May 29, 2005
The Secret to Writing Memorable Sales Copy
Want to know the secret to creating MEMORABLE promotional copy? Sales copy that actually stays with your customers long after they've finished reading it?
Then master the art of using words to create pictures in your customers' heads.
If you can describe your products or services in such a way that it forms images in your customers' heads, well, then you've just created something that will last long after the marketing is over.
Why else do novels stay with us for so long? Those "pictures" we see draw us into the world of the novel, and those pictures stay with us long after we've closed the book. If you can create that kind of staying power with your marketing materials, think about how much ahead of your competition you'll be.
So, how do you get started? Below are three tips. (Note how all three tips have the word "specific" in common. Be specific whenever you can. We don't think in generalities, we think in details. The more specific you are, the stronger the pictures.)
1. Use specific nouns. Quick -- what springs to mind when I say the word "bird"? Now erase that image. What pops into your head when I say "cardinal"?
Continue reading "The Secret to Writing Memorable Sales Copy"Marketing Yourself for Success:Proven Personal Branding Strategies
I wish someone had shared the importance of personal branding with me much earlier in my career.Timing is everything, right?Even if I had been told about personal branding when I started my career in the 80's and I applied the personal marketing techniques with brilliance, it probably wouldn't have been very well received.Things are different today.In today's competitive environment, personal branding is a critical link to experiencing professional success.
Branding is not a new concept.It has been a key component of product marketing for as long as product has been sold.Personal branding on the other hand is fairly new.Tom Peters introduced the idea in the early 90's.Peter's position on personal branding as depicted in Fast Company Magazine in 1997 was put this way, "regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding.We are CEOs of our own companies:Me, Inc.To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called 'You'."
Some people have resisted the notion of personal branding based upon their belief that it represents bragging.Most of the people who believe this theory are women.Why?Beginning at a very young age, girls are taught that it is not nice to brag about themselves.Boys, on the other hand, are encouraged at a young age to express pride in their accomplishments.A recent study of executive women, conducted by Peggy Klaus, reveals the impact of women's inabilities to market themselves. In the study, nearly three-quarters of those interviewed recognized that advertising oneself is important, but 51 percent said they'd been told when they "tooted their own horn" they were judged too aggressive for a woman.
Continue reading "Marketing Yourself for Success:Proven Personal Branding Strategies"May 28, 2005
Article Publishing Is A Key Component Of Internet Marketing
Frequently when I am communicating with other webmasters and I bring up the subject of writing articles, I often get a response like "I'd rather have a root canal, I just can't write", or "my spelling is horrible and my grammar is not much better".In my view, the first excuse is just a matter of attitude.The latter excuse falls on deaf ears because the major word processing programs have good spelling and grammar checking capabilities.
We're not talking about something that would qualify for the Pulitzer prize in literature, just articles dealing with a topic that may be of interest to a group of people that also may happen to have an interest in your particular business proposition or activity.
While not as dramatic as the college professor's dilemma of "publish or perish", many Internet marketers have found that the publicity and traffic that articles can bring to their websites is second only in importance to actually making sales.
When writing articles, start out by clearly defining what you want to write about.Focus on the topic and the general message that you want to communicate.Sometimes you will start with a title and expand from there and other times the title will be the last thing you develop.
Continue reading "Article Publishing Is A Key Component Of Internet Marketing"Smart marketing secrets revealed!
Don't you just hate junk mail that screams at you about supposed secrets to success that can be yours for a mere $9.95, $19.95, $99.95 or whatever?Well, here are some real "secrets" for you - and there's no price tag attached.
Ever wonder how other companies keep their sales momentum going?Smart marketing and communications programs are critical.Here are three keymarketing strategies you can put to work for your business.
1)VISIBILITY Awareness is where the selling process starts.After all, it's hard for someone to buy from you if they don't know you exist.Or let's say you're Apple Computer.Your name may be well known, but you need to let people know about your newest product - the iPod.
Advertising creates visibility on a broad scale, but it may not be right for your company.To find a tactic that fits, start with these questions.Who's your audience?How can you get your company in front of them?What can your company spend?What return are you looking for?
2)CONSISTENCYBrand and brand management are major buzzwords in marketing and communications.But what do they really mean?If you're a company like Target or Goodyear, it can mean complex product naming schemes and identity standards
Continue reading "Smart marketing secrets revealed!"May 20, 2005
Go Ask Alice
One of fiction's finest marketing minds, The Cheshire Cat, once told Alice in Wonderland something all business owners and marketers should remember:
"If you don't care where you are going, it doesn't make a difference which path you take."
For businesses bent upon success, it does matter which path you take. A positioning statement helps you chart your path to success because it lets all your audiences - internal and external - know where your organization stands in the battle for your consumers' minds.
Positioning: What Is It?
You should not confuse a positioning statement with your market position. As Harry Beckwith states in his book Selling the Invisible, "A position is a cold-hearted, no-nonsense statement of how you are perceived in the minds of your prospects. A positioning statement, by contrast expresses how you wish to be perceived. It is the core message you want to deliver in every medium."
Your positioning statement will be found where three items intersect:
- your business acumen/aspirations
- your market
- what truly differentiates you
May3, 2005
Sex Sells!
An attractive woman has a decided advantage as sales representative over her male counterpart. This selling edge is primarily due to the existence of the glass ceiling found in most business organizations today. The glass ceiling (women are still arbitrarily held back from leadership positions) means that there are many more men in decision-making positions in businesses than women. Therefore, when cold calling, an attractive woman has a better chance of getting an appointment for a sales presentation, than does a man. Women are also given more attention in their presentations and less resistance up to a point, than a male sales representative or service industry professional (accountants, attorneys, consultants, bankers, etc.). This advantage has everything to do with sex and the physical appeal of a woman. It is clear to me as a sales trainer, coaching sales representatives and service industry professionals in the field, that male decision-makers often use a different part of their anatomy than their head to make their buying decisions.
Continue reading "Sex Sells!"