Left Brain Focus for Right Brain Creative Businesses

Here are 7 ways that a trip to your local newsstand can help you improve your marketing.  You don’t even have to buy anything.

1. Market Research

Look at the titles on the newsstand. What subjects do they cover? Are there lots of magazines about bicycling? Or more about architecture?

It’s a quick way to find out if your niche is big enough and if your local area is interested (no interest, no magazines).

2. Copywriting Tip #1

A great source for writing great headlines. Magazines won’t attract readers unless they have attention-getting headlines and colorful pictures. Neither will your Web site or your blog.

3. Pricing

Newsstand prices are higher. Magazines reward regular customers with lower prices for subscriptions. Making a commitment gets you a better price. People who read regularly are more loyal and likely to continue buying from you.

You might either add extra bonuses, or offer a better price for someone who hires you on a retainer or other continuing basis.

4. Copywriting Tip #2

Simple words. Even the tech magazines keep the jargon to a minimum. The latest issue of Windows IT Pro promises an article about “Mobility and Exchange Server” (evidently a pain in the butt), rather than “Configuring Exchange Server Across Multiple Mobile OS Platforms.”

5. Risk Reversal

Risk reversal means that the customer has little (or nothing to lose).

Magazines have:

• trial issues (send in this card and get your first three issues free)
• bill me later (here’s your first issue, we’ll send you a bill only after you receive the next four issues)
• cancel any time offers

You can adapt this to your services with:

• 60-day guarantees
• a forwards and backwards guarantee (if you don’t like it, you can return it; just forward to a friend you think could use it, and tell us how we can make our product better)
• limited free trial periods (demo software for example)
• risk-free guarantees (join our forum for 30 days, if you don’t like it, cancel your membership)

6. Copywriting Tip #3

A big appealing promise, “Thinner Thighs in Thirty Days.” No magazine ever told you “Exercise Four Hours a Day, Starve Yourself, and You’ll Weigh Less.”  Put the big promise right in your headline — in big type.

7. Gifts

Magazines give away tote bags, t-shirts, and puzzles.

You can adapt this by creating a free favicon (that’s the little images you sometimes see on the left next to a URL (CNN has their logo), or a thank you note for a referral, or even doing something a little extra for a client (I just did a quick grammar fix for a client who’s not a native English speaker — he called me a “saint”, we both feel good).

What other marketing ideas can you get from a newsstand? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Image compliments of: Phillip C

Today, we’re having a roundup. No horses or cattle involved. Instead, it’s a series of posts about how to get fans, influence people, and make more money!

How to Charge More and Still Have Raving Fans

Six Ways to Build Your Company’s Fan Club

Get Your Customers to Love You

How to Charge Higher Prices in a Recession

Share your own tips in the comments.

Image: motumboe

In case you don’t know, a landing page is a special web page designed to sell something. It could be a free “sale” (such as an e-newsletter), or a paid sale (an eb0ok or an audio program, or even a physical product).

Here are ten key things that can mess up your landing page (and how to fix them).

1. Lots of other content

I just looked at a landing page with links to sub-topics. blog archives, top posts, and a store. It also featured ads for other products, some of them animated. It was confusing and distracting.

I host mine off my web site (instead of my blog), so that the navigation and distractions are minimized. You can also get a domain specifically for the landing page.

2. Sharing

Sharing is great, but it’s not your first priority for a landing page. You want people to take a specific action (buy something, or sign-up). Don’t distract them with Twitter links.

3. RSS feed (blog subscription)

Sure you want more subscribers to your blog, but this isn’t the place for it. You want to zero in on one thing – getting more people to download your book and subscribe to your newsletter.

4. What’s in it for me?

There was a short blurb about the source of the content in the book, but very little about what that content actually was. Tell readers why they will want to read what you wrote. What will they get from it?

5. Dull title

Calling your book “Dinner menus” won’t attract much interest. Instead call it “Dinner in 30 Minutes.” The title should attract attention, arouse curiosity, and encourage readers to want to learn more.

6. Too vague

Share some hints about what’s inside. Continuing with the cooking theme (I must be hungry), list some of the recipes: Chicken in Basil Cream, Almond-Coated Trout with Sage, Linguini with Pesto Sauce. Be as specific as possible (without giving everything away).

7. No authority

Be clear about your credentials to discuss and advise on the topic. In this case, it might be parent of three children, or testimonials from previous subscribers about your great recipes.

8. Ads for other products

A banner ad for car insurance won’t help you get cooking newsletter subscribers. Neither will your twitter stream or recent blog comments. Keep those things for your normal blog pages (not landing pages).

9. No clear audience

Who is this for? The likely audience for our hypothetical cooking ebook is busy moms. Talk in terms that will appeal to them.

10. No benefits

Tell them why they need this book. “Get dinner on the table fast. Delicious, quick meals your kids will actually eat. And, they’re so good, you’ll love them too. No more making separate dinners for each member of the family.”

Image thanks to: abcdz2000

Someone in a forum recently said, “Why have a guestbook [comments] at all? If a visitor really wants to say something, they can just email you.”

Well, why should you have comments anyway?

Guestbooks or comment threads are a way to interact with people. Have a conversation.

Face it, a monologue can get pretty dull.

Comments let your readers ask questions, share ideas, experiences, or tips on how to make something work better. When your readers ask questions, answer them. Do a little research if you have to. Be helpful.

Leaving comments is also a good way to get recognized. I see people commenting on other blogs that I read, and I feel I “know” them. Oh yeah, there’s Michael Martine, or Dave Navarro. Then, I often go read their blogs. So, insights for me, traffic for them (plus more insights for me). Good deal.

What do you think? Are comments worth it? What prompts you to leave one?

(Tell me in the comments).

Bonus points if you know where the title of this post came from. No fair using Google.

Photo thanks to: alvaspappa

Today’s Freebie Friday is an e-book of copywriting tips, called Secrets of Writing Killer Copy.

Learn:

• easy ways to write great headlines
• tips for getting your sales letter off to a great start, and
• an old copywriting rule that still works

As promised last November, this is the second in a series of free e-books I’m releasing.  If you missed the first one, you can get it here

Both are free. No sign-up or registration required.

Feel free to read them, share them, and pass them along. Just don’t sell them or change them.

Click on the picture below to get your copy.

UPDATE: The link should work now! Sorry about that.