A Biz-Op Ad Critique

I decided to flip through some biz-op magazines at Barnes & Noble this weekend. Not because I'm interested in any business opportunities. (My business keeps me plenty busy, so please no MLM pitches!)

But because I'm fascinated with that market. I talked about hype in my last post. And the biz-op market is full of it.

But the great thing about this market is that there is a very high level of awareness of direct response marketing. Which is right up my alley.

I chose an ad in 'Small Business Opportunities' to critique on this blog. In fact, I'll be doing this from time to time in the future, so be sure and stay tuned.

This ad certainly isn't the worst of the ads I saw. In fact, it was one of the better ones... both in terms of scaled-down hype. And in terms of using proven principles of direct response.

But there are certainly many things that can be improved to maximize its response rate.

Take a look...

A HUGE Online Marketing Mistake

You ever see those hyped-up internet sales pages smothered in yellow highlighting with a forest of exclamation marks?

It seems that in many markets (weight loss, biz-op, network marketing, info products, etc.), marketers will work themselves into a frenzy trying to out-hype the competition.

Terry Dean calls this “hypercopyitis.” Ben Settle calls it “frothing at the mouth copywriting.”

I simply call it “empty hype.” Maybe that’s not as colorful as Terry or Ben, but that’s what it is.

And it’s a HUGE mistake.

The key to out-doing your competition isn’t to out-hype them. It’s to out-flank them.

It’s to find the unique elements about your product that make it better... or simply different.

It could be something as simple as a great story. Perhaps your story... or the story of a happy customer... or the incredible story of how you developed the product... anything that will set your product apart.

Consider this headline from the late Gary Halbert, the legendary “Prince of Print...”

Atlanta Housewife Investigated And
Almost Arrested For Losing 73 Pounds

Wow, what a headline! And what a story! Don’t you just HAVE to read on to find out more?

And there’s not one ounce of hype. No string of exclamation points. No bold, unproven claim like “Lose 70 Pounds In 60 Days!!!!!!”

Gary Halbert knew how to uncover the story that provided the “hook” to get readers involved. That’s half the battle.

The bottom line: engage your prospects. Don’t treat them like blithering idiots. Differentiate.... don’t hype.

4 Critical Steps To Direct Mail Success

I must be the world's worst blogger. I freely admit it. It's been 4 months since my last post!

But I think it will be worth the wait. Because I'm about to reveal to you the key secret to making your direct mail campaign work like gangbusters. Most businesses fall short in one or more of these areas.

But not you... Not after today!

Here the 4 critical steps to direct mail success...

Step One: Choose Your Target

Pick a target and know your target well. The list is absolutely critical. If you're selling ice, your list shouldn't contain a list of Eskimos. Try a list of desert sheiks instead! And find out what motivates them. What are their beliefs, feelings, and desires? You'll need to know this because in step two, you'll give them their hearts desires...

Step Two: Create An Irresistible Offer

In other words, give them what they want! And make it a good, enticing offer. Like free (and very relevant) information. Or a free trial. Or a huge discount or bonuses just for trying you out. Make an offer he can't refuse! But make only ONE offer. Don't try to sell your whole product or service line in one letter. That's just a really dumb mistake that anyone with 2 cents should be able to avoid!

Step Three: Pick A Format

99.9% of all direct mail winds up in the trash because it looks exactly like what it is: junk mail. To get past the clutter, you need a different tactic. Try a letter that looks personal, such as a plain white envelope with a simple return address, hand-addressed, and a real, live first-class stamp.

Or send a "lumpy" envelope. Or a brown, oversize envelope. Or a package. Or send it priority mail. Anything to get past the clutter and get attention.

Step Four: Create A Magnetic Message

This is where it pays to hire a professional direct response copywriter. But here's a quick tip: focus on benefits, and not just features.

People ultimately buy benefits. Benefits evoke an emotional connection. No one connects emotionally with features, unless they can connect it with a benefit.

This post, for example, is about 475 words long, and is in five parts. Do you really care about that? Or do you care about the benefit of what this post will bring you? Namely, better success with direct mail... and ultimately, more money... and ultimately, the ability to have something that money can bring you, like a new vacation or time with your family or that new car you've been drooling over!

See my point? Focus on the benefits and you'll have better chances of success.

To learn more about how to craft a powerful, persuasive message, I invite you to download my FREE How-To Guide available here: www.EngineeringPersuasion.com.

Until next time...

Joshua "Aaron" Stanley
Direct Response Copywriter - Persuasion Engineer - "Salesman in Print"

A HUGE Small Business Marketing Mistake

One of the biggest mistakes small business owners make is not having a cohesive and consistent marketing system. Instead, everything is ad hoc. Very tactical. A little of this...a little of that. "Let's try this today. Well, that didn't work, let's try something else tomorrow."

By cohesive, I mean...

• Every marketing piece should be designed to feed the sales funnel. (Turn readers/watchers/listeners into leads/inquiries/visitors.)
  
• Every marketing piece should communicate the same central message. (Your USP, unless it's a purely lead-generation piece--in which case it should sell the benefits of your lead-generation device, be it a white paper, special report, video, etc.)
  
• Each marketing piece should "pre-sell" the company, product, or service.
• Every piece should work in tandem with all the other pieces, so they all reinforce each other. (Website reinforces and expounds on print ads. E-mail campaign reinforces the core story, Etc.)
• Marketing should be consistent with the sales message. In other words, the sales side should be a logical extension of the external marketing.
• Marketing should be consistently delivered...that is, it should be a regular system that acts like clockwork, producing the same results every time.

Your marketing system should be written down and documented. It should be designed from the ground up to be consistent and cohesive. In other words, each piece of your marketing matrix should be like a team-member, reinforcing all the other pieces.

Beyond the Unique Selling Proposition

I've discussed before the importance of the USP. Probably 90% or more of all businesses can't articulate their 'unique selling proposition.'

So just doing this step will put you leagues ahead of your competitors. But today, I'm going to go beyond the USP.

Let's call it a "graduate level" marketing strategy.

Here's the problem with ONLY having a USP, and going no further in your strategic focus...

At any given time, only about 3% of your total eligible buyers are buying right now. So you're fighting with your competitors for that 3%. A USP will help you greatly here.

But what about the other 97%? Since they're not buying right now, then a USP won't sell them, will it? What difference does it make if you sell the best widgets, if they're not looking for widgets right now?

This is where we get into what Chet Holmes calls the "Ultimate Strategic Position." It's an advanced form of the USP that helps you get "in" with the other 97% of the market, and secure them as customers or clients before your competitors even have a chance!

At this level, you're not peddling any products or services...you're offering information. You're building relationships. And along the way, you're positioning yourself as the only viable alternative.

Sounds pretty awesome, right?

I'm sure you'll want to read all about it. So check out Chet Holme's book "The Ultimate Sales Machine." I can't recommend it enough. It's at Amazon for less than $17. (That's not an affiliate link, by the way. Just giving you a head's up, which I know you'll appreciate.)

The Commoditization-Differentiation Continuum

Commoditization is when products or services are so similar to each other that price becomes the overriding concern.

Differentiation is when a product or service is so radically different from all of the alternatives that price is no longer a concern.

You can look at these two points as opposite ends of a continuum. Where does your business lie on this continuum?

If you’ve been commoditized…

• Your prospects and customers price-shop you all the time.
• You find yourself competing on price alone and losing out to low-balling competitors.
• Your customers are always haggling with you to lower your prices.
• Your customers or prospects simply don’t see or understand your added value (if any).

If you’ve differentiated…

• You have no real competition because you’re strategically positioned as being unique.
• You customers don’t complain so much about price…and even if they do, they still pay it.
• You can get away with charging more than your “competitors.”
• You’re positioned as the only viable alternative.

The solution to commoditization is differentiation. Commoditizers can only fight a tactical battle. Differentiators fight a strategic one.

I'll be going into more detail on this very subject in a special report I'm finishing up called "How To Surge Ahead of Your Competitors And Leave Them Eating Your Dust!"

Sign up for the "Strategic & Tactical Report" on the right and you'll get this report for free.

Marketing Strategy Vs. Tactics

The tactician says...

• "I need to get more leads."
• "Sales is a numbers game, people!"
• "Let's buy the biggest ad in the yellow pages so people will call us instead of our competitors."
• "Let's put an ad on Craig's List."
• "We need to cut our prices to stay competitive."
• "What's the latest marketing technique?"
• "What's the cheapest way to get leads?"
  

The strategist asks...

• "How can I differentiate myself from my competition so people will choose me instead of my competition...even if my prices are higher?"
• "How can I increase my lead-to-sale conversion rate?"
• "How can I increase the value of each customer/client so I don't have to chase down new leads all the time?"
• "How can I get people to chase me instead of the other way around?"
• "How can I make sure that my customers/clients stay with me for as long as possible?"
• "How can I afford to outspend my competitors on acquiring new customers/clients?"

No wonder it's the strategist who always wins!