It doesn’t matter whether the copy in question is an email, opt-in page, sales letter, postcard, direct mail piece or the words on your website.  It’s your job to make sure that your reader does what you want them to.

Here’s how.

A = Attention

Unless you’re able to capture the attention of your reader, you can’t ever expect them to take a specific action.  They are constantly being bombarded by forces competing for their attention – from other advertisers to the family dog – and you need to give them a compelling reason to invest their attention with you.

You do this by understanding WHAT and WHO your customers are (their demographics and psychographics) and crafting a headline that speaks directly to their fears, frustrations or unfulfilled desires.

A powerful, compelling headline will grab their attention, create curiosity and make them want to know more.

B = Believable

The bulk of your copy comes next and could range from a few words to several dozen pages, depending on the format.  Regardless of format, your words need to have an air of truth about them, even if you’re asking your audience to stretch their beliefs about what is possible.

Telling them they can earn 7-figures in 24-hours by falling asleep in a particular position is not believable.

On the other hand, telling them they can earn 7-figures in the next 3 – 7 years, while beyond most people’s experience, is still in the realm of realistic.

Yes, you want to be bold and make strong statements about what is possible, but you have to also respect the mindset of your potential customer and stay within their belief system if you want them to come along for the ride.

C = Credibility + Call-to-Action

It’s one thing for your reader to believe that it’s possible for someone to earn 7-figures in the next 3 – 7 years… it’s another thing altogether for them to believe that YOU can help THEM achieve that result.

That’s where credibility comes in using testimonials, case studies of people who you’ve helped in the past and 3^rd party endorsements from other experts they already know, like and trust.

Finally, end with a strong call-to-action.  Tell them what the next step is and make a compelling offer to take it right now.  All things being equal, people tend to make decisions that keep them where they are.

It’s your job to help them move into action.

Put together, you’ve captured their attention, presented a believable case for what is possible, earned credibility by providing examples & endorsements and helped them move into action by making a compelling call-to-action.

Beautiful women (and occasionally, men) have been used to sell everything from vacuum cleaners to beer, automobiles to cologne and everything in between.

Usually, these sex symbols are used in the television media or at live, in person events where the visibility of sex is on full display.

But recently I’ve noticed a new approach – using sex in radio advertisements.

Spence Diamonds has a new holiday ad campaign on the local radio with a rather blatant sexual innuendo ~ if you buy your wife a diamond for Christmas, you’ll get laid.

Of course, they don’t come right out and say it.  But the inference is obvious.

What I like about this ad is that it is focused primarily on people in committed relationships.  They’re not using women in low cut tops to sell beer to college kids using the fantasy of sex.

They’re offering a new way for couples to connect within their relationship.

Of course, they’re using their product as a means to that end… but that is what advertising is all about.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT SEX IN ADVERTISING?
LEAVING YOUR COMMENTS BELOW!

Chances are, it’s not what you think.

2 KINDS OF MOTIVATION

When it comes to solving problems, easing fears & frustrations or resolving unfulfilled desires, there are 2 motivating factors that will propel your prospect into action.

1. External Motivation
2. Internal Motivation

EXTERNAL MOTIVATION

External motivation are the pressures and visibility placed on someone from outside themselves.  If they’re constantly being hounded by debt collectors, they have external motivation to get out of debt – or at least get caught up.  If they walk into boardroom meetings huffing and puffing, with sweat stains under their arms, they’re motivated to go on a diet.

When you know and understand your prospect’s external motivators, you can apply the right amount of pressure in your marketing and sales messages to get them to take an immediate action.

Most marketers and business owners stop there, focusing only on the external motivators… and because of this they are losing out on a LOT of repeat business.

It’s just as important to have your customers USE the information or product you provide to see the results you promise.  And for them to do that, you have to help them find their internal motivation.

INTERNAL MOTIVATION

It’s one thing to buy the exercise program while under the pressure of acute external pressure… but it’s another thing altogether to actually DO the exercises every morning.

It’s one thing to scramble to get yourself out from under the debt collectors… but it’s another thing to learn good financial management skills and refrain yourself from making impulse purchases.

It’s one thing to purchase a marketing training program… but it’s another thing to do the work, create your marketing plan and then diligently implement it every day.

HELP THEM SEE THE ‘GLORIOUS FUTURE’

It’s easy to see how people will take action under the pressure of external motivation.  They’re frustrated and in pain.

But, all things being equal, people will make decisions that keep them stuck exactly where they are.  So even if they make that first purchase, if they don’t do the work they won’t see results.  No results = no repeat business.

Creating community, having a follow-up “stick” strategy and continuing to be in communication with your customers will help them build up the internal motivation to do the things that need to be done.

GOT SOMETHING TO SAY? LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS BELOW!

P.S. If you’re ready to create a simple marketing plan that gets new customers, get started for just $20 here.

More and more, smartphone applications are using the on board camera as the scanning device, making QR codes a perfect mechanism for passing information quickly to web-enabled mobile devices.

Depending on the type of code you’re using, you can use them to direct prospects to a particular URL, call a phone number, initiate an SMS (text) message or exchange contact information in the form of a vCard.

So, when would you decide to use a QR code in your marketing efforts?  Remember that QR codes require a 3^rd-party app installed on your customer’s smartphone and generally don’t come pre-installed.

Many people still don’t know what a QR code is (and therefore don’t have a reader installed on their phone) but it is slowly growing in popularity.

With that said, let’s look at some scenarios you might consider or adapt for your business.

Bar/Restaurant

A bar or restaurant owner might want to provide more detailed information about the nutritional information of their menu items.  A QR code could be used to keep the menu uncluttered and still provide direct access to this important health information.

They might also consider using a QR code to link to a mobile optimized email subscription page, where patrons can sign up for notifications and special ‘insider’ deals and special promotions.

Finally, the restaurant owner might want to run a cross-promotion with one of their suppliers, a beer or wine maker, for example, and link clients to a page with more details about why that supplier was selected over the multitude of options.

Retail Shop

Retailers can use QR codes in a few interesting ways.  The first is in their external advertising, which can drive smartphone users to a mobile optimized page with the details of the offer in the print ad.

The second method is to add a QR code linking to your online store to your “sorry we’re closed” sign.  While not every visitor who drops by after hours will be able to read the QR sign (or be inclined to) it could turn a lost customer into a online customer.

Networking Events

Instead of exchanging business cards, a new contact could simply scan your QR code and download your vCard with all of your contact information already pre-populated.  This environmentally friendly option is often an appreciated alternative to taking a business card that will eventually find it’s way to the trash bin anyway.

Another option at networking events is to put your QR code on the back of your business card, linking to your email list subscription page.  This “leave behind” takes advantage of often underused marketing space on the back of business cards.  The only caveat: make your subscription offer very compelling or you’ll have wasted someone’s time.

Consultants, Coaches & Information Marketers

Depending on how tech savvy your target audience is, coaches and consultant (and other people who sell their knowledge and expertise) can find a variety of ways to use QR cods in their marketing.

Using your QR code as your profile picture on social networking sites and on your Gravatar account can direct visitors to a socially optimized page on your website.

You could also put the code at the top of your website, or on your contact page with your telephone number and allow smartphone users to direct-dial your office to get more information about your services.

These are just some of the basic ways you can begin using QR codes in your marketing & customer service efforts.  As more and more consumers become aware of the technology, the creative ways to use quick response codes will grow and grow.

It is limited only by your imagination!

Resources: QR Code Generator

Discussion: Have you used or seen QR codes used in an interesting (or ridiculous) way?  Keep the conversation going and share your experience with them in the comments below!

I get it.  I’m the same way.

Over the years I’ve found dozens of great tools that I use to manage various aspects of my business.  And the best part is, many of them are 100% free to use!

Here is my list of fav free software tools (feel free to add yours in the comments section!)

Video Recording/Editing/Conversion

Audio Recording/Editing

File & Document Management

Web Site

Okay!  Not an exhaustive list, but there’s definitely enough there to get you started!

Do you have any free software tools not mentioned that you use to manage your business on a daily basis?  If so, leave a comment below!  Looking for resources not listed here?  Let me know and I’ll see if I can find it for you.

P.S. One cheap resource you’ll want to add to your arsenal is a copy of Make My Marketing Work: How to Win Customers & Make More Money.  It’s not free, but at $20 including shipping (within North America) it’s a great value!

It’s a system!

And the beauty of a system is that it’s a specific set of steps that, when implemented in the correct order, produce a predictable result.

In business that predictable result is supposed to be a profit!

In order to get the best result out of a proven system, you must follow the steps exactly as the system outlines. Changing the system is fine, but you must track the effect of your changes on the end result to determine if the change was helpful or not.

Getting new customers, also known as “Marketing” is no different.  There is a system that, when you follow it, will lead you to a predictable result, which is business growth.

In our book, Make My Marketing Work: How to Win Customers & Make More Money, we share the complete system along with the required worksheets and exercises to help you do the research, homework and leg work required (yes, you actually have to do some work here ).  But to help you get started right now, while you’re waiting for your copy to arrive, I’ve listed the complete 7 step system below, along with a brief explanation of what it means and why it’s important.

IMPORTANT: Simply knowing the steps to take isn’t enough… for a system to work, YOU have to work.  You’ve got to follow the steps.  This isn’t a magic pill or silver bullet solution.  But it is a process that will work for your business if you’re really serious.

How to Get More Customers, Step #1 – Know Your Business

You must understand why you are in business, what your current strengths and weaknesses are, and you must have a vision for exactly where you want to take your business.  Without a strong vision of where you’re headed, you’ll never be able to tell if you’re getting there!  And you will tend to become sidetracked by every marketing opportunity (or “big shiny object”) that comes your way.

How to Get More Customers, Step #2 – Know Your Market

Who is your “perfect customer?” Being able to definitely answer this will enable you to speak directly to them with every marketing communication you send out. This feeling of personal connection will naturally and automatically attract people to do business with you.

Too often business owners think that everyone can benefit from their product or service and while that technically may be true (as unlikely as it seems) the reality is that when you’re marketing to everybody, nobody is buying it.

How to Get More Customers, Step #3 – Know Your Competition

Who else is fighting for the same consumer dollars? What are they doing differently than you are? Is it working for them? What are their customers saying about why they choose to do business with your competitors?

Answering these questions will give you insight into the ways you can differentiate yourself from your competition.  In fact, there are 3 types of competition: direct, indirect and variable.  How you handle each of them will ultimately determine whether you’re winning new customers… or having your lunch eaten by sharks.

How to Get More Customers, Step #4 – Craft Your Message

The right product and the right potential customer are the first two things you need, but having the right message will hook that prospect and turn them into a customer faster than you can say, “Do you want fries with that?” Do you have a clear, compelling marketing message that speaks specifically to your perfect customers?  Do you speak to their underlying fears, frustrations and unfulfilled desires or are you talking about YOU and YOUR PRODUCT all the time?

A unique message stands out from the noise and says something different about who you are and what you stand for.

How to Get More Customers, Step #5 – Deliver Your Message

Advertising, promotions, yellow pages, internet marketing, public relations – there are hundreds and hundreds of different ways for you to deliver your marketing message into the minds and hearts of your perfect customer. Knowing who your customer is and developing a psychographic profile of them will give you great insight into the types of advertising and promotions that will reach them.

Not every marketing tactic is right for every business.  Yes, you need a website and probably need to be on Facebook… but do you need Twitter?  What about LinkedIn?  Should advertise in national newspapers or more niche targeted local publications?  There’s no “right answer” for every business – your marketing mix is unique to YOU.

How to Get More Customers, Step #6 – Measure Your Marketing

What you measure improves. By tracking everything you can in relation to your marketing efforts, you will begin to see what works and what doesn’t work in certain specific situations. It also gives you a regular indication of where you are in relation to the key performance indicators that you have set out to track your progress.

Every time you implement a change in your marketing, you can (and should) test the effect of that change on your results. Anything that improves your results and gets you closer to your business vision should be kept, while anything that decreases your results or moves your business away from your primary vision should be ceased.

How to Get More Customers, Step #7 – Funnel Your Marketing

Having a marketing “funnel” that gently qualifies your prospect and squeezes them further down into a more intimate relationship with you will help you get more sales with less effort. The funnel is a system unto itself and allows you to respectfully communicate with each prospect uniquely, based on where they are in the marketing funnel. The final phase of the funnel is where you ask for the sale, close the deal and integrate your prospect into a customer relationship with your business.

When it comes to creating a marketing plan for small business, these are the 7 key things that you must address to maximize your campaign. When done in the correct order and when properly thought out and executed, these keys can turn up the heat and unlock your business success.

Are You Ready To Grow?

If it’s time to take your marketing more seriously and develop a strategic plan that can move you to the next level of business growth, it’s time to read Make My Marketing Work: How to Win Customers & Make More Money.  Order your signed copy today for just $20 including shipping and receive the following bonuses:

1. Downloadable exercises and worksheets to help you apply what you’re learning (you’ll develop the knowledge AND the skills, all while creating your customized strategic marketing plan)
2. Millionaire Prep School interview recordings to help you develop the right mindset for success (you’ll learn from 10 self-made millionaires and be the “fly on the wall” as I interview them about their successes and failures)
3. Private, 1-on-1 strategy session to help you answer any lingering questions and figure out the next steps to move your plan (and your business) forward!

In part 1 of this 3 part series on writing effective marketing copy, I shared that “attention” is the first thing you’re aiming for when writing marketing copy.  That is, you want to grab the attention of your target reader and compel them to read further into your content.

In this article we’ll cover the next thing you want strive for, which is…

B = Believability

Regardless of what element of copy you’re working on, or where you intend to distribute it, there must be a certain level of believability in your words, or readers will simply dismiss you as a crackpot (or worse) and move on their merry way.

Does that mean you don’t want to make bold claims or statements?  No.  Or at least, not necessarily.

Does it mean you can’t challenge your readers’ currently held assumptions, biases, predispositions and unconscious beliefs?  Not at all.

You just have to do it in a way that allows them room for belief in the idea or concept you’re trying to get across.

“You can make a 6-figure income in 24 hours!” is unbelievable (unless you’re open to robbing a bank).

“You can make a 6-figure income in the next 6 months!” is, while far fetched, at least theoretically possible.  If you can go on to outline HOW you will help them do this… then you are back in the realm of believability.

It’s a fine balance that has no hard and fast rules that you can follow when writing your content.  And it’s tough to analyze your own copy with a fresh perspective, since you’re already so close to everything and you know what you meant by what you said in the copy.

So I’d suggest that you get someone else to look at your copy before putting it out there.  Ask them specifically to highlight any phrases, statements or claims that do not resonate as believable to them.

When you do this, ask three different kinds of people to give you feedback:

1. People who are IN the business you’re in (either an employee or colleague)
2. People who represent your TARGET AUDIENCE and who could potentially be a customer or client
3. People who DO NOT represent your target audience and who are otherwise dissociated with your business

Doing this will give you a well-rounded view of how your copy is being perceived by readers and will allow you to make the necessary adjustments before putting your marketing campaign out.

Got Something To Say?  Please leave your comments below and let me know what you think!

My advice to all business owners is to understand the fundamentals of good marketing, including strategy, copywriting, target audience, etc., even if they are not going to the primary implementer of these marketing activities.

Why? So that they can properly evaluate the work of their staff or contractors and be sure that they are getting good value for their investment.

When it comes to your marketing copy ~ the words you use in your marketing collateral ~ many coaches, solo entrepreneurs and small business owners find it difficult to write compelling copy that attracts the attention of their target audience, persuading them to read more.

Where does this “marketing copy” reside?  Here are just a few places you’ll need to have effective marketing copy:

• Website
• Blog articles
• Brochures & flyers
• Newspaper & classified ads
• PPC or Facebook Ads
• Article marketing content
• Press releases
• Etc

There are many more places you’ll want to use effective marketing copy, but these are the essentials… and they are enough to get us started.

Many small business owners, solo entrepreneurs and coaches are probably wearing more than just the CEO/Owner hat and may be the one writing most (if not all) of your own copy.

Over the next three articles, I’ll share my ABCs of writing effective marketing copy so that you can be sure to produce the highest quality (and most effective) copy you can… or so you can evaluate the copy produced by your hired-gun copywriter.

Let’s start at the beginning with…

A = Attention

The first and most important outcome your copy must do is grab the attention of your target audience.

This is usually done by placing a captivating headline at the top of your copy that draws your reader in and makes them want to keep reading.

There are many formulas for writing an effective headline, but there are three types of headline templates that I have found work particularly well.

The Question Headline

The format of this type of headline is obvious, from its name – you are asking a question of your reader.

What type of question you decide to ask is up to you, but you want to come up with a question that your prospect will answer “Yes” to. The alternative to a “yes” answer is an unanswered question.

Here are some examples:

• Are You Ready To FINALLY Take Control of Your Financial Future?
• Who Else Would Like to Lose 30 Pounds & 10 Inches… While Still Eating Your Favorite Foods?
• Did the Government REALLY Open Up This Tax Loophole To Every Citizen?

Each of the first two questions invites a “yes” response from the reader, which makes them want to keep reading to find out HOW to accomplish the implied promise.

The third question is unanswerable for most readers, but it incites enough curiosity that they’ll want to read further to find out if the mysterious tax loophole applies to them.

The Secret Headline

The secret headline is also just as it sounds, telling the reader that there is information that has been kept from them, but that is now available.

This type of headline works particularly well for business development, investment and weight loss because it takes pressure off your prospect, essentially letting them know that their problem it isn’t their fault.

Here are some examples of the secret headline:

• Investment Secrets Your Financial Planner Doesn’t Want You To Know
• Secret Indonesian Herb Finally Passes Approval… And Can Help You Lose 30 Pounds in 30 Days!
• Tax Secrets of the Rich… Now Available to Every American!

The Numbers Headline

This type of headline grabs the readers’ attention because you are making a very specific statement and, as humans, we like specificity because it seems more believable.

It’s one thing to say that you lost weight on a particular diet.  It’s quite another thing to say that you lost 33 pounds in 27 days, removing a total of 54 inches!

Here are some examples:

• 3 Things You Can Do Every Day To Put $2,745.53 Back In Your Bank Account THIS YEAR!
• 7 Slim & Sexy Secrets of  Hot Hollywood Moms!
• A Proven 6-Step System for Protecting Your Income from Government Tax Collectors!

The key with using a numbers headline is to use actual numbers that you can back up… or to break down your system into a number of tips or secrets that you promise to reveal.

As you can see, each of these example headlines draws in your attention and makes you want to keep reading in order to find out more.  Once that happens, it’s your job to keep the reader engaged by delivering on your headline’s promise.

Because the headline is the part of your ad/article/website that is responsible for getting your reader’s attention, you should spend a large part of your time ensuring that it is as captivating as possible.

Often, I’ll write up to 50 different headline ideas for a single ad in order to narrow it down to the top 5, before eventually selecting two or three to test. (I’ll cover testing in a future post.)

I suggest you experiment by writing 3 – 5 of each type of headline for your next copywriting project and see what type of headline fits best for your particular purpose and style.

Got Something To Say?  Please leave your comments below and let me know what you think!

Every coach, author or solo-entrepreneur wants to get more leads (and eventually, more customers) through their website.  One way to do this is to have a highly-targeted free offer (also known as an ethical bribe) that compels your site visitors to enter their name & email address.

By submitting their information, your site visitors are effectively raising their hand and saying “I’m interested in what you’re selling.”

Their “lead quality” score goes up because they’ve self identified as having a problem and being willing to actively search out a solution to that problem.  The one big factor they haven’t yet confirmed is their ability (or willingness) to pay for your solution.

Like many people, when I started out I offered a lower-value, more general opt-in bonus… and my subscription rates suffered as a result.  But when I updated my offer and made it clear WHO it was for and WHAT kind of information it offered, my subscription rates skyrocketed immediately.

How to Make a Strong Opt-In Offer

Typically your free offer should be directly related to the problem or that your customers or clients experience. And it should offer a high perceived value.

In addition, you should “sell” the free offer using a clear, compelling call-to-action that is available on every page of your website… and which is highlighted in particular on your main landing page.

You want visitors to be immediately presented with a compelling offer and then you want to re-state the offer in case they decide to browse around.

A good example of this kind of high-value, highly targeted offer that has a strong opt-in rate (nearly 10%) is the one you’ll find on the sidebar of this page or on my homepage.  It’s a free video training series called “Double Your Coaching Income” and in it I share an unusual math formula that will allow coaches to double their profits, without doubling their workload.

When someone signs up for this training series, I immediately know a few things:

1. They are a coach (after all, the training series is called Double Your COACHING Income!)
2. They want to increase their income (they probably already have some coaching revenue coming in and they want to increase it)
3. They are interested in VIDEO (this will influence how I interact with them and what offers I present in the future)

After the video series is complete, those people who register for this training will have an INTIMATE experience of working with me (the videos are like having a conversation with me), they’ll know whether or not they like my style and they’ll know something about their business that they probably didn’t know before.

Of course, I still don’t know if they are willing or able to invest in the products and services I offer, but that’s a conversation for another day.

The important thing is that I know a lot more about the people who sign up for my training series because it was made specifically for coaches… and they know a lot more about me, providing they’ve actually completed the 6-part video series.

And, as a bonus for those who actually do complete the video training, I have a special surprise in store at the end.

So, make a strong, clear offer with a high perceived value to a specific audience and watch your lead capture rate increase.

These sites have become hugely popular lately in part because consumers are demanding better deals due the economy.

And, if you listen to the hype, these steeply discounted offers are perfect promotional opportunities for just about any business.  But based on my experience, I’m not so sure.

Here’s the thing.

I’m not saying that Groupon.com, LivingSocial.com or any other group buying website are specifically out to hurt any of the businesses who use them.  In fact, I believe quite the opposite is true.

But it  is often the result that businesses are crippled and hurt by their promotions with big group-buying sites.

If you’re considering jumping on board this “hyper-trending” promotional opportunity, there are three questions you absolutely MUST ask yourself before signing on the dotted line:

1. What are your costs to deliver the product or service?
   
   The biggest reason that businesses have a negative experience when using Groupon or LivingSocial to promote themselves is that they don’t know their numbers.Let’s do some basic math.

   Let’s say you normally sell your product for $100 but are offering it for $50.  And you have to give another 30% – 50% of the selling price to the advertiser.  At the end of the day, you’re going to get about $25 per sale, when you would normally get $100.

   If it costs you more than $25 to make the product or deliver that service, then you are going to lose money for every sale.Loss leaders are often used to get new customers, so this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but you have to know your numbers.

2. How much money can you lose on this promotion?
   
   If you’re using your Group Buy promotion as a loss leader, how much losses can your business safely cover?  You’ll need to know this so that you can set an appropriate ceiling (or upper limit) on the number of deals you’re willing to offer.

   Then you’ll have to negotiate this number with the advertiser (Groupon or other) since it is in their best interests to sell as many of your product or service as possible.

   When calculating how much you are able to lose, come from a frame of mind that you might NEVER recover this money.  It’s possible that all those new customers will simply move on to the next great deal and forget about you entirely.

3. How will you ensure the highest possible “second sale” percentage?
   
   The biggest value of group buying sites is that you can acquire a huge number of new customers with a single promotion.  But for this tactic to work, you must have a strategy in place to ensure that the highest possible percentage of your new customers make a second (and third) purchase from you.

   I recently had a cleaning company come and clean my house, which I booked through LivingSocial.com.  I was flabbergasted when they didn’t leave behind any marketing material about their recurring monthly cleaning services.

   This was a perfect marketing opportunity since they were literally in my house and could hand me a card, brochure or refrigerator magnet or offered me an instant “next cleaning” discount, of which they would keep everything and not have to pay a commission!

Daily deal and group buying sites can definitely have a huge impact on your business, but it’s up to you whether that is a hugely POSITIVE or hugely NEGATIVE experience.

Spend the time to answer these questions carefully.  Devise a follow-up marketing strategy that will maximize your second sales and put an appropriate limit on your offer so that you don’t put yourself out of business.

Are you considering using Groupon, LivingSocial or one of the other “daily deal” websites to promote your business?

In one hour, I can help you understand your numbers, develop your strategy and devise a foll0w-up marketing strategy to maximize the “second sale” value of all new customers generated through your promotion.

Don’t get sucked in by the hype! Know your numbers and how you’ll maximize your promotion BEFORE you sign on the dotted line.