All Posts Tagged Tag: ‘Mindset’
Time to get smart about marketing
Okay, so you have almost 12 months ahead of you…what are you going to do differently in your business to make this your best year ever?
I am sure that you’re familiar with the 80-20 Rule. Basically, it states that…
20 percent of your efforts = 80 percent of your results.
So, eighty percent of the results you achieve are produced by twenty percent of your efforts. Question: ‘Do you know what that 20 percent was for you in 2011?’ Most importantly, how can you use that rule to your advantage in your business this year?
You need to get smart about your marketing. You need to focus on those business generating activities that yield highest results. Business coach, Brian Tracy, says that you need to focus on 4 things:
Read MoreGive your clients some ‘eye-relief’ …
Here’s a simple way to improve your sales letter conversions… simply spruce up your subheads. It goes without saying that the reason why many people don’t buy from you is because they lose interest and stop reading the sales letter half way through. They click away. Now a good subhead can make people stay on your sales page a little while longer…
In case you’re wondering, subheads are those bolded and oversized sentences you use to break up large blocks of text. Copywriting master Clayton Makepeace explains why you should use them:
“To give the prospect “eye-relief,” because reading large blocks of text without a subhead can be intimidating and straining.”
The problem is that your online clients are impatient with anything they can’t skim. So, many will want to skim right through your copywriting and if nothing hooks their attention then they will probably miss your biggest arguments and maybe even skip your offer. Intriguing and benefit-laden subheads are like little stop signs that will keep more people interested in reading on… and hopefully making a purchase.
Read MoreAdmit the truth… and improve your sales!
What do you want the world to think of your business?
Now, what does the world THINK of your business?
While the former is how you WANT to be perceived by your clients and prospects the latter is how you are really perceived. It’s not about what you think they think of you but what they TRULY think… it’s a statement of position.
A statement of position is not a positioning statement.
A statement of position is what people really think about your business. Why am I making such a big ‘fuss’ about this? Simply because if what your clients HEAR is different to what they actually SEE then such inconsistency could confuse many… and that could hurt your bottom line.
This is especially important when you want to be perceived as a reputable and credible company. You want people to trust you… without trust they probably won’t deal with you.
So, is there an inconsistency or maybe even a contradiction between what you say you are (in your copywriting, advertising and marketing material) and how a typical client actually perceives your business?
Read MoreAvoid metooistic copywriting
If all you do is make the same ‘me-too’ claims and promises on your website and in your copywriting material then your message will easily get lost, missed or simply ignored.
If you don’t stand out you’ll get lost in the marketplace.
The key is to stop trying to be everything for everybody.
It’s a good idea to review your ads, sales letters and copywriting material on a regular basis to figure WHO ELSE is offering what you do…
Read MoreIs your website congruent with your service?
Recently, I have come across several websites that made me think ‘I wouldn’t think of that …’ and let me tell you, they weren’t pretty looking.
Some looked old and outdated.
Too tricky to navigate.
The content, well … it was impersonal, vague and so withdrawn.
I was puzzled trying to figure what they were really offering.
No kidding, it wasn’t obvious. I felt like giving up!
That made me think … why would anyone foot the bill on a website that needs a resurrection?!
Well, maybe your website is different. Perhaps you have updated it recently.
But, is it congruent with your product or service?
Read More67+ opportunities to grow your business!
This is a great list for anyone in Melbourne looking for fresh new leads, check out what the competition is up to, find out what else your clients and prospects are spending money on and meet potential alliance and joint venture partners that could help you grow your business. Even if you live in another state, this list could still be of great value to you…
As a marketing copywriter I strongly believe that the quality of your life and business is the quality of your communication… or communications – the ones you have with yourself and the ones you have with others.
Meaningful and ongoing conversations are critical to your business success.
That’s why I think this list has so much potential… it should help you to have many, many meaningful conversations that could make a dramatic difference to your business and bottom line… in 2011 and beyond!
Read MoreControversial rapper pitches ice tea
How do you get a celebrity rapper like Eminem to advertise your brand? Frankly, I have no idea. But somehow Lipton has figured a way. They persuaded the world’s most controversial rapper to star in their Lipton Brisk ad.
Brisk video commercial is receiving rave reviews on YouTube and nearly 400K people on Facebook like the ad. It’s interesting how they got those ‘likes’ … Here’s how. The page says…
“Tell us your Brisk story in 110 characters or less for a chance to win prizes or even have your story animated as a brisk puppet that looks like you.”
All you have to do is click the ‘like’ button to get started! Sounds like an irresistible offer, doesn’t it? Well, nearly four-hundred thousand people got hooked and clicked the like button.
But there’s is more to this commercial as it offers many interesting marketing lessons in connecting with your marketplace using clever story-telling…
Read MoreWhat women like best about online shopping
I take poll and survey results with a grain of salt. They are not always accurate or consistent. Still, they can arm you with some insight if you can read between the lines.
If you’re trying to better understand your online consumer then the following ‘finding’ could shine some light on the matter. Considering that women are behind the majority of buying decision then what BlogHer and Create With Context discovered is something to think about…
Apparently they polled women in 10 big U.S. cities, and found that the top-ranked reasons for what women want when shopping online are as follows…
Let’s consider each one individually…
Read MoreWhat headlines are likely to work in 2011
Producing headlines that work isn’t easy. Yet, as all copywriting legends agree it is THE most important element of your copywriting. Let me pull out some quotes here for you on the subject…
A legend in advertising, David Ogilvy, said “On average, five times as many people read the headlines as read the body copy. It follows that unless your headline sell your product, you have wasted 90 percent of your money.”
Another master copywriter, John Caples (a creator of the classic “They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano”) said: “What decides whether or not you stop a moment and look at an advertisement, or even read a little of it? The headlines”.
In his classic, Breakthrough Advertising, Gene Schwartz says: “You have only one glance of the reader’s eye to stop him. He is preoccupied he is not looking for your product or your message — the span of his attention will admit only one thought to penetrate his indifference during that glance.”
Using powerful headlines is important to your click-throughs, conversions and sales. The question is what headlines are likely to work in 2011 and what ones you should stay away from…
Read MoreGurus Suck – what needs to change…
I received an interesting email this morning, it went like this…
I would like to thank the following “gurus” for the money I’ve made so far online…..
1. _____________________
2. _____________________
3. _____________________
4. _____________________
5. _____________________See that, there’s no one there, know why?
Because they’re all [removed] that’s why.
All the GURU’S I’ve met are crack snorting bitches getting rich selling [removed] to you and me and I’m sick of it!
Push button this, 3 steps to $$$illions that, mass money makers… more like my money takers… [removed] to that!
I thought to myself, that’s an interesting approach, and if you’re in the ‘internet riches’ sphere then it’s an approach that should help you better understand your target audience.
However, I disagree that all gurus suck. What DOES suck, in my opinion, is the ‘guru status’ that we consciously or subconsciously bestow on some individuals to the detriment of our own success…
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