About Jodi Kaplan

What’s Your Edge?

Posted on June 3, 2010 by Jodi Kaplan

If you’re looking at a razor or a kitchen knife, an edge is important. A sharp edge will remove a beard or cut carrots. A dull one will cut you (because you push harder).

Having a sharp, clear edge is important in business too. It’s what makes you different, worth talking about. The knife in the picture is memorable because of the shape and the handle – it LOOKS sharp.

For example, the Shake Shack in New York City (expanding soon nationwide) is “fast food” with a difference. The beef is ground daily. the lettuce and tomatoes are local, and the beer is brewed just for them. Their edge: local and handmade.

Henry Ford’s edge was to use an assembly line to make cars quickly. They still do. Rolls Royce, on the other hand makes cars very slowly. A Ford takes hours to assemble. A Rolls requires about three months.

An edge can be faster, slower, much safer (Volvo’s edge), the most dangerous, special treatment, great service (Zappos), terrible service (the No-Name restaurant in Boston – where they make you wait a long time, crowd you in with strangers, and tell you what to eat).

What’s your edge?

Image thanks to: brenda starr

(i) by Seth Godin

Tomorrow: cool tools!

Email Marketing Mistakes: Signs Your Newsletter Has Lost Its Way

Posted on June 2, 2010 by Jodi Kaplan

Image thanks to svilen001

Even the most experienced email marketers can make mistakes (it’s OK).

If you do, the best thing to do is to admit it and correct it.

For example, I got an email yesterday from a top-notch internet marketer and copywriter. He said that he’d gotten a complaint that he was pitching too much, and offering too little content in return. He wanted to know (and I applaud him for this) if he’d lost his way. If so, he wanted to fix it.

Here’s how to tell if your email newsletter marketing has gone wrong and some tips for fixing it.

Selling too much

People don’t sign up for pitches – they sign up for information. They want solutions to their problems: whether that’s how to set up a twitter account, how to build an app, or tips for growing an organic vegetable garden.

Newsletter signups are giving you permission to talk (you did get permission, right?), but not to sell, sell, sell.

The internet marketer’s newsletters were helpful. However, there was a problem. He sent one monthly newsletter, and then six or seven promotional emails. And, you couldn’t tell which was which.

Selling in newsletters, or along with newsletters, is fine. Just mix it up. As a general rule, send three or four informational, helpful emails for every promotional one.

Not interacting with your subscribers

Do you answer your emails? I realize this can be tough if you get hundreds of them, but if your inbox is not that full, send out answers to reader questions. Heck, they could become topics (with permission, of course) for another newsletter or a blog post (a win-win for everyone).

No reader exclusives

If you want to sell more, give readers a reason to want to hear from you. Why not an incentive in the newsletter itself? Make subscribing special by offering something non-subscribers don’t get. Get raving fans.

Special offers available only to subscribers
First look at new products
Sign up for separate advance notice discount list
Offers that are fun: the Leave the Office Early Day sale!
First crack at entering a contest

No product tips/success stories

Show your readers proof your product works, or share tips on better ways to use it

regular updates (in the newsletter) on success other customers have had
send cheat sheets or point out hidden “easter eggs”
point out new ways your other customers have used your product

Essentially, make sure you engage with your readers. Bring them in to the conversation (and make it a conversation, rather than a speech), encourage their feedback, and respond to their questions or concerns.

If there is a problem, address it quickly, particularly if it’s a bug or a public failure (your site is down for an extended period, you’ve been hacked, etc).

Share your thoughts

What do you think? How do you handle your email newsletters? How often do you send newsletters? Marketing messages?

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.

5 Ways to Build Credibility Online

Posted on May 26, 2010 by Jodi Kaplan

Image thanks to steelcityhobbies

Do people think you’re great? Do they tell their friends? Or wear your colors (like the fans in the photo)?

People are naturally skeptical, but you can build your credibility online with something called “social proof.”

Here’s how it works. Say you belong to an online group. Bob emails you to say his friend Jill just joined. You go look at her profile, and see she’s also a friend of Betsy’s (another friend of yours). You think, well any friend of Bob and Betsy must be good people. You already like her (because your friends recommended her).

The same thing works for companies and products. If someone asks me for a good ebook designer, I strongly recommend Kathie Rokita. If that person trusts me (and I hope they do), they go to Kathie prepared to think she’s great (which she is).

How can you get social proof for yourself?

Make referrals

If someone asks you for a referral, make a recommendation. It works three ways. The person who asked is happy with you because you helped her. The person getting the referral is happy because you sent him a potential client. And, you’re happy because you helped someone.

Get testimonials

Ask your clients for testimonials about the work you did for them. Solicit their opinions of your service (good and bad). Tell them it doesn’t have to be anything formal, just make a few notes. Asking for both the good and the bad will help you, and also help your clients (as you’ll know if anything is bothering them).

Cite statistics

McDonald’s used to have a sign counting up the millions and millions of burgers sold. The idea was that all those numbers proved that their burgers were good (see, we’ve sold 60 million of them).

Get interviewed

Reply to appropriate queries on HARO (help a reporter out) and get your name in the news. Being interviewed shows you’re an expert. Put out a press release when you come up with a new product (not about you, but about how the product solves a problem – there’s a difference). This can also generate more press and interviews.

Be social

Commenting on blogs, activity in forums (for your ideal customer) and answering questions all show your expertise. After a while, people will start to recognize you, your name, and your avatar, as they see you around the web. They’ll feel they know you.

Share your thoughts

What have you done to build your own credibility? Especially online? Share your tips.

4 Simple Steps to Great Marketing

Posted on May 21, 2010 by Jodi Kaplan

Image: Karen Horton

The AIDA marketing model is a simple four-step marketing strategy has been around since Claude Hopkins, nearly a century ago.

It’s got more identities than Batman.

Some call it A-I-D-A (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action). Others say it’s the 4 Ps (Promise, Picture, Proof, Push).

Old-fashioned? Maybe. But even at a century old, it still works.

Here’s how.

Attention or promise

The first step is the big idea. It’s the headline. The one that has to make anyone who sees or hears it stop and look. Here’s where you tell readers what you can do for them, and why they want it. The box, the book, the solution to the problem that’s got your prospects staying up late at night. Use the headline to engage their emotions, stir their curiosity, or ignite their greed. The headline has to do most of the work, so make it a good one.

Interest or picture

Now we’re telling people more about what they’ll get. This section builds on the headline to paint a mental picture. We’re getting into more details about results. We’re telling readers how much better they’ll feel. The money they’ll earn. The peace of mind they’ll have because their cars will run better. Showing them the instantly recognizable logo that will make the competition look shabby and cheap.

Desire or proof

Show your readers why they want your product. Go into more details about what it does, the problems they will solve, the information they’ll get, and how it will improve their lives or their businesses. Give them proof that it works. Include your own results, or even better, testimonials from other people. Cite statistics showing why your solution is better than the alternatives or showing the increase in sales, loss of weight, etc. users have experienced.

If you have a guarantee, include it here. This proves you stand behind your products and services and increases your credibility and trustworthiness. It also reduces the risk of buying.

Action or push

Last (but never least) the call to action. This is where you tell people to go do something. Explain how to get the product and exactly what steps they have to go through. Describe what will happen next (emails they will receive, waiting time, and so on. If it’s a limited offer, say so here (it adds urgency).