea that they could.
Each host worked hard to create exotic blends that would arouse the admiration of their guests.
When the most honored and respected member of the group had them all over, he served his tea with unprecedented ceremony.
He measured the leaves from a golden box.
The elderly group of cultured gentlemen praised this exquisite tea.
They couldn’t stop talking about how amazing the tea was.
But what the host revealed next surprised his guests...
He smiled and said, “The tea you have found so delightful is the same tea our peasants drink. I hope it will be a reminder to all that the good things in life are not necessarily the rarest or the most costly.”
First of all, it is true and very important for us all to remember that many of the ordinary things in life are pretty amazing in and of themselves.
I don’t want you to miss that lesson.
But I didn’t tell you that story to teach you that lesson. I told it because I wanted to teach you a hidden lesson.
The Hidden Lesson
I want you to notice the important hidden lesson in this legend. What is the hidden lesson?
The lesson is that presentation and packaging really matter.
Do you think the elderly tea connoisseurs would have been raving if he served the ordinary tea in an ordinary way?
Do you think that his friends would have been in awe of his tea if he measured it out of an ordinary container?
The answer to both of these questions is no!
You see, he didn’t present his tea in an ordinary way. He presented itwith unprecedented ceremony.
He didn’t measure it out of an ordinary container. He measured the leaves from a golden box.
That is what influenced the opinion of his guests.
That is what created the feeling that they were drinking something extraordinary.
How This Lesson Can Help You to Make Your Ordinary Content or Copy Feel Extraordinary
After reading this far, some of you are feeling like the elderly gentleman’s friends.
You have enjoyed the “taste” and “experience” of the content I just presented for you to consume.
The possible impact of the method and truth I just revealed has really intriguedyou. If you’re feeling that way, I’m glad. That was the plan I had for you when I wrote this article.
Do you want to know how I created this content in a way to impact you? I did it by applying the same method I just revealed to you.
In other words, I used the same method that the honored and respected member of the tea connoisseurs used.
I took an ordinary (but very important) idea and I focused on doing my best to present it to you in the most extraordinary way I could.
What was my idea?
My ordinary idea was this: How you present your content will make all the difference in whether your content or copy feels ordinary or extraordinary.
How I Used His Method in This Article
Instead of just presenting the above sentence/method to you, I focused on the presentation of the method:
I started by focusing on the need you have to make your content or copy stand out.
I reminded you how the ability, or lack of ability, to do this will mean success or failure for you.
I told you that that is why you must learn how to create better content or persuasive copy.
I told you I wanted to show you a method that many people don’t know or many overlook.
Then I told you the legend of the extraordinarily ordinary tea.
ONLY after all of that did I reveal the idea/lesson.
Now, please pay close attention because this is really important…
All of the things I did before “the reveal “were important things for you to know or be reminded of. All of those things were true.
Your content or copy must stand out from your competition or it will fall short.It will fail you.
It is extremely important that you know how to create powerful content and engaging copy.
The ordinary idea that I revealed today will play a very important role in enabling you to make your content or copy feel extraordinary.
In fact, this ordinary idea is so important I COULDN’T risk the chance of you ignoring it. I HAD to figure out the most extraordinary way to present it to you.
Otherwise, you never would’ve consumed this content. This means you never would have learned (or been reminded of) this valuable, but very ordinary idea.
I couldn’t risk doing anything else or anything less. This ordinary idea was too valuable to waste.
Would You or Your Team Like to Learn How to Create Content Like This?
If you or your team of content marketers or copywriters would like to learn how to create powerful content or persuasive copy, I have three options you can choose from:
Stay tuned for the next article that I’ll be posting next week. I’m going to continue to show you how to harness the power of the 7th marketing fundamental you need to succeed in 2021. (You can read all of the 7 marketing fundamentals here.)
Contact me if you’d like more information about a small, paid coaching group I’m thinking of starting. If there’s enough interest, I’ll teach a small group of you many more ways you can use to create powerful content and persuasive copy – copy that will stand out from the rest of the content or copy out there. Contact me and I’ll give you more details on what I’m going to teach and how much it will cost.
(*Don’t worry. If you contact me, you won’t be obligated to be a part of the group. I won’t pressure you or barrage you with emails begging you to be a part. I don’t want anyone to be a part of this group unless they are really interested and excited to be a part.)
IMPORTANT: If you work for a company and you have a group of content marketers or copywriters you’d like me to coach, I would be willing to start a group with just your team. We would just need to agree on a regular coaching time and a price that works for your team and me. Contact me and let’s talk about it more.
You can choose option 1 and option 2. You can stay tuned for my next article and contact meabout the coaching. 🙂
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Powerful content or compelling copy doesn’t just happen by accident any more than a great book or popular movie happens by accident.
Engaging content or effective copy is not only written using creativity. It’s also formed with a clear purpose and strategy in mind.
If you want to know how to write powerful content or great copy, then you will want to keep reading. I’m about to reveal to you the indispensable elements behind all great content or copy.
But before I do that, I need to tell you a quick story that will reveal something interesting about our desire to know the elements that form things…
The Universal Theory of the Ancient World
There was once an interesting theory that was believed throughout the ancient world.
What was this “universal theory”? It was the theory that nature and all of matter could be explained by four elements: water, earth, fire, air.
The cultures of Ancient Egypt, Greece, Persia, Babylonia, India, and several other cultures all had similar elements on their lists. That’s really interesting, isn’t it?
It’s interesting that people who were separated by great distances all came up with a similar list of the core elements of this world.
Of course, science doesn’t believe that these four elements are what make up our material world anymore. Atomic theory now states that matter is composed of atoms.
But my point is, whether it’s the ancient cultures or modern science, all of us are always trying to figure out the core elements that make up the things around us.
Well, I have good news for you today. There actually are some core elements behind all powerful content or copy. In fact, I would say there are 11 elements.
I’ll reveal what those 11 elements are in just a minute. But first, let me remind you of what I shared in my last article.
The 7th Marketing Fundamental
In my last article, I told you that the words you use are the 7th marketing fundamental you need to succeed in 2021.
In other words, after you’ve chosen your Who (the 5th marketing fundamental) and created the most powerful offer that you can for them (the 6th marketing fundamental), the next most important thing you can do is focus on the words you use.
The words you use or don’t use in your content or copy will make all the difference between your company experiencing success or failure from the marketing you use in 2021.
But you can’t just use any words that are randomly thrown together and expect to see amazing results.
If you want your words to have an impact, then your content or your copy must contain certain powerful elements.
The 11 Elements Behind All Powerful Content or Copy
Below are what I believe to be the eleven elements behind all powerful content or copy:
Capture Attention– You must have a captivating headline and an intriguing intro or you will never get anyone to consume your content or copy. If they don’t consume it, your company will never experience the success that it could in 2021.
Hold Attention – Once you capture their attention, you need to know how to keep hold of it. Because if you can’t keep your prospects attention, you will never be able to lead them where you want them to go.
Entertain – Your content or copy must be enjoyable to consume. If your content or copy isn’t enjoyable to read, then it will not be consumed. But if it is enjoyable to read, then people will not only consume it once, but they will also come back to read other content or copy you create. They will also share it with others.
Personality – If you want your content or copy to stand out, it must have a unique voice or tone. In other words, it must have personality. The common problem with a lot of content I see is that it doesn’t stand out. It sounds the same as any other content on the same topic. Copy without personality has the same problem. If your content or copy doesn’t stand out, it will never impact your prospects.
Educate – Great content or copy leaves people feeling like they know something that they didn’t know before. Or maybe it reminds them of something they forgot or have been overlooking. If your content or copy educates people, they will come back for more and share it with others.
Believable – Your content or copy must provide your readers with reasons to believe. I think it was Todd Brown that said this, “Not all things that are true are believable, and not all things that are believable are true.” You must tell the truth and do it in a way that people believe and accept it. If people don’t believe you, they will never purchase from you.
Answer Objections or Question – Questions or objections are a normal response to any information. You should not be surprised by them. You should expect them. Not only should you expect them, but you should also anticipate them and answer within your content or copy. If you can answer the objections and questions of the readers of your content or copy, then you have removed a major barrier that keeps people from purchasing from you.
Speaks to the Heart and the Mind – We are beings that have emotions and intellect, so both should be spoken to or I should say “written to.” If you want to create powerful content or copy, you need to create content that speaks to people’s hearts and their minds.
Inspiring – The origin of the word “inspire” comes from a Latin word that means to inflame or to blow in to. In other words, when you inspire someone, it’s like you’re blowing air over a low flame to make it grow. That means your content or copy can inspire many things in your readers. It can inspire confidence, hope, or inspire them to take action. Powerful content or copy is inspiring.
Empathetic – Your content or copy must show that you understand and can relate to the feelings of your readers. Do you want to know the secret to create content or copy that’s empathetic? You have to actually have empathy with your readers. If you don’t, then any content or copy you create with the appearance of empathy will ring hollow.
Motivate to take action – This is the ultimate sign of powerful content or copy. Powerful content or copy moves people to action. That means that it moves them to do things like: purchase from you, subscribe, share, or even comment on your content. If your content or copy doesn’t inspire people to action, it really just ends up being empty words. Empty words will not bring success to your company this year.
In My Upcoming Articles, We’ll Go Deeper
Today, I just wanted to touch on the eleven basic elements. But in my upcoming articles, I will go a little deeper on some of these elements,
Notice I said “some.” I won’t be able to go deeper into all of them. But I do want to give you some specific tips on how to use some of these elements in your content or copy.
Stay tuned. In the meantime, why don’t you sign-up below so that you will be notified when my next article goes live or when future articles do.
(While you’re at it, you should also sign-up to get access to the free resources in our DRCM Member’s Resource Area.)
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I am currently working on my next article that will reveal some of the key elements your content or copy must have if you want it to be effective.
In the meantime, here are four quotes from content marketing experts and copywriting legends that will inspire you to master the 7th marketing fundamental (aka the words you use)…
Text Version of Content Marketing Quote from Avinash Kaushik
“Content is anything that adds value to the reader’s life.”
– Avinash Kaushik
Text Version of Content Marketing Quote fromMarkus Sheridan
“Great content is the best sales tool in the world.”
-Marcus Sheridan
Text Version of Copywriting Quote fromEugene Schwartz
“Copy is not written. Copy is assembled.”
– Eugene Schwartz
Text Version of Copywriting Quote fromLeo Burnett
“The secret of all effective advertising is not the creation of new and tricky words and pictures, but one of putting familiar words and pictures into new relationships.”
–Leo Burnett
Catch Up on What You Missed in This Series
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University-educated people know around 40,000 words. (BellEnglish.com)
A child in first grade uses between 8,000-14,000 words. (Scholastic)
When actually speaking and with everyday writing (emails, letters, notes, etc.), the amount of words the average person uses goes down to about 5,000 very common words that are used repeatedly. (BellEnglish.com)
300 to 600 words may be enough to travel, but at least 1,000 words are necessary for a conversation in another language. (MosaLingua.com)
Keep those facts in mind. Why?
Because the marketing fundamental I’m going to reveal to you today has something to do with word usage.
Keep reading and you’ll discover what I mean…
The 12 Marketing Fundamentals You Need to Succeed in 2021
If you haven’t read the other articles in this series, then you should read the next section. It will help you to understand the importance of the marketing fundamentals I’m sharing with you.
*Skip This If You’ve Read the Other Articles in This Series*
In my first article of the series, I laid an important foundation that I have continued to build on. In that article I said…
Based on some things I’ve been reading from the experts I follow, there are some interesting trends and predictions that are said to be coming our way in 2021.
These trends and predictions will be opportunities for people that know how to leverage them.
But I believe that the sweet spot in 2021 is the place where opportunity and the fundamentals meet.
You see, the people and companies that succeed the most are the ones that keep their eye out for opportunities and then take advantage of them by harnessing the fundamentals.
What fundamentals? The marketing fundamentals that have existed for at least 100 years and that will probably exist for at least another 100 years.
The third marketing fundamental is follow-up. Because two of the biggest mistakes many companies make are tied to follow-up. They don’t follow up at all. They don’t follow up enough.
The fourth marketing fundamental is a unique selling proposition. Because if you’re ever going to get your prospects to choose your company, product, or service over your competition, then they have to know WHY and HOW your business is different and better than any of the other choices.
Now that you’re all caught up, you’re ready to discover the 7th marketing fundamental.
When I revealed the 5th marketing fundamental, I told you that there’s a secret that successful direct response marketers all know.
They know that the most important element in a successful direct response campaign is the list. It’s what I called your Who.
When I revealed the 6th marketing fundamental, I told you that there’s another secret that successful direct response marketers know.
They know that the second most important element is a successful direct response piece is the offer.
Well, today I’m going to reveal the third most important element of a successful response piece.
After the who and the offer, it’s the most important component to creating powerful copy or content. This component is what I am calling the 7th marketing fundamental.
What’s the 7th marketing fundamental? It’s the words you use.
5 Important Facts to Understand About the 7th Marketing Fundamental
Now, that you know what the 7th marketing fundamental is, let me clarify some important facts that you need to understand:
Most marketers start with the words. That’s the wrong place to start. You must start with the right list, the right who, or the right audience. (They are all basically the same thing.)
If you are creating content or copy that is meant to directly influence sales, the second thing you must do is come up with the most powerful offer that will appeal to the list/who/audience you’ve chosen.
That is NOT to say that the copy/words/content that you choose to use are not that important. They are very important. But their importance doesn’t come into play until after you’ve chosen the right who and the right offer.
After those things are chosen, there is nothing more important to creating powerful marketing than the words you use. The most important elements are not the images you use or the layout of your page. Even though those things are important, the words you use are more important.
The words you use or don’t use will make all the difference between your company experiencing success or failure from the marketing you use in 2021.
That means your success in implementing the 7th marketing fundamental in 2021 comes down to how you answer these questions…
Do you know the kinds of words, phrases, and sentences that will make your prospects actually enjoy reading your copy or your content?
Do you know the kinds of words, phrases, and sentences that are the most effective to useto capture your prospect’s attention?
Do you know the types of words, phrases, and sentences that are the most important in helping your prospects to overcome their hesitancy to act on your offer?
Do you know the types of words, phrases, and sentences that will cause your copy or content to stand out from the sea of sameness?
In my upcoming articles, I’m going to reveal some of the elements that you can use to create powerful content and copy. Once you know these elements, you will enable you to answer “yes” to all of the questions above.
Stay tuned.
The First 6 Marketing Fundamentals You Need to Succeed in 2021 (INFOGRAPHIC)
If you haven’t, you can click the link above to read the full article. If you’ve already read it, I’ve included the infographic below again. Why?
Because I want to ask you to do me favor. Can you share it on your favorite social media platform and/or on your website?
When you do, you’ll not only be helping your followers and/or website visitors, you’ll be helping me to spread the word about this series I’m doing.
The First 6 Marketing Fundamentals You Need to Succeed in 2021– Infographic
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Famous Indy Race Car Driver’s Surprising Success Secret
It’s been said that race car driver Bill Vukovich, the man who won the Indianapolis 500 race back in 1953 and 1954, had something surprising to say about his “secret to success“.
When he was asked the secret of his success in the Indianapolis 500, Vukovich shocked people with his answer.
He said, “There’s no secret. You just press the accelerator to the floor and steer left.”
What Bill was basically saying was this: Success comes down to how you implement the fundamentals.
Bill’s Advice Applies to Business Success Too
As I’ve said, I believe that the sweet spot in 2021 is the place where opportunity and the fundamentals meet.
The people and companies that succeed the most are the ones that keep their eye out for opportunities and then take advantage of them by harnessing the fundamentals.
That means that the secret of the companies that will succeed in 2021 and beyond will come down to this:
Understand the current opportunities
Successfully apply the fundamentals to take advantage of these opportunities
In other words, the secret of the companies that will succeed in 2021 will be very similar to Bill’s advice: “There’s no secret. After you see the opportunities, seize those opportunities by successfully pushing the accelerator on those fundamentals.”
Why I Stopped Posting for a Few Weeks
Since the beginning of the year, I’ve been publishing a series of articles that reveal the 12 marketing fundamentals that will help you succeed in 2021.
But some of you might have noticed something. After posting the first six marketing fundamentals, I haven’t posted an article in a couple of weeks.
Why? Well, there are a few reasons:
I was really busy at work.
I went on vacation.
And we had friends come to visit.
Anyway, I’ll be continuing my series and will be posting the final marketing fundamentals you need to succeed this year. Stay tuned.
In the meantime, you’ll find a list of the first 6 marketing fundamentals below.
The First 6 Marketing Fundamentals You Need to Succeed in 2021– Infographic
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The First 6 Marketing Fundamentals You Need to Succeed in 2021– Text Version
The 1st marketing fundamental is attention. Without attention, there’s no marketing.
The 2nd marketing fundamental is attraction. Without attraction, all the work capturing attention is wasted.
The 3rd marketing fundamental is follow-up. Two of the biggest mistakes many companies make are tied to follow-up.
The 4th marketing fundamental is a USP. You need this if you’re going to get your prospects to choose you over your competition.
The 5th marketing fundamental is your “who.” Because if you don’t get this group right, all of your marketing efforts will produce little results.
The 6th marketing fundamental is your offer. If you don’t create a powerful offer, even the right “whos” won’t end up purchasing from you.
Catch Up on What You Missed in This Series
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I’ve been talking to you about the 6th marketing fundamental you need to succeed in 2021. I told you that it’s your offer. I went on to reveal these things about creating a powerful offer:
Well, today I what to show you how the extremely popular new app called Clubhouse harnessed one of the elements of a powerful offer to create a company that’s now valued at $1 billion.
But first, I need to make sure that you know what Clubhouse is.
Well, this is what Clubhouse is according to Wikipedia…
“Clubhouse is an invitation-only audio-chat iPhone app launched in April 2020 by Paul Davison and Rohan Seth of Alpha Exploration Co. that offers room for discussions between two or more speakers. In May 2020, the social networking app was valued at nearly $100 million. On January 21, 2021, the valuation reached $1 billion.”
How Clubhouse Describes Their App in the Apple App Store
Clubhouse is a space for casual, drop-in audio conversations—with friends and other interesting people around the world.
Go online anytime to chat with the people you follow, or hop in as a listener and hear what others are talking about.
Clubhouse Description in App Store
The most interesting thing about this popular social media app is that it didn’t become popular by accident or by using some new high-tech tool or technique.
It became popular by using an old-school direct response method for creating powerful offers.
Which One of the 9 Elements of a Powerful Offer Did Clubhouse Use?
The element they used was one of the most powerful elements of an irresistible offer: the power of scarcity.
How did they use scarcity? They used it really strategically. Watch what I mean…
1. When the Clubhouse founders, Silicon Valley entrepreneurs Paul Davidson and Rohan Seth, first provided the beta version of the app, they only allowed 1500 people in, many of these being high-profile venture capitalists and celebrities.
These people included people like MC Hammer, Van Jones, Shaka Senghor, and venture capitalists like Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz.
Did you catch that? They not only used scarcity, but they also harnessed the power of exclusivity by bringing in people that people want access to.
Do you want to know how effective this strategy was? They launched the app in April 2020. By May 20, 2020, they were already valued at $100 million.
2. When they opened it to a wider audience, they didn’t open it to everyone. They limited it to only iPhone users.
This was a smart move because there are 1 billion iPhone users compared to 2.5 million Android users. This helped limit the users to a much smaller pool than if they opened it up to both phone platforms.
But they didn’t stop there. They made the Clubhouse app even more scarce.
3. They made access to it by invite only.
Instead of opening it up to all iPhone users, they made it only available to people who had an invite. This was ingenious. Because by limiting it, it made the app even more desirable to people.
This also made any user who got access to Clubhouse WANT to use their invite because it gave them social clout with their friends, colleagues, and followers.
Basically, they took the basic the old school direct response technique of limiting the number of people who can have your product and they 3Xed it by:
First making it only available to a limited number of celebrities and high-profile venture capitalists
Making it only accessible to iPhone users
Making only obtainable to iPhone users with an invite
Look, I don’t want to discount the fact that the creators of Clubhouse were very smart in making sure that their app had a really unique selling proposition (the 4th marketing fundamental).
That definitely helped give them an edge in the crowded field of companies trying to come up with the next hot social media app.
But it was the fact that they took this U.S.P and paired it with a 3Xed scarcity offer that made it gain such attention so quickly and made it desirable by so many.
My Clubhouse Confession
By the way, I need to admit something before you leave. I need you to know that I’ve never used Clubhouse. Why? Because I have an Android phone. 🙂
But guess what? As soon as they make it available to Android users, and as soon as I get an invite, I’m joining Clubhouse right away.
Their use of exclusivity and scarcity has made their app extremely desirable to me. You see, even though I understand the technique they used, I still can’t resist it. Haha.
The 7th Marketing Fundamental Might Be Delayed
This week and the next are going to be really busy weeks for me. For that reason, I’m not sure when I will be able to write my next article on the 7th marketing fundamental.
I’ll do my best to get the first article written as soon as I can. But it might take a little longer than usual.
In that article, I shared the fact that your prospects need you to follow-up because we all procrastinate and don’t do what we know we should. We do that because we’re scared.
Well, the reason you must create the most powerful offer you can is because you must do everything you can to inspire and motivate your prospects to take action.
Otherwise, they won’t.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m NOT telling you to trick your prospects. I’m also not telling you to manipulate them.
What I am telling you is this: If you are selling something that your prospects really need or want, then you must figure out a way to get them to take action.
How do you create an offer that gets a prospect to take action? It starts with understanding the purpose of your offer.
Let me share a story I came across with you to explain what I mean.
Your Offer is the Incentive to Take Action
In a Michigan State University study, 97% of the faculty members and staff who bet $40 that they could stay with a six-month exercise program were successful. Only 19% of a non-betting group stayed with their six-month program, however.
– MSC Health Action News, April 1993
Did you pay attention to the percentages in those two groups? They’re pretty impressive:
97% of the faculty and staff who bet money were successful.
Only 19% of the faculty and staff that didn’t bet any money were successful.
That reveals an important truth that you need to remember when you’re creating your offer.
The truth you need to remember is that people are more likely to take action when they have the incentive to do so.
But here’s the thing that amateur marketers don’t realize. The most effective incentives have a positive and negative aspect to them.
Something to Gain and Something to Lose
In other words, your offer should make your prospect see and feel that they have something to gain if they take action.
And more importantly, it should also make them see and feel that they have something to lose if they don’t take action.
Why did I say, “…more importantly” when I mentioned what they’d lose? Because a sense of loss is even more important than a sense of gain.
I guarantee that the reason that 97% of the faculty and staff were successful is because they didn’t want to lose $40. It wasn’t really because they cared that much about gaining $40.
The Two Important Emotional Elements of an Irresistible Offer
You need to clearly explain and paint a picture of what the prospect will gain – how their life will change for the better – if they take your offer.
You need to clearly explain and paint a picture of what the prospect will lose- how their life will change for the worse– if they don’t take your offer.
Again, please don’t think I’m suggesting that you lie or exaggerate when adding these two emotional elements.
You shouldn’t do that. In fact, you shouldn’t need to do that.
If your product or service really offers a benefit to your prospects, and if you have added things to make a powerful offer, then what they will gain or lose is real.
You just need to help them see and feel that gain or loss. The “one-two punch” of gain and loss will be a powerful incentive that will make it much more likely that your prospect will take action.
It will make the gain or loss more real to them just like the $40 bet made things real for the faculty and staff at Michigan State University.
I’m not saying that 97% of them will take action but it will be a much higher percentage than if you didn’t include these two emotional elements.
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In my last article, I told you that the offer is the 6th marketing fundamental you need to succeed in 2021. In other words, you need to learn how to create powerful offers.
I also told you not to make the mistake that so many do. Your offer is much more than just your product or service.
In fact, there are certain key elements that every powerful offer has. Today, I want to reveal those key elements to you.
But before I do that, I need to tell you a story that will help you understand the importance of what I’m about to show you.
Let me tell you the story and then I’ll explain…
The Dream That Led to the Discovery of the Periodic Table
Back in 1863, there were only 56 known elements.
That’s less than half of the 118 known elements today. At that point in time, some scientists had already noticed that elements seemed to have patterns in their chemical makeup that showed up in some kind of regular intervals.
But the process of discovering new elements took a very long time back then. How long? About a year. Well, that was about to change thanks to a man named Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev.
Dmitri was a Russian Chemistry professor. But he wasn’t just your average Chemistry professor.
After becoming a teacher in 1867, he wrote what was considered the Chemistry textbook of his time. It was called Principles of Chemistry. (He wrote it while he was preparing for a course he taught.)
It was while writing his book that he made an important discovery. As he tried to classify the elements according to their properties, he suddenly noticed something.
He noticed patterns. It was those patterns that led him to come up with what we know as the periodic table. But this is where the story gets interesting.
He later revealed that he had a vision of the complete arrangement of the elements in a dream.
Listen to how he describes this below…
By кабинет академика Михаила Михайловича Шульца – фото любезно передано мне в собственность вдовой М.М.Шульца Ниной Дмитриевной Шульц., Public Domain,
“I saw in a dream a table where all elements fell into place as required. Awakening, I immediately wrote it down on a piece of paper, only in one place did a correction later seem necessary.”
— Mendeleev, as quoted by Inostrantzev
That’s pretty amazing, huh?
At this point, you’re probably wondering why I’m telling you about a periodic tables when you’re wanting to learn about offers.
Well, it wasn’t just so I could tell you an interesting story. I told you this story because of what the discovery of the Periodic Table enables people to do.
Let me explain.
What the Periodic Table Enables Chemistry Students to Do
If it wasn’t for the simplification of the elements in this chart, chemistry students would need to learn all of the properties of all 118 known elements.
But, thanks to the periodic table, chemistry students only need to master the properties of a handful of elements. Why? Because all of the other elements fall into groups or families that have the same type of chemical properties.
Did you catch that? The periodic table gave people a much simpler, condensed way to understand all of the many different elements.
That’s exactly what I want to do for you today.
Instead of trying to give you all of the different ways that there are to create a powerful offer, I want to do give you a simpler way to understand the key elements of a powerful offer.
Use These 9 Elements to Create a Powerful Offer
With these simple elements, you’ll be able to make all types of powerful offers. Are you ready? Here are the nine elements you need to create a powerful offer:
A headline – In the same way that your content or copy needs a headline to capture people’s attention, so does your offer.
Identify solution – You need to clearly explain and show your prospects the problem that your product or service solves.
Describe offer and benefits – You need to describe what it is that you’re actually offering and why it’s a benefit to your prospects.
Determine price or pricing structure – This is where you need to describe the value that your prospects are getting, the price, and any pricing structure or payment options that you have set up.
Bullet points – Bullet points are a really important and effective way to make certain elements of your offer more digestible and/or draw attention to important points.
Scarcity – If you really want people to act now, and not wait, you should make your offer scarce in some way. You can do this by either having a limited amount that you are selling or by limiting the number of people who can purchase that particular offer.
Time-sensitive – Another way to get people to act now and not delay their purchase is by using time sensitivity in your offer. You do this by making your offer only available for limited times or limited days.
A bonus – An effective bonus can nudge a prospect across the line and get them to purchase your product or service.
A call to action – You need to tell your prospects what to do in order to get your offer. Examples of calls to action that you might use are: “Call us at…,” or “Fill out the form below…”
Two Final Thoughts About These Elements of a Powerful Offer
Let me leave you with two final thoughts about these elements of a powerful offer.
I haven’t shared everything that there is to know about each of these elements. If I did that, I would write an article about each of these elements. But I don’t have time to do that. I still have 6 additional marketing fundamentals to reveal! 🙂
You can obviously create an offer that doesn’t have all of these nine elements. But I would encourage you NOT to take away too many of these elements if you want your offer to be as powerful as possible.
That’s it for today. I will reveal some other important things that you need to know about powerful offers in my next article.
If you haven’t read the other articles in this series, then read the next section. It will help you to understand the importance of the marketing fundamentals I’m sharing with you.
*Skip This If You’ve Read the Other Articles in This Series*
In my first article of the series, I laid an important foundation that I have continued to build on. In that article I said…
Based on some things I’ve been reading from the experts I follow, there are some interesting trends and predictions that are said to be coming our way in 2021.
These trends and predictions will be opportunities for people that know how to leverage them.
But I believe that the sweet spot in 2021 is the place where opportunity and the fundamentals meet.
You see, the people and companies that succeed the most are the ones that keep their eye out for opportunities and then take advantage of them by harnessing the fundamentals.
What fundamentals? The marketing fundamentals that have existed for at least 100 years and that will probably exist for at least another 100 years.
The third marketing fundamental is follow-up. Because two of the biggest mistakes many companies make are tied to follow-up. They don’t follow-up at all. They don’t follow-up enough.
The fourth marketing fundamental is a unique selling proposition. Because if you’re ever going to get your prospects to choose your company, product, or service over your competition, then they have to know WHY and HOW your business is different and better than any of the other choices.
Now that you’re all caught up, you’re ready to discover the 6th marketing fundamental.
The 6th Marketing Fundamental You Need to Succeed in 2021
As you learned in a previous article, the most important element of a copywriting campaign is the list. The who.
Well, guess what the second most important element is? Again, if you asked a group of successful direct response marketers what the second most important element in a copywriting campaign is, after the list, they will tell you it’s this…
It’s your offer.
The offer is the 6th marketing fundamental you need to succeed in 2021. But, do you know what the biggest problem with offers is?
It’s the fact that many companies are confused about what an offer actually is. Most people believe that your offer is just the product or service you sell.
But that’s incorrect. An offer is much more than that.
“An offering in marketing is the total offer to your customers. An offering is more than the product itself and includes elements that represent additional value to your customers, such as availability, convenient delivery, technical support or quality of service. A strong offering differentiates your products from competitors and creates value by meeting customers’ wider needs better than other options.”
So you see, your offer is much more than just the product or service that you’re selling. But misunderstanding what an offer is is only part of the problem.
The next problem with offers is that many companies don’t realize an important fact. How you create and state your offer makes ALL the difference.
In other words, the offers you make in your company’s marketing shouldn’t be just an afterthought. Offers are way too important for that. They should be one of the primary things you should focus on.
To show you what an offer is and how a great, well-thought-out offer can impact your business, let me tell you a quick story of how a powerful offer accidentally started a business.
How Avon Was Accidentally Started
Have you heard of Avon? If not, here is how Wikipedia describes the company.
“Avon Products, Inc. or simply known as Avon, is a direct sales company in beauty, household, and personal care categories. Avon had annual sales of $5.57 billion worldwide in 2019.“
I’d say it’s a pretty successful company, wouldn’t you? Well, most people don’t know this but this successful company was started by accident.
It all started back in 1886. David H. McConnell was a door-to-door salesman who sold books. David was a smart man. He knew that an offer was more than just his product.
He also knew that in those days his main customers were women. (He knew his who.)
In order to attract female customers, he decided to offer little gifts of perfume. That made his offer much more attractive to his target market. Little did he know, this decision would change his life forever.
Because before long, the perfume he was giving away had become more popular than the books he was selling.
He wisely decided to shift his focus from books to perfume and founded the California Perfume Company, which later became Avon.
Think about it. If a powerful offer can accidentally start a company that’s now worth a billion dollars, what can a powerful offer do for your company?
In my upcoming articles, I’m going to reveal some things you can do to create powerful offers.
Until then, let me leave you with three questions you should ask yourself so that you can be ready to get the most value from what I’m going to share in my upcoming articles.
Take a Look at Your Business Through the Lens of Offers
Now that understand the importance of offers, I would encourage you to take a look at your business through the lens of offers.
Then ask yourself these three questions:
Have we created offers for our products or services?Or are we just selling products and services?
How effective are our offers?
What are some things that we could add to our offers to improve them?
Don’t just answer these questions in your head. Write down some answers.
Write down some examples of the offers you’ve created and look at them separately from your marketing or your ads. Then judge whether they’re good offers or not.
Take a good look at the results these offers have brought your company. Would you say that they’re effective? Is there any room for improvement? Write down what you think.
If you think they can be improved, begin to think about things you can add to your offers or other ways you can improve them. Write down any ideas.
Once you have all of these things in mind, you’ll be ready for my upcoming articles that will begin to show you the elements of a powerful offer and much more.
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In the meantime, if you want to catch up on the previous marketing fundamentals I’ve already revealed, then click here. (There are now 22 previous other articles in this series.)
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If you stick with me today, I’m about to show you a different way to think about target markets (your who). Not only that, but I’m also going to show you a different way you can help certain target markets. And in the process, I’ll show you how that target market can help your company.
Are you ready? It all begins with the invention of a new dish soap that could clean away grease: Dawn dish soap.
Dawn dish soap is the leading dishwashing liquid in the U.S.Procter and Gamble introduced it to the marketplace in 1973. It was invented by a guy named Paul Andrecola who only 26 years old at the time.
(Interesting side note: Paul is the same person who later invented Febreze.)
So far the story doesn’t seem that exciting yet, does it? That’s because you haven’t heard about the amazing discovery that was made about Dawn…
The Amazing Discovery
Five years after it was introduced, something interesting happened that Procter and Gamble had nothing to do with.
In 1978, the International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC) was conducting a test. You see, Chevron had given the IBRRC a small grant to test how well all of the major dish soaps were at cleaning birds that were covered with oil.
That’s when they made an amazing discovery.
After testing all of the dish soaps, they discovered that one of them worked way better than the others. It was Dawn.
After making this discovery, they contacted Procter & Gamble to let them know the results of their test. They also asked Procter & Gamble if they would donate cases of the product to help them to save birds.
Dawn/Procter & Gamble’s Surprising Response
What was Procter and Gamble’s response? Surprisingly, they ignored the IBRRC’s requests. Before you get upset at Procter & Gamble, you need to know the reason why. It wasn’t because they didn’t care about birds.
It was because Procter and Gamble knew that they first had to make sure Dawn was doing well as a product before they could pursue causes they wanted to support.
Now think about that for a minute. The IBRRC has uncovered a new use for Dawn and a new target market for Procter and Gamble, but Procter and Gamble didn’t see a value in pursuing this new target market… yet.
But, after 10 years spent establishing the brand in the marketplace, Procter and Gamble finally felt they were ready.
The Decision That Changed Everything
In 1988, Procter and Gamble finally agreed to donate cases of Dawn to IBRRC. Their timing couldn’t have been any more perfect. Why do I say that?
It was just a year later, during the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989, that volunteers used Dawn to clean the oil-covered birds. That moment changed everything for Dawn.
The media fell in love with the story of Dawn dish soap being used to clean the birds. They loved the story so much that they featured it in their news stories. The crazy thing is the media has continued to love and share that story over all the years since.
Think about how powerful that is for the brand Dawn. What else can better prove that it works at cutting grease and is also safe and gentle?
That’s why, after taking so long to decide to participate in bird rescues, Dawn isn’t just donating cases of its dish soap.
They are now so focused on this unexpected target market that they now take part in advocating and promoting animal rescue efforts in their commercials.
Commercials like this one…
Now, that’s a powerful and moving product demonstration!
3 Lessons on Targeting Your “Who” from Dawn Dish Soap
I believe there are several valuable lessons that we can learn from Dawn dish soap:
1. Focusing on the right target market is more than just about finding a group you can sell to. It also involves focusing on a group you can effectively serve.
2. When you find the right target market to sell to, the revenue that those customers generate for your company will generate the funds that enable you to serve another market.
3. When you find the right target market to serve and actively and passionately serve them, you will attract even more people that you can sell to. Why? Because you enable a target market to give their purchase meaning.
Don’t just pick a target market for your company to serve for the financial benefit. Choose one purely for the benefit of helping a group of people (or a group of people trying to help animals as in this case).
Just know that when you do choose a certain who to serve that you will, by default, attract a certain target market that wants to purchase from you.
That’s not all. Choosing a who/target market to serve will also give a unique way to stand out in the market.
And that will give you an advantage over the competitors who only focus on a who/target market to sell to.
Next Week: The 6th Marketing FundamentalYou Need to Succeed in 2021
Well, that’s all that I want to share with you about the 5th marketing fundamental (your who). Next week, I will reveal the 6th marketing fundamental you need to succeed in 2021.
Stay tuned.
Catch Up on What You Missed in This Series
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In the meantime, if you want to catch up on the previous marketing fundamentals I’ve already revealed, then click here. (There are now 22 previous articles in this series.)
As I told you in a previous article, if you choose the right audience, you will be surprised at the different results you will get in 2021 from the same marketing plan.
Those of you who are content marketers might be wondering, “Once you find the right audience, how do you figure out what kind of content to create for them?”
I’ve been thinking about it and I’ve realized that I already unintentionally answered that question. I did it when I created a video about attention back on May 8, 2019.
It was when I revealed the secret the HGTV knows…
The Attention-Getting Secrets Marketers Can Learn from HGTV
Did you know that HGTV is the 6th most popular cable network?
That means they understand how to not only CAPTURE attention but also how to KEEP attention and build ATTENTION LOYALTY.
As content marketers or direct response marketers, wouldn’t it be cool to learn just a little of what they know about attention?
Well, in the video below, I reveal one of the secrets that HGTV knows about attention. Remember, this also applies to creating content for your target market.
Watch the video to discover this secret and see if you can see both lessons…
My Next Article is Almost Ready
I’m very close to finishing my next story on how a popular brand achieved new levels of success after they found out about a new market. It will be ready tomorrow.
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Beginner marketers don’t focus on the headline as much as they should. To them, a headline is an afterthought.
Established marketers put much more thought into them. They focus on things like how their headline can impact SEO and impact SERP.
But when the most effective marketers put in the time to develop a headline, they not only think about the SEO aspect of a headline. They also think aboutthe importance of the headline to the humans they’re wanting to attract.
Today we’re going to look at headlines through the lens of the 5th marketing fundamental. So far, I’ve revealed the 5th marketing fundamental you need to succeed in 2021. I called it your Who, but you might have heard it called your “target market.”
If you don’t get this group of prospects right, then all of your marketing efforts will produce little results.
Missed My Recent Articles?
If you’ve missed my previous articles on the 5th marketing fundamental, you can see them here:
Today, I want to show you how applying the 5th marketing fundamental to the 1st marketing fundamental (attention) can help you to capture the right people’s attention in 2021.
To show you this, you have to see what a marketing legend once revealed were the two key attributes of a good headline.
In 1958, A Marketing Legend Revealed These Secrets to Creating Powerful Headlines
In that article, I shared a powerful quote and two lessons that I want you to see…
“There are two principal attributes of good headlines. They select, from the total readership of the publication, those readers who are (or can be induced to be) interested in the subject of the advertisement. And they promise them a worthwhile reward for reading it.”
– Victor O. Schwab
Think about those two purposes of a headline:
To select the people who would be most interested in what you’re advertising
To promise them a reward for reading the ad
Most people who create ads never do either of those things, let alone both of them.
SOME good copywriters accomplish the first task, but only the GREAT copywriters also accomplish the second.
If you learned how to master those two things, your ads would outperform any of your competitors or fellow copywriters this year.
Do you see how these two things combine the 1st and 5th marketing fundamentals?
You’re writing an article to capture attention (1st marketing fundamental). But you’re making sure that the headline is written for select people (5th marketing fundamental).
(We’re not even halfway through the 12 marketing fundamentals you need to succeed in 2021 yet. But I couldn’t resist touching on that fact that combining these fundamentals will exponentially increase the impact of your marketing this year. I’ll explain more in future articles.)
Two Things Before You Go
Before you go, I want to mention two quick things:
I’m sorry. I haven’t had the chance to write my next story of how a popular brand achieved new levels of success after they found out about a new market. You’re not going to want to miss this one because their success came to them differently than the way it did in the Play-Doh story. I’ll see if I can get that story done by the end of the week.
If you like Victor O Schwab’s quote, you should read my whole article at MarketingInsiderGroup.com. You can read it here.
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“Nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity.”
– H Jackson Brown Jr
In my last two articles, I’ve been talking about the 5th marketing fundamental you need to succeed in 2021. I call it your Who. It’s what many call your “target market.”
You might think you don’t need to learn more about this because your company has already chosen your target market.
But what if there is an even more profitable market, or segment of the market, that you could be focusing on?
Because the fact is, once you’ve chosen a target market, you want to take time to make sure it’s the most profitable one or that there isn’t some valuable segment within that market that you’re overlooking.
What is Market Segmentation
That leads us to something called “Market Segmentation.” What is market segmentation? Don’t let the term intimidate you. It’s just a process of dividing a target market into smaller, more defined categories.
Market segmentation is an important part of determining the exact Who you should be marketing to. It can help a start-up company to have more success in its early stages or it can help an established company achieve a new level of success.
You’re about to hear the story of how one well-known company gained popularity and success after starting out focusing on a completely different market.
But once they changed markets, and then focused on a specific segment, they achieved success like they never did before.
You’re about to discover:
The surprising origin of Play-Doh
Market segmentation lessons from Play-Doh
3 ways you can uncover new opportunities and new customers
The Surprising Origin of Play-Doh
I am sure you’ve heard of the kid’s clay-like substance called “Play-Doh”.
But you might not have heard how it came to be the well-known toy we all know and remember fondly.
Believe it or not, Play-Doh didn’t originally have anything to do with kids and fun.
It actually was manufactured as a cleaning substance for wallpaper.
From what I hear, the dough-like substance was rolled against wallpaper to remove built-up, soot, and dirt.
The Teacher and the New Idea
But in 1955 it made the shift from a wallpaper cleaning product to a kids joy-maker.
How? Well,after World War II, the wallpaper market was changing.
The demand for a cleaning substance was decreasing because peoples’ heating systems were more efficient and vinyl wallpaper was easier to clean.
One day Joseph McVicker, the nephew of the inventor, heard his sister-in-law (a teacher) complaining about how difficult it was to work with her students and the clay they used in the classroom back then.
When McVicker heard that, on a whim, he gave her a supply of the wallpaper cleaner to use with the kids in her class.
She used it, the kids loved it, and McVicker realized he was on to something.
His next move was a genius one.
Tested by Thousands of Cincinnati Kids
He decided to supply the schools in the Cincinnati area with his substance, which basically got his “play dough” into the hands of thousands of young product testers.
You can guess what happened next.
News of this amazing squishy goop spread from kid to kid and parent to parent.
McVicker decided to keep the momentum going.
He did that by demonstrating and selling the item in the toy department of a store called Woodward & Lothrop Department Store that was located in Washington, D.C.
At this point, McVicker realized this could be a big thing.
Because of this, he formed Rainbow Crafts to manufacture what he began to call Play-Doh.
He later sold his company and all the rights to Play-Doh to General Mills.
This made him a millionaire before the age of 30.
Market Segmentation Lessons From Play-Doh
What is the lesson you can learn from this?
Always be open to new markets, market segments, and new uses for your products and services.
The current ways your products and services are being used might not be the most profitable.
The current type of customers you sell to might not be the only ones, or the best ones, for you to sell to.
IMPORTANT: Notice how the process happened for McVicker. First, he discovered a new use for his product, which led to him providing it to teachers (a new market). That led him to decide to sell it directly to kids/parents (new segment).
3 Ways You Can Uncover New Opportunities And New Customers
If you want to uncover new opportunities and new customers for your product or service in 2021, then here three ways you could do that:
1. Ask your customers how they actually use your product or service. This can lead to new revelations about how your products or services can be used.
2. List all of the end results that your product or service provides. Notice that I said “end results.” Thinking of these will help you to break out of the confines of its current use.
3. Look for customer groups that you currently don’t target who want those same end results.
Just do me a favor. Don’t wait till the current demand for your products or services lessens.
Begin the search now. That way if the demand lessens, you’ll be ready.
And if it doesn’t, you’ll increase your profits and have a stronger company that can better serve your current and future customers.
QUESTION FOR YOU: What ways have you discovered new opportunities and new customers to serve? Let me know in the comments below.
Stay Tuned for Another StoryAbout Another Popular Brand
If you liked the Play-Doh story, you’re going to like the next one I have for you.
It’s going to be another story of how a popular brand achieved new levels of success – after they found out about a new market they had never known of before.
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Yesterday, I revealed the 5th marketing fundamental you need to succeed in 2021. I called it your Who, but you might have heard it called your “target market.” If you don’t get this group of prospects right, then all of your marketing efforts will produce little results.
But if you choose the right audience, you will be surprised at the different results you will get from the same marketing plan.
Today, I want to reveal a specific group that you must target with your who if you want your marketing efforts to produce a good ROI.
To help you realize the significance of this group, I need to start by telling you a revealing story…
Stop Trying to Get Any Old Horse to Drink
I once heard a story about a young salesman who had given the very best pitch that he had to a prospect. But despite all his effort, the prospect still didn’t make a purchase.
He went back to his office and told his boss that he didn’t get the sale.
Then he said to his boss, “I guess it’s true that you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.”
The boss responded quickly with a lesson that the salesman never forgot.
The boss said, “Your job is not to make them drink, your job is to make them thirsty.”
I think that most of us think of sales in this way.
I completely agree with the idea… up to a certain point.
You see, I’ve been thinking about this recently: What is easier to sell? Something that someone already wants? Or something that someone has to be convinced to buy?
I’d prefer to sell something that someone already wants.
The Hamburger Stand with the Most Advantage
That reminds me of a lesson the late direct marketer, Gary Halbert, once taught to an audience.
He asked the group, “If you opened a hamburger stand, what advantage would you want to have?”
Someone would yell out, “The best hamburgers!” Someone else would yell out, “The best location!” Another would say, “The best prices!”
Gary would let them keep going for a while, watching the smug looks spread across the room, as each person became more and more convinced their answer was the best one.
Finally, Gary would surprise them all by saying something to the effect, “Those are all good ideas, but I only want one advantage: a hungry crowd!”
I’d add one more condition that I’d want: A hungry crowd – with money!
Of course, you want to offer the best possible product or service.
You want a great location.
You want to have competitive prices.
You want a great website, great content marketing, great SEO, great social media strategies, etc.
But if you don’t have a crowd of peoplewith money – who are hungry for what you’re offering – then you’re going to have a very difficult time generating any revenue.
Your Content Marketing, Products, And Services Must Attract That Kind Of Crowd
All of the content and marketing you create must be designed to attract and help that hungry crowd with money.
Your products and services must meet the needs and/or desires of a crowd of people who have the money to purchase from you.
Otherwise, you’ll take a lot of action, and maybe see a lot of reactions, but you’ll never get any transactions.
And that will never lead to satisfaction!
(Don’t make me rhyme again! 🙂 )
I don’t know about you, but I am going to focus everything I do on this #1 priority in 2021!
I will continue discussing this 5th marketing fundamental on Monday. Stay tuned!
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*Skip This If You’ve Read the Other Articles in This Series*
In my first article of the series, I laid an important foundation that I will continue to build on. In that article I said…
Based on some things I’ve been reading from the experts I follow, there are some interesting trends and predictions that are said to be coming our way in 2021.
These trends and predictions will be opportunities for people that know how to leverage them.
But I believe that the sweet spot in 2021 is the place where opportunity and the fundamentals meet.
You see, the people and companies that succeed the most are the ones that keep their eye out for opportunities and then take advantage of them by harnessing the fundamentals.
What fundamentals? The marketing fundamentals that have existed for at least 100 years and that will probably exist for at least another 100 years.
The third marketing fundamental is follow-up. Because two of the biggest mistakes many companies make are tied to follow-up. They don’t follow-up at all. They don’t follow-up enough.
The fourth marketing fundamental is a unique selling proposition. Because if you’re ever going to get your prospects to choose your company, product, or service over your competition, then they have to know WHY and HOW your business is different and better than any of the other choices.
Now that you’re all caught up, you’re ready to discover the 5th marketing fundamental…
The Archer’s Secretand the 5th Marketing FundamentalYou Need to Succeed in 2021
I once heard a story about a king who was hunting in a forest when he came across a tree that caught his attention. Why? Because it had several targets drawn on its trunk.
What amazed the king was that in the center of each circle was an arrow.
The king turned to his men and asked them, “Who is this amazing archer? I have to find him and recruit him for my army.”
At that moment, a boy walked by carrying a bow and a quiver of arrows. Overhearing the king, he admitted that he was the one who had shot the arrows.
The king couldn’t believe it. He asked the boy, “Are you sure you didn’t just push the arrows into the middle?”
But the boy said, “No, sire. I shot these arrows from a hundred paces.” “That is amazing,” said the king in awe.
That was all the king needed to hear. He looked the boy in the eye and told him, “From now on, consider yourself to be in my service.” The boy was so happy.
But the king had to know how the boy had such incredible aim. So the king asked the boy, “Tell me, how did you come to be such an excellent archer?”
That’s when the boy revealed his shocking secret. He said, “First, I shoot the arrow at the tree, then I paint a ring around it.”
The Secret of the Most Successful Direct Response Marketers
The secret of the most successful direct response marketers is very similar to the success secret of the boy in the story you just heard.
You see, if pick the right who, then you’ve just taken a major step towards success.
They make sure to pick the right list of people who:
Already wants what they’re offering
Has already purchased what they are offering
…then they offer that to that list.
The Most Important Element of a Successful Direct Response Campaign
If I get a room full of the top direct response marketers and I ask them, “What’s the most important element for a successful direct response campaign?” They will all unanimously give me the same answer.
It’s not the copy. Remember, these are people that get paid top dollar for the copy that they write but they know the most important element is not the copy.
It’s not the offer. Again, these people create amazing irresistible offers. but they know the most important element for a successful campaign is not the offer.
They will all tell you that the most important element in a successful direct response campaign is the list.
It’s the Who!
Because if you get the right, your offer doesn’t have to be perfect and you’ll still see a good response.
If you picked right who, your copy doesn’t have to be the best that’s ever been written and you’ll still see good results.
But if you pick the wrong who, you could create the best offer that has ever been created and still see hardly any results.
If you pick the wrong who you could create the most powerful copy that has ever been written, and you still will have a dud.
The Worst and Best Person to Sell Pizza To
Think about this… How difficult would it be to get someone who hates Pizza to purchase pizza from you, no matter how good your offer is or your copy is?
Even if you offered free pizza, they wouldn’t want it. Why? Because they hate pizza! The only offer that MIGHT work is if you offered to pay them to eat the pizza. And for some people that offer wouldn’t even work!
But now think of another person…
Think of someone who loves pizza. Someone who loves pizza of all different kinds.
Someone who buys pizza every week. Someone who loves thin crust and thick crust. Someone who constantly wants to try new places to eat pizza.
Think about the offer that will give them to purchase your pizza. All you probably have to do is just mention that your pizza place exists and they’ll be there.
Your offer doesn’t have to be that powerful. Your copy doesn’t have to be that compelling. And you will still see a result.
That’s the difference between picking the right who and the wrong who. That’s the difference between a successful marketing campaign and an unsuccessful marketing campaign.
It’s the list. It’s the audience. It’s the who.
If you want to succeed in 2021, then you cannot forget to focus on the 5th marketing fundamental: the who.
If you target the right who in your marketing campaigns, then everything will be easier.
If you target the wrong who, then even with the same exact marketing everything will be more difficult.
The key is going to be picking the right who. In my next article, I’ll reveal one of the criteria for the right who.
Catch Up on What You Missed in This Series
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Today, I want to share with you a powerful story of a man who personally tapped into the power of a USP.
The Story of a Man Named Harry
I never heard motivational speaker Bill Gove speak.
But I heard that he was considered the founder of the public speaking industry. I also heard that he was an amazing storyteller.
I’m about to share with you an example of the type of story that made him so special.
It’s a story of his that I came across that reveals a simple way one appliance store owner established a powerful brand, a brand that helped his store stand out from the rest.
It was so powerful that it even helped his store compete against the discount stores in his neighborhood.
Bill Gove told this story…
How Harry Competed With The Discount Stores
“Harry ran a small appliance store in Phoenix, Arizona. Harry was used to price-shopping by young couples. They would ask detailed questions about features, prices, and model numbers, and one of them always took notes.
“Harry knew that as soon as they left the store they were going to head for one of the discount appliance dealers to make comparisons.
“Nevertheless, Harry would patiently answer all their questions, even though it took more than a half-hour at times. But here’s where Harry really shines.”
Harry’s Surprising Response
Bill would continue by saying, “When the couple would announce that they were going to look around at some other places, Harry had a standard spiel to deliver. ‘I know that you’re looking for the best deal you can find,’ he would say.”
“‘I understand that, because I do the same thing myself. I know you’ll probably go down to Discount Dan’s to compare prices. I know I would. But after you’ve done that, I want you to think of one thing.
“‘When you buy from Discount Dan’s, you get an appliance–a good one, I know, because he sells the same appliances we do’.”
Now watch closely how Bill describes how Harry presents his USP (unique selling proposition) because it’s so powerful…
Harry’s Powerful USP
Bill shared that Harry would say, “‘But when you buy here, you get one thing you don’t get at Dan’s. You get me. I come with the deal. I stand behind what I sell. I want you to be happy with what you buy. I’ve been here 30 years. I learned the business from my Dad, and I hope to be able to give the business over to my daughter and son-in-law in a few years.
“‘So you know one thing for sure–when you buy an appliance from me, you get me with the deal. That means I’ll do everything I can to be sure you never regret doing business with me. That’s a guarantee.”
Then Bill said, “Harry would then wish the couple well and give them a quart of ice cream in appreciation of their stopping at his store.“
Bill Gove finished the story powerfully by saying, “Now how far do you think that couple is going to get with Harry’s speech ringing in their ears and a quart of ice cream on their hands in Phoenix, when it’s 110 degrees in the shade?”
Awesome story, isn’t it?
I don’t know if you realized this but there are six powerful unique selling proposition lessons that any company can learn from Harry.
Continue reading and you’ll discover what they are…
6 Brand Lessons From Harry That Can Help You Succeed
1. Offer a powerful guarantee.
People are scared to be ripped off or to look stupid. Not many have a lot of extra money to risk. That means that if you take away the risk, you’ll increase sales.
2. Know the questions your customers have and be prepared to effectively answer them.
Customers will have questions before they buy, even if they’re just simple ones like, “I want it. What’s the next step?” Do your best to learn their questions and how to powerfully answer them.
If prospects have too many unanswered questions, they’ll usually take their purchase elsewhere.
3. Don’t just sell a product or service. Attach who you are (or “who” your business is) to it.
This is the power of a brand. It’s the personality of a product that makes one product more appealing than another. It’s what (who) it represents. Don’t just focus on what your product or service is. Focus on who is offering it, whether that who is you or the personality your business represents.
4. Know what makes you/your business different from your competitors and make it clearly known to your customers.
Are you clear about what makes your business different from the others? Can you easily explain the difference to someone? If you can’t, you need to become clear and learn how to explain this to others.
5. Be a real human being interacting with another real human being.
Maybe at some point in the past people preferred buying from entities over people (if that was ever the case), but nowadays people want to buy from real people – people they know, like, trust, and can relate to.
Even if your business isn’t tied to your personality, make sure it has a personality. Make sure it’s human. Make sure your employees speak to your customers as one real person to another real person.
Understand your customers. Care about them and make sure that they know you understand and care about them!
6. Give and you’ll receive.
Do whatever you can to make the first move in the relationship with a potential customer. Don’t make them take the first step. Give them value, make their day before – or even whether – they purchase from you or not.
When you do these things, you’ll create a powerful brand, just like Harry.
The 5th Marketing FundamentalYou Need to Succeed in 2021
That’s it for the 4th marketing fundamental. Next week, I’ll begin to reveal what the 5th marketing fundamental is.
Stay tuned. Subscribe below to be automatically be notified when it goes live.
In the meantime, if you want to catch up on the previous marketing fundamentals I’ve already revealed, then click here. (There are currently 21 previous articles in this series.)
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Today, instead of trying to teach you more about unique selling propositions, I thought I’d give you some examples of some powerful ones.
Some you might have heard of, some you haven’t. Some are USPs for new companies, some are for old brands.
Either way, if you study them closely, you’ll walk away with a deeper understanding of how to make your marketing or your brand stand out from your competition.
14 Famous Unique Selling Propositions Examples
I’ve shared a brief comment with each of these examples below.
But I want you to read these unique selling propositions with the four things that Reeves revealed in mind. That way, you will make your own discoveries and uncover your own insights.
1. Dominos Pizza – Old delivery guarantee: “30 minutes or it’s free.”
My Comment: This was a claim that no one else was making back then. If you were hungry and you wanted food now, then you knew where to get it.
2. NerdFitness.com – “We help nerds, misfits and mutants lose weight, get strong and get healthy permanently!”
My Comment: When most gyms are trying to attract athletes, they focused on a neglected group.
3. GEICO – “15 minutes could save you 15 percent or more on car insurance.”
My Comment: The genius of this claim is that it’s clear, simple, and very specific.
4. FedEx – Old guarantee: “When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.“
My Comment: When this claim was first made, it was an unheard of promise. And it was a promise that solved the need of many business people.
5. Schiltz Beer – Old campaign: They had a campaign that is now known as the “Purity” campaign. The campaigned basically went into detail about their brewing process. It explained the care that went into each step. It explained the science behind each step. It revealed all of the things that were meant to show why Schlitz was a “pure” beer.
My Comment: They were the first to point out things that many of the competitors also did. By claiming these things first, they stood out.
6. 7UP – Old slogan “The uncola.”
My Comment: Instead of trying to be like their competitors, they decided to emphasize what made them different.
7. Robinhood – “Investing for everyone.”
My Comment: Now that they’ve been in the news recently, I think this promise is stronger than ever.
8. Warby Parker – “Try 5 pairs for free at home.”
My Comment: They decided to address the problem that most people had: the difficulty of finding the right pair of glasses.
9. Head & Shoulders – “Clinically proven up to 100% dandruff protection.”
My Comment: They choose to be known for something that many other shampoos didn’t even talk about.
10. Palmolive Dishwashing Liquid – Old slogan: “It softens your hands while you do the dishes.”
My Comment: This slogan stood out because it suddenly made dishwashing liquid have a whole new purpose.
11. The Economist – “You’ve seen the news, why not discover the story.”
My Comment: I like this because it suggests that you’ll learn the behind-the-scenes stories that you won’t get anywhere else.
12. Tiffany & Co – “The right one is worth waiting for.”
My Comment: This is a creative way to express a double entendre that express their uniqueness and the uniqueness of the person you’re purchasing the jewelry for.
13. Ben & Jerry’s – “We make the best possible ice cream in the best possible way.”
My Comment: This is a great way to continue to remind consumers that they make amazing ice cream with a powerful purpose behind it.
14. Tuesday Morning – When this store first began, it was literally only open on Tuesdays.
My Comment: When most stores were trying to be more available, they chose a different strategy. By limiting the times customers could purchase from them, they stood out in the marketplace and made their company more memorable and desirable.
If you have any examples that I didn’t include, feel free to list them in the comments below.
Want More?
If you missed my first article about the 4th marketing fundamental, you can check it out at the link below:
I’m about to reveal to you some things about creating a unique selling proposition that most of your competitors don’t know. Once you understand these things, it will help you to create a USP that is many times more powerful than your competition.
But in order to do that, you first need to know about the man behind the concept.
Rosser Reeves: The Man Behind One of the Most Important Activities Companies Must Constantly EngageIn
Theodore Levitt, a professor at Harvard Business School, once described the importance of differentiation with these powerful words…
“Differentiation is one of the most important strategic and tactical activities in which companies must constantly engage.”
Do you know what I find so interesting about the concept of a unique selling proposition or point of difference?
Many companies these days think they understand the concept, but they don’t know the origin of the term.
And for that reason, they really don’t grasp the full meaning and potential of the concept.
I don’t want you to be like these companies that only know the general concept. I want you to understand the full meaning and power behind a unique selling proposition.
To do that, you need to know about the man who coined the term USP.
Who Was Rosser Reeves?
He was an American advertising executive who was a pioneer of television advertising. How good was he at what he did? Well, he generated millions for his clients.
Do you know what I’d say his own personal USP was?
He didn’t think companies should advertise just for name recognition. Instead, he believed the purpose of advertising is to sell.
In fact, he insisted that the purpose of an ad or commercial was to show off the value or unique selling proposition of a product.
He didn’t think that the purpose of an ad or commercial was just to be funny or clever.
So, what did Rosser Reeves actually say about the unique selling proposition? I found this quote below from him. In it, he shares some powerful thoughts about a USP.
Let me share this quote about the USP and then I’ll share some insights we can glean from it…
The Powerful Thing Rosser Reeves Said About the Unique Selling Proposition
“Each advertisement must make a proposition to the consumer. Not just words, not just product puffery, not just show-window advertising. Each advertisement must say to each reader: ‘Buy this product and you will get this specific benefit.’ The proposition must be one that the competition either cannot, or does not, offer. It must be unique-either a uniqueness of the brand or a claim not otherwise made in that particular field of advertising. The proposition must be so strong that it can move the mass millions; i.e., pull over new customers to your product.” Photo by Matvey99 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,
— Rosser Reeves, 1961
4 Lessons About Unique Selling Propositions from the Man Who Made the Concept Popular
Now let me reveal four lessons we can learn from what Reeves said. To do that, let’s look closely at four things he said about USPs:
1.It should promise a specific benefit.
The mistake that some companies make is they don’t make any promise at all to their prospects. The mistake that other companies make is that they make a vague promise.
Why is that a problem? Because vague promises don’t stand out. How could they? When something is communicated in an unfocused or imprecise way, then its meaning isn’t clear.
Something unclear doesn’t stand out. Only a specific promise does.
If you want to harness the power of the 4th marketing fundamental, you need to make a specific promise to your prospects. That’s the first way to stand out and be different in the marketplace.
2. It must contain a claim the competition can’t or doesn’t offer.
Another mistake that some companies make is they just copy the promises of every other company in the market. That will never make a company different.
That means you need to start by asking and answering some important questions:
– What are all the claims that your competition is making in the marketplace? – Is there a common theme? Are they trying to solve a common problem or relieve a common pain? – What claim is not being made in the marketplace that your company can honestly make or that can be made about your product or service? – What is the gap or blind spot that is being overlooked by your competitors? Is there a way to relieve the problems or pain in the marketplace that isn’t being offered? Or is there a problem or pain that is not being focused on at all?
If you feel stuck trying to answer these questions, then the next point might help.
3. It must express a uniqueness of the brand or the claim being made.
If you don’t feel like you can make a unique claim, in what other ways can your brand stand out?
You see, a unique claim is not the only way that your company, product, or service can be different and stand out. The other way is through your brand.
What makes your brand different than the others? You might not think that there are many ways to make your brand stand out, but there are actually 9 different ways you can do that.
I’m don’t have the time to go over all 9 of the different ways, but I will share three of them with you:
Personality or Brand – Who is the founder/CEO of your company or who represents your company? Do they make your company different? Examples: Steve Jobs & Wendy’s
Backstory –The story of how the company (or founder) got into this particular line of business. Examples: TOMs Shoes or Clif Bar
Experience – The experience people get from buying or using your product or service to get the end result they want. Examples: Disneyland and any “high end” restaurant
Hopefully, these will give you some ideas to get you started.
4.The claim must be strong enough to move the masses.
Wow. Now that’s setting the bar high, isn’t it? But before you just dismiss this completely, let’s think about what it says for a minute.
I think the key point is that you shouldn’t focus on a claim about your product or brand that just moves one person or a few people. You want to find one that hits the nerve of a large amount of people.
In other words, you want to find a claim that speaks to a universal need, desire, pain, or goal in the marketplace.
Look, I’ll admit something to you. It might not always be possible for you to literally come up with a unique selling proposition that moves the masses.
But if you don’t aim that high, you’ll fall so short of the power that the unique selling proposition could bring to your company and its marketing.
Now that you know the original concept of the unique selling proposition, you have insight that many companies have overlooked, which means you now have the opportunity to use it in a way that your competitors have no clue is even possible.
My hope is that you’ll take this insight and implement it to the fullest. By the way, if and when you do implement it, I’d love to hear about it.
If you missed my previous article, you can check it out at the link below:
In my first article of the series, I laid an important foundation that I will continue to build on. In that article I said…
Based on some things I’ve been reading from the experts I follow, there are some interesting trends and predictions that are said to be coming our way in 2021.
These trends and predictions will be opportunities for people that know how to leverage them.
But I believe that the sweet spot in 2021 is the place where opportunity and the fundamentals meet.
You see, the people and companies that succeed the most are the ones that keep their eye out for opportunities and then take advantage of them by harnessing the fundamentals.
What fundamentals? The marketing fundamentals that have existed for at least 100 years and that will probably exist for at least another 100 years.
The third marketing fundamental is follow-up. Because two of the biggest mistakes many companies make are tied to follow-up. They don’t follow-up at all. They don’t follow-up enough.
The 4th Marketing Fundamental You Need to Succeed in 2021
The fourth marketing fundamental that you’re going to need in 2021 is the one that really has an impact on all of the marketing fundamentals I’ve revealed so far.
And honestly, it probably impacts all the fundamentals I’m still going to reveal.
What is the fourth marketing fundamental? It’s your unique selling proposition or USP. Some call this your point of difference or POD.
Whatever you call it, it’s a marketing fundamental you can’t overlook. Why?
Because if you’re ever going to have any chance of your prospects choosing your company, product, or service over your competition, then they have to understand something important.
Your prospects have to know WHY and HOW your business is different and better than any of the other choices.
I have two situations for you to imagine to help you see the need for this.
SITUATION #1
Imagine that you’re thirsty and want to buy a bottle of water. Now imagine a whole crowd of people who all look and sound similar. They are even dressed similarly.
They are all yelling your name, holding up water bottles, and telling you they have what you want! Which one are you going to choose?
It’s hard to decide, isn’t it? It’s actually pretty confusing. You’ll probably pick the closest and/or the loudest one.
Let’s look at the next situation and see how different it is…
SITUATION #2
Now imagine the same situation and the same crowd yelling out the same things. But suddenly you look closer at the crowd and you see one guy who is dressed differently.
He’s yelling your name too, but he’s saying something different. He’s telling you that his water is chilled at exactly 40ºF to make it extremely refreshing. He tells you that the others are just at room temperature.
He also tells you that his water comes from a pure spring at the top of a mountain and is filtered to remove any impurities. He tells you that even though it is filtered, it still maintains the important minerals your body needs.
He also mentions that all of the others are offering just filtered and bottled tap water. He tells you that his water is priced at the same as the others, but that it will be much more refreshing and helpful for your body.
Which one are you going to choose now? The one guy who is different! Why? Because you know why/how what he is offering is different and better than the others.
This is what it’s like when we make it clear to our prospects why/how we’re different from the competition.
The Van with the Generic Sign
Many years ago, I was driving through a city and saw a van with a generic sign on its door that just said, “Air conditioning and heating service.’ It also had a phone number on the sign that you could call.
I couldn’t believe that was all it said! Did they think someone who needed that service was going to see the van a scream, “YES! I finally found an A/C and heating service!” And then call them right away?
In a small town, with no competition for miles around, that might work. But it’s not going to work in most other areas! Why didn’t this guy at least have his name on A/C & heating sign? Something at least like, “Steve Smith’s A/C& Heating service?”
Better yet, why didn’t this guy ALSO have something on the sign that explained how his service was unique. He could’ve had something like, “We offer the guaranteed best-priced services that are fully guaranteed for 1 year!”
That would’ve been much more powerful and attractive to prospects looking for his services. My prediction is that his business is no longer in existence.
Successful companies make it very clear that their companies are different than the competition. They clearly spell out how their product or service is better/different.
If you want your company to have a chance of succeeding, then prospects must know how you’re different than other companies selling the same things.
USP or POD Applied to the Other Fundamentals
But remember what I said earlier? I said that this also applies to the previous marketing fundamentals. Well, think about that for a second and then answer these questions:
If you want to capture attention, do you think something different or the same will do it best?
If you want to capture attraction, do you think something different or the same will do it best?
If you want to capture attention with your follow-up, do you think something different or the same will do it best?
You know the answer.
Do you now see why I’ve said a USP or POD is so important? I’ve mentioned the importance of your prospects knowing how your company or product is different or better is than the competition.
But the reality is that in this world that’s crowded with competition in every vertical, one of these things is more important than the other.
The short video below gives a pretty powerful argument as to why different is better than better.
Sally Hoghead – Why Different is Better Than Better
VIDEO DESCRIPTION: It’s no longer enough to be good, or better, or even the best. Now the question is…what makes you DIFFERENT? Sally Hogshead, New York Times Bestselling author, Hall of Fame Speaker, and creator of the Fascinate test speaks on the subject of why DIFFERENT is better than BETTER.
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One of the reasons your prospects might not be ready, willing, or able to purchase from you today is because they’re dealing with a problem.
It doesn’t matter what the problem actually is. It’s too distracting, annoying, or painful for them to think of anything else. It’s too much of a pain to think about making any decisions. So, instead, they delay purchasing from you today.
That’s why follow-up is so important.
Let me tell you a quick story about a big problem that a farmer had and to reveal to you more of what I mean…
The Old Farmer and the Large Rock
An old farmer had a large rock in the middle of his field.
Instead of getting rid of it, he plowed around that large rock for years.
He did this because he’d broken several plowshares and a cultivator on it.
After breaking another plowshare one fall, and remembering all the trouble the rock had caused him through the years, he finally determined to do something about it.
He was determined to pull it up and get it out of his field, so one day he grabbed a crowbar.
When he put his crowbar under the rock, he was surprised to discover that it was only about six inches thick and that he could break it up easily.
As he was carting it away he had to smile, remembering all the trouble that the rock had caused him and how easy it would have been to get rid of it sooner.
Most of us do the same thing with our problems.
Instead of really dealing with them, we try to ignore them. We try to work around them.
As I mentioned yesterday, we do anything we can to procrastinate instead of dealing with them. But what does this story have to do with the importance of following up with your prospects?
I told you that story because your prospect has at least one problem that they’ve been dealing with for a long time, just like this farmer.
They haven’t dealt with the problem. They’ve instead tried to ignore it or work around it. And that leads to the whole reason you need to follow-up.
I know that might sound crazy. If they have a big problem and can’t think about buying right now, why should anyone follow-up?
Let me give you three very important reasons.
Three Reasons You Need to Follow-Up with Prospects Who Aren’t Ready to Buy Today
If your prospect has a big problem and can’t think about buying right now, here are three reasons why you need to follow-up:
1. You want to be there when they finally deal with it.
When they finally realize it wasn’t as big of a deal as they thought and they finally deal with it, they will finally be ready to make the decision about purchasing what you offer from someone.
You want to be the someone who is still there when they’re ready.
2. You can help them to overcome their problem faster.
You can be the one to show them that the big rock in their life really isn’t that big. Not only will that help them be free of it much sooner, but you’ll also stand out from the competition because you relieved their pain.
(You’ll also feel good about being able to help them.)
Before I get to the third reason you need to follow-up with prospects who are dealing with a big problem, I need to talk to you about how we all see problems.
Our Problem With Problems
Actually dealing with our problems is only one of our problems with problems. (Try saying that 5 times fast!)
How well you can solve problems in your business or your life all depends on how you view your problems.
Many years ago, I came across a powerful perspective on problems while reading leadership expert John Maxwell’s blog.
He revealed this interesting perspective on how to view problems. He said…
“Problems always bring opportunities, and opportunities always bring problems. The two go hand in hand. If we can learn to appreciate that truth, we have a real advantage in life.“
– John Maxwell
It’s so easy to naturally see problems as negative things.
I do it. I am sure you do too. That means that your prospects do the same thing. And that leads us to the third reason you need to follow-up with them.
3. You need to show them the opportunity even in the middle of their problem.
You do this by answering these questions:
How can you help them to stop seeing their problem as a negative thing?
How can you help them see it as a positive thing?
But here’s the key.
Don’t do it just to get them to buy something. Don’t it to really help them. When you have the mindset of following up with your prospects so you can actually help them, you will see follow-up in a whole different light.
Not only that, but your prospects will see you in a whole different light. When they do, some of them will gladly purchase from you.
Some of the ones who don’t purchase from you will tell all of their friends about your company and your product.
But whether they buy from you or not, or tell others about you or not, the best thing is you will have helped someone overcome their problem… and possibly gained a friend.
Now that you know these things, you should feel much better about following up and more confident about how to do it.
Next week, we’ll begin looking at the 4th marketing fundamental you need to succeed in 2021. Stay tuned.
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If you give me a few minutes, I’m about to reveal the reason you must follow-up with your prospects, if you care about them.
This might surprise you but the reason you must follow-up with them is not for your benefit, but for theirs.
Before I explain, let me ask you a few questions:
How many of the things that you KNOW you should do, are you currently, actually doing?
How many goals have you set for yourself that you haven’t achieved yet?
I don’t know you but let me make some predictions about your answers:
You probably aren’t doing all, or maybe not even many, of the things that you know you should be doing.
You probably have not achieved some, maybe not even many, of the goals you’ve set for yourself.
My bonus answer to a question I didn’t ask you: How do you feel about not doing all you know you should do and not achieving some of your goals? You feel bad about it all.
How’d I do? Good? Well, thanks. No, I’m not psychic. The reason I knew these were your answers is because they’re MY answers.
You and I have a similar problem: We procrastinate. Why? Because we’re scared. Of failure. Maybe even more afraid of success.
So we keep putting off things, even important things we know we should do and want to do.
And this is the important part… Your prospects are just like you and me.
They aren’t doing everything they know they should, and they aren’t achieving all the goals they have hoped to.
That’s why they NEED you to follow-up with them. (Of course, that’s assuming your product or service is something that can really help them.)
They need you to follow-up because they’ve been procrastinating like we have.
They need you to follow-up because they’ve been delaying the decision about buying your product or service, even though they want to purchase it.
They need you to follow-up because they’re afraid your company or your product/service is not what you say you are. They’re scared you are not the answer to their problems.
They need you to follow-up because they might be even more afraid that your company or your product/service ARE all that you say you are. They’re scared that you do have the answer to their problems. And they’re not sure they’re really ready to go to the next level.
There are probably many other reasons why they need you to follow-up.
So, the next time you’re procrastinating and putting off creating that lead magnet, the next time you’re procrastinating and not emailing your leads – because you’re afraid of failure or success, remember you’re not alone.
I’m like you. And more importantly, those prospects you’re afraid to create that lead magnet for, or afraid to email, are like you.
And they need you to follow-up. Otherwise, they will never get unstuck.
The video below fromAsapSCIENCE can help you to understand your and your prospect’s problem with procrastination.
The Science of Procrastination – This Is WHY You Do It (VIDEO)
If you want to know more of the reasons WHY you and your prospects procrastinate – and how to stop, watch this awesome video below.
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In a Reader’s Digest issue, Jacob Riis just hinted at the invisible quality I want to talk to you about today. See if you can tell what this invisible quality is from what he said…
“I look at a stone cutter hammering away at a rock a hundred times without so much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the 101st blow, it splits in two. I know it was not the one blow that did it, but all that had gone before.”
Jacob Riis in Reader’s Digest
Persistence is the invisible quality you need to possess if you want to see success with follow up, the third marketing fundamental. (Read more about the third marketing fundamental here.)
You must be persistent in following up in your efforts to gain attention, attract your prospects, and convert them into customers.
The question is: How do you follow-up with prospects without being annoying?
How to Effectively Follow-up with Your Potential Customers and Clients
When it comes to following up with the people you hope to convert to customers or clients, there are two groups you will focus on:
Prospects – When I say prospects, I’m talking about anyone who isn’t on one of your email lists. They’re not an email subscriber or they haven’t signed up for any of the lead magnets you offer. They might know about your company or products. They might not. They might have consumed your articles, blog posts, podcast, or videos or not.
Leads – When I say leads, I’m talking about anyone who is on one of your email lists. They have raised their hand and have shown enough interest to be willing to exchange their contact info with you.
Alright, now that that is clear, let me share with you ways that you can follow-up effectively with prospects or leads.
Follow-Up Tactics for Prospects
The key to following up with prospects is to continue to stay in front of them until they are ready to become a lead or a customer.
The most effective way to do this is through the use of content marketing. Why is content marketing so effective at multiple marketing touches with prospects?
Have you ever had a salesperson constantly contact you and ask you if you’re ready to buy? Annoying, huh?
Well, content marketing allows you to continue to be in front of prospects and have something more to say than just asking, “Wanna buy from us now!?!”
It helps you to not sound like (or feel like) that annoying salesperson.
Content marketing enables you to provide helpful information so that you’re viewed as an expert, not a pest.
Follow-Up Tactics for Leads
The key to following up with leads is to continue to provide them with content related to the lead magnet they originally signed up for.
While in the process of providing that information, you want to continue to educate them, encourage them, and explain to them why and how your solution is the one they’re looking for.
The most effective way to do this is through the use of email marketing. Why is email marketing so effective at multiple marketing touches with leads?
Have you ever met someone in a loud, crowded room (pre-COVID days) and tried to have a conversation with them? It wasn’t easy, was it?
But what if you got their contact info and texted or called them later? That’s a whole different story. Now your conversation isn’t drowned out by the distractions of a crowded and noisy room.
It’s now much easier to have a one-on-one conversation. That’s how you can build a friendship with someone whose messages and calls you look forward to.
Well, if you use email marketing effectively, it will enable you to speak one-on-one with your leads, through a channel that is much less crowded and noisy, instead of trying to communicate through the crowded space known as the internet.
Again, if you use email marketing effectively, your leads will look forward to your emails. They begin to enter into a relationship with you where they start to know, like, and trust.
When that happens, it’s only a matter of time (while you tap into the invisible quality of persistence) until they become a customer.
Two Resources to Help You Use Email Marketing to Effectively Follow-up with Leads
I don’t have the time in this article to go into all the details of what it takes to use email marketing effectively so that your leads will get your messages and even look forward to them.
But I can point you to two resources that can help you with that…
1) Case Study: How Brian Dean (From Backlinko) Built a Massive Email List (and How You Can Too)
Back in March of 2020, I wrote an article that revealed how SEO expert, Brian Dean, focuses on building an email list.
Yes, you read that right. He’s a SEO expert whose secret to success is building an email list of prospects that he can follow-up with.
You can read my case study that reveals what I discovered when I signed up for Brian’s lead magnet. You can see it here.
How to Grow Your Business with Email Marketing
Aweber is the company I use for my email marketing. It allows me to easily create different email lists for different lead magnets. It also makes it easy for me to create automated email nurture follow-up sequences and send email broadcasts.
You’ll learn everything you need to know to get started with email marketing. You’ll walk away knowing how to:
Create sign up forms and landing pages
Write and design beautiful emails
Build your email list in creative ways
Measure email performance
Avoid the spam folder
Plus, you’ll get access to tons of fantastic templates that help you get up and running quickly.
You can learn more about the guide and sign-up to get access to it by clicking here.
*AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER: I proudly feature affiliate links for some products that I love. It adds no extra cost to you but enables me to earn a commission if you purchase. This is just one way I can continue to provide you with valuable information on this site.
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In case you’re wondering, there are currently 15 previous in this series.
In my first article of the series, I laid an important foundation that I will continue to build on. In that article I said…
Based on some things I’ve been reading from the experts I follow, there are some interesting trends and predictions that are said to be coming our way in 2021.
These trends and predictions will be opportunities for people that know how to leverage them.
But I believe that the sweet spot in 2021 is the place where opportunity and the fundamentals meet.
You see, the people and companies that succeed the most are the ones that keep their eye out for opportunities and then take advantage of them by harnessing the fundamentals.
What fundamentals? The marketing fundamentals that have existed for at least 100 years and that will probably exist for at least another 100 years.
I went on to reveal that without attraction, all the work you put into capturing their attention will be wasted.
Want toCatch Up on This Series?
If you missed the articles and want to read them, you can go to this page I’ve created for the series.
In case you’re wondering, there are 14 previous articles in this series.
The 3rd Marketing Fundamental You Need to Succeed in 2021
After you have captured your prospect’s attention and then attracted the prospect, your work is not done. The next marketing fundamental you need to focus on is follow-up.
Because one of the biggest mistakes many companies make is tied to follow-up.
They don’t follow-up at all.
They don’t follow-up enough.
The “7 Marketing Touches” Principle
One well-known marketing principle is that you need, on average, 7 marketing touches before your marketing gets through to someone. That means it takes minimally 7 marketing touches to produce a sale.
I believe this is true today more than ever.
In fact, with how flooded our lives have become with marketing and advertising hitting us from all directions, we probably need much more than 7 touches.
You probably need more like 21 touches. Why? Because with so much information coming at us we’ve learned to block most of it out.
Even if we see an ad, and have an interest in what is being offered, we usually will forget about it unless we act on it right away.
The problem is that nowadays we’re all much less trusting of people, businesses, and organizations. We’ve been burned too many times by false promises to believe everyone.
This keeps us from acting on things right away, because we don’t want to look stupid.
We want to wait and find out more about this thing, person, or service. We want to make sure we don’t move too quickly and look stupid.
That’s why multiple marketing touches are needed today.
How This Applies to the First Two Marketing Fundamentals
When you realize how important the third marketing fundamental, it will help you to be more patient and better at applying the first two marketing fundamentals this year.
Let me explain.
The 1st Marketing Fundamental
When you realize how important follow-up is, you’ll be more persistent and patient in trying to get your prospect’s attention (1st marketing fundamental).
You’ll realize that you will never capture the majority of your prospects on your first effort to gain their attention.
That means when others mistakenly make only a single effort to gain attention in the marketplace, you’ll still be there long after, gaining the attention of prospects that your competitors gave up on too quickly.
The 2nd Marketing Fundamental
When you realize how important follow-up is, you’ll be more stubborn and determined in following up on the prospect’s whose attention that you’ve captured.
You’ll realize that the list of leads you gather, through your usual or “unusual” lead magnet, will need to stubbornly be followed up with in order to fully harvest the actual revenue potential they contain.
That means when others foolishly attempt to use lead magnets, and give up thinking they don’t work anymore, you’ll be generating revenue long after they’ve moved on to something else.
That’s it for today.
In my next article, I’ll help you to discover ways that you can follow-up with your prospects without being annoying.
A New Article in the Member’s Resource Area
I have a new article that reveals how another company used lead magnets in an “unusual” way to gain success.
Today, I’ll share with you the “unusual” lead magnet they used and show you the path they took to achieve success.
NOTE: If you’ve read my previous articles in this current series, you can skip the next section.
Haven’t Read Previous Articles? Read This – Lead Magnets: The Fundamental Element Today’s Greatest Tech Companies Have Been Built On
As I mentioned in my previous article, lead generation and lead magnets could change your business forever. Why do I say this?
Because the greatest tech companies around today have actually been built using lead magnets.
The key thing to understand is that they didn’t do that by using lead magnets in the usual way. They’ve used them in an unusual way.
In a previous article, I also shared with you my definition of a lead magnet.
My Definition of a Lead Magnet: A lead magnet is something valuable that you offer to your ideal prospects in exchange for something of theirs that you consider valuable (usually information of some kind).
I told you that when you see this definition, you need to realize that a lead magnet can be much more than a PDF file.
You need to realize that prospects possess something much more valuable than just an email address they can exchange with you.
In my previous two articles, I showed you how Facebook and Canva both built such successful businesses by using a very unusual way to think of and implement lead magnets.
Tubi: An “Unusual” Lead Magnet That Led to a $400 Million Acquisition
TubiTV.com
Today, I want to show you another company that has used lead magnets in an “unusual” way.
But, unlike the other two companies, this one achieved success by applying this “unusual” understanding of lead magnets to streaming TV.
By taking a look at this story, it will help you see that what I’m sharing with you can be applied to all sorts of businesses.
The company I want to talk to you about today is Tubi TV.
In case you haven’t heard of it, Tubi is a free video streaming service that enables users to watch over 20,000 movies and television shows from nearly every major Hollywood studio.
Users can watch this content in multiple ways:
Through iOS and Android apps on your smartphone
Through apps available on Roku, Samsung TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Sony, Vizio Smart TVs, Xbox, and PlayStation
Or even through your web browser via your laptop or tablet
Now, let’s take a closer look at what their unusual lead magnet is…
Tubi’s Lead Generation Strategy That Led to Their Incredible Success
(IMPORTANT: Everything I’m about to share with you about their strategy is just from observations I’ve made as an outsider. I have no insider information.)
Stage 1: They offered a free video streaming service to anyone – no email required.
You can think of this first stage as the “free sample” stage. Because as you will notice, Tubi lets users access their content without offering anything valuable in exchange.
In other words, you don’t even need to create an account with them to view the TV shows and movies. One thing that Tubi does do at this stage, which makes them stand out, is they have some really unique categories that they list their content under.
Categories such as:
“Something Completely Different”
“Not on Netflix”
“Leaving Soon”
“Only Free on Tubi”
“Highly Rated on Rotten Tomatoes”
and more
The way they categorize their content makes it easier to sift through, so you can find what you like.
You might be wondering. Why would they let users view their content without asking for anything from those users? Because the main way Tubi makes money is from ad revenue. That means the larger audience they have, the more revenue they make.
If they would have just stopped at this stage, then they wouldn’t have qualified as a company that used an unusual lead magnet.
But they didn’t stop there.
Stage 2: In exchange for your email address, you can access the free content on all of your devices, sync your list, and continue watching anywhere.
They ask for your first and last name, an email address, a password, date of birth, and gender.
But actually, I hear that you can sign-up with only your first name and email address. The rest of the info is optional. You also have the option to sign-up via Facebook or Google sign-in.
Pay close attention because this is where their choice to let users have free access becomes an actual incentive for people to sign-up. You see, the more you use Tubi, the more an account becomes attractive to you.
Why? Here are three reasons:
1. You can create a watchlist. The more you use Tubi, the more you will discover things you want to watch later. But if you don’t give them your email address, you will just have to remember these things.
In fact, when you try to add something to your list without an account, you get a prompt that encourages you to sign-up. (See image below.)
Tubi on a laptop
2. You get recommendations based on your viewing habits. Once you create an account, you give Tubi a better way to make recommendations that actually match the things you like to watch. This saves you from having to manually find all the content you’d actually like.
3. You can access the free content on all of your devices, sync your list, and continue watching anywhere.
This might not seem like a very compelling reason, but it’s the reason I finally ended up signing up for an account.
The more that a person uses Tubi (the power of that first stage in action), the more this becomes a really valuable incentive for a user.
How Tubi’s Lead Generation Model Is Just a Variation ofFacebook’s Model
They did that until they gathered enough users to be able to sell other companies the chance to advertise to them. That’s how Facebook made so much money and became such a valuable company.
Now think about it.
Tubi had the same basic lead model: gather a bunch of users so that companies will pay you to advertise to them.
But Tubi implemented that lead generation model in two different ways:
Instead of relying on users to create content, like Facebook did, Tubi relied on media companies to provide the content.
Instead of making their content only available to people with accounts, like Facebook did, Tubi made the same content available to people with or without an account.
How Effective Has Tubi’s Variation of This Lead Magnet Model Been?
When I say that Tubi achieved success by using an “unusual” lead magnet, I don’t mean that other companies haven’t offered ad-supported TV streaming.
Other companies have used this model. Tubi has just been more successful:
Pluto has 28.4 million users
Vudu has 25 million users
Crackle has 26 million users
Roku has 27 million users
How many users does Tubi have? In August of 2020, Tubi announced that it had reached 33 million users – an increase of 65% year-over-year.
Why have they been so successful? I believe the reason they’ve been so successful is because of how well they’ve implemented this lead generation model.
The stats that I began this article with should prove that this isn’t just a personal opinion. But if you want more proof of how successful they’ve been at the implementation of this lead gen model, check this out…
They’ve done such a great job at implementing their “unusual” lead magnet that Fox Corporation (no longer connected with 20th Century Fox) decided they were worth $400 million. That’s how valuable an “unusual” lead magnet, and the list of prospects it can attract, can be.
“The acquisition of Tubi underscores FOX’s long-term strategic initiatives to broaden and enhance FOX’s direct-to-consumer digital reach and engagement.
“Tubi brings to FOX an expanded consumer offering with a sizable, younger-skewing and directly connected user base that spends over 160 million hours per month watching content on the service.
“Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Fox Corporation, Lachlan Murdoch commented: ‘Tubi will immediately expand our direct-to-consumer audience and capabilities and will provide our advertising partners with more opportunities to reach audiences at scale. Importantly, coupled with the combined power of FOX’s existing networks, Tubi provides a substantial base from which we will drive long-term growth in the direct-to-consumer arena.'”
IMPORTANT INSIGHT: I won’t get into this in this article, but I do want to point out something important that was repeated over and over in the quote above: “direct-to-consumer,” “directly connected user base,” and “direct-to-consumer arena.”
Fox Corporation, realizes the benefit of having direct access to a list or user base of consumers. That’s a benefit direct response marketers have known for at least 100 years.
In this disjointed and distracted world, more and more major corporations are coming to this realization. I’ll have to go deeper on this point in some other format in the future, but this is one of the most important reasons why you should focus on attracting leads in 2021. It allows you to speak directly to your leads.
Tubi’s Example Applied to My Lead Magnet Definition
Another reason I’m calling it an “unusual” magnet is because Tubi didn’t choose to go the way that many of the big-name streaming services have.
They didn’t decide to charge for their content. Instead, they decided to offer an “unusual lead magnet” in exchange for something valuable.
Let’s take my definition and plug in Tubi’s example. Then you’ll see their whole strategy at its simplest level:
Something valuable that you offer your ideal prospects: Tubi offered free access to TV shows and movies. (Canva offered the ability to create great designs.)
In exchange for something of theirs that you consider valuable: When a user creates an account, they are trading more than just their email. They’re also giving Tubi the ability to track their viewing habits. That made Tubi such a valuable asset, Fox Corp was willing to pay hundreds of millions for it.
Many More Successful Tech Companies Have Used an “Unusual” Lead Magnet
I’ve now shared three examples of extremely successful tech companies that have used “unusual” lead magnet.
You’ve now seen three different businesses built off of just two different lead generation models.
Have I finally proven to you that many successful companies really have built their business models off of the second marketing fundamental (aka attraction)?
I hope so.
Because, as I’ve said, when you understand lead magnets in this deeper way, the right lead magnet really could be worth millions, if not billions of dollars to you.
I still have 9 other very successful tech companies that I’ve documented that have used lead generation and lead magnets in an “unusual” way to build their company.
I need to decide what I will do with this information. Maybe I’ll offer another example via a lead magnet in my member’s resource area? 🙂
Then maybe I’ll later share the other examples through some paid option. I’ll let you know more once I decide.
I still need to get to my 10 other marketing fundamentals that you’ll need to succeed in 2021. So I’m going to move on to the next one next week.
Two Favors
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I’m sorry but I still need some more time to finish my article “How One Company Used an “Unusual” Lead Magnet to Succeed in the Streaming Wars.”
It took me longer than I thought to get all my thoughts put down.
Now I want to take the time to edit and proof it. That way I can make it as helpful for you as possible.
Don’t worry. It will be ready tomorrow.
In the meantime, I want to offer you a cheat sheet to help you create traditional lead magnets (which are still very effective).
In other words, I want to offer you a cheat sheet to help you make effective lead magnets in the usual way people think of lead magnets.
For Member’s Only: Cheat Sheet with 10 Types of Lead Magnets That Will Help You Grow Your List
If you want to grow an email list of prospects, then you’re going to have to give people some reason or incentive to sign-up.
Otherwise, your efforts won’t be very effective. In fact, you will probably repel people away instead of attracting them.
To create an effective lead magnet, it must have three things:
An attractive topic or subject your prospects see as valuable
The topic or subject must be presented in an appealing way
A format that your prospects see as valuable.
I’ll be honest with you. I can’t quickly show you how to do the first two things on that list. (If you keep coming back to this site, you’ll learn those things over time.)
But I can show you effective formats or types of lead magnets that you can put your content into. To do this, I’ve put together a cheat sheet of 10 irresistible lead magnets.
You can use this list to brainstorm the format you want to put your content in, so you can begin offering it right away.
Why do many companies ignore lead magnets? If you surveyed the companies that ignore lead magnets, I bet you’d find they’re doing this for three main reasons:
They’re too focused on making sales today to focus on tomorrow’s sales.
They’re too busy taking care of their current customers.
They’re too busy managing all of the day-to-day tasks of running a company.
By ignoring lead magnets, these companies are unintentionally missing the opportunity to:
Build an email list they can make offers to
Gain trust with their prospects
Establish their company as a leader in their industry
And more
If you don’t want to be one of the companies making this fatal mistake, keep in mind the wisdom of loggers.
Yes, you read that correctly, the wisdom of loggers.
More Trees in 2021 Than 1921?
“By 1997, forest growth exceeded harvest by 42 percent and the volume of forest growth was 380 percent greater than it had been in 1920.”
Did you know that for everytree that loggers cut down they plant four seedlings?
Because of this practice, there are more trees now than there were in 1921!
If you think about it, this is a very smart practice. Because without new trees, loggers have no future.
That made me think.
Lead Magnets Are the Seeds That Lead to a Harvest in the Future
As I said in my previous article, “Lead magnets and lead generation are your way to secure your future, today.”
Using lead magnets today is, in a sense, planting seeds that you can harvest tomorrow.
When you think of it like this, how many companies are wise enough to do the same thing as these loggers? Don’t get me wrong.
Many companies start by focusing on doing everything they can to get customers or clients… until they start showing up.
Then, once they start showing up, something interesting happens.
They stop focusing on getting them (or lessen that focus) and begin to concentrate on helping those customers or clients.
Now, obviously, you need to focus on your customers or clients. I would never tell you not to do that. But think about it.
What will eventually happen to you if you stop focusing on getting new leads that you can grow (aka nurture) into customers?
That’s right. You’ll end up like unwise loggers.
You’ll soon have no future.
P.S. What I just shared doesn’t just apply to companies. It applies to schools, universities, doctors, hospitals, dentists, restaurants, etc.
P.P.S. I’m still working on my next article focused on “unusual” lead magnets, but I needed more time to finish it. Stay tuned. My article will be called “How One Company Used an “Unusual” Lead Magnet to Succeed in the Streaming Wars.“
A Brief Review – Lead Magnets: The Fundamental Element Today’s Greatest Tech Companies Have Been Built On
As I mentioned in my previous article, lead generation and lead magnets could change your business forever.
The greatest tech companies that are around today have actually been built using lead magnets.
But they haven’t used lead magnets in the usual way. They’ve used them in an unusual way.
In my last article, I also shared with you my definition of a lead magnet.
My Definition of a Lead Magnet: A lead magnet is something valuable that you offer to your ideal prospects in exchange for something of theirs that you consider valuable (usually information of some kind).
I told you that when you see this definition, you need to realize that a lead magnet can be much more than a PDF file.
You need to realize that prospects possess something much more valuable than just an email address they can exchange with you.
Then I showed you how Facebook built one of the most successful businesses around by using a very unusual way to think of and implement lead magnets.
Canva: Another Company That Used Lead Magnets in an Unusual Way
Today, I want to show you another company that has used lead magnets in an unusual way.
They used the same basic understanding of a lead magnet that I just shared with you. But they built a different business model off of it.
The company I want to talk to you about today is Canva.
In case you’ve never heard of it, Canva is a website or an app that enables you to create graphic designs. You might be creating social media assets, website assets, or even posters or pdfs.
And you can do all of this for free.
So what is the unusual lead magnet that they offer?
Canva’s 4-Stage Lead Generation Strategy That Lead to Their Incredible Success
(IMPORTANT: Everything I’m about to share with you about their strategy is just from observations I’ve made as an outsider. I have no insider information.)
Stage 1: They offered the ability for non-designers to design professional-looking graphics very easily.
This is how the first stage of their lead magnet strategy worked. In other words, this was the “lead magnet” that they chose to offer people.
Their Lead Magnet’s Promise: Give us your email address and we will make it easy for you to create graphics at no cost.
And what an amazing promise it is!
In exchange for your email address, you get:
Access to over 250,000 free templates
Over 100 design types such as social media posts, presentations, letters, and more
Hundreds of thousands of free photos and graphics
You can invite up to 4 members to your Canva team for free.
You can collaborate and comment in real-time.
And you get five GB of cloud storage.
How Canva’s Lead Generation Model is Different Than Facebook’s Model
Now let me point out some important things.
Facebook’s purpose was to gather a bunch of leads so that one day they could make money by letting businesses and companies advertise to these people.
Canva had a different plan. Canva’s plan was to offer you as many features as possible for free. But that’s not all. They wanted to make it as easy as possible to use these features to achieve success.
Once the user achieved success, that’s when their revenue plan kicked in.
Stage 2: Offer better or additional images, graphics, and more for a small price.
Let’s say you’re creating a graphic with Canva and you’re not satisfied with the pictures they offer for free. For just $1, you could purchase one of their better quality images.
Did you catch that?
They aren’t trying to make a large sale off of a small amount of people.
They want to make a small sale off of a large amount of people.
In fact, they don’t just want to make one small sale from a large amount of people. They want to make a bunch of small sales from a bunch of people.
How I Accidentally Became a Paying Customer
Originally, I didn’t sign up to use Canva with a plan to spend any money. I was just going to use the free tools, images, etc.
How did I end up becoming a paying customer? It was just too easy to spend $1.
After I purchased the first time, it made purchasing the second time easier… and the third time even easier. You get the point.
As an example, let’s use my “accidental purchase” history with Canva from 2020.
Over the year 2020, I spent $10 with Canva. That’s not a lot. I’ve spent more with them in previous years.
But let’s use it as an example because it’s from someone that didn’t plan on spending any money. Imagine how much was spent by someone who planned to spend a little extra on the graphics and pictures they wanted.
Now think about it.
Canva has 30 million users. If each of those users just unintentionally spent $10, like I did, that means Canva probably made AT LEAST $300 million last year.
Let me point something out, in case you missed it.
Canva Didn’t Do What Other Companies Selling Images Would’ve Done
Instead of just trying to sell me images, templates, or designs that I might want to use, they offered me a lead magnet.
They offered me this lead magnet in the form of a free tool, a toolto enable me to do something I desired to do: create better-looking designs.
Then, once I began using their tool and had the need for free images and graphics, they offered me some better images to purchase.
Stage 3: Offer users a chance to purchase access to a Pro Level.
Now, pay close attention. Because things are about to get good. The third stage of their strategy was to offer what they call the “Pro Level.”
For $12.95 a month, you get:
Everything that I already mentioned in the free version
Plus, you can create one brand kit and upload your own fonts and logos.
You can use a special feature that’s not available for the free members. It’s called the “One-click design magic resize tool.” If you’ve ever created a design in Canva and wanted to resize it, because you realized you needed it in a different format, then you realize how valuable that tool is.
But wait there’s more… 🙂
You get over 420,000 free templates with new designs daily.
You also get over $75 million premium stock photos, videos, audio, and graphics that are free to use.
You can save designs as templates for your team to use.
Instead of 5 GB of storage, you get 100 GB.
You can schedule social media content for 7 platforms.
And all of this can be used by up to 5 members of your Canva team.
Think about the power of this additional offer.
A certain number of people, like me, signed up to try their free tools. They eventually decided to purchase a $1 image, and another, and another.
These users began spending so much on $1 images – and were getting so much value from Canva – this $12.95 offer was a no-brainer.
By implementing that simple offer, they moved people up the value ladder and locked in a guaranteed monthly revenue from a certain percentage of people.
Do you see how adding that “Pro Level” boosted their sales and stabilized their monthly revenue?
Well, they didn’t stop there…
Stage 4: Offer more levels for larger companies to purchase.
Canva realized that there were probably users out there who required many more users – large companies.
That’s why they added higher-priced levels.
If you have 10 members on your team, it’s $77.70 a month.
If you have 15 people on your team, it’s $142.45 a month (and $9.50 more per person a month).
Or if you have up to 50 people, you can pay $595.70 (and $11.91 per person more than 50).
I didn’t even realize this until I started researching, but they actually have a Canva Enterprise level.
I won’t go into all the details that come with purchasing that level, but it provides a bunch of tools that an Enterprise level company would want to have for their team.
The cost? $30 a month per member.
How Effective Their Lead Magnet Model Has Been
Do you want to know how successful this lead generation model has been?
An article on TechCrunch.com, “Canva raises $60 million on a $6 billion valuation,” revealed this surprising fact about the company…
“Sydney-based Canva, the design platform for non-designers, has today announced the close of a $60 million funding round, bringing its valuation to $6 billion, according to the company.
“The startup has raised a total of more than $300 million, including this latest round of financing, from investors like Bond, General Catalyst, Sequoia Capital China, Felicis Ventures and Blackbird Ventures.”
In my last article, I said something that some of you probably thought was an exaggeration.
I said, “That means that when you understand lead magnets in this deeper way, you’ll realize that the right lead magnet is worth millions, if not billions of dollars.“
I think after revealing Facebook and Canva’s examples, you now see that I wasn’t exaggerating at all.
Canva’s Example Applied to My Lead Magnet Definition
Let’s take my definition and plug in Canva’s example. That way I can help you see their whole strategy more clearly and simply:
Something valuable that you offer your ideal prospects: Canva offered the ability for non-designers to easily design professional-looking graphics. (Facebook offered “connection” as their lead magnet. Canva offers the ability to create great designs as their lead magnet.)
In exchange for something of theirs that you consider valuable: Canva got the user’s email address, but they got much more than that. They were able to build databases of people who had voluntarily shown their need for professional-looking designs and images. This gave Canva a massive amount of leads it could sell images to and eventually offer a monthly service to. This ultimately gave them access and opportunity to sell to larger and larger companies.
Many More Successful Tech Companies Have Used an “Unusual” Lead Magnet
So far, I’ve shared the examples of Facebook and Canva. I did that to prove to you that successful companies really have built their business models off of a fundamental marketing strategy.
And it’s this basic – but unusual – lead magnet strategy that has brought them such incredible success.
This second marketing fundamental (aka attraction) could also help your company achieve success in 2021 if you implement it correctly.
The thing I want you to realize is that these are just TWO business models I’ve discovered after thinking of lead generation and lead magnets in an “unusual” way.
There are 10 other very successful tech companies I’ve documented that have used lead generation and lead magnets in an “unusual” way to build their company.
As I said before, many of them have built completely different business models off of this fundamental marketing strategy.
Others have simply added their own variations to the different models.
I don’t have the time to walk you through all of these companies and show you each business model or variation.
But, I do want to show you one final example. Because I want you to see one other way you can use lead magnets in an “unusual” way.
Here’s a hint of what I’ll reveal to you in my upcoming article.
How One Underdog Company’s “Unusual” Lead Magnet Enabled Them to Enter the Streaming Wars Under the Radar
In my next article, I’m going to share the incredible story of a company that created an “unusual” lead magnet.
This lead magnet enabled them to enter the stream wars in such an amazing way that in 2020 they were purchased by a well-known company for $440 million.
You’re going to like this next story because it will show you a very different way to use “unusual” lead magnets.
This article will go live in a couple of days. Stay tuned.
These are all important things that you should test. But there’s one thing that some people never try.
And the sad thing about this is that this overlooked thing is such a simple way to increase your leads.
In this short, new video, I share an unbelievable (but 100% true) story that reveals this simple way to generate leads.
And I also share some simple ways you can be implementing it right away.
This is a Simple Way to Increase Your Leads (VIDEO)
My Apologies and What’s Coming on Monday
Some of you who have been following along with this series might have noticed that this article today is not the one I told you I’d be posting.
Last night, as I was trying to get the article I planned finished, I realized I was going to need more time to perfect it.
That’s when I decided to share this new video with you instead. I know it would be a helpful concept for you and I knew it would give me the weekend to finish the article I originally planned for today.
Stay Tuned
I think when you see the article on Monday, you’ll agree that it was worth the wait. To give you a little tease of what it will be about, here’s the title of Monday’s article…
The Unusual Lead Magnet Canva Used to Build a Company Worth $60 Billion
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When I first heard the average marketing conversion rates were between 1-3%, I couldn’t believe it. Those numbers seemed so low they’re almost depressing.
That was until I later came across a piece of information that helped me see why those low numbers are actually good.
Let me explain.
The Percentage of Your Market That’s Ready to Buy Today
In his book, Sticky Branding,Jeremy Miller states that onlyapproximately 3% of your market is ready to buy at any given time, the rest is not.
In other words, only three out of every one hundred in your market is ready to buy right now, today. The rest are not.
When I heard that a light bulb went off.
If only 3 out of 100 people are ready to buy today, and you end up with a 1% conversion rate, that’s actually a 33.33% conversion rate, right?
Because you converted one of the three people who were actually ready to buy today. And if you end up getting a 3% conversion rate or higher? That’s incredible! You’re doing an amazing job.
It’s only when we have the false assumption that 100% of the people out there are ready to buy today that we think a 1-3% conversion rate is bad.
Do you see now why the average conversion rate is better news than you thought it was?
But when we hear this info, there’s another very important question that we should ask. It’s this…
How can we make it so we don’t have to fight with so many competitors for those 1-3%of people who are ready to buy today? I’m glad you asked! 🙂
What You Can Do Today to Make More Future SalesTomorrow
We’ve already established the fact that only a small percentage of people in any market is ready to buy today.
That means that the majority of people are not ready to buy today. They might be ready tomorrow, or the next day, or next month, over even months from now. But they’re not ready today.
Now think about this…
What are most businesses and companies mainly focusing all of their marketing, time, and effort on? Yep. They are focused only on those who are ready to buy today.
If you want to make more sales from those 1-3%, and not have to compete so hard with your competition, there’s only one way to do that.
You need to begin focusing on the people who will be ready tomorrow – or someday in the future, and begin attracting them today.
If you knew the actual percentage of people who will buy what you’re offering from someone – not today, but in the near future – you’d be trying to come up with every way possible to begin attracting them today.
And what’s the best way to do that? You guessed it. Lead magnets.
That’s why lead magnets and lead generation is so important. It’s because it’s your way to secure your future, today.
Practicing What I Preach
At some point in the future, I will want to offer you something to purchase that will help solve the marketing problems that you or your company are having.
Or I will want to offer you an easier way to achieve the marketing goals that you and your company have.
I don’t have anything to offer you today. And, even if I did, you might not be ready to buy it, anyway.
But, I don’t want to just hope that you will remember me when you’re ready to buy.
I don’t want to rely on the slight chance that you come back when I begin offering the solutions, answers, and help you want.
Instead, I’d like to offer you a simple trade.
Want to Make a Trade?
You give me something valuable to you: your real email address (not your junk one).
And, I’ll give you something valuable in return. What will I give you?
Here are just some of the valuable things I’ll offer you in this trade:
You can have access to classic marketing books that contain the forgotten or overlooked marketing fundamentals that’ll help to dominate in 2021 (one example is the classic book Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins).
You can have access to my 5-star book, 51 Content Marketing Hacks. (It costs $9.99 on Amazon and I’ll be taking it out of our member’s resource area at the end of this month.)
I’ll send you a member’s only email newsletter with info and insights that I don’t offer here to the public.
This year, I also plan to create more exclusive content that’s only available to members.
You will get a member’s discount on certain solutions and assistance that I offer for sale in the future.
Is that a deal?
I’m not asking for your money. I’m just asking for your email and your attention.
Then, after you begin to know, like, and trust me – and when you’re ready and I’m ready – you can see if you want to make a monetary trade with me at some later point.
If you’re interested, or would just like to learn more, then click the link under the DRCM Member’s Resource Area image below.
Stay Tuned
Stay tuned for my next article on the “unusual” lead magnet that another great tech company used to achieve success.
If you didn’t read my last article about how Facebook did this, you should…
If you stick with me, I’ll help you see lead generation and lead magnets in a way that could change your business forever. In fact, it could help your business to reach new levels in 2021.
Because, believe it or not, the greatest tech companies today have been built using lead magnets.
In order for you to understand what I mean, you first need to see lead magnets on a deeper level than most people do.
So, let me give you a new way to think of lead magnets.
My Definition of a Lead Magnet
Most of us have such a limited and basic view of lead magnets that we are missing out on how powerful they are and will be in 2021.
When most people think about lead magnets, they think about them on just the simplest level. They mainly think of a lead magnet as a PDF that attracts your ideal prospects and causes them to exchange their email address for access to it.
Don’t get me wrong.
This is a very effective way to use a lead magnet. But you can think of that understanding of a lead magnet as the white belt version of a lead magnet compared to the black belt level.
Today, I want to give you that “black belt” level of understanding. 🙂
I don’t want you to think of lead magnets in the usual way. I want you to think of them in the unusual way.
I think of a lead magnet at a deeper level than most people. ..
My Definition of a Lead Magnet:A lead magnet is something valuable that you offer to your ideal prospects in exchange for something of theirs that you consider valuable (usually information of some kind).
To get the most from my definition, you must understand some important things about lead magnets.
The 2 Things You Must Understand to Take Your Understanding of Lead Magnets to the Next Level
Here are the two things you must understand to use lead magnets at a “black belt” level:
You need to realize that a lead magnet can be much more than just a PDF file.
You must understand that prospects possess things of much greater value that they can exchange with you, besides just an email address.
When you truly grasp these two truths, you’ll start to realize that lead magnets are all around us.
Lead Magnets: The Fundamental Element Today’s Greatest Companies Have Been Built On
As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, lead magnets are the fundamental element that the greatest tech companies of our day have harnessed to build their empires.
Yes, lead magnets are the primary method that successful companies employ to capture the attention of prospects (the 1st marketing fundamental) and attract them (the 2nd marketing fundamental).
That means that when you understand lead magnets in this deeper way, you’ll realize that the right lead magnet is worth millions, if not billions of dollars.
I’m not exaggerating.
Let me give you an example that I bet you’ve never noticed before, to prove it to you…
Facebook Was Built on This Greater Understanding of Lead Magnets
Facebook’s Thumb Icon
When you see lead magnets in the way I’m trying to get you to see them, you’ll realize that Facebook’s success was built on having an “unusual” lead magnet.
Once you see this and realize this is just one of many “unusual” lead magnets that great tech companies have been built on, you’re going to get more excited about lead magnets and their ability to help you attract prospects in 2021.
Facebook’s 3-Step Lead Generation Strategy That Led to Their Incredible Success
(IMPORTANT: Everything I’m about to share with you about their strategy is just from observations I’ve made as an outsider. I have no insider information.)
What was Facebook’s lead generation strategy? Their strategy took place in three powerful, progressive stages.
Stage 1: The opportunity to connect with friends and family
The lead magnet they offered to us was not a simple PDF. Here’s how the first stage of their strategy worked…
1. Give us your email address and we’ll connect you with friends and family. Their marketing promise to us was simple but powerful.
Notice that Facebook didn’t just provide an initial connection with certain friends and family. They continued to provide new connection suggestions. But they didn’t stop there.
2. They allowed users to share pictures (information) in exchange for likes, comments, etc.
Think about this. Facebook was allowing its users to create content that they could share with other people on their platform (aka leads creating content for other leads).
IMPORTANT INSIGHT: All great lead generation strategies have a follow-up system that provides continual value – that way your prospect doesn’t just take your lead magnet and run.
Facebook took care of this need for a follow-up system by allowing their own leads to create value for each other (aka user-generated content).
3. Then they enabled their users to share videos (more information) in exchange for a chance to gain more likes, comments, etc.
This also offered a way for users to gain an audience and have a voice.
At each stage, they continued to offer users more functions/tools so that we could exchange much more than just our email addresses with them.
This first stage enabled Facebook to attract a massive amount of prospects. But they were just getting started.
Their next stage enabled them to set the stage to begin monetizing the whole thing. Watch what they did next…
Stage 2: The opportunity for businesses to connect with prospects and customers.
1. After attracting a significant amount of individuals with the offer of connecting with friends and family, they began to offer businesses and companies the chance to connect with prospects and customers.
2. To do that, they encouraged businesses to create their own pages where they could attract likes, comments, and followers. And they even encouraged businesses to create content.
Now think about how ingenious this was. By doing this, they accomplished two powerful things:
They now had more content on their platform. This gave the users on the platform more reasons to keep coming back to Facebook and to stay on Facebook (more user-generated content for their follow-up system).
They now had business owners who had self-identified themselves. That meant it’d be much easier to target them for the next stage – stage 3.
Stage 3: Finally, Facebook offered these business owners and companies a chance to advertise to the users (aka leads) they had gathered together on their platform.
It was at this point that Facebook began to make money on a level that they never did before.
I won’t get into this in this article, but you should also notice something important. Facebook chose to make money from the leads it had gathered in a much different way than most companies typically do.
Now don’t forget, this all began with a deeper, more “unusual” way of thinking of a lead magnet than most people do.
But even as different as it is, it’s still the same fundamental definition that I shared with you at the beginning…
“A lead magnet is something valuable that you offer to your ideal prospects in exchange for something of theirs that you consider valuable (usually information of some kind).“
Facebook’s Example Applied to My Lead Magnet Definition
Let’s take my definition and plug in Facebook’s example to help you see their whole strategy more clearly and simply:
Something valuable that you offer your ideal prospects: Facebook offered this in the form of connection with family and friends or a connection with prospects and customers.
In exchange for something of theirs that you consider valuable: Facebook got the user’s email address, but they got much more than that. They were able to build databases of users. A database that was valuable not only to Facebook but also to other companies.
What I’m NOT Suggesting
Over the years, Facebook has done some things with its user information that have gotten some people upset. (I’m not saying that they’ve actually done anything wrong. I’m just saying that some people have gotten upset with them.)
I’m NOT suggesting that you do things that make some of your leads feel uncomfortable or cause them to get upset with you.
You can actually use this basic led gen model that Facebook used without getting people upset.
In fact, many other social media platforms have used this same lead generation model effectively without seeing their users get upset.
I shared the example of Facebook with you today because I wanted you to see that this successful company really did build its business model off of a fundamental marketing strategy.
And it’s that basic lead magnet strategy that has brought them success in the past. It will bring other companies who use the same model success in 2021.
This is just ONE business model I’ve discovered after thinking of lead generation and lead magnets in an “unusual” way.
There are 11 other very successful tech companies I’ve documented that have used lead generation and lead magnets in an “unusual” way to build their company.
Many of them have built completely different business models off of this fundamental marketing strategy. And others have simply added their own variations to the different models.
If I had time to walk you through this list of companies and show you each business model or variation, you’d be amazed at how much opportunity there is for your company in 2021.
I, unfortunately, don’t have time to do that. I do want to show you another example of how you can use lead magnets in an “unusual” way.
I’ll do that in a couple of days. But first, I need to make sure you really understand why lead magnets are such a vital way to leverage the second marketing fundamental.
Stay tuned.
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Want to know the secret to selling more? Are you sure?
Because it’s so obvious that it almost seems like a joke. But it really is how/why some people and businesses sell so much and others sell very little.
Here is the secret to selling more…
Gary Halbert Quote on Selling
“Sell people what they want to buy!”
― Gary Halbert, The Boron Letters
That’s it. If you want to sell more, then sell what people want to buy. I warned you it would sound stupid.
The Uncomfortable and Difficult Way to Market
But the fact is that so many times we start with the premise that we need to convince people to buy something they don’t want to buy.
That makes us feel uncomfortable. And that makes our task very difficult.
But what if we started with the premise that Gary gave us?
The Ideal Prospects
That would change things in a drastic way. Here are just a few of the ways they’d change:
We’d start our SEARCH by only looking for people who are looking for what we offer and/or who would want the solution we provide.
We’d come up with ways to ATTRACT those people so that we could offer them what they’re looking for and wanting.
We’d be so much more CONFIDENT and COMMITTED in marketing to them and selling to them, because we would know we have what they want.
Imagine not only how different you’d feel, but imagine how more effective you’d be?
And that’s just the beginning.
Decide today that you will make the simple and powerful truth that Gary revealed your strategy and focus.
If you do, come back some time and let me know how things change.
In the meantime, here’s the quote if you’d like to share it with others…
Get a Free Copy of the Book Sizzlemanship: New Tested Selling Sentencesby Elmer Wheeler
When you sign-up to become a member today, you’ll get access to a free copy of the book Sizzlemanship: New Tested Selling Sentences by Elmer Wheeler (Currently being sold on Amazon for $23.97)
Effective content marketing needs direct response marketing.
Effective direct response marketing needs content marketing.
Instead of being in opposite camps, tossing stones at each other, content marketers and direct marketers should unite their powers and impact the marketing industry like never before.
Because, as I used to tell my marketing students at UC Berkeley Extension…
“Direct response is the foundation of all effective digital marketing (and really all effective, measurable marketing).
“And content marketing plays a key role in effective digital marketing. “
You see, over the many years that I’ve studied and been involved with marketing, I’ve realized these two interesting things:
The best content marketers and the most effective content marketing almost always taps into direct response principles.
The best direct response marketing and the most effective direct response marketing that I’ve ever seen has harnessed the power of content marketing.
A Case Study from a Direct Response Agency Making Old-School Marketers Proud
I tell you all of this so you’ll understand why I was so excited to come across a case study from SeQuel Response, which is a direct response agency headquartered in Minnesota.
I loved their case study because it shows how they used old-school direct response principles and created a successful Facebook ad campaign for a major public university.
I’d encourage you to check out their case study below, so you can see the great ad they created…
I discovered that this SEO expert’s secret to success isn’t just SEO. It’s his focus on building an email list. (If you haven’t read the post, you should now.)
Today I want to show you a short case study about the things that I’ve discovered that Brian has done to build a massive email list.
(This is only from my own observations, not from asking Brian anything.)
The First Thing You See: An Offer to Join His Email List
Brian Offer to Join His Backlinko Email
When you go to Backlinko.com, the first thing you’ll see is a picture of Brian and an invitation to sign-up for exclusive SEO tips via email.
Let’s me point out some things that I believe have helped this to work so well for him:
He uses a powerful headline that emphasizes the exclusive tips his email subscribers receive. This captures your attention and gives you a reason to sign-up.
He uses a testimonial from Kieran Flanagan, the VP Marketing at HubSpot. This uses an influencer to provide powerful proof of the value you receive as a subscriber.
He uses a big image of himself. This personalizes the list and gives you a visual representation of him waiting to share his tips with you.
He only asks for your email address in his sign-up form. This makes signing up for his list really easy.
Many people would stop there, but not Brian.
He does something to convince people who might not be convinced that signing up is really worth it.
The Second Thing You See: More Social Proof
If you saw the above offer for his list and decided to pass on it, you would scroll down and immediately see this…
Larry Kim’s Testimonial on Backlinko
And if you kept scrolling you’d see this…
John Jantsch’s Testimonial on Backlinko
Let’s look more closely at the additional proof that Brian provides here:
He includes the logos of the top websites that have featured him and his SEO insights.
He provides another testimonial from an influencer in the search marketing arena. He has a testimonial from Larry Kim, founder of MobileMonkey and Wordstream.
If that wasn’t enough, he provides a third testimonial from a marketing influencer. He gives us a testimonial from the marketer and author of the book Duct Tape Marketing, John Jantsch.
I would bet this additional proof has to make anyone who passed up joining his list stop and think…
“Can all of these industry leaders and websites really be wrong about him? Maybe I SHOULD sign-up for his email list?”
But let’s see what else Brian does…
The Final Thing You See: A Lead Magnet Offer
Brian doesn’t just make an offer to join his email list and then follow it up with a ton of social proof.
He goes even one step further.
At the bottom of the page, he offers people a guide in return for their email address. (This is known as a lead magnet because it is designed to attract email leads.)
Backlinko’s “SEO in 2020: The Definitive Guide”
And Brian is very smart about the type of lead magnet that he offers.
He makes sure that lead magnet has two things that all great lead magnets should have:
It’s closely tied to the type of content he offers his subscribers.
It is information that his audience considers very valuable.
By doing this, he has ensured that he will pick up additional email subscribers, people who might not have just signed up for his email list.
Before I go on, I just want to point this out.
Do you see how important Brian believes email marketing is? His WHOLE home page is committed to getting people to sign-up by email.
He doesn’t just do it halfheartedly. He puts in all of his effort to get the result he values the most: an email subscriber.
Do you put this much effort into getting an email subscriber?
What Happens After You Sign-up for His Email List or Ultimate Guide?
After you sign-up for his email list or SEO guide, you are taken to a page that asks for you to confirm that you want to be a subscriber.
Brian Dean’s Double Opt-In Page
This is a best practice that is used by many email marketers known as a “Double Opt-In.”
What’s the purpose of using a double opt-in?
This additional request helps increase the quality of subscribers to his email list and helps him to have a high-quality relationship with his subscribers.
What happens after you confirm that you want to be a subscriber or that you want to receive the guide?
Once you click the confirmation link in the email he sends you, then you’re taken to this confirmation page.
And if you signed up for his SEO guide, you’ll automatically be emailed an email with a link where you can download the guide...
Email That Brian Sends When You SIgn-Up for His SEO Guide
(IMPORTANT: Notice that it’s only AFTER you’ve become an email subscriber that he tries to get you to follow him on Twitter.)
Two Key Reasons These Methods Work so Well for Brian
In just a minute, I’ll share some tips on how you can begin applying these lessons so that you can begin growing your own email list.
Before I do that, I want you to understand something important.
The methods that Brian uses are methods that anyone can (and should) use.
But you need to realize that these methods work especially well for Brian for two key reasons:
1. The first reason is because he has proven in video after video that what he teaches is unique and powerful.
You must do the same thing if you want to grow a massive email list.
Your content doesn’t have to be video content. It can be audio or just text. But the key thing is that it must be interesting, different, and powerful content.
(Contact me if you’d like to learn more about how I can teach you to create content like this.)
2. The second reason is because he has become so well-known and has endorsements from top people in the industry.
You don’t have to have endorsements from industry leaders and publications when you start, but you can and should begin to capture any/all endorsements and testimonials that you can.
It’s ok if the endorsements aren’t from anyone well-known. Any social proof is better than none.
The point is to not just collect endorsements and testimonials. The key is to use them effectively like Brian does! (Did you notice how he used them in the above SEO guide email?)
Now that you’ve seen how Brian has built his list, let me give you some tips to get you started building your own email list.
Ask for people to subscriber to your list. Do it in the most powerful and creative way you can. By the way, if you like this post and want to see future posts, sign-up here. (*You’ll also occasionally receive other valuable content.)
But don’t just ask once. Ask repeatedly and in different ways.
And go beyond asking. Give them proof of why giving you their email address is a smart thing to do.
And finally, you should use a powerful email marketing tool so that you can automate the whole process of signing up for your list. What’s a good service? Well, Brian Dean and I both use a powerful and inexpensive service called Aweber.
*AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER: I proudly feature affiliate links for some products that I love. It adds no extra cost to you, but enables me to earn a commission if you purchase. This is just one way I can continue to provide you with valuable information on this site.
P.S. After writing this post, I clicked over to Brian’s blog and guess what I found? You guessed it. Another effort to gather email addresses at the top of his blog. See for yourself…
“Backlinko is an online marketing blog that Dean launched in 2010. The site has grown rapidly over the past five years and currently receives nearly 100,000 visitors a month—a significant number for a blog in the insanely competitive SEO niche. “
— ERIC SIU, SingleGrain.com
(NOTE: Make sure to check out Eric’s article to learn 10 SEO lessons we can learn from Brian.)
I personally discovered Brian and Backlinko back in 2016 when I first learned about his ingenious content marketing/link building method that he calls “The Skyscraper Technique“.
It was during this interview that I heard Brian reveal the two ways he focuses on email:
1.He said that his main focus on his SEO site is his email list.
He does this because he knows he needs to warm up and nurture his subscribers before they’ll be willing to become clients for his high-end course (that is only offered 2 times a year).
2. One of the things he does whenever he doesn’t know what to do is focus on building his email list.
Not only that, he says that everyone should focus on building their email list.That again is really interesting considering he’s an SEO expert.
Why does Brian focus on email?
Because when Brian first began experimenting online, he began to follow an online guru who said that there were two questions that he always asked himself to see how his day went::
1. DID I BUILD MY EMAIL LIST? 2. DID I SERVE MY EMAIL LIST?
If this old online guru was able to say, “Yes,” to both of these questions, then he considered it a good day.
If he couldn’t, he made sure to correct that problem that very day or the next day at the latest.
Brian never forgot this lesson. That’s why, to this very day, SEO expert Brian Dean is always focusing on email.
Don’t get me wrong. Brian does use SEO in very powerful and creative ways. But he doesn’t rely only on SEO to grow his business.
Brian Is Not Alone with This Focus on Email
In case you think that Brian is crazy or an anomaly, he’s not.
All of the smartest digital marketers and content marketers know the importance of an email list.
“All these emails are from big social media platforms, so they can engage you with the content on their platform and get you to visit their app or website again.
“All social media platforms are building an email list because they are smart business owners. This helps their valuation when selling their business.
“While social media is a great way to reach your audience, it’s important to keep in perspective the timely nature of social media platforms.
“For business owners, email lists can yield dramatic rewards. According to the Direct Marketing Association, email marketing on average sees a 4300 percent return on investment (ROI) for businesses in the US. Can you say that about your social media marketing campaign?”
— Syed Balkhi, OptinMonster.com
You see? That’s why I say that all smart digital marketers and content marketers also know the importance of building an email list.
But here’s where things get really interesting.
Spoiler Alert: This Focus on Building an Email List is a Very Old Direct Marketing Practice
The importance of building an email list actually comes from an old school practice that came long before email was even invented.
The early direct marketers knew the same thing that Brian Dean knows.
One of the most powerful things about direct marketing is the ability to build and own your own list of prospects that you can market to.
That’s not all.
If you sit all of the top copywriters down in one room and ask them what the most important thing in direct response is, do you know what they’ll say?
They will tell you that the most important thing in direct response is the list.
(*If you pick the right list, your job will be much easier. If you don’t, you’ll see very little results, no matter how powerful your content or copy is.)
In direct mail, you either build the list or you can rent one. But when it comes to email, your main option is to build your list. (Renting email lists can get you in a lot of trouble.)
The importance of a list was important in the early days of direct response and it still remains important today for all content marketers and digital marketers.
I Don’t Know About You, But I Know What I’m Going to Do
Many rules/secrets that apply to direct response marketing also apply to content marketing.
In the short video below, you will understand exactly what I mean.
Why? Because as you will see in this video from Joe Polish’s Genius Network, legendary marketer, Joe Sugarman’s, copywriting tips apply to both content marketing and direct response marketing.
Learn to Write Copy That Sells with Joe Sugarman (VIDEO)
VIDEO DESCRIPTION: Joe Polish interviews the copywriting legend Joe Sugarman. Learn how his system can dramatically change your business.
If you really understand these things, you’ll be ahead of most businesses, companies, and business owners.
But if you just stop there, you’ll still be MISSING OUT on all the ways that content marketing and direct response marketing can take you and your business or company to the next level.
What Is Direct Response Content Marketing?
THE ORIGIN STORY: The idea of “direct response content marketing” came to me after teaching a marketing class for two years for UC Berkeley Extension in Belmont, CA.
In that class, I taught my students that direct response is the foundation of all effective digital marketing.
And I also taught them that content is key in building an audience that knows, likes, and trusts you.
That’s when something happened.
As I kept teaching my students these things, I kept thinking about these two ideas over again.
As I did, I continued to show them how direct response was really behind all effective digital marketing.
And as I continued to explain that content was needed throughout all of the nine steps to effective marketing, I suddenly realized something.
THE REALIZATION: I realized that these two types of marketing should not be practiced as separate disciplines in two separate camps but should instead be combined so that they can produce a greater synergy.
When I realized this, it suddenly hit me.
The greatest marketing that I’ve ever seen has been marketing that combined direct response with content marketing.
THE DISCOVERY: After thinking about it for a while, I came up with the term “direct response content marketing.”
But I want to be clear.
Direct response content marketing wasn’t necessarily an invention of mine. It was more like a discovery of mine.
AUTO-PILOT: In the book Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman says this…
“At the age of four, a child effortlessly conforms to the rules of grammar as she speaks, although she has no idea that such rules exist.”
In the same way, the principles and rules of “direct response content marketing” have been put into use, unknowingly, by others for many years.
[*INTERESTING SIDE NOTE: When I’ve explained the concept of “direct response content marketing” to other content marketers and direct marketers, they instantly get it and recognize it.
In fact, when I shared it with one expert he said this, “I think the idea is a really great one and it is one I have been implementing with my own clients (although I wouldn’t say I put the two ideas together as well as you are articulating here!)”]
CODIFICATION: Even though I didn’t invent “direct response content marketing,” I have come along to identify it, systematize it, and to codify it.
And if you stick with me, I promise to do my best to show you the amazing, incomparable results that can happen when we harness the incredible power of content marketing and direct response marketing.
Are You In? Here Are Three Things You Should Do
If you can see the potential in direct response content marketing and you want to learn how to harness its power, or even be a part of fleshing out its identity in the marketing industry, then here are THREE THINGS you should do.
Join DirectResponseContentMarketing.com as a free member and you will get access to our Member’s Resource Area which will give you access to additional content and resources that I won’t share in the public areas of this website. Click here to join now!
Begin following me on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter, so you will be one of first to access any/all of the concepts, strategies, and insights that I will reveal. (I haven’t created any separate accounts for this site.)
Share this article and/or any of our other articles. When you do that, you’ll be helping spread the word about this powerful paradigm shift and your friends, followers, and colleagues will be thankful to you for helping them be one of the first to know about this.
Why is content marketing so important? (Click here.)
Today, I want to talk to you about what direct response marketing is.
But in order to do that, I need to first talk to you about what direct marketing is.
What is Direct Marketing?
If you want to really understand what direct marketing is and why it is so important, you first have to understand two important things:
Masscommunication is communication reaching large numbers of people, usually over a long distance.
Mass marketing originated in the 1920s after the radio become popular. It was a means of businesses making a general, wide appeal to a large, diverse group of prospects. (This is what most advertising is focused on.)
How Is Direct Marketing Different from Advertising or Mass Marketing?
The difference with direct marketing is that you can communicate specific offers directly to a SPECIFIC group of people, INSTEAD OF general offers to the masses.
When direct marketing was created, it was designed to communicate through what was then the most personal channel known to exist: the U.S. Postal System.
(IMPORTANT: Stick with me. The reason I want you to understand this has nothing to do with you using mail to market.)
What Direct Marketing Enables You to Do
Direct marketing enables you to develop a more personal connection with potential customers.
And direct marketing enables you to geta direct, measurable response from these potential customers.
Do you see how different this compared to mass marketing? Do you see how direct marketing is so much more powerful?
Now that you understand these things, I can finally explain what direct response marketing is…
What is Direct Response Marketing?
When I am talking about direct response marketing, I am talking about the principles that direct marketing is based on and that direct marketing relies on.
That’s because direct response marketing can not only be used for marketing by mail, it can also be used to market through MANY other channels.
In fact, you might not realize this, but email marketing, content marketing, social media marketing, etc. are all built off of the fundamental concepts and principles of direct response marketing.
Stay tuned for more as we tie all of these things together!
In the video below, you’ll get to listen in to an interview that I did with David Garfinkel, the man who some call “The World’s Greatest Copywriting Coach.”
In this video you’ll discover:
What David means when he says, “Direct marketers go where branders fear to tread.”
Two important examples of this idea
(One example of is of an extremely successful company that became successful because it went where branders fear to tread.)
The key question direct marketers ask that branders tend to avoid
Watch the video now….
Direct Marketers Go Where Branders Fear To Tread (VIDEO)
CLARIFICATION: Brand marketers, please don’t misunderstand this video.
It isn’t meant to be an attack on brand marketers. And it’s not saying that you don’t need to have a name or brand that stands out in the marketplace.
Having a known brand in the marketplace is important. (When I say “brand,” I’m not talking about a logo. I am talking about a distinct identity/persona.)
Brand marketing can be useful if you’re selling consumable or commodity items that people already plan to buy. Then brand marketing can help your product to stand out from the crowd.
The reason that David and other direct marketers don’t favor brand marketing as the main marketing strategy is:
It is too expensive for most businesses and companies, if you want to really stand out in the marketplace or in people’s minds. (Most companies don’t have as much money as Coca-Cola.)
If you’re selling something that people don’t already plan to buy, then you will need to start with some type of education-based marketing instead of focusing on branding.
It isn’t sustainable for most businesses and companies as a primary marketing strategy. (Most companies need to make a sale now, before their brand becomes known.)
*As David shared in the video, direct marketers tend to focus on getting the sale (and especially the second, third, fourth, etc. sale).
They do that by marketing directly to a focused target group in a measurable way.
And they do it in a way in which branding becomes a by-product of what happens as they are gaining customers.
They don’t use branding as a way to get customers.
Don’t Forget to Subscribe to Our New Channel!
NOTE: This video is part of our a brand new channel, so subscribe and stay tuned for more interviews, ideas, lessons, and strategies that can help you to be an effective “direct response content marketer:”
Gene is one of the legends who all direct marketers look up to, so any information related to him is information you should listen to!
Plus, you should listen to it because David reveals the problem with just writing copy “right off the top of your head.”
David also reveals a different method that will help you produce the best copywriting you’re able to. Click the link/title above and listen to it now! (Then don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear all of the future episodes that come out.)
Finally, if you don’t just want to learn from David, but you also want to be mentored by him or see if he can work for your company, then go to GarfinkelCoaching.com.
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For a limited time, those who join in the month of April will get a FREE COPY of my book 51 Content Marketing Hacks.
Have You Read “The Direct Response Content Marketing Manifesto” Yet?
If you would like to know more about this site and the new form of marketing that I’ve come up with, then check out my “Direct Response Content Marketing Manifesto.”
Click the image below to read it now. (If it resonates with you, then become a free member today.)
P.S. I’ll have other interviews with David, and other articles from other direct response and content marketing experts, in the future on this site. So stay tuned. P.P.S If you’d like to write a guest post, then contact me and let’s talk!
You’re about to see not only a great example of old school content marketing, filled with lessons you can use today, but you’re also about to see the perfect example of what I call “direct response content marketing.”
Keep reading and you’ll see what I mean…
A Direct Mail Legend That Content Marketers Should Know About
Direct mail legend Maxwell Sackheim
Maxwell Sackheim is a direct mail legend. If you have never heard of him, here is why he is so respected:
He wrote one of the most famous ad headlines in the history of advertising (“Do You Make These Mistakes in English?“), which ran profitably for 40 years.
Well, if that wasn’t impressive enough, you need to add one more thing to that list of his achievements: content marketer.
Here’s why…
How Maxwell Sackheim Used Content Marketing to Get New Clients
Maxwell Sackheim’s ad “Seven Deadly Advertising Mistakes”
I came across an ad that Sackheim wrote for his agency called “Seven Deadly Advertising Mistakes” and I quickly realized, it isn’t just an ad. It’s a brilliant example of content marketing!
Here’s the definition of content market that I give in my book 51 Content Marketing Hacks so you can see why I call this ad content marketing… (NOTE: You can grab a free copy of my book in our free Member’s Resource Area.)
“Content marketing is the creation (or curation) of engaging content for the express purpose of gaining the attention and favor of a certain group, so that they will be persuaded to do business with an individual, business, or organization.”
– My personal definition of content marketing in my book 51 Content Marketing Hacks.
Maxwell Sackheim didn’t just create an ad to promote his agency. No, instead he created a full-page article that gave his readers powerful information on how to create an ad.
It was content to get their attention and gain their favor, so they would consider hiring him and his agency.
Let me break the ad down for you and show you some of the powerful things that he did in the ad…
12 Content Marketing Lessons from Maxwell Sackheim’s Ad
This ad isn’t just a great example for direct response marketers, it’s also a great example of how to create awesome content that your prospects will consume.
Let me show you six of the ingenious things he did in this ad and show you the eleven content marketing lessons you can learn from him:
He makes the ad irresistible with an intriguing headline and byline: “Seven Deadly Advertising Mistakes: Conclusions Based Upon 45 Years of Experience with Keyed Advertising.”
Lessons #1: If you don’t capture your reader’s attention at the beginning, then they will never read your content.
Lesson #2: Your headline and byline is the most important part of your content. Don’t just use any old headline and/or byline.
He begins the ad with a powerful intro… “We do not presume to know all there is to know about advertising – But we have been planning, preparing, and placing keyed advertising for 45 years, and from the traceable results from ads that failed, and ads that succeeded, we have learned many of the things that influence people, and many that do not.” | “We believe that the motives which induce people to respond to a keyed advertisement will move them to go to drug stores, grocery stores, and other stores for the goods advertised. By avoiding these Seven Deadly Advertising Mistakes, the sales of your product, or whatever it is, and however it is distributed, will increase.”
Lesson #3: The way you begin your content is the next important thing after your headline.
Lesson #4: You should introduce your content in a way that does one of the following things: proves your expertise, explains why the content is important to the reader, and/or promises them some desired or needed information.
He then offers a way for people who don’t have time to read his whole ad to get a copy of it in the form of a “lead magnet.” He tells the people that if they don’t have the desire or time to read it right then, then they can mail the coupon at the end of the ad to get a free copy of it in the form of a pocket-size booklet.
Lesson #5: Make sure to provide ways for people to consume your content later. This is not only helpful for your reader but also gives you leads that you can follow up on.
He then gives them the powerful information he promised them in the form of seven advertising mistakes: 1) GIVE THE READER A REASON FOR NOT READING 2) USE HEADLINES THAT WHISPER SWEET NOTHINGS 3) USE PICTURES THAT DO NOT TALK 4) THE CURSE OF CLEVERNESS 5) GO AROUND ROBIN HOOD’S BARN 6) LEAVE’EM DANGLING 7) USE “YACKETY-YAK COPY”
Lesson #6: Make sure that the content you provide your reader is worth their time and effort.
Lesson #7: Don’t just give them generic information. Always present valuable information in an entertaining and intriguing way.
He then finishes his ad with information to help his readers apply what they’ve learned from the information he’s given them. He does this in the form of seven questions the readers can ask about their advertising: 1) DOES IT GIVE THE READER A REASON FOR NOT READING? 2) ARE WE USING HEADLINES THAT WHISPER SWEET NOTHINGS? 3) ARE WE USING PICTURES THAT DO NOT TALK? 4) IS OUR ADVERTISING CURSED WITH CLEVERNESS? 5) DOES OUR APPROACH GO AROUND ROBIN HOOD’S BARN? 6) DO OUR ADVERTISEMENTS LEAVE THEM DANGLING? 7) DO OUR ADVERTISEMENTS CONTAIN “YACKETY-YAK” COPY?
Lesson #8: Make sure that the content that you create is practical in some way or another. This type of content is much more valuable than just informational content.
Lesson #9: Whenever possible, make sure to include ways that will help your reader apply what you’ve taught them.
Lesson #10: When your reader sees results that you or your company helped them get through your content, guess who they will want to purchase from or work with?
Finally, like all direct response marketers, Sackeheim made sure to leave his readers with a “call to action.” He ended this ad by saying, “We believe our approach to attracting, interesting, convincing, and selling the public is sound whatever you sell, however you distribute it.” | “We are willing to prove this to any advertiser, on one product, in one market. The ‘gamble’ is so small and the stakes are so high that you have little to lose and much to gain by making the test.” | “We shall be pleased to confer with you at your convenience. Write us now! And here is your coupon!…”
Lesson #11: Make sure that in most cases and situations you always have some sort of “call to action” in the content that you create. (This is something that many content marketers leave out regularly.)
Lesson #12: If you really want your reader to take action, then make sure that you make an irresistible and risk-free offer. That’s what Sackheim did here. He offered them the chance to see results on one product in one market for free. How can you create an equally powerful offer?
Want to See the Full Ad?
The complete ad is not only a great example of content marketing, but it also contains some really great information about how to create interesting, engaging, and powerful content.
I know that the image I used above is blurry. Sorry about that! But the ad was way too big to include in this post!
If you would like to see the full ad, you can download a readable, PDF version of the ad in our free Member’s Resource Area.
Are you interested in finding out more about what direct response content marketing is all about?
Click the image below to learn how it can help you to be a better marketer and/or your company’s marketing to see more results.
Get a Free Copy of My Book
For a limited time, those who join in the month of April will get a FREE COPY of my book 51 Content Marketing Hacks.
P.S. A Page Out of Sackheim’s Book – If you would like me to show you how direct response content marketing can improve your results, then contact me.
I will prove that it can help you by applying it to one of your products or services in one market– for FREE.
Affiliate Link Disclaimer
NOTE: This site uses affiliate links to Amazon. If you click on a link and are taken to their website, we might make a small commission. But we only link to or recommend products or services that we like and think are actually good and helpful! The commission is not worth it to recommend books or products we don’t believe in.
My Discovery That Collected “Digital Dust” in My Inbox for Almost 4 Years
It happened on October 6, 2015, and I don’t even remember how I came across it.
I was probably searching and bouncing around the internet looking up some marketing related information.
And that’s when I made this surprising discovery. (Even though, at that time, I’d have to admit that I didn’t realize how important my discovery was.)
What was it? It was a digital copy of an old book about advertising from 1912.
I skimmed it and thought it looked interesting, but I didn’t have time to really read it right then.
So what did I do? I Gmailed it to myself so I could look at it later and figure out what I wanted to do with it.
I think over these years I might have glanced at it once or twice really quickly but, again, didn’t get to really consume it and figure out what to do with it.
That is until Friday, February 1st of this year.
117-Year-Old Secrets About What Makes People Buy (That Still Apply Today)
That’s the day that I remembered again that old book that I had emailed myself.
For some reason I can’t really explain, this time I decided to finally take the time to sit down and really read the book.
And when I did, I began to smile with excitement.
Why? Because I suddenly realized just what an amazing find I had been sitting on for almost four years!
The more I read, the more excited I got. I quickly began to realize that this book was unique. Why?
It a world where the same ideas are repackaged and regurgitated over and over, this book contained some rare ideas, concepts, methods, and tools on how to discover the real reason people buy.
Not only that, but it contained a unique tool (in the form of a chart) to help you uncover the thing that’s really keeping someone from buying from you (It’s a different tool than ones I’ve come across before.)
This might sound strange, but some of the ideas and methods that it contains have been forgotten for so long they are new again!
And finally, when I looked at the publisher and realized the origin/source of the ideas — and when I realized that the methods had been thoroughly tested and produced proven results back then — that’s when I understood why these truths have stood the test of time.
This all led me to realize that the high quality and quantity of information gathered and presented in this book was something I needed to share with others.
It was too valuable to keep to myself or let remain forgotten.
Because in this day and age, just as it was 117 years ago, knowing how to create content or copy that makes people buy is a key skill that is crucial and is always in demand.
(*CLARIFICATION: Please don’t misunderstand me. When I say “make people buy,” I do NOT mean that in a manipulative or sleazy way. I mean causing people to want to buy in a completely honest, upfront, powerful, and persuasive way. A way that helps the seller present their valuable solutions and helps the buyer solve their pressing problems.)
And because I knew that I was about to reveal DirectResponseContentMarketing.com to the world, I realized that this book would be the perfect fit and this site would be the perfect platform to reveal the powerful lessons this book contains.
So today, I am going to begin peeling back the layers and reveal some of the valuable and profitable ideas that this book contains.
(IMPORTANT: This book is 117 years old. I am not claiming that all of the things in it are amazing or still applicable. They’re not! But when you see the quality and quantity of ideas, concepts, methods, and tools that it does contain —which are amazing and still applicable today, I think you’ll agree that I am not exaggerating.)
Why You’re Going to Have to Wait to Find Out the Name of This Book.
But before I share the first lessons from this book, I want to be really clear about what I am going to do for you and what I am not going to do.
What I Am Going to Do
What I am going to do in this series that I am beginning today is repackage and share the information that this book contains.
I am going to pull out lessons from this information and show you how it applies to the content and the copy that you create today.
What I Am Not Going to Do (and Why)
But, what I am NOT going to do is reveal the name of the book…. at least not just yet. And when I do reveal it, I am not going to reveal it all of you.
Why? I want to wait to reveal the name of the book at the end of this series for several important reasons that benefit not only me but also you:
I want to be able to share my exclusive insights from the book with you here,before the information can be diluted and commoditized.
This rewards me for finding the book and for taking the time to read it, condense its wisdom, and present it to you in an easy to consume, understandable, and applicable format.
It also rewards you for finding this website, spending time reading what I have written, and gives you a head start in applying this information before it becomes common knowledge and loses its effectiveness.
Plus, mysteries are fun. They’re attractive. They create suspense. I want to leave the source of this information a mystery in order tomake it more enjoyable for you as you discover the powerful lessons along the way. And I am doing this so that the anticipation will make the “final reveal” more exciting for us both.
*When I reveal the title of the book at the end of this series, I will only be revealing it to members of DirectResponseContentMarketing.com.
Why? There are many important reasons but here are a few of them:
It will give you an incentive to sign-up to become a member of DirectResponseContentMarketing.com. (This book will only be one of the treasures that you will eventually have access to in our Member’s Resource Area.)
It will reward people who sign-up as free members of this community so they get “first dibs” at it and can go read the book for themselves.
It will hopefully delay the dissemination of this valuable information to slow the pace of it being diluted and cheapened.
Plus, I am doing this in order to apply my “6th Indisputable Law for Creating Highly Valuable Content,” which states: “Things that are popular and hard to get our hands on are seen as more valuable.” (In other words, I am applying this law because I don’t want to fail you by cheapening the information you’re about to discover. If you think it’s easily accessible then you might make the same mistake I did and wait four years to consume and apply this important information.)
Now that we’ve gotten that all out of the way, it’s time to pull this book from my digital shelf, open the cover, and thumb through its pages to unveil its first insights and lessons…
How to Create Content and Copy That Sells – Pt. 1 (Wisdom from Inside the Book)
Content and Copy That Motivates People to Buy Requires More Than These Things
Contrary to popular opinion, marketing that makes people want to buy is more than:
The appearance of the content and copy
The words you choose to use
The layout of the copy
The choice of the medium
Don’t get me wrong. All of these things matter! But you can do all of these things perfectly and still not produce something that makes people want to buy.
Why? Because even if your marketing had all of the above things going for it, it could still be missing the secret ingredient that influences people to buy.
The thread that must weave its way through your whole marketing campaign must be grounded in a strong appeal.
And not just a strong appeal, but an appeal that makes people want to buy.
If you don’t find the right way to appeal that will make your chosen prospect want to buy, then everything else will fall flat.
But, if your content or copy is grounded in a strong appeal that makes people want to buy, then the appearance, words, layout, and medium you choose will amplify it.
An Example We Can All Relate to From Childhood
Let me give you an example of the importance of choosing the right appeal in order to get someone to take up your offer.
Think of any type of food you used to hate as a child but you now love as an adult.
I used to hate curry when I was a kid. Back then, my step-dad was a cook in the hospital cafe and he made some curry there that people loved.
My mom would bring some home and try to get me to eat it by saying things like “it’s really good” (appeal to quality) or “everyone loves it” (social proof).
But those appeals had no effect on me, so I didn’t take the offer. WHY? Because I didn’t like curry, her appeals were pointless!
But now, as an adult, I LOVE curry. If my Mom made those same appeals now, I would instantly respond and take her up on her offer!
Appeal: the power of arousing a sympathetic response: ATTRACTION
Do you understand? When I was younger, all of my Mom’s efforts were useless, because her appeal wasn’t attractive to me since I didn’t like curry at the time.
But now, since my tastes have changed, she could convince me to eat curry with hardly any effort – using the same appeal – because that appeal is attractive to me now.
That means that BEFORE you put any effort into your content or copy, you must make sure that the underlying appeal that you have chosen will make your prospect want to buy.
The skillful content marketer or copywriter must make sure that the message that runs through their content marketing or copywriting is filled with buying reasons and buying attractions that are appealing to their target prospect.
The skillful content marketer or copywriter must focus on the product’s essence in a way that’s appealing to his target prospect and in a way that appeals to the prospect’s desires.
Otherwise, the marketing will have no pull, no attraction. And with no pull, all the effort, strategies, and methods in the world can’t help you!
Without the Right Appeal, You Can’t Create Effective Content or Copy
In the book, it says that if you want your content or copy to get people to buy, it must:
Grip your prospects
Reveal the innermost benefits that your product or service offers
Focus on their wants not just your needs
Foresee every hesitation the prospect might have and counteract these with logical reasons to buy
But how can you possibly do any of these things, if you don’t know the right appeal that will make your prospect want to buy?
When your content or copy is based on a weak appeal, or the wrong appeal, then your prospect will quickly begin to put up one of four roadblocks that will keep you from getting them to move forward.
These roadblocks come in the form of four choices that the book describes a prospect making if your appeal isn’t correct or strong enough:
1. Without the right appeal, the prospect (B2C) or company (B2B) you’re trying to target might decide to save their moneyfor now. They might decide to not spend it all, spend it on something else, or save it for a larger purchase.
(*How much “money off” do you think you can offer them as an incentive to buy if they’ve already decided to save themselves 100% by not buying and just saving their money?)
2. Without the right appeal, the prospect (B2C) or company (B2B) you’re trying to target mightjust decide to delay the decision. Maybe he/she is too busy today. Maybe they have more pressing concerns right now.
(That means that instead of just needing to convince them that your product/service is good and can help them, you’re going to need to convince them that they’re not too busy and that your offer is more important than their other concerns.)
3. Without the right appeal, the prospect (B2C) or company (B2B) you’re trying to target might want to take some time to reexamine or reappraise their situation. This might come from self-doubt about the uncertainty of the exact problem that needs to be solved.
(*How easy do you think it’s going to be to convince them that your product/service will solve their problem if they aren’t sure that that’s their exact problem?)
4. Without the right appeal, the prospect (B2C) or company (B2B) you’re trying to target might simply procrastinate and put off the decision (like we all like to do).
(*Think about how good you are at procrastinating and then think about what you’re up against in trying to get your prospect not to do it.)
So you see, by not using the right appeal it’s going to make things very difficult.
But if you figure out the right appeal, then some of your prospects will proceed forward before even stopping to consider putting out these roadblocks.
Without the right appeal, you’re just wasting your time trying to convince your prospect that your product or service is great and can help them, when that’s not the reason they aren’t buying. (Remember my mom and the curry story?)
If you’re going to have any hope of discovering the right appeal, then you must start by clearly understanding the answers to four questions from the book:
What does the prospect want?
How does your product fit that desire?
What overall tone should permeate your content marketing and/or copy?
And what should be your primary appeal that will get your prospect to see that buying now is their best (if not only) option?
Just knowing your product or service isn’t enough. You must know your product or service in relation to your prospect.
It’s the only way to begin to figure out what is keeping a prospect from buying from you right now.
In just a second, I will show you give you a preview of what’s coming next.
But I want to offer something to those of you who want to begin applying what you’ve already read…
Want a Checklist to Help You Begin to Analyze, Evaluate, and Apply What You’ve Learned Here?
If you’d like a checklist based off of the concepts, ideas, and questions that I’ve presented here, then sign-up to become a free member of DirectResponseContentMarketing.com.
I have put together a 5-page checklist that will help to do two things:
Analyze and important a current piece of content or copy
Create a new piece of content or copy
Become a free member right now and you can download this and other resources in our Member’s Resource Area.
Sneak Peek: A Tool to Help You Analyze Your Marketing Problems, So You Can Uncover the Right Appeal
As we continue delving deeper into this book, I am going to begin revealing the questions from a unique chart that this book provides.
It’sa chart that is meant to be a tool to help you analyze your marketing problems and uncover the correct appeal you must use to get your customers to buy.
This chart will help you figure out things like:
The key factors in determining the most effective sales appeal for you to use
The buying motives that you should make sure that your copy or content appeals to.
And more
I think you’re going to have plenty of “aha! moments” and experience some breakthroughs, so make sure you to come back for Part 2. (And there are many more parts to come!)
We’re Just Getting Started
Most of you who have read this far are excited to read this information and thinking of friends, followers, and colleagues you can share it with.
But I know there is a small group of you who, even though you thought the information was good, you aren’t convinced that it is that unique, rare, or different.
My only response to you is, “We’re just getting started!” Come back next week for part two and see the next batch of powerful ideas, concepts, methods I am going to reveal next.
Do You Have a Guess?
You’re always more than welcome to take a guess at what you think the title of the book is at any point throughout this series.
If you have a guess, please email me and let me know what you think it is. (I just won’t confirm or deny it.)
*Just please don’t ruin the surprise for everyone else by posting your guess in the comment section.
NOTE: This post originally appeared on my site RecessionSolution.com here.
I am reposting it here because I want to show content marketers and copywriters to see they might have more in common they realize.
Content marketing is very popular nowadays and it should be.
I believe it’s one of the most powerful ways to market in our current climate.
But the more I’ve thought about it, the more I’ve realized there is an overlooked similarity between content marketing a successful sales letters of the past.
You might be wondering, “What could possibly be similar about these two things that seem to be polar opposites?
Let me give you an example and see if you can see the similarity I’m thinking of.
The Wall Street Letter That Ran for 28 Years
The Wall Street Journal Letter below is one of the world’s most famous copywriting pieces around.
It ran non-stop for 28 years without them being able to find another letter that was more successful.
One of the most famous and successful sales letters of all time
The Overlooked Similarities Between Them
Notice something? It starts with story. What do content marketing and successful sales letters have in common?
Here it is: classic, successful sales letters use stories and content to lead to a sale.
People don’t usually think of them this way, but successful, classic sales letters always use a LOT of content.
They are never just about pitching whatever product or service they’re selling. Oh course not! The legendary copywriters were too smart for that!
When they wrote those classic sales letters they made to do many things BEFORE asking for the sale:
They engage the reader.
They address the problem and the pain the reader is dealing with.
They educate the reader about their problem and the solution the product or service offers.
And only when they are done doing all of those things, do they ask for the sale.
That’s why classic sales letters were so many pages long. All of that takes a lot of content and information!
Sound familiar?
Effective content marketing does the same thing nowadays. It just does it over time, over a series of published chunks of content (blog posts, videos, audio, whatever), instead of trying to accomplish it in one letter.
Content marketing is like a sales letter that’s been dismantled and delivered overtime.
The “Father of Advertising” Reveals His First Love and Secret Weapon
Screenshot of David Ogilvy Revealing Why Direct Response is Better Than General Advertising
The late David Ogilvy is considered by many to be “The Father of Advertising.”
He is admired and studied for incredible insights into, and understanding of, effective advertising. In fact, Time magazine went as far as calling him “the most sought after wizard in the business.”
Well, you might be surprised to hear this, but David Ogilvy believed in the power and effectiveness of direct response marketing.
In the video you are about to see, Ogilvy reveals that direct marketing was the secret weapon he used to grow his agency, Ogilvy & Mather!
In fact, he calls direct response his “first love” and says that he tried for forty years to get the advertising community to understand the importance of direct response.
In this video, David Ogilvy shares some insights that expose the exact reason why whenever I teach marketing to marketers and business professionals, I always teach them that direct response marketing is the foundation of all effective marketing.
My Similar Goal(s)
And in the same way that Ogilvy tried to convince the advertising world of the importance of direct response, my goal is to help the content marketing industry the importance of direct response.
But that’s not all. I also want the direct response industry to see the importance of content marketing.
David Ogilvy: We Sell or Else (VIDEO)
Description of the video: “Renowned Advertising guru David Ogilvy gives a brief speech on the importance of direct marketing.”
Two Quotes from This Video
In the above video, Ogilvy gave this amazing prediction to direct marketers…
“I predict that the practitioners of general advertising are going to start learning from your experience. They’re going to start picking your brains. I see no reason why the direct response divisions of agencies should be separate from the main agencies. Some of you may remember when television people in agencies were kept separate wasn’t that idiotic? I expect to see the direct response people become an integral part of all agencies. You have more to teach them than they have to teach you. You have it in your power to rescue the advertising business from its manifold lunacies.”
– David Ogilvy
Later he reveals just how important that he believes direct response is when he says…
“Nobody should be allowed to create general advertising until he has served his apprenticeship in direct response.”
– David Ogilvy
If you haven’t already, I’d encourage you to watch the video right now. And if you already just watched it, then watch it again. It’s that important.
If You Would Like To Discover More of David Ogilvy’s Insights
If you’d like to learn more of his insights into direct response and advertising, and you don’t already have his book, then you should grab a copy of it.
Here are some of the things that he talks about in his book:
• How to get a job in advertising • How to choose an agency for your product • The secrets behind advertising that works • How to write successful copy—and get people to read it • Eighteen miracles of research • What advertising can do for charities
NOTE: This site uses affiliate links to Amazon. If you click on a link and are taken to their website, we might make a small commission. But we only link to or recommend products or services that we like and think are actually good and helpful! The commission is not worth it to recommend books or products we don’t believe in.
NOTE: The post you’re about to read is one that I originally wrote for ContentMarketingInstitute.com. (The original post is here.)
I am posting it here because it’s a great example of direct response marketing and content marketing principles working perfectly together.
P.S. Make sure to learn about my free checklist to help you apply this strategy. ———-
The Founder’s Unexpected Death
J.I. Rodale, the founder of Rodale Inc., publisher of Prevention and several other magazines, was dead at the age of 72. What was even more shocking was where he died.
As a guest on The Dick Cavett Show, Rodale suffered a heart attack onstage as the host interviewed another guest. (Cavett and the guest were unaware until they commented to Rodale and he didn’t respond. The show never aired.)
The promoter of health in media was gone, but his legacy carried on. What does this have to do with content marketing?
Everything.
Not because of the interview, but because of the publishing company Rodale left behind.
He left behind an understanding of the magazine industry that would propel Prevention to become one of the world’s largest magazines (10 million monthly readers).
What I want to do today is reveal how Rodale Inc. did that, and help you apply it to your owncontent marketing strategy.
2 Reasons Why a Magazine Exists
In my e-book, 51 Content Marketing Hacks, I share the real reason that magazines exist with a quote included in The 1910s by David Blanke and attributed to ad executive James Collins in 1907:
There is still an illusion to the effect that a magazine is a periodical in which advertising is incidental. But we don’t look at it that way. A magazine is simply a device to induce people to read advertising. It is a large booklet with two departments – entertainment and business. The entertainment department finds stories, pictures, verse, etc. to interest the public. The business department makes the money.
These purposes are the same ones on which every effective content marketer must focus:
Providing interesting content
Making a profit
This simple concept is like most foundational concepts. The power isn’t in knowing, it’s inimplementing the concepts.
Rodale (and those at Rodale Inc. after him) implemented these concepts so well that it became a science. In 2014, Rodale publications reached an all-time high gross readership of 37.7 million readers.
But how did they do it?
Rodale Inc.’s 5-Step Content Marketing Strategy
I accidentally discovered Rodale Inc.’s strategy.
It all began when my wife started receiving Prevention magazine and Rodale began to send her promotional magazines (magalogs). The next thing I knew she ordered some of those books and products promoted in those magalogs.
You need to understand something.
Unlike me, my wife doesn’t like (or even care about) marketing. For her to read these marketing materials, like them, and respond to them meant Rodale was doing something right.
That led me to pay attention to its efforts and research its current and past practices.
The 5-Step Strategy That I Uncovered
The results are revealed in the five-step strategy.
1. The only purpose of content creation is to gather a specific audience
Rodale Inc. never creates content for the sake of creating content. It always has a specific audience in mind. All of the content is designed to appeal, attract, and help that audience.
Rodale has created different content verticals for many markets, including:
Bicycling
Children’s Health
Men’s Health
Rodale’s Organic Life
Prevention
Runner’s World
Women’s Health
Each of these verticals attracts and benefits a unique group of people. Let me use one of its most recent verticals to show how Rodale does it. In March, Rodale created a website called Eat Clean. You can see the detailed vertical audience it plans to attract as described in the site’s press release:
With an often irreverent, always authoritative tone, EatClean.com will be the gathering place for clean-food insiders and experimenters, uncovering the latest trends, innovations, opinions, products, and recipes.
Rodale’s mindset on creating content is different from that of many marketers. Others usually focus on a generic audience. They create content for “urgent” reasons such as a blog post is scheduled; it’s a topic we’ve wanted to discuss; it’s something everybody else is talking about right now.
But they first should answer the questions important to their content marketing strategies:
Who is the specific audience we are trying to attract?
What do they want to know?
What do they want to share?
Rodale always creates content with purpose and on purpose.
2. Focus on subscribers, not readers
I once heard author and podcaster Paul Colligan say, “I am not focused on listeners. I am focused on subscribers.” This should be true for content creators of all kinds. Why? Readers are great, but subscribers are what really matters.
Why is focusing on subscribers so important? It allows you to use what Seth Godin calls “permission marketing” and what old-school marketers thought of as “two-step marketing.”
It enables you to do five powerful things:
Uncover a specific audience that wants to hear from you by letting them raise their hands and identify themselves.
Gain permission to contact them.
Create content that is expected and anticipated by your audience.
Build a deep relationship with your audience.
Contact your audience for free (or be paid as the magazine subscription model provides).
Email marketing has shown to be much more powerful than any social media tool. And physical mailing lists always have been an asset that every business should grow.
Of course, Rodale appreciates it when people walk into a bookstore and buy one of its magazines. But Rodale isn’t focused on single-copy sales; it knows subscribers offer the most value.
Never forget that is true for you, no matter what type of content you are creating.
3. You effectively sell to audience members by channeling and directing their existing desires
Rodale Press once paid famed copywriter Eugene Schwartz $54,000 for four hours of work. His book, Breakthrough Advertising, is considered a mail-order classic. In it, Schwartz reveals something important that Rodale Inc. learned and implemented with precision:
This is the copy writer’s task: not to create this mass desire – but to channel and direct it. Actually, it would be impossible for any one advertiser to spend enough money to actually create this mass desire. He can only exploit it. And he dies when he tries to run against it. Let me repeat. This mass desire must already be there. It must already exist. You cannot create it and you cannot fight it. But you can – and must – direct it, channel it. Focus it onto your particular product.
Did you catch that?
You cannot create a desire for your product or service. It doesn’t matter if you love your product. All that matters is that your prospects desire it. That’s not only true for copywriters. It’s true of all successful content marketers.
You must know what your audiences’ desires are and how to appeal to them.
How can you do that? Think of your content marketing as a way to discover the desires of your audience.
Write for a specific audience and pay attention to how that content resonates with them. See what gets the most comments and shares. But that’s just the beginning. Talk to those subscribers on whom you’ve been focusing and ask what they want.
Rodale constantly studies the desires of its audiences. It looks at trends. It even conducts an annual survey to get consumers’ reactions to specific areas and types of information.
You can see how Rodale used its research to describe the desires of the Eat Clean audience by looking at this comment from Editor Sarah Toland in the press release:
People are more in tune than ever with the relationship between what they eat, how they look and feel, and how our food affects the planet. Everywhere you shop or eat now, you can find some food label – whether something is sustainably sourced, real, natural, pure, non-GMO, local, gluten-free – that raises more questions than it answers.
Eat Clean helps people negotiate this crazy landscape and figure out how to ‘eat clean’ in a way that makes the most sense for their own health, goals, and ethics.
Rodale understands that unless it knows what a specific audience wants, it can never create solutions that they will buy.
You must never forget this. It’s the key to success in sales conversions.
4. Create multiple ways to fulfill those desires
Once you know the audience’s desires, you can create the things that they want to buy or position what you already offer in ways that appeal to them.
(Rodale doesn’t reveal this anywhere that I’ve been able to find, but I bet that it uses the surveys to help identify the solutions that it sells to its specific audiences.)
The key to doing this effectively is to remember two important things:
People have different content-consumption preferences.
Some types of content have more perceived value than others.
With this in mind, Rodale created all kinds of different info-products, products, and services to appeal not only to the different desires of its audiences but to the different ways the audiences want to consume information.
In addition to magazines, Rodale offers books, products, an online university, and host-branded events. Now obviously, you don’t want to create all of these solutions at once. Start with one idea and build from there. How can you get ideas on where to start?
Look to the content you’ve created for format ideas.
All of the content you create must be designed to attract and help that hungry crowd with money. Your products and services must meet the needs and/or desires that a crowd of people with money has.
As I explained then, “… You probably have some content that you could repurpose and sell …” such as:
Blog posts into audio recordings
Audio files into videos
Videos into webinars
You are only limited by your creativity.
Rodale knows that to help your audience the most, and at the same time maximize your profits, you must create many types of solutions for your prospects to buy.
If you want to maximize your sales, then you must do the same.
5. You must use ‘content selling’ to see real results
The other thing Rodale does that many content marketers do not do is they rely on more than content marketing — they also rely on content selling.
Content marketing can take you far but without an offer or ask, it’s difficult to get a sale. At some point, you must focus on content that intentionally sells.
What’s the difference?
I recently heard Todd Brown of MarketingFunnelAutomation.com give this powerful explanation on the difference between marketing and selling.
I’ll paraphrase it: Marketing is when you talk about the prospects – the prospect’s situation, needs, wants, and what’s in the best interest of your prospect. In other words, what they should be doing to alleviate their problem … Selling is when you talk about you, your product, your product’s benefits, features, advantages, risk-reversal, bonuses – that’s selling.
In other words, content marketing is content focused on attracting members of an audience, educating them, and helping them.
Content selling is content focused on why the audience members should buy what you are offering.
Rodale doesn’t just focus on content to attract its audiences (magazines = content marketing). It also is focused on content that offers a solution (magalogs and sales letters = content selling).
That is why Rodale is so successful.
That’s why my wife has purchased things from the company. Its magazines alone would never have been able to accomplish this success.
Too many content marketers never ask for the sale. They waste much of their content marketing efforts.
Rodale never loses sight of the two purposes of a magazine – to gather an audience and to make a profit. This balanced focus and the powerful way it is implemented are the keys to Rodale’s amazing success.
If you want to see better results, then you must do the same.
Download My FREE Checklist in Our Member’s Resource Area: 5 Questions to Get You Started – Plus Checklist
IMPROVE YOUR CURRENT CONTENT MARKETING STRATEGY
Using Rodale’s model that I discovered, you can ask the questions in this guide to develop the best answers which will help you to improve your content marketing strategy.
CREATE A NEW HIGHLY EFFECTIVE CONTENT MARKETING STRATEGY
Not only that, I have also created a checklist in this guide that is based on these five steps that will enable to create a highly effective new content marketing strategy.
“The 5-Step Content Marketing Strategy Checklist” (Based on a Strategy Used By the World’s Largest Health and Wellness Media Company)
You can grab your copy for free in our Member’s Resource Arena.
I am going follow my own advice in this post and ending with this short paragraph of content selling.
If you liked this post, then you will want to grab a copy of my book 51 Content Marketing Hacks, which was nominated for Smallbiztrends.com’s 2016 “Small Business Book Award
In it, I reveal the powerful, unexpected ways content marketing has been used throughout history (by Benjamin Franklin, from Star Wars, Disney, etc.)
It will inspire you and give you a lot of great ideas for your content marketing. You can learn more about it here. (By the way, it has been highly rated by top experts on Amazon.com.)
