Every once in a while,
I’ll run a Third Time The Charm contest
on my writing site.
Any reader entering 3 contests in the past
is eligible to win.
As entrants don’t have to do anything,
the winners are always surprised.
Of all the readers I’ve dealt with
this group is the happiest.
Suprise is powerful.
It is even more powerful
when there is no additional work required.
Drew’s Marketing Minute
has a great post
on how Disney uses the power of surprise.
Sam Horn, in POP!,
shares her most important presentation lesson.
“Without a first-person story,
it’s all rhetoric.”
First-person stories add emotion,
interest, individuality
to a presentation.
How to make your story zing?
Have it be your story
(or one of your customers).
Collect them.
Write them down
(keep some details to add color).
The right story for the right occasion
is easy to find
when you have a binder full of them
and
because the story belongs to you,
it will ensure no one else is telling it.
I walked into a bookstore last week.
There was a beautiful,
eye-catching arrangement of
bestselling novels.
It was beautiful
but not functional.
A very popular romance novel
was placed at the top.
I wanted this novel.
I didn’t buy it.
Why?
Because I couldn’t reach it.
Judging by the number of copies,
I wasn’t the only one.
Romance readers tend to be women
(78% are women).
Women are, on average, shorter than men
(5′ 3.8″ vs 5′ 9.3″).
Put the romance novels lower on the shelf.
Are your female targeted products
lower on the shelf
(but not too low
as women are less likely to bend over)?
Do your bottles
fit in smaller hands?
Can the packaging
be lifted by shorter arms?
Product design for women
isn’t simply about the color.
As Breach Of Trust is my first novel,
I’ve made a special effort
to care for Breach Of Trust readers
(if you are one,
contact me).
Why?
Because early adopters have
a special place in the innovation universe.
Most people will buy what everyone else is buying.
The rare few go first.
It is human nature.
We’re fundraising for a loved one’s medical procedure.
Our goal was $22,000.
At first, we were struggling.
People saying no.
Until we secured a big donation
(sourced from ourselves).
Then suddenly everyone wanted to contribute.
Take care of your early adopters
and
they’ll take care of you.
Jeff Widman has a great post
on expanding your customer base
by adding channels.
I agree
but with a caution.
Channels added should synch up
with the products.
I was told
I should add podcasts and book trailers.
Why?
I’m selling the written word
and there are plenty of
written word friendly channels
I have yet to explore.
I am more likely to find readers there.
Last week,
I visited a Fortune 500 company.
There were signs everywhere.
No cameras,
no videotaping,
no recording devices.
I had to sign a waiver
to get past the lobby.
While I was waiting in the lobby,
I clearly heard a discussion.
It was about selling into
Wal-Mart.
It was strategic,
it was confidential,
it was coming from a closed door boardroom.
I was hearing it
through the floor.
Spend the extra money
and soundproof your boardrooms,
from floor to ceiling.
I have no problem
with other bloggers borrowing
this crazy style of posting,
as long as they realize two things.
It irritates some people
(and those people won’t ever be your readers)
but most of all…
It irritates Google.
I get almost no Google traffic.
I didn’t get much Google traffic
back in the RoadToForbes days
and I continue
to not get Google traffic now.
All my readers are here
because another human being
told them about the site.
If you, as a blogger,
can live with that,
go ahead.
I wasn’t the first
(nothing I do or write is original)
and I won’t be the last.
Everyone in the world
can reserve a flight
on United.com.
They simply can’t pay for that flight.
United.com only accepts
American credit cards.
If you are international
(as most serious travelers are
– some of us are homeless),
you have to book on the United country site
your credit card belongs to.
Yes, I know, madness.
Especially if you have multiple credit cards
with multiple addresses.
The world is global.
Make certain your website is also.
I write romance for a small press publisher.
Buyers of small press novels
are looking for a different read.
They are looking for indie authors.
They are NOT looking for slick.
So when I send my emails,
they are not slick.
They don’t have high quality graphics.
They don’t have any graphics.
The wording is very personal
and chatty.
They are similar to the emails
you receive from friends.
They are also very effective.
I enjoy a much higher response rate
than other authors.
Just because the tools are there,
and you know how to use them,
doesn’t mean you should.
What is the biggest holiday for
discount furniture maker IKEA?
No, it is not Christmas.
It is Labor Day,
that long first weekend in September.
Why?
Because college students are relocating
and buying… student furniture.
IKEA deliberately drops their fall catalog early.
That draws the regular shoppers in.
The students,
waiting to move
and short on cash,
plan their buys.
Then Labor Day,
they visit IKEA.