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Copyright © 2007 by Open Horizons and John Kremer
Last modified: 9/08/07
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Promoting Your Books
Entries From My Friends
A Lesson in Copywriting
The following is taken from an email I received
from Joe Vitale earlier today. I thought it made a great point about the
importance of copywriting in making sales. Note how he quietly promotes
his own web site in the process of critiquing another. He advocates that
you read his web site to see how much better the copy is there. Well, if
the copy is as good as he says it is, you might well end up buying
whatever he sells on that site.
So his point is to show you how copy sells. But his hope, as well, is that
you will buy from his well-written copy? Do you dare read it? You might
end up buying or getting an automobile...
Does copy really make a difference on websites? Can't you just make
sales with a few words, a good headline, and an order form? Well, let's see....
Brad Yates pushed for the quick release of our audio teleseminar called
“Money Beyond Belief.” While I felt his quickly done site, well, sucked,
I agreed. Result? Few sales. Brad was disappointed.
I advised him to add some endorsements, pictures, and bonuses, and to
clean up the copy. He did. I then announced the site again. The result?
Eighty-five sales almost instantly. Keep in mind going from almost zero
to 85 is good for anyone, whether you're BMW or Brad or me. It's *not*
great, but it's better than nothing.
The site still isn't the best, but now there's enough copy there to get
the job done. But how could Brad make the site even better? What could
he do to really bring in the sales? Here's where the real lesson begins.
I told Brad to compare his site to my site on how to attract a new car.
I told him to note the differences. The new car one rakes in the sales. Why?
It's loaded with strong copy, long copy, convincing endorsements, a slew
of bonuses, terrific pictures, powerful headlines, several PS's, a clear
guarantee, subtle convincers, price comparisons, bold headlines and
hypnotic sub-heads -- and much more.
The attract a new car site is probably 100 times better than the money
beyond belief site. See for yourself. Look at both of the sites:
money-beyond-belief.
attract-a-new-car.
In fact, print them both out. Study them. Put them side by side. Which
do you think is better -- and why?
This is a great education in marketing. And it's yours freeeee. Go for it. — Dr. Joe Vitale
I get no affiliate income if you buy from either site. I just think
that actually looking at both sites side by side will provide you with a
superb education on how long copy, well-written copy sells. That's
something we all need to learn more than once. Not just you but me as well.
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John Kremer, Book Promotion Expert
John is the author of 1001 Ways to
Market Your Books and editor of the Book Marketing Update newsletter.
Amazon.com Secrets
The Inside Secret of Book Marketing
An Interview with John Kremer
Selling Novels
Q&A: Selling
Children's Books
My websites:
BookMarket.com
The Self-Publishing Hall of Fame
The Biology of Business
JohnKremer.com
JohnKremer.net
JohnKremer.org
CelebrateToday.com
Hot
Times, Cool Places
WayBackWords.com
My blogs:
Promoting Your Books
Hot Times,
Cool Places Blog
Open Horizons
P O Box 2887
Taos NM 87571
505-751-3398
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How to Write a Good Book Sales Letter
In his latest Fred Gleeck Insights ezine (http://www.fredgleeck.com/ebooks),
my friend Fred Gleeck provided an outline for a good Internet one-page sales
letter that would work for books, reports, audiotapes, kits, home study
courses, DVDs, databases, software, etc. Here it is:
1. Prehead
2. Headline
3. Posthead
4. Opening Line/Paragraph
5. Build Rapport
6. Demonstrate Credibility
7. Develop Bullet Points
8. Testimonials
9. Offer
10. Pricing Discussion
11. Guarantee
12. Bonuses
13. Reason to Act Now
14. PS
Follow this outline and you'll create a great sales letter. Include a few
stories, some detailed testimonials, and a lot of soulful honesty and you'll
knock the socks off your readers — and they'll want to buy.
Seth Godin's Advice for Book Authors
I just read a post on Seth Godin's blog
where he provides his five most important tips to authors. He gets asked a
lot of questions by authors because he's a bestselling author who has
written some great books. To read his advice, check out his blog here:
Seth Godin's blog.
Incredible Blogs Lead to Paid Speaking
Engagements!
Tip from a reader . . . Tell your authors (audience) to blog!
1. It's the best free publicity I have ever gotten.
2. Blogs are hot.
3. It's an extension of books.
4. If speaking engagements are important, it's a great way to obtain for
fee speeches. In the four months that I've been blogging, I have received 11
for fee engagements. The profits are much greater than publishing a new book
-- 300 Incredible Blogs on the Internet!
— Ken Leebow, blogger and author. Web:
http://www.IncredibleBlogs.com.
Rick Frishman's BEA Report with Steve O'Keefe's
Comments
The following post is excerpted from Rick Frishman's newsletter. I agree
with what he says about this year's BookExpo in New York City.
“I have gone to 27 BEA's (it used to be called ABA). This one was the best
ever. Thousands of authors, agents, booksellers, want to be authors--roaming
the halls meeting each other. The buzz this year was great. Everyone was in a
good mood. Attendance was at an all time high.
“On a personal note- Just about everyone from PTA was there at the
convention. The people who work with me here at PTA are the best in the
business (David Hahn, David Thalberg, Deb Kohan, Sandy Trupp, Audra Berman,
Sharon Farnell, Paul Schwartz, Kristen Clifford—just to name a few) If you
haven't met them—you should. They are wonderful people—and they know their
stuff! Most of them have been with PTA for over 10 years (David and David for
19 years each) Give them a call at 212 593 5820—say hi. Web:
http://www.plannedtvarts.com.”
John's Comments: The people at PTA are
great people.
Steve's Comments: I wouldn't say BEA
was “the best ever,” but the mood was certainly better than in recent years.
Attendance on the first day (Friday) was huge—it seemed like all the
publishers in New York brought their entire staffs. Saturday and Sunday were
more normal—the extra staff had the weekend off, I guess.
Publishers were very upbeat—sales are up, and it shows in the mood. But
there were fewer dogs, cartoon characters, and celebrities in the aisle. By
comparison to L.A., the New York BEA was quiet and all business.
PMA's Publishers University just keeps growing. The Ben Franklin Awards
included submissions from such “independent” publishers as HarperCollins,
Reader's Digest, Sunset, Penguin Audio, Warner Books, and Houghton Mifflin. If
anything, PMA demonstrates that the true independents, including
self-publishers, are getting far better at their craft. The quality of
self-published books has increased dramatically as PMA has helped independents
get more professional about publishing. PMAU is truly a great program.
Finally, even the weather cooperated. New York is Book Heaven, and on a
nice day it's Book Bliss!
John's Comments: Well, there were times
on Sunday that I couldn't get through some aisles. While the overall crowd was
down, it was still heavily trafficked right up to closing time. There was only
a little bit of ripping tape compared to previous years, where after noon,
that was all you heard as the placed emptied out in waves. This year, there
were still tons of people in the building at 4:00 p.m., with only a few empty
booths.
Every publisher I talked to was upbeat and positive, with many making more
connections in one day than in three days at previous conventions. I actually
saw a bookseller writing an order within minutes of the first day opening:
That was Harlan Smith of Savvy Traveller bookstore in Chicago.
6 Resources from BEA You Can Use Today
The following post comes from Kim Dushinski of Marketability.
As you know this year’s BookExpo America in New York just wrapped up. I will blog a nice juicy wrap up article later, but in the meantime I found a few resources while walking the aisles, standing in line, or sharing a table at lunch that might be helpful to you with your book.
These are for all kinds of books, so be sure to check them all out, just in case one fits your particular topic.
1) PARENTING -- Looking for a way to lend some credibility to your parenting book? Or top off the great success you’ve already had with it? The upcoming deadline to submit your book for an iParentingMediaAward is Friday, June 10. Find out more here: http://iparentingmediaawards.com. That's today. Act now!
2) SPANISH BOOKS -- Whether you are already active in the Latino and Spanish- language market, or you are interested in leveraging this under-serviced and lucrative segment, spanishbookmarket.com features essential information, valuable resources and expert services. Check it out here: http://www.spanishbookmarket.com.
3) FICTION WRITERS -- Kirkus Reviews, one of the premier book review journals, is relaunching its Virginia Kirkus Literary Award, a literary talent competition for a best unpublished first novel or story collection. The deadline for entries is August 31, 2005. Find out more about this award: http://www.kirkusawards.com.
4) FOR FICTION READERS -- OK, this one isn’t about promoting your book, but about reading fiction books. BookClubInABox.com is a cool service that helps you have better book club discussions. If you are in a book club, you should at least see this site. Web: Book Club in a Box.
5) BOOK INDUSTRY INFORMATION -- Granted, this site contains mostly big publisher information, it also has a ton ofgreat articles and information about all things book industry related. Well worth a visit. Web: The Book Standard.
6) GOLF BOOKS -- (This is the guy I met by sitting down at his table for lunch.) If you have a golf related book (fiction or non-fiction) you may have found a potential distributor for it. First check out the website, see if your book fits, then using the contact us page grab their phone number. Call and offer them a reading copy. The Booklegger sells all things golf related. Start here: The Booklegger.
7) BOOK MARKETING ASSESSMENT -- Whether you've just finished your book or you're overwhelmed trying to market it, find your First 3 Action Steps at MarketAbility's new web site. Your personalized assessment includes resources, strategies, tips... designed specifically for your book, and it's all yours, FREE! Check it out at How to Market My Book.
John's Comments: That's some good tips from Kim. In addition, check out my new home page at Promoting Your Books. It describes a new program I'm offering with a short deadline.
Promoting Your Books the Storyteller Way
The following article is excerpted from my good friend and talented radio
voice and commercial producer Jeffrey Hedquist's monthly Radio Hed Lines
newsletter. In writing and performing radio commercials, Jeffrey is adamant
that you have to tell stories. Here's what he says:
People love stories. Best-selling books, top movies, the best radio
commercials are great stories. Like a play, your commercial should have
conflict, tension and resolution. Each character in a radio commercial, even
if it's a simple one voice spot, should go through a transition, show some
development.
One character might change from a skeptic into a believer (at least
partially). Another might start out frustrated and become fulfilled by the
end of the commercial. If all your characters change as they would in a
play, you'll sustain your audience's interest.
More than the voices, sound effects, music and technological tools
available, your ability to tell stories is the greatest skill you have. An
interesting story will involve your listener's imagination, and the story
becomes more their own, because they've participated in its creation. |
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Then, instead of trying to sell reluctant customers, you're simply building
marketing elements into a story that your audience is helping create. Magic?
You bet, and it all happens around the individual electronic campfires we
call radios.
Jeffrey Hedquist creates short stories for the radio at
Hedquist Productions, P.O. Box 1475,
Fairfield IA 52556; 641-472-6708; Fax 641-472-6708. Email:
jeffrey@hedquist.com. For more
story resources, visit his web site at
http://www.hedquist.com.
Magnetic Advertising: Promotion Goes for a Ride
Here are two tips from my friend Fred Gleeck's recent newsletter, Fred
Gleeck Insights...
Since January 1st, I've been driving around with a magnetic sign on the
right side, left side and a small sign on the back bumper of my vehicle. I use
black type on a bright yellow background. Heck, if it's good enough for the
yellow pages, it's good enough for me. To date, this year I've done over
$5,400 worth of business specifically attributable to this method of
marketing.
John's Comments: Now Fred didn't reveal what he put on his signs, and
that seemed to be important in generating the results he got. Also, he lives
in Las Vegas, so a lot of people see his car as he drives around. I'd probably
have less results here in Fairfield, Iowa.
If you attend seminars, you have to know where to sit at any event.
Isn't every chair the same as the other? Absolutely not. There are only 4
places to sit at a seminar. Front row all the way to the left, front row all
the way to the right, last row all the way left and right. Why? Because when
you ask a question you can be seen by the entire rest of the group. These are
the only 4 spots with maximum exposure to the rest of the group. I tend to sit
in the back at the corner which is closest to the door for a quick and easy
exit if necessary. But any of these three locations makes it easy for you to
be seen when you stand up to deliver your pearls of wisdom, subtly promoting
your products and services.
John's Comments: I'm like Fred. In fact, I think we've had to fight it
out a few times to get the seat we wanted. He usually wins since I'm such a
nice guy. :))
If you'd like to get a few free books, real ebooks of substance, from Fred
Gleeck, check out this part of his web site:
http://www.FredGleeck.com/ebooks.
Web Digest for Marketers: Top 10 Trends
The following is excerpted from my friend Larry Chase's Web Digest for
Marketers. Enjoy it with his compliments as part of his celebration of ten
years publishing the digest...
To herald this 10-year anniversary of publishing WDFM, I present to you my Top
10 Trends for the next 10 years for Internet marketing to help you see what's
really coming. Enjoy.
1. Pay Per Call Rings In: Any salesperson worth his or her salt knows
that a call is worth many times more than a click. Having 1-to-1 contact with
a prospect live on the phone is so much more likely to result in a sale. Some
say the likelihood is ten-fold. So it's no wonder this nascent industry has
many people watching closely. There will be issues with "fake" phone calls
that will be reminiscent of click fraud problems today. But look for the
pay-per-call industry to catch on fire within the next 1 1/2 years, despite
these concerns. I am devoting an entire issue of Web Digest For Marketers
to the subject of Pay Per Call later this year.
2. Feed Marketing Flourishes: You've got RSS (Real Simple Syndication).
You've got Podcasting (where you can download and time-shift audio content to
your iPod or MP3 player). Now you've even got Video Podcasting where you can
download MP4 videos into Sony's PlayStation Portable unit for viewing when
you're mobile. As the use of RSS grows quickly, and more consumers buy iPods
or MP3 players, these formats will grow in usage. And where there are ears and
especially eyeballs, marketers are never too far behind. The podcasts may
employ the sponsorship model, or subscription (further off), or simply be done
for the coolness factor, customer retention, or PR pop that you'll get if you
do it early enough. RSS ad units will settle into some format that offers a
decent ROI for the advertiser. There are already coupons being fed via RSS.
Expect to see more point-to-point syndication feed models as we move forward
in time.
3. Email Marketing Will Survive: Spam issues will recede dramatically,
because they have to. Too much is at stake. We may resort to the payment of
email postage for guaranteed delivery, or maybe not. But the email platform is
now like a fax machine. While there are fancier applications, email is easy,
cheap, effective and everywhere.
4. Agent, Personal Agent: Watch for the growth of agent software to
help you sift through the morass of online information. There's too much
relevant stuff for mere humans to sift through now. Agent software learns your
habits by following your moves online and on your computer as well as by
asking about your preferences. Some early forms of this exist now, but it will
become much more sophisticated. Your agent will bring you both B2B and B2C
offerings, whether the latest on-target ad deal or the best tennis racket at
the best price.
5. Reverb Marketing, In Stereo: eMarketer points out that many Internet
users already use multiple forms of media at once. Even as I write this I'm
listening to CNBC in the background. Smart marketers will synchronize their
messaging so the end user hears and sees complementary messages at or near the
same time. This will be the new definition of what media planners call Road
Blocking. Since the end user's attention is split between different media, it
will be essential that messages reinforce each other. HINT: Visual gags on TV
spots or simply showing the 800 number on screen won't be as effective,
because a significant segment of people won't be watching the screen. Even
today we're starting to use TV like radio.
6. Blogs Go Multimedia: Blogs are obviously here to stay. Some of the
cutting-edge blogs are starting to offer content in audio and even in video.
This will not only affect journalism, but it will impact the retail business
as well. Imagine a personality-driven QVC blog on your computer screen.
7. TVIP Adds Interactivity: Microsoft and others are currently
exploring TV over Internet protocol. But don't expect TV on the Net to look
and act like the TV you see on your television screen. After all, we already
have television, so who needs the redundancy? TVIP will take a different
twist. While Madison Avenue types will say, "At last, we can now feed TV
commercials over the Net!", consumers will not want to see those ads on their
computer screens. They already TIVO over on them on their TV screens, right?
TVIP will be much more interactive. In addition to an 800 number, with TVIP
you'll be able to click and buy right then and there. One form might be a
video catalog wherein you click on the product or infomercial of interest. To
really make this happen, compression schemes will need to get better in order
to prevent buffering at the consumer end.
8. Commercial Content, On Demand: Messages from marketers need to be so
appealing that the audience actually requests the message. This evolutionary
process is already underway as push marketing is giving way to pull marketing.
The costs of paper, postage, TV and print production are getting too expensive
and are not performing as well as they used to. Commercial content that the
end user wants isn't far-fetched. Look at Lucky magazine or niche catalogs
such as Outdoor Adventure Sports. B2B marketers have been using high-value ads
for years. The advertisers in Web Digest For Marketers generate sales leads by
offering high-value PDF downloads on subjects of particular interest to the
target audience they're trying to reach. The how-to workshops at Home Depot
are a prime example on the B2C side. It doesn't take a seer to see that the
days of "hot air advertising" are so over.
9. Publishing Faces Tectonic Shifts: Research is already showing that
many people in their 20s are not picking up the newspaper habit the way their
parents did. Add to this demographic shift the cost of newsprint, postage (for
magazines) and handling, and it's likely to cause tectonic shifts in the
publishing industry. Many people already read newspapers and magazines online.
My bet is that special issues will appear in print, and that many publishers
will ultimately have to figure out how to make a go of it with free content
online (i.e., advertiser-supported), perhaps by asking their readers for
demographic information that enables the publisher to sell targeted
advertisements at a premium, as you'll frequently find with trade
publications. At the same time, in select industries people will pay for
online subscriptions that deliver real value. This is already apparent (the
Wall Street Journal has 700,000 paid subscribers), but it's not for every
content provider out there. For a look at the next level, check out
www.cnbcdowjones.com, where you can get just the editorial clips of CNBC, sans
commercials, for $99(US) a year. You get 250 plays per month. I subscribe, and
find it to be a great time saver.
10. Direct Marketers Will Take Over the Internet: Oops, this has
already happened, but not the way I predicted 10 years ago. There are two
types of direct marketers on the Net. Those who started out as online
marketers have come across the language and practices of DM without realizing
it. They talk of response rates by way of clickthroughs, cost per lead, cost
per sale, and so on. This group would do well to study the DM masters who have
written extensively on the subject over the past 80 years. Then there are the
traditional direct marketers, some of whom get it, and some of whom are still
riveted on the shriveling response rates of print mailings and catalogs and on
ever-increasing postage costs. The irony here is that traditional direct
marketing folks are the ones who understand human nature best. Because of
their extensive experience, they can smell what will work and what won't. It's
baked into their genes now. This group would do well to look at the Net as the
incredible opportunity it is, rather than focusing on what was. What was is
not coming back. The good news for traditional DM'ers is that the Internet has
not repealed the laws of human nature. So while the tools of DM are changing,
the underlying principles that have driven DM since the time of Ben Franklin
are still exactly the same.
Bonus Tip
11. Internet-Free Zones Become the Hot New Trend: The Internet will
become as ubiquitous as cell phones are today. Some enterprising travel
package company will then begin offering Internet-free zones -- no cell
phones, no Internet, no fax machines, and you won't have to climb the
Himalayas to escape the media onslaught. This won't be an option for many
people. It seems already that people desperately need to stay connected to
others, lest they connect with themselves.
—
Larry Chase's Web Digest for Marketers (WDFM) is a free weekly email
newsletter featuring mercifully short reviews and links on marketing-oriented
websites.
If you received this issue from a colleague and you wish to have your own free
subscription, you can get that by visiting
http://www.wdfm.com and filling out the subscription form. It takes less
than a minute.
E-Books for Fast Profit . . .
The following has been adapted from Pat O'Bryan's Effortless E-Books
ezine:
“I just wanted to thank you for all the information you provide. I just
launched my first eBook, Feng Shui for Abundant Living, and sold 98
copies in 12 hours. Everything worked just like you told me it would!”
That was from Kathy Browning, a new author. She wrote an e-book. She
registered it with Clickbank. She sold 98 copies in 12 hours. That's all she
did.
She took the step by step instruction I laid out in Effortless E-Books
#51 and started building her e-book business. She took the simple
strategies and techniques she learned from reading this ezine and applied
them.
Of course, it doesn't hurt that she wrote an excellent e-book and is
practically giving it away (less than $15!!!). Or that her subject is
fascinating and useful. Or that her sales page is well-written and attractive.
I'm in favor of any trick, strategy or secret that will help me be
comfortable, effective, and productive. Feng Shui has been keeping people
comfortable, effective, and productive for centuries.
To see her sales
page, click here.
Maybe she was able to write her book because her furniture is properly
aligned in her space... There's no reason to wait to read her book and find
out. Do it now.
By now, you should be pretty curious.
John's Comment: Sometimes the simplest things work quickest. Don't
wait around until you have a printed book. Start selling now with an e-book.
Even a chapter can be an e-book. Get something out now. Sell it. Test the
market. What are you waiting for?
Email Pat O'Bryan at pat@patobryan.com
and ask him to email you a copy of his Effortless E-Books Issue 51
right away. It tells you how to get started today selling e-books (or tomorrow
at the latest, if you're slow). Check out his web site as well:
http://www.patobryan.com.
Book Gifting in Your Book Marketing Campaign
Who really knows who coined the term gifting and what does it really
matter? What I can tell you is this action of gifting books is transforming the
literary world as we know it.
Authors are normally writers and not always experienced marketers. And yet,
if the author is a true giver, that author is a marketer.
Eight years ago, I published my first children’s book. With love, passion and
joy in my heart, I gave books to children and parents all over the country. I
saw them beam with energy from this transaction of a true gift. There was
nothing behind this except that I wanted to give my gift to them and the world.
Many people told me they have never met an author before, let alone be given an
autographed book by one.
What book gifting has taught me is that the world responds to sincere
generosity and a heart with good intentions. From the day I gifted my first
children’s book in 1996 until now, The I AM Foundation has gifted and
distributed over 275,000 books and products to the world. This is proof enough
for me that the magic of marketing and book gifting go hand in hand.
What better way to spread the news of your book than with someone who has
first read it, and is so excited about it they tell everyone they know?
The idea of book gifting is not new. James Redfield, who wrote The
Celestine Prophecy, drove around the country giving books to people he
talked with, bookstores, and everyone he deemed it was appropriate for. The
result was a book deal with Time Warner whose sales people watched in awe as
these books flew off the shelves.
My gift to you today is this idea: take ten percent of your print run and
donate these copies to people and organizations that will benefit from your
book. Think about taking your overruns, remainders and misprints and having them
serve you as marketing pieces to your target markets.
If you need help, The I AM Foundation exists to serve you in this area. We
gift books to the world. I invite you to watch the magic behind a book gifting
campaign. The publisher of Nonviolent Communication (Puddle Dancer Press)
watched their title go from being ranked #3000 on Amazon to #300 within six
months of working with The I Am Foundation.
Whether you would like a partnership with us or otherwise, please see the
value in how gifting your title will help you overall. I stand by eager and
optimistically waiting to hear your results.
— Steve Viglione is the author of three children’s books and products with
over 100,000 copies in print. He is the founder and CEO of The I AM Foundation,
a 501c3 educational non-profit whose mission is gifting educational books and
music to children and adults worldwide. Please visit
I Am Foundation, email him at
steve@iamfoundation.org, or call
him at 619-296-2400.
Marketing Information Products
My friend Fred Gleeck writes some great stuff in his weekly ezine Fred
Gleeck's Insights. Below are just a few quotes from his current issue.
“If you don't have the right knowledge or skills, don't coach someone. If
you don't have personalities that click, don't coach them.”
“Some people never create information products because they feel as if they
don't know enough. They think that unless they are one of the most
knowledgeable people in the field they have no right to produce the product.
Baloney! Two important thoughts on that: If you know more than 90% of the
people out their, you have the right to create the product. You may even have
the right if you know more than 80% of the people. Maybe even less.”
“Stop sitting around contemplating your navel and get going. Produce
something. Anything. Get started. The toughest dollars to make are the first
dollars.”
“Ethics are like pregnancy. You can't be a little bit pregnant. Same thing
with honesty. People either are or they aren't. You can't be a little bit
honest.”
You can find out more about Fred Gleeck at
Product Guru
Be Human
Below's a post from a good friend of mine, Jeffrey Hedquist, a radio ad man
extraordinaire and voice talent par excellence:
People buy from people, not from institutions. Advertisers often forget
this, and are more concerned about their perfect image than about relating to
their audience as fellow human beings.
It's not a perfect world, and listeners recognize this, so a commercial that
tries to portray the advertiser as perfect doesn't ring true.
Let the audience in on your little faults, the chinks in the armor. For
example, the car dealer who says, “We have the best deals, the biggest
selection, the friendliest salespeople, but...our coffee's not so good,”
allows the listener to discover his embarrassing secret. Don't be afraid to
joke about your hard-to-find location, the tacky sign you inherited from the
former owner, the boss's idiosyncrasies.
A little self-effacing humor can go a long way. Give listeners something to
smile about. If a listener can say, “Yeah, that's me. I've done that.” you've
established a bond. Now your audience is involved.
Poke fun at yourself and punch up sales.
-- Jeffrey Hedquist has been helping advertisers poke fun at themselves for
years. You can poke fun at Jeffrey anytime at
Hedquist Productions, P.O. Box 1475, Fairfield IA 52556. Phone
641-472-6708; Fax 641-472-6708. Email:
jeffrey@hedquist.com. Web:
http://www.hedquist.com.
The Visible and the Invisible: The Truth
A note from my friend Fred Gleeck's ezine Insight:
I'm about to start rewriting some of the copy for my (over 175) websites.
This was prompted by my recent get together with a friend of mine, Bob
Sheinfeld.
Bob is an information marketer who does some really great stuff. We were
talking about copywriting and he brought up the fact that copy has two
components, the visible and the invisible.
The visible is what you see on the page or on the site. The invisible is
what the TRUTH is behind the copy. He mentioned how you feel when you read
something and it just doesn't sit right with you. Something feels strange or a
bit off.
Bob thinks (and I now agree wholeheartedly) that the reason is because of
the fact that what you're saying and what is really the truth aren't in
alignment. There are the words on the page and then there are the silent words
which speak to your heart that sit "behind" them. The truth!
What this is going to make me do is to go back and re-write everything I've
done. You can pay fancy copywriters to do an incredible job of hyping your
product. In some cases it might even help increase your sales.
Nothing will increase your sales more than copy that is written from the
heart that is in INTEGRITY.
This doesn't mean you can't sell like crazy. I've got some REALLY good
stuff that I think everyone should I own. I feel that way in my gut and know
it to be true. This system doesn't say that you can't or shouldn't sell with
all the zeal of a Baptist preacher if you've got something great to offer
people.
What the system says is that you better believe, in your heart, that what
you're saying is true or people will NOT believe it. They won't be able to
tell you why, they just won't buy.
They will feel an inconsistency between the words on the page or web site
and what you really feel. The truth. This will make it so that people won't
buy. They won't know why, but they just won't!
The lesson? Just write the truth. The truth as you see and feel it. People
will then feel more comfortable about the copy you write. They may not be able
to put their finger on it, but it will be more believable and it will increase
sales.
Forget the hypey and slightly untruthful copy. Adopt a writing style that
makes sure that what you say and what is ACTUALLY true are in complete
harmony.
Net result? More sales? Is this common among people out there selling stuff
either on or offline? Absolutely NOT. — Fred Gleeck,
The Product Guru
John's Comment: What Bob and Fred hit
upon is accurate. Only the truth will really sell. Nothing less has the impact
of the truth. Speak the truth. Speak the sweet truth.
Why We Leave a Message When Phoning Media
The following tip is from Bryan Farrish of Bryan Farrish Radio Promotion. I
thought it was a gret explanation for why we make phone calls and more phone
calls when attempting to break through to the media. Enjoy the read...
When authors or public speakers (i.e., clients) hire a PR firm or promotion
company for the first time, they are often taken aback by the large number of
messages that the firm leaves with radio stations. The clients view the
situation as, “Hey, why are you just leaving messages, and not promoting me to
them?!”
Well, there are several answers here. The first is: Messages ARE promotion.
What has happened is that the client assumed that (1) the firm is not
including the client's info in the messages, and (2) that messages are of
absolutely, positively, no use at all.
And let's not forget the receptionist factor (also known as the assistant or
producer factor): Anyone who thinks that leaving messages with these folks
(and thus warming them up to the idea of having the client as a guest) is a
waste of time has obviously never had to work their way through business
situations in the past.
Suppose you loaned your next door neighbor $500. You did not know him that
well, and now you hear that he might be moving out soon. You want your money
back, so you knock on his door, and you call, but no answer. So what do you
do? You leave a message. But wait.. why would you leave a message if messages
are so useless? Then, you hear he might be moving out as soon as tomorrow, so
you try again but can't reach him.
So you leave ANOTHER message. The chances of you getting your money back
are based on how many times he hears your messages, of course.
But some clients still just don't like messages. Some PR firms skirt this
issue by changing the words "Left Message" to "Pitched" (giving the impression
that a phone conversation about the client occurred,) or, by not putting the
messaged-stations on the report in the first place (waiting instead until
there is human-human contact), or, by not giving reports at all, and just
letting the client see the end results. The advantage to this is that a client
won't complain of all the messages, since the messages are invisible. But the
disadvantage is that the client does not know what is going on with these
stations either, or, that the firm is doing any work at all.
Also hidden in some reports is the fact that many people (especially at
talk stations) are involved in the possible booking of a single client. Matter
of fact, if the client is a general-topic client, there are some talk stations
that have over THIRTY separate hosts and producers (not to mention the
assistants and receptionists) that need to be pitched individually, by phone.
But on the report, it may only appear as "Left Message" for that single
station. This type of report is easy to read, but it does make it look like
there is less going on than there really is.
One client made our point for us; he said "I've booked myself before, and I
had a 70% success rate AFTER I GOT THEM ON THE PHONE." Yes, of course... and
how do you think he got them on the phone?.... Messages! And that's how we do
it.
Messages are especially important with the only non-visual medium: Radio.
Radio people work best with sound, and they are just not going to react as
well to visual press releases.
Depending on how much you are paying your firm, they might try to reach
each station once, or they might try twice (this would cost twice as much,) or
they might not try at all, as is the case with some lower cost campaigns. With
these, they just send a press release.
Point is, the more attempts and messages that are left, the more responses
are obtained, and the more people are spoken to (as a result of the messages.)
And thus, there are more results.
— Bryan Farrish Radio Promotion is an independent radio interview promotion
company. Call 310-998-8305 x95. Email:
interviews@radio-media.com.
Web: http://www.radio-media.com.
AdSense Makes Money
The following paragraphs are excerpted from my friend Paul Myers's Talk
Biz email newsletter:
How do you go from $30 a day to over $18,000 a month... without creating any
new content or products? That's a tough trick. A friend of mine showed me
recently how he pulled it off. The good news — he's willing to tell you, too.
The guy's name is Joel Comm. His secret? AdSense.
No, he's not using iffy search engine techniques or automated page
creators. He's using the content he had before he joined the AdSense program.
He just figured out how to get the maximum clickthroughs out of his traffic.
In his case, those clicks will add up to over $200,000 a year.
The great thing about this is that it costs nothing to join the AdSense
program. You plug some code into your pages and when people click on the
links, you get paid.
A lot of people use it, but very few actually do well with it. Joel's book
will show you how to turn that around. Details at:
http://www.talkbiz.com/adsense.html.
John's Comments: Now, I haven't seen
Comm's book. Nor do I know the details of how he used AdSense to create that
kind of income. What I do like, though, is that he was able to do it. I
believe many other content creators can do the same. Perhaps, not make
$200,000 per year, but certainly anyone should be able to add several thousand
extra dollars a year to their income with enough good content and traffic. Why
not try it today?
Jokes for Word of Mouse Propagation
One of the best ways to get your message passed on is to
include a joke. While your entire message may not get passed on, the joke
will be. For example, here's a joke I just received from Ken Darby, who
sends out thePEBBLE Article for Print ezine, which always includes a
joke, a saying, and an article that are all available for reprint at any
time. He requires that if you reprint the article, you include his credits.
See his credits at the end of this joke.
You may not know that many non-living things have a gender. For example:
1) Ziploc Bags -- They are Male, because they hold everything in, but
you can see right through them.
2) Copiers -- They are Female, because once turned off, it takes a
while to warm them up again. It's an effective reproductive device if the
right buttons are pushed, but can wreak havoc if the wrong buttons are
pushed.
3) Tire -- Male, because it goes bald and it's often over-inflated.
4) Hot Air Balloon -- Male, because, to get it to go anywhere, you
have to light a fire under it and, of course, there's the hot air component.
5) Sponges -- Female, because they're soft, squeezable and retain
water.
6) Web Page -- Female, because it's always getting hit on.
7) Subway -- Male, because it uses the same old lines to pick people
up.
8) Hourglass -- Female, because over time, the weight can shift to
the bottom.
9) Hammer -- Male, because it hasn't changed much over the last 5,000
years, but it's handy to have around.
10) Remote Control -- Female. Ha! You thought it'd be Male. But
consider this: it gives a man pleasure, he'd be lost without it, and while
he doesn't always know the right buttons to push, he keeps trying.
Ken Darby authors many articles found in newspapers and magazines throughout
North America. He is the author of The Saga Of Pinehill, The Adventure,
ISBN 1-4137-4723-X, now available through your favorite bookstore. Web:
http://www.the-pebble.com. Email:
ken.darby@emailsystemscentral.com.
Writing and Sending News Releases
The following is excerpted from:
How To Steal To The Top Of Google: Use the News by Danny Wall on SEO
Chat. It describes how to write and send a news release that gets attention.
===
Let me give you a good example. Lets say you sell a product that teaches
people how to swing a bat properly and is aimed at baseball and softball
players (and their parents). What you do is you hang back and you proceed to
watch some baseball games, waiting for one of the big name batters to make
some significant batting mistake. When they do (and they will because no one
is perfect) you send a press release that says:
“Holy Crap! Did you See The Mistake Barry Sosa Made At Bat?”
You then talk about the error, that was made, say what the correction is, and
give a link to a page on your website that talks about common batting errors
and how to fix them, and gives contact information for reaching you by voice.
And you had better answer the phone, and if you miss the call you had better
call back promptly.
Let me reiterate what I just said. The phone number you give goes to you. Not
your secretary. Not your marketing VP. You.
That press release gets sent out to every single sports reporter in the
country (or at least to those that you know about), by fax (not email, not
B.S. internet media press release, by fax) well before the game is over. You
just became a sports reporter's best friend. You’ll probably get written about
by a very significant percentage of the sports writers. But you may find
yourself getting called for interviews by both TV and radio personalities.
You’ll find that article popping above the number one search term for things
like “baseball” and “hitting” or “batting.”
You see, the technique I just mentioned allows you to solve a reporter's
problem. How to find news that is actually news. Any idiot can report the
scores and the newspapers know that. But the reporters that pick up your
“story” will be heroes to the newspapers because it’ll be something
interesting. It’ll be about something that happened to a “celebrity” and
explains how to “fix it.” All it takes is imagination and the willingness to
keep your eyes open and “exploit” current events to your favor.
Did you just hear about some bad business decision by some major celebrity?
That’s good news if you do almost anything related to the financial sector.
Is the price of gas going up? That’s good news if you do almost anything that
helps to extend a car’s fuel economy.
But you have to be willing to be bold, to use your imagination. Notice that
the headline above may actually “offend” some people. Believe it or not,
that’s a good thing. Now, you don’t want to go out of your way to be
offensive, but at the same time, some people are always offended by anything
that is bold and out of the ordinary.
If you want your company, your web site, to be picked up by the news you have
to stand out. You have to be bold. You have to be willing to stand out from
the crowd. Some people are going to be offended by that.
===
To read the entire article, which provides great advice on getting to the top
of Google, go to
SEOChat.com.
Would You Like to Be 6 Times More Profitable?
It's easy. Just listen to what Troy White has
written in his recent
Word Wealth blog:
"It costs one-sixth as much to sell something to one of your existing clients
than it costs to go out and find a new customer. And yet, almost every single
company I talk to spends two to three times more effort on finding new clients
than investing in old."
It doesn't take being a rocket scientist to figure out that you should be
paying more attention to your current customers -- and selling to them -- than
trying to uncover, attract, dig up, or otherwise snare new customers.
You should read more of what Troy White and the rest of his companion bloggers
have to say at Duct Tape Marketing.
Marketing Moron of the Month Award
Below is an excerpt from my friend Paul Hartunian's Million
Dollar Publicity Strategies ezine. I think Paul always has some interesting things to say.
I just read a brochure produced by an interior decorator. I now see
why most of these people are starving. Here are the first two sentences I read in that brochure:
"Hello Everyone, Welcome to my world."
Moron. What do I possibly care about her world?
What do I really care about? What's the *only* thing I care about? If
you said the only thing I care about is what she can do for me, you are right on target.
So many people approach the media people the same way. They actually
think reporters, editors, talk show hosts, etc. really care about their
book, their product, their service or their whatever. They don't care.
Nobody cares. The only thing people care about is what you can do for them.
The only thing media people care about is what you can do for them,
what information you have for them, how you can make them look good to
their audiences. That's the way it should be.
When you give the media people what they want, they'll give you what
you want. They'll give you space in their newspapers and magazines,
time on their radio and TV shows. They'll plug your products or
services for you and they'll do a darn good job of it.
If this interior decorator had sent out a press release offering to
tell reporters the best way to pick a qualified designer or how not to
get scammed by furniture salesmen posing a designers, she would have
been a media hit. Instead, she welcomed people to "her world."
She gets my Marketing Moron of the Month award.
Look over your publicity and marketing material. Do they talk about why
you are so wonderful? Or do you talk about what you can do for reporters or your customers?
I don't want you to be a candidate for the next Marketing Moron of the Month.
Paul has been called the King of Tough Love Publicity. For more
information about Paul's products and services, see
http://www.Hartunian.com/prkit.
Book Publicity Notes from Irwin Zucker
The following are a few pieces of advice from my friend, book publicist Irwin
Zucker:
“Radio is a very good medium for steady, progressive publicity. But for massive
exposure, nothing beats a national TV show like Oprah's. We all want that and
other hot TV shows. Good local TV shows are needed as well and the news segments
of TV stations mean a lot to gain sales.”
What then is the value of radio? “Radio is very, very important because you get
more time with this medium and you can rise to the occasion with your
viewpoints. Interviews in daily papers are also essential as well as book
reviews. I think a good balance of radio, TV and print can generate sales on a
book that really has it between the covers.”
The caveat is: “You can't make a lousy book a bestseller no matter how intensive
the PR might be. In the end the public tells us whether a book is good or
not--based on sales. That’s the reality. You’ve got to have the product to win
this type of ballgame.”
For information on Irwin's services, contact him at Promotions in Motion:
323-461-3921.
