Love the one you’re with… | internet marketing
By · CommentsAs a marketer, have you identified who responds most enthusiastically to your marketing?
All too often, we spend far too much time and energy trying to convince others to adopt our own point of view (or buy our products, or whatever).
If you’re not getting traction with your marketing, it may be that you’re targeting the wrong group.
Think about it!
No one can be “all things to all people”.
Why not figure out who loves you… and love them back. 
“Should Be” vs. “Is”
By · CommentsThe idea for this post has been percolating for a very long time… so long, in fact, that I should probably credit several sources that I can no longer remember.
Let’s get right to it.
There’s a huge chasm between “what ought to be” and “what actually is“. And here’s the kicker: not distinguishing between them, and giving each their proper place, is a recipe for disaster. Seriously.
I’m reminded of the guy (let’s call him George) who dresses slovenly and forgets to bathe regularly and still somehow supposes he is a hit with the ladies. If George’s romantic situation is going to improve, he needs to “get real” (in the Dr. Phil sense) and recognize that he is indeed a slob – and then do something about it. He can’t simply keep hoping to meet Ms. Right. Not gonna happen. If she did show up, she wouldn’t stick around.
Here’s a little vulnerable self-disclosure:
I’ve sometimes fallen into a similar trap with my marketing efforts. I find myself thinking that my customers and prospects should be interested in what I want them to buy or read, all the while forgetting that my readers are more interested in their own interests than mine.
Duh!
And I believe that any marketer who has had periods of struggling will recognize the root of the problem: narcissism.
See, the world doesn’t revolve around me, or you. If we want to reach a specific market, we have to persuade them to let us join their world, at least for a little while. We don’t generally find success by asking our prospects to join our own little self-interested orbit.
Some people wonder whether marketing is “hard”. I’m convinced that the “hardest” part of marketing is setting aside my own biases and yes, even my worldview… and adopting that of the people I’m hoping to reach.
To put it another way: taking off my glasses (which I have worn since the age of seven, thank you very much) and donning those of my newly adopted family.
In time, I may persuade some in my target market to wear my glasses for a time; but for now, their perspective is the only one that matters. Even though I have important things to say… ideas they need to learn (“should”) – I have to let them be (“is”) for now.
There are more implications that I’ll likely explore in future articles.
One Effective Story-Telling Technique
By · CommentsRed moon shines on a burning tree
Someone is taking my life from me
Where is my family, the light of my day
Someone has taken them all away
These words were penned by master songwriter, musician, and record producer Michael Omartian. (The song is “White Horse”, from the mid-70′s album of the same name.)
Great writers will often drop the reader right in the middle of action, or in this case, drama.
Some of the world’s most effective copywriters use the same technique. Here’s a representative example:
They Laughed When I Sat Down At The Piano, But When I Sat Down To Play…
In both cases, the writer goes on to engage the reader into the story. It’s almost like using a time machine to simply drop another person at a specific place at a certain point in time.
We often have a tendency to want to give all the background first, and then get on with the story… but in so doing, the reader often goes on to something else.
Hostgator?
By · CommentsI set up a site in Hostgator. I really like Bluehost — who I have been using for about three years — however, they don’t have a reseller option.
Hostgator does.
8 Freeware Programs I Can’t Live Without
By · CommentsI recently replaced my main PC, and as I set up my new machine, I started thinking about the software I use on a day-to-day basis.
There are many paid apps I use frequently; here is a list of the first 8 freeware apps I installed:
1. Firefox browser. I really like Google Chrome too.
2. Antivir antivirus. I’ve alternated between AVG and this one. Antivir seems less “bloated”.
3. LastPass password manager. So cool.
4. Delicious bookmark plugin for Firefox. I like this almost as much as Lastpass.
5. McAfee Site Advisor plugin for Firefox. Sort of a first line of defense against the bad guys online
6. Jing. Helpful software that doesn’t try to do anything. I sprung for the Pro version, but the free one works great.
7. Dropbox. Very easy method of syncing, sharing, and backing up files.
8. Faststone Capture. Good screen capture program. Free and paid versions exist.
Why Long Copy Beats The Pants Off Short Copy
By · CommentsA persistent debate among marketers is the question of whether long copy is sometimes used in place of short copy. While top copywriters generally affirm the favorable results of long copy, it’s helpful to get some perspective to see why this is the case.
The general rule of thumb for the length of copy is this: your sales letter should be just long enough to get the job done. If you think about this carefully, the majority of the objections to long copy evaporate. Just think about what we are asking the sales letter to accomplish for us.
We need to explain as much as we can about the product, and most importantly the benefits of our product, with the goal of every benefit appealing the prospect is made plain. Especially in the case of information products, these explanations can be quite lengthy!
Additionally, we need to cover every likely objection the prospect might have. If we were talking with the prospect in person or over the phone, we could simply ask them if they had questions… or respond to any reasons they gave for not buying the product. In our sales letter, we don’t have that luxury. Therefore, we must give the entire laundry list of all possible objections, and demolish them one by one.
Although we have not explained every reason for the superiority of long copy, we are back to where we started: your copy must be just long enough to do its job, and no longer. Factors that will come into play are the target market, the complexity associated with the product or service, and the cost of that product or service.
Jay Abraham’s Super Simple Amazon Copywriting Technique
By · CommentsThis is pure gold for any copywriter:
Any time Jay has something to teach me… that directly affects my business… I pay attention! I hope you do too.
One issue that beginning copywriters often struggle with is realizing that good copy does not always need to follow the rules of grammar. Now there are always differing opinions on this issue, however the fact remains that effective copy often breaks the rules of grammar.
This is true because copy mirrors actual speech, and people do not always speak the way they write. In effective copy, we often see one-sentence paragraphs. We see sentences that omit the subject. Sentences sometimes begin with the word ‘AND’. The best copywriters will even frequently employ one-word sentences, or even one-word paragraphs.
Now when we point out these facts, it should not be assumed that copywriting can be sloppy. The exact opposite is true. Again, the best copywriters are careful with their grammar. They only break the rules for specific reasons, usually for emphasis. Copywriters at the top of their craft routinely study the standard works on writing, from Elements of Style by Strunk and White to On Writing by Stephen King. A good copywriter will pay attention to word selection, alliteration, and all the other elements associated with good writing. The very best copywriters read their copy out loud, usually several times, to ensure the smooth flow of words.
An appropriate comparison can be made to a professional athlete. Whether a baseball, football, or basketball player, the pro will often have his or her own style. Be that as it may, they first learned how to execute techniques by the book.
Ultimately, as a copywriter the only rule is whether the copy effectively generates the desired effect or not (leads or sales).
Email marketers, like every other types of marketers, are continually looking for ways to increase the profitability of their marketing campaigns. Here’s a simple method of doing that.
Many email or autoresponder management services have a special feature, namely, a warning screen a reader is taken to if they try to subscribe to your list twice.
Why would someone try to subscribe twice? The most common reason is… they are highly interested not only in the topic, but they are furthermore interested in what YOU have to say, and on top of that, they’re already signed up previously (but forgot).
Someone that has previously signed up and is wanting to sign up for your list again is very likely a good prospect. So, why not take advantage of an opportunity?
Besides, the warning screen is often rather foreboding and the reader is easily “put off” by it. Why create a problem where there doesn’t need to be one? Why not take lemons and make lemonade? Here’s a solution that will fix that problem and additionally increase your profits.
All you have to do is replace the default warning screen with an offer to buy something! You might even offer them a special deal, pointing out the fact they are already a subscriber. If you don’t want to sell them something at this point, offer a bonus or send them to your blog. Whatever you do, use the opportunity to promote your products and your websites.
Following these hints will explode your autoresponder and email marketing profits!
How to Make Your Copywriting More Effective
By · CommentsAnyone who writes copy, either for their own products or services or for clients, should want their copy to be more effective. This means more satisfied customers and more sales. How do you increase the effectiveness of your copy?
Here’s how:
Before you write one word, fix in your mind what you want to achieve with your sales letter or other promotional piece. Be specific. Don’t just say to yourself, “I want the reader to buy my product”. Instead, outline in detail what you want your reader to feel, experience, and ultimately gain from buying your product. You can even go further and put some kind of number on your desired outcome… how many sales do you want to make.
With this approach, you don’t have to concern yourself with sounding cool or making funny jokes in your copy. Imitating other sales letters is not your goal either. None of that is relevant to your goal! Everything you say and demonstrate is now focused on persuading the reader to buy your product.
For example, let’s say you are selling an information product on how to raise chickens. Should you include pictures of your children or grandchildren in your sales letter? Only if it helps persuade the reader to buy your product. Likewise, should you include fancy “Web 2.0″ graphics and “involvement devices”? If you determine that it will help you sell more product, then you should do so.
Do you research and test everything, always with your end goal in mind. This rule will help you decide what to do, and more importantly, what not to do in your sales copy.
