Category: Marketing

You can’t consider a trip to Bath complete,
without a stop at Sally Lunn’s
and a taste of their famous Bath Bun.

Sally Lunn’s is the oldest house in Bath.
They’ve also been making the same bun
since 1680.
Same huge size
(no downsizing for them),
same great recipe.

You’d think that would be enough
to draw visitors in.

But no, Sally Lunn’s doesn’t do “enough”,
they do more.

They have a free museum.
They give out free samples
with perhaps the friendliest employee I’ve ever met.
Their website not only has
tips on Bath attractions
but recommendations
on competing restaurants travelers should consider.

They over deliver and delight.
And that is why I would go back.

Mid July is the most challenging time
for me as an entrepreneur.
Most of my employee buddies
spend their weekends at the cottage.
I spend it marketing.

How to stay productive,
especially when results are delayed?

I employ Yaro Starak’s technique.

“One of the things I did and still do
whenever I feel less than enthusiastic
is to focus on output,
rather than the external elements
that bring me down.”

If I do the same thing
that other successful marketers do,
over and over,
I SHOULD get the same results.

Until real results come in,
I base achievement
on what I do.

Kim T. Gordon at Entrepreneur.com
shares her top 5 tips
for great copywriting…

1) Write one-to-one.
2) Make your message “outer-directed.”
(about your reader)
3) Lead with benefits.
(to your reader, not to you)
4) Follow the rules of engagement
(use direct, short words).
and
5) Provoke a reaction
(Most common way? Ask a question)

1) Write one-to-one
applies to any sort of writing.
When I write my novels,
I write for a specific single reader in mind.

As Gordon states
“People read marketing copy as individuals,
not as a group.”

Online review sites expect
eBook copies of books to review.
It doesn’t matter if the book
will only be in print,
they wish to review it in eBook.

As a blogger,
I dislike it when advertisers call me.
When readers call me,
okay,
but when advertisers call me,
it tells me they want to do business
on THEIR terms, not mine.

eCulture has its own etiquette.
If you’re asking for favors online,
it helps
if you respect it.

In his book Word Of Mouth II,
Dave Balter talks about
an experiment described in the scientific paper
Effort Of Payment.

A research subject asked people
to help him move,
offering them different rewards.
People were least likely to help
when offered money.

Why?

Because money made the helpers
evaluate their assistance
as work for hire
rather than helping a friend.

In fact, people will make more of an effort
for no payment
than for a low cash amount.

Make cash rewards significant
or don’t offer them at all.

In the June/July edition of CMA Magazine,
Colin Payson, a designer for Pylon
says
“Five to ten years ago
a company could build a website,
leave it alone, and
expect people to see what is on there.
Now, it’s quick –
you’ve got to move with it,
and you’ve got to add more to it constantly.
You can’t just leave it.
I don’t think there’s such a thing
as a static website anymore.”

I don’t think so either.
The reason I use a blog format
for my writing site
is because I update it daily.

Keep that in mind
when you’re designing your site.

What is the number one amenity
U.S. business travelers want
from a hotel?

Is it a business center?
Coffee in the morning?
The newspaper?

Nope.
According to the
2006 National Business Travel Monitor Survey,
70% of business travelers
want premium-quality mattresses and bedding.
In other words,
they want a comfortable bed.

Cover the basics first
before looking elsewhere.

I ran a contest
using an email list as a base.
I had a 10% response rate
but the interesting part
was how quickly recipients responded.

43% entered Day 1
43% entered Day 2
8% entered Day 3
4% entered Day 4
2% entered Day 5

What does this mean?
If you don’t get a response to your offer
within two days,
you’re not going to
(unless you resend the email).

I recently received a very detailed
and glowing fan letter
for my first novel,
Breach Of Trust.

The only issue?

The reader referred to the hero,
my modern day venture capitalist,
as a Duke.
That was the only ‘error.’
She related the story perfectly.
Her questions were intelligent and thoughtful.

I could correct her
but why?
If she enjoys the story more
thinking the hero is a Duke,
so be it.

Although the customer may not always be right,
it seldom benefits the seller to point that out.

I receive promo books all the time
from PR people.
The goal of these PR people
is to get publicity for their clients.
That’s how they’re evaluated.

I know that,
I appreciate that,
and usually mention the book
on at least one of my blogs.

Sometimes I wonder if I should bother.

Why?
Because
I have no idea if the PR person
knows I mentioned the book.
Most are sent
with a generic info page
and no contact name or email.

If you go to the trouble of
sending out a PR package,
please include a business card.