Author Archives: Jodi Kaplan

About Jodi Kaplan

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One Thing You Should Never Do When You’re Using Social Media

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shouting

Image: Bashed

Say you walk into a room full of people. It’s an event, or a party of some kind.

What’s the first thing you do?

Would you loudly announce yourself? Start thumping your chest and bellowing, “I sing a song of myself!”

Probably not (well, hopefully not!).

No, instead you listen, smile, maybe try the dip.

Right? Social media etiquette isn’t all that different from face-to-face etiquette. Just because you’re not actually face-to-face doesn’t mean you should completely forget your manners.

Be polite

When you join a forum or a Facebook group, listen for a while. Introduce yourself. Comment on some ongoing discussions and conversations. Offer useful advice to people who are looking for help.

Don’t yell

People didn’t join the group just to hear your thoughts (or to get a sales pitch). Don’t spam. Don’t be “that guy.” You know, the one with the loud voice, who goes on and on about himself.

Nobody wants to hear a monologue, unless it’s Jon Stewart’s. Even comedians stop and listen for feedback (is the audience laughing and smiling or throwing rotten veggies?).

Be helpful

If someone asks a question on their post, and you can answer, help them out.  Share others’ posts, not just your own.  If someone leaves a comment or asks a question on one of your posts, post a response.

Don’t sell all the time

Nobody came to Facebook to hear your new product pitch all day, every day.  Mix it up. Post information that’s useful, valuable, or even just fun.  Show your human side.  Share your original Star Wars action figure collection.  Ask how to make a mean margarita.

Don’t go hashtag happy

Hashtags can be a great way  to find multiple posts on a topic, or a way to see what topics are trending.  Don’t overdo it.  I’ve seen posts with ten or twelve of them. One or two is plenty!

Why Are Clients Like Fish?

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unicorn fish

Fisherman know that if they want to catch any fish, they need to go to the right spot.

Marketers need to do that too. You figure out what kinds of fish (clients) you want to attract and go where they are. Right? But wait, you’re going to need one more thing.

Catch Clients With Bait

Worms, squid, and flies work for fish. Not so much for people. You’ll need the kind of bait that attracts people; specifically your preferred kind of people. Choosing the right bait can make a big difference in whether you catch a lot of fish (clients) or no fish at all.

How to Bait Your Audience

Free e-books

Put together a series of blog posts, articles, or write something completely new. Pick a topic that vexes your audience and help them through it (“How to Hire a Copywriter”, “10 Questions You Should Ask Before You Hire a Web Designer – and the Answers To Each One”).

You can either use ebooks as bait for a signup to your newsletter. Or, you can spread them virally, with no sign-up required. The first way grows your list of qualified prospects for your services or information products; the second gets more downloads and spreads faster.

Viral and How-to Videos

These can be viral videos – something that’s funny, interactive, and spreads the word about your company. Or, they can be how-to videos, showing how to create a “buy now’ button or a favicon.

Another idea would be a demonstration of your skills; reviewing someone’s Web site design and pointing out improvements that will boost conversions.

Build a community

A membership site or a community of some kind lets your clients and potential clients interact with each other. You can step in and tell them about projects you’re working on (guidance on how-to), encourage them to help each other, encourage them to connect with each other, and offer inside tips that the rest of the world doesn’t get (if the forum requires membership).

This strengthens ties to you, increases your authority and builds trust.

Teleseminars/Webinars/Podcasts

You can interview an expert, or give a series of talks. Make sure it’s informational, not a big sales pitch.

Like the ebooks, and the videos, you can use them to build your list (make sure you get permission for any further follow-ups), spread the word about your services, and establish yourself as an expert.

What other ideas can you think of? What experiences have you had with “bait”? What did you do and what results did you get?

grantsviews

Act Now and Ban Yellow Highlighting Forever!

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no_highlighterEver seen one of those sites with a really long sales page?

You know the kind, the ones with big, urgent headlines (Act Now, Or You’ll Regret It for the Rest of Your Natural Life). They’ve got big, red headlines, and lots of yellow highlighter.

They’re what we call “Direct Marketing Ugly” – urgent, in-your-face stuff that screams and jumps up and down, begging for attention.

It’s still used because it still works. However, if you’d prefer something a bit more low-key, try engaging your visitors instead.

Get people involved.  Ask them to submit stuff, biggest challenge, or offer a free analysis, or review.  Build trust by asking for opinions.

Six Emotional Triggers Every Marketer Should Know

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janus masksWhat are emotional triggers?

Emotional triggers are words that generate an emotional, visceral response—a reaction that comes without a lot of analysis or thought, just straight from the lizard brain.

Emotional triggers work by building a connection that will prompt people to act. That’s why they’ve been used by copywriters for years,  because they increase responses.

What are these emotional triggers?

And why are they so powerful?

Here’s a list of them.

One: Greed

Because people want something for nothing, or to get something they don’t have. That’s why “free” works so well.

If you offer investment advice, you’ll get a better response from saying, “I help people get rich and retire early, even in an economic downturn.” than you would if you just said, “Oh I help people manage their stocks and bonds and other investments.”

The first one certainly gets people’s attention. The second one is dull and doesn’t really say anything to anybody that tells them why they should really care about what it is that you do.

Two: Fear

People are afraid they won’t get promoted, or they will lose their jobs, or won’t do well as a new parent.

The fear here is people who are worried they won’t have enough money for retirement. So offer them something that gets their attention and appeals to this particular fear, such as:

Do you have enough money for retirement? Take this 30-second quiz and find out!

(That’s both an attention getter, and a call to action)

Three: Guilt

Guilt is effective, particularly for nonprofits or pitches to parents, because people want the best for their children or want to help others who are less fortunate.

Four: Exclusivity or scarcity

This works because people like to have things that other people don’t have.

If something is a limited offer, or only 100 will be made, it appeals to people’s desire to stand out from their neighbors, or to have something special and unique that few other people can own.

Five: Anger

When people are mad about something they often want to act.

If they’re mad about high oil prices, or a proposal to put a big, smelly landfill two blocks from their homes, they will get excited, they will get mad and want to do something to stop it.

So, they will pay more attention to your mailing or your ad if you’re telling them how they can do something about it.

Six: Problem-solving

It doesn’t have to be a big problem. It can be a small problem, such as digging through your whole purse or lots of pockets to find your keys. Or, it can be how to set up a blog when you don’t have a lot of technical skills.

Photo: gemsling

Freebie Friday: Helping Others

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freebie_fridayThis post isn’t about marketing, in the traditional sense. It’s about telling a story, not about your brand, or your company, but about other people -specifically homeless people. It’s not about going to a soup kitchen to help out (though that’s certainly a good thing), it’s about doing something that can make a lasting difference in people’s lives. You know, teaching a man to make bread himself, rather than giving him a handout of bread.

My friend Becky has written an e-book full of ways to do this. The book is free, go download it here.

Back to our regularly scheduled programming on Monday.