Why is Marketing Like Aspirin?

Posted on October 22, 2009 by Jodi Kaplan

When you’ve got a headache, you just want the pain to stop. Your clients have the same problem. They have an ugly Web site, or a blog with no visitors, or would like to start a blog and have no idea how to do it. They’ve got a headache and desperately want someone to cure it for them.

Nobody Cares About You

I saw an ad for Ford trucks on TV yesterday. The ad said, “It’s not just a truck, it’s a Ford!” I’m not in the market for a car (or a truck), but if I were I would want to know what the truck can do for me (not that it’s a Ford).

Ads like this (to quote Claude Hopkins) say, in effect, “Buy my brand. Give me the business you give to others. Let me have the money.”

Not effective in 1920, and not effective now either. Don’t brag about your awards, your state-of-the-art equipment, or your new copy of Photoshop. Your clients don’t care about your stuff.

Sell the Cure

People buy when they see an advantage to themselves: an easy way to do something difficult; tips on how to attract more Web traffic; strategies that get more sales and earn more money.

Small business owners who want to start a blog, but don’t know CSS coding from CVS drugstore, won’t care about your coding skills. They will care that you have a “Launch Your Blog in 20 Minutes” ebook.

Make your client the hero who leaps tall buildings in a single bound – and got the company’s new blog up and running during lunch.

Photo: Pam Ross

Are You Marketing Like a Rabbit or a Fox?

Posted on October 21, 2009 by Jodi Kaplan

English: An urban fox investigating a domestic pet rabbit in a garden in Birmingham, UK. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I had a client some years ago whose marketing ideas kept turning left, then right, then doubling back on themselves, like a rabbit fleeing a fox. Each time we spoke, I’d try to get him to focus. Each time, he had a different idea about what he wanted to do (sales reps, networking, telemarketing, articles, newsletters)…

You name it, he tried it. Any of these can work, but he never gave any of them a chance – so none of them did.

The rabbit just runs. The fox, on the other hand, sniffs out the best places to find rabbits. He then picks a target and chases after it.

Pick two or three marketing tools. Concentrate your efforts on those. Try different messages to see which works best. Track them to find out which gets the best results.

A Quick Guide to the New FTC Rules for Bloggers

Posted on October 20, 2009 by Jodi Kaplan

There’s been a lot of talk and worry in the blogosphere about the new FTC rules for bloggers.

The new guidelines cover disclosures about affiliate links and testimonials, and everyone’s trying to figure out how to comply with them.

The intent is to make sure that bloggers disclose whether they make money from a link on their site, if they were paid (or received a freebie) in return for a review, and to let consumers know what they can expect to get if they buy a product or service from the blogger.

They’re also designed to prevent deceptive ads, you know the kind that promise you’ll lose 90 pounds in 6 weeks without exercise or the ones that claim you can make $5,000 a month sending out emails (spamming!).

But how much do you have to disclose? What is a “typical” result?

Here are some tips summarized from Marketing Sherpa (October 20, 2009):

Note that neither they, nor I, are attorneys. Check with yours before going forward.

1. Typical results

The results you show must be “typical.” You can’t use a best-case, overachiever any more, with a disclaimer saying that your results may be different.

2. Disclaimers should be conspicuous.

No small print allowed. It has to be something that’s clearly visible.

3. General testimonials don’t need disclaimers

4. Disclose anything that might have an effect on credibility, such as your sponsorship of a study, or whether the people giving testimonials were compensated.

5. Disclose payments or endorsements. If someone sends you something, say so.

Read the full article here (access open until October 30).

Photo: Jason Morrison

Calls to Action: The Super-Easy Copywriting Trick You Need to Know

Posted on October 19, 2009 by Jodi Kaplan

We’d all like to get more orders from our Web sites.

But sometimes, a great product and lots of traffic isn’t enough. It can be pretty frustrating to watch people come to your site or your landing page, and not buy anything. The reason may be that your website is missing something essential: a call to action.

Luckily, there’s a way to fix that. It’s easy, it’s quick, and it jolts people into doing exactly what you want.

Lights! Camera! Action!

Everyone knows what that clapboard in the picture means (even if you’re not in the movie business). It means “go.” In its simplest form, a “call to action” is doing the same thing. It’s asking someone to do something. You’ve probably seen them on lots of web pages. They use words like “call,” “buy,” or “download.”

Writing a call to action is simple

You start with an action word, like “sign up” or “start,” then you tell your readers to do something. Here are a few examples:

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Make it urgent

A sense of urgency will increase response. Years ago, a company sent out a mailing with an error. The letter should have said, “respond by Thursday, May 19”. Instead it read, “respond by Thursday.” The error drove sales up by 39%.

If you’re writing a call to action for a webinar, or a series of consultations, stress a deadline or a limited number of places.

Add a bonus

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Stand out

Make sure your buttons, calls to action, or text is clearly visible. It should pop out against the rest of the page. Use a contrasting color, with lots of white space around it. Don’t crowd the button with lots of other text or graphics. You want people to find it and click on it.

Make it easy

The more steps, the fewer responses. Tell people exactly what will happen: they’ll download an e-book, get directed to a video, or register for a breakfast forum.

Be clear

Too many options can be confusing. 30-day trial, view demo, buy now. Create a clear path: step one, step two, step three.

Test, test, test

This is especially easy on the web. Try different wording, such as “subscribe” vs. “sign me up.”

You can also test buttons against text links, different colors, or different placement on the page. See which link gets the most clicks.

Write calls to action for all your marketing materials. Watch what happens.

Photo: Bart Groenhulzen

Try This Timeless Copywriting Technique

Posted on October 15, 2009 by Jodi Kaplan

It’s easy to get distracted by the latest bright and shiny technology. We gawp at Buzzfeed, get entranced by SnapChat, and twitter away hours on social media. But sometimes, the best way to advertise isn’t the latest idea, but one of the oldest. Personalization has been used in direct marketing since the last century, but it still works (both online and off).

A true marketing personalization story

An advertiser with an unprofitable campaign was desperate. The ads for his business books were attractive, but the books weren’t selling. A colleague suggested adding the buyer’s name in gilt lettering on each book. The ads went out again (virtually unchanged, except for a note about adding the name). They sold hundreds of thousands of books.

Another company offered small memo books to customers and prospects as gifts. The results were poor until they used the same personalization idea. They sent letters saying “a book with your name is waiting for you.” All the prospect had to do was to fill out and mail a simple form. Nearly everyone who received the letter returned the form.

When everyone knows your name

These examples are from Scientific Advertising (published in 1920, you can download it from the link), but the personalization copywriting technique it used is still effective.

Amazon greets me by name when I login. Online grocer FreshDirect does the same thing (and just had me fill out a brief survey asking what kinds of foods I enjoy most).

Address your letter or email directly to the person receiving it. Treat your customers and prospects like people (instead of account numbers). They’ll love you for it. They might even put YOUR name in lights.

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Monthly Archives: October 2009