If Your Marketing Efforts Are Not Steadily Increasing Sales
… Maybe It’s Time for a New Strategy!

“You will either step forward into growth, or you will step back into safety.”
… Abraham Maslow

How to Market in a Crowded Market Place?

You must LOOK different, ACT different and BE different.

As a marketing professional, I know that people are sick and tired of the same old dull, boring marketing they see everywhere … in print, online and on radio or TV.

Most marketing is “me too” marketing.  Everyone mimics everyone else.

Rare is there a company who has the determination to turn their industry on its heels … and to really DARE to be different!  Which is so counter-productive, because no one will listen unless you ARE different … and believable.

Most companies adopt the “play it safe” philosophy, which as everyone knows … unless you take a risk and stand out in the crowd … no one will notice you!

QUESTION:  Think about it … put your “consumer” hat on.  Ask yourself, “What would get my attention?”

ANSWER:  The product or service that LOOKS different, ACTS different … and IS different in some way that you care about, right?

After first getting your prospect’s attention … then what?

What is Required to Get Your Prospect’s Attention?

1. Understand/connect with them in a way they can FEEL.
2. Sell benefits; never features.
3. Remember that people buy emotionally and justify their decision with logic.
4. 4.   Remember that all they’re looking for is “what’s in it for me?”  (WIIFM)
5. Make them a promise that your product/service can deliver.
6. Show them a picture of themselves, fulfilling the promise.
7. Give them a compelling message.
8. Be credible. 
9. Provide proof.
10. Build trust.
11. Have a USP (unique selling proposition)
12. Have a killer close.
13. Make them an irresistible offer they must have right now!

How Can You Get Your Prospect to Take Action Now?

1. Don’t lose them, with boring copy, before they get to your offer.
2. Connect with them, during the copy.
3. Show them HOW your product or service will benefit them.
4. Show them HOW your product or service will benefit them … again.
5. Touch them on an emotional level, appealing to whatever emotion is appropriate.
6. Find AS many emotions as possible to evoke in your prospect.
7. Make sure the emotions are appropriate for the benefits from the product/service.
8. By the time the reader gets to the offer, they must already know they want it.
9. Make the offer so compelling, they have no other option but to say “yes.”
10. Back up the offer, with a 100%, no risk guarantee.
11. Sweeten the offer, if at all possible.  (Give them something extra or reduce cost.)
12. Give them a time limit to respond, creating a sense of urgency.
13. Provide multiple ways to respond:  Phone, email, mail or online.

 
Always, Always Sell Benefits … Not Features!

Notice how the benefits answer the question WIIFM, when marketing a sports car to men, ages 21 – 75.  They care about how they look & how they feel in it, how fast it is and how it will attract girls/women.  (Then they justify the purchase, with logic.)

PRODUCT:  SPORTS CAR

As you can see, in order to get your prospect’s attention in the first place, marketers need to be willing to look, act and BE different.

Then, you must include the 13 items required to get them to listen, followed by the 13 items needed to get them to take action, providing plenty of benefits that matter to your customer/prospect.  And lastly, your copy must convince them to take action.

So, to conclude, here’s what you need for successful marketing:
1. BE different.
2. GET their attention. 
3. HOLD their attention. 
4. SELL benefits. 
5. CONVINCE them to take action.

People are bombarded daily, with marketing messages from the time they get up in the morning (from TV, radio and even on their cereal boxes) to the time they turn off the TV or their computer screen at night.

With the proliferation of Internet businesses and the growing number of sales messages everywhere online, from our email boxes to banners, pop-ups, ads on search engines, ads on other’s web sites (maybe your own?) …

What will you do differently to get noticed?  If you don’t get their attention in the first place, they’re certainly not going to read your message. 

I suggest an ingenious mailing that commands the recipient to open it.  And I’m not talking about “flat” envelopes, either.  No, I’m referring to an object that is sent in a special envelope, so the object can be felt.  (Or a box, in which case, the same “intrigue” is inherent.)

Imagine yourself getting such a thing in the mail -- would you open it?  Of course, you would.  It’s like Jay Abraham (marketing guru) used to say.  Folks put their mail in 3 piles … A,B,C.  The A pile is the must open one.  The B pile … well, maybe.  And the C pile is the throw away pile.

Guess where your package-with-an-object will go?  That’s right, in the A pile.  Everytime.

Of course there would be a sales letter, corresponding to the object that is enclosed.  And, naturally, the letter and the object would be pertinent to the recipient’s needs, wants, desires.

These kinds of things work equally well for B2C and B2B marketing!  Everyone likes a surprise … don’t you?  And talking about memorable!  Well, try sending someone a real chili pepper in the mail, with an applicable message, and see how receptive they are.

I actually used a huge, real chili pepper for a campaign 12 years ago, with a creative message on a paper, cut-out chili pepper. 

It was around Christmas time, so we tied a bow around its stem, put him in a wonderful box, surrounded with tissue paper.  It was stunning.  I also did business cards in the shape of a small chili pepper. 

Twelve years later, the owner is still using this because it still works.  Now that’s what I call an effective campaign.

Five touches renders an astounding response, but send something impactful at least three times.  Some will call or buy, after the first touch.  But most folks need to be romanced a little more than that.  (Most email campaigns use 5 – 7 touches.)

Direct marketing is powerful … online or via snail mail.  I love all things online, including Internet marketing.  But, I also invite you to consider using the tried and true, with a twist – send something memorable inside the envelope, using snail mail.

If done right, direct mail marketing can give you amazing ROI.

It’s no secret to anyone, we compete in a crowded market place, so if you want to have a snowball’s chance of getting your message heard … you must look, act and BE different! 

Carolyn Permentier
http://www.kickasscopywriter.com
540.220.8838