As John Carlton weighs in again
on long copy vs short copy
(long copy won years ago),
he reminds us that successful marketing
isn’t always the most “popular” marketing.
“It’s not entertaining…
it’s not often pretty…
and it’s not about “branding” or creating cool art.
Or even being “liked”.”
Its about sales.
Suck up the vanity
and do what works.
I hear it all the time.
I write better than she does,
why did she land a book deal?
I know more about the product,
why did he get the promotion?
Simple.
Talent is not enough.
Duct Tape Marketing’s John Jantsch
suggests adding creativity.
I advise adding marketing.
Regardless of the add on,
you need more.
Oh and hard work is a given.
Was reading though Scott’s extensive article listing
on HelloMyNameIsScott.com and
loved his thoughts on describing what you do.
“When people ask you,
“So, what do you do?”
make your answer memorable, valuable and unique.
If their response isn’t
“Hmm, that’s interesting…” or “Cool!”
you need to rework your answer.
Remember, even the most boring jobs can be
explained in an UNFORGETTABLE way.”
We’re all experts on something and
when that expertise is combined with passion,
that’s when magic happens.
I once listened to an environmentalist
talk for a half hour about
the re-uses for styrofoam containers
…at a party
…and there was a crowd around him.
He was THAT passionate,
that interesting.
I was talking to a friend
in the early stages of
a company start up.
She has been busy, busy, busy
sampling her product.
She must have given out a thousand samples.
When asked,
she’ll tell you that her marketing is working.
Its not.
The true test of whether marketing
is working is in the sales.
She hasn’t sold a single product
and she is quickly becoming known as the sample lady.
Unless your product is marketing,
marketing is not the goal,
sales are.
Last night, during the Daytime Emmys,
you heard cast members of
The Guiding Light,
the longest running soap opera on American television,
thank Proctor & Gamble.
P&G owns a soap opera?
No, they don’t just own the show,
they helped create it.
Soap operas are called that
because of their sponsorship by soap companies.
And P&G has been affiliated with The Guiding Light
since that first radio broadcast in 1937.
A marketer’s dream.
A campaign lasting 70 years.
Who buys Father’s Day cards?
Children, right?
A no-brainer.
Or is it?
According to Greetingcard.org,
15% of all Father’s Day cards are bought
by wives for their husbands.
This is a huge secondary market
and should not be ignored.
As with any secondary market,
target the primary market (the kids)
but ensure that the product is suitable
for the secondary (the wives).
I hear the questions asked often…
Do I need a blog?
Do I need a website?
Do I need business cards?
No.
That’s not what you truly need,
that’s a tool.
What you truly need could be
A way to communicate with your customers daily.
A means for prospects searching online to find you.
A reminder for that person you met at a cocktail party
to call you.
There are many tools available to accomplish that.
Pick the best one.
A recent study shows
that participants watching Letterman
ate 44% more chips
than those not watching tv.
Participants watching Leno ate 42% more.
Both results proof the theory
of sensory specific satiety.
The more attention you pay
to the food you eat,
the faster you will feel full
and the less you will eat.
It also points out which
show potato chip manufacturers
should advertise on.
Web Ink has done an analysis
of the most over used
gobbledygook words used
in press releases.
The big winner?
“Next Generation”
What does this mean to customers?
Absolutely nothing.
You only have seconds
to grab your prospect’s attention.
Don’t waste it with filler words.
And yes, industry standard
was on the list too.
How to advertise in a magazine?
It depends.
If the magazine targets
the average person,
is sold on newsstands everywhere,
and consists mostly of glossy ads,
an ad is the only way to go.
However, if it is a trade magazine
like Romance Writers Report
subscribed to and read
cover to cover
by aspiring and publishing
romance writers,
then seriously consider
the more cost effective
classified ad.
It WILL get read.