The Instant Marketing Offer Template

Posted on August 23, 2010 by Jodi Kaplan

I was in the library the other day and saw a sign that said:

Free Computer Classes for Beginners

Sept. 25

Sign up at library desk

Image via Wikipedia

I thought, it’s an instant marketing offer. There’s often a lot of confusion about what an offer actually is.

They don’t have to be complicated though. A few lines will do the trick.

The price: free

What it is: computer classes

The intended audience: beginners

When: the date of the class

Call to action: sign up at the desk

That’s all you really need. The rest is commentary. Now go and test.

Is Your Brochure Acting Like a Diva?

Posted on June 9, 2010 by Jodi Kaplan

Image by Paintitblack22 via Flickr

We all know about divas. Their demands for only red and yellow M&Ms and never, ever any brown ones. How they want exactly three 100 watt bulbs in their dressing rooms.

One or two won’t do. Heaven forbid they’re only 75 watt bulbs.

They’re annoying because they’re only interested in their own needs. They talk only about themselves, they don’t listen to what anyone else says, and they’re frankly exasperating. But what does this have to do with business brochures? It turns out that brochures (and web sites) can exhibit some of the same behaviors as divas.

Writing better business brochures

Go on, take a look at your brochure (or your website). Is it acting the same way as those divas? Who does it focus on? You? Or your clients?

Is it talking about what they want? What drives them crazy? That they don’t know where to find a web designer, or that they’re worried that someone will rip them off? Or that their designer will be a diva?

Of course, you’re not really a diva. Here’s how to avoid looking like one and make your brochure more effective.

Explain what you do

Tell a story. Use as much (or as little) text and graphics as you need to tell it properly. Make what your product or service does personal. Remember what you’re really selling. Address their problems (where do I find a designer). Reassure them that you’re there to help (not hurt), and that you listen carefully.

Show the results

Describe how it helped other people (better yet, have them do it). Showcase other clients you’ve helped (and all the great things they say about you). Talk about them (not yourself). Try the one-minute marketing test. Use their language. Tech stuff for techies, not for not for ma and ma consumer.

Why you

Because you specialize in hot tub installation (and that’s what they need), rather than a general contractor or plumber. Or, you’re the leader in zombie drawings (and they need storyboards for a scary movie).

Why them

In order for your promotional brochure to be effective, it has to go to the right people. The greatest tool ever for cleaning chimneys won’t sell to people without fireplaces. Focus only on the people who fit your customer profile. Not everybody, just the blue guys.

Next step

Make it easy to respond. Tell people what you want them to do (call, email, snail mail), and repeat it. The less friction there is, the smoother the transaction. Explain the process, so there are no surprises.

What do Baby Showers Have in Common with Marketing?

Posted on June 8, 2010 by Jodi Kaplan

Image by clevercupcakes via Flickr

What does a baby shower have to do with marketing or identifying your customers’ needs? Isn’t that just a chance to buy gifts, talk to your friends, and eat?

Not so fast.

A long time ago, I went to a friend’s baby shower. She’d just had a baby girl (who is now an adult).

All of her other friends got her lots of lacy dresses for the baby. There was a bassinet full of bows. It was a sea of pink, lacy, frilly, conventionally girly gifts.

Know your customer

I, on the other hand, got her something completely different. It was a sporty outfit from The Gap. I think it may have come with baby-sized sunglasses.

Why? Because I knew my “customer.” My friend just wasn’t a ruffles and lace kinda gal. She hated all those frills.

Her other friends got her what they liked. I got her something she would like.

On another occasion, I bought a then-colleague a baby outfit with an abstract purple and orange print. I hated it. She knew it too (my dislike of purple is legendary). However, she loved it (and I knew she would). She also appreciated that I got her something I knew she would like (even though I didn’t like it at all).

Appeal to them (not yourself)

It’s OK to do what you like if your audience is just like you (for example, you’re a geek marketing to other geeks). However, if you’re a geek marketing to lawyers, you’ll need to understand what lawyers want and need. You’ll have to learn to speak a bit of legalese, and watch your use of tech speak.

You may be excited about new server software. The lawyer just wants to know that her network will stop crashing. Sell the software as a solution to the crashing, not as super-cool new software with redundant backups and offsite mirroring.

See the difference?

How to identify customer needs and wants

In the case of my friend and colleague, I simply paid attention and listened. For clients, your approach has to be a bit different.

First, start listening to their questions. What comes up over and over about your product? Are there particular features that they like? What do they have trouble using? Is there a new feature they’d like to see?

Try sending out a brief survey and ask them what they want.
Review the tech support questions you get and develop new features (or change old ones).
If you have a sign up process, go through it yourself. Identify any speed bumps your customers may be experiencing.
Use an ideal customer profile, to guide your decisions. If you don’t have one, make one. This will help focus your marketing too.

Know what they want, and give it to them. They’ll love you for it. They’ll stay longer too.

What Every Creative Should Know About Marketing

Posted on June 7, 2010 by Jodi Kaplan

Image via Wikipedia

Starting a creative business is exciting. You’re full of ideas and energy. You want to make money. You’re passionate about what you’re doing. However, that’s not enough. Marketing your creative business requires a plan.

I just read something (sorry, can’t share details) by someone who set up his business without thinking through his marketing.

If you want your creative business to succeed, there are six key tips you should know about marketing before you open your doors, set up your web site, or start printing business cards.

What have you got?

What is it you’re selling? Illustrations? Web sites? Training programs? Be very clear and very specific about what it is you do. The kinds of illustrations, what sort of training you provide.

Who wants it?

This is your tribe. Your people. The group (large or small) that will buy your products. For example, they might be startups with small budgets who need a simple website (or blog) set up quickly. Or, people who need an ebook designed and don’t have a graphics department. Know exactly who your “fish” are, and the problem of theirs (not yours) that you solve.

Why you?

The why is more important than the what. Why buy from you? People buy from Zappo’s because their service is ridiculously good. They don’t really deliver shoes. They deliver happiness.

Why them?

What connection do you have with your tribe? Are you passionate about what they do? Is there a problem they have that nobody else is addressing? (Jonathan Fields tells the story of a woman who loved yoga, but found that all the mats got slippery. She invented one that didn’t slide around and started selling it).

Where are they?

How do you find them? Once you know who your market is, how do you find your ideal client? Are they reading Wired or reading National Geographic ? And where are they physically located?

How do they get your product?

Buy it online? Pick it up in a store? Click on a link? Respond to an email message?

Figure all of this out before you spend one minute on social media or one cent on marketing.

How to Get a Great Landing Page

Posted on May 28, 2010 by Jodi Kaplan

Image thanks to svilen001

A website landing page is the sales pitch you can’t give in person. It’s the page that does all the heavy lifting of selling your product or service. If your visitors aren’t buying your product, your landing page may need a makeover. But how can you make your landing page more effective? What makes a great landing page?

In order to be effective, your landing page needs the following: a great headline, an introduction (for people who may not know you), information about what you offer (and its value to your readers), the problem you solve, proof that it works, and an order button (or two).

A compelling headline

A great headline will get attention. A poor one will be ignored. If the headline is no good, nobody will read the rest of the copy. Write a headline your readers can’t resist: create a sense of urgency, create a contradiction, or promise an easy solution to a hard problem.

An introduction

Remind people why they came to your landing page. Talk about the problem that your visitor has – which you can fix. Or, get them excited about the cool tool or exclusive access they’ll get (but only if they buy).

Add more value

Then, you build on that. Tell the visitor more about the benefits. You can use bullet points, but if you want a great landing page, they’ve got to focus on benefits, not features. Say, for example, you’re selling a cookbook. Tell me about the delicious food I’ll be eating. Show me pictures of it. Give me a “taste” of the recipes. Make my mouth water. Explain how I can have a great dinner on the table in under 20 minutes (or whatever the premise of the book is).

Answer questions

Sales letters are often long because there’s no live person handy to answer questions. So, you’ve got to include all of them (or at least the most common ones).

Add even more value

If there’s special access (book and limited consulting slots, special membership forum), tell me about that. Why is it special? What will it do for me?

Have a great guarantee. Explain what it is, show how it removes the risks, and what to do if they need to use it.

Ask for the order

“It’s easy to get your copy, just…(click on this button, call our office, fill out this form). Give exact instructions. Spell it all out. And, make sure you explain what will happen after they do so. Have buy now links throughout the page — but not at the very top.

Show proof it works

Get testimonials. If your product is new, send out some samples. If it’s not brand-new, get reviews from other clients who have used it. Use their words (not yours).

P.S. Don’t forget the P.S. It’s an old direct marketing technique. When people get a sales letter, they read the salutation, then look at the end. Like you just did. 😉 Because, after all, we all want our marketing to be successful; trophies are good too.

P.P.S. If you’re in the U.S., enjoy your Memorial Day weekend.