Hmm.

Dunno about this. Are these the same banks who
needed to be bailed out during the crash?

And exactly what sort of marketing are these banks going
to be offering?

Are they going to offer to write your ads, sales letters
and web pages for you?

Are their advisors going to sit down in front of you and say:

“[[firstname]], what’s the conversation going on in your
customer’s mind?”

“What sort of irresistible offer can we dangle in front of
your customer?”

“Shall we test X approach and measure the response to see what
it brings in?”

Don’t think so.

Can’t see it happening.

Personally I think the banks should stick to finance.
And let those of us who know about marketing look after that.

Warmly

Mark Pocock
www.markpocock.com

Hardly news you’d have thought. Every body
uses Google to price shop nowadays.

So how does a small business fight back?

What would I do?

Well, first thing to do is start building a list
from your customers. Everyone who walks through your door
or visits your web site you try and  collect their contact info.

Do whatever it takes. Bribe ‘em!
Just get their name, address and email address.

And then you start building a relationship with that person
through snail mail and email.

Yes snail mail. Don’t just rely on email. Sure email is free –
But it’s also dead easy to delete.

Yet, you always open your mail every day don’t you.

And when that person is finally ready to buy who are they
going to buy from? Some company they’ve never dealt
with before or that guy who has kept in regular touch with them?

Make it a no-brainer.

Give your list valuable content. Exclusive offers
and reap the rewards.

Until next time

Warmly

Mark

If you’re like many business owners you probably think
the word is FR*EE. And this word probably would have been in the past.
But not today. We’ve all become immune to it. FR**EE this
and FR*EE that.

Heck the word has been so over used I have to put a star
between the letters in this email where I use it. Just to get
the email through your spam filter.

So if the most important word isn’t the word FR**EE what is it?

Well, if you said the word “You” that would be close as well.
After all, the reader, your prospect, is only interested in
themselves. So the more you can use the word “you” the more the
reader thinks you’re talking about them.

Any other ideas what this magical word might be?

Let me reveal this magical word.

The word is ….”Because…” Always tell the reader why.

It answers the question that pops in their mind as they read your copy.
So your prospect can rationalize what you’re telling them.

For instance:

“We’re the most expensive…That’s because…xyz reason”

“We’re having this 48 hour sale. Why? That’s because my wife
is divorcing me and I need to pay her off…”

“We do 24 safety checks before we release our products to you.
That’s because…”

See what I mean?

Can you now see how the simple word “because” is sooo important?

You can? Good.

Never miss an opportunity to use it. That’s because using the word is so
important in driving your sales message home.

Heck, I even used it there…:)

Warmly

Mark

Mark Pocock

What does this mean to you?

How is your business positioned to survive this recession?
Are you feeling confident you’ll prosper and continue to
profit… or… do you fear the worst?

You’re going to have to work harder at persuading potential
buyers, if they’re looking to spend money on a product or
service, you’re the guy whom they should be doing business with.

Here’s the thing.

People are watching what (and where) they spend their money
on more carefully. Your potential customers are more wary.
They’re more sceptical. More suspicious. They’re worried about
their own futures. Their own job security.

And quite right to. Let’s face it when you don’t even know how
solid your own bank is these days….

But there’s still going to be money to be made even in these
uncertain times. You see whole marketplaces aren’t going to
dry up overnight. Nope. And there will still be fortunes to be made.

So let’s take a look at some of the things you should be using
RIGHT NOW to ensure your business continues to prosper in the
current economy.

1. You should be using irresistible offers in your marketing
to attract customers.

What do I mean by this? The answer is simple.

(By the way I wrote an article about this on my web site.
www.markpocock.com. If you’re interested in reading this it’s
titled Don Corleone) – read it here

http://www.markpocock.com/marketing-articles/don-corleone/

Basically having an irresistible offer is like when Marlon
Brando’s henchmen in the film The Godfather were discussing how
to get someone to do what they wanted. They were rabbiting on
about this method or that, … when Brando growled at them,
“Make him an offer he can’t refuse.”

That’s it.

And that’s what you need to be doing to all your customers today.

Making them an offer they simply can’t turn down.

I mean if you make an irresistible offer to your prospects and
your competitors aren’t doing this, it becomes a no-brainer for
someone to do business with YOU. Your business is going to be
chosen every time above every other one of your competitors. So
basically you increase your market share. You clean up.

So start thinking about the type of irresistible offer you can
make to your prospects.

2. You need to be developing your list.

This is your list of buyers and prospects. And you need to be
developing a relationship with this list. Contacting them often

and offering them valuable free content which is relevant to them.

You should also be using this list to generate sales from.
People have either indicated an interest in what you’re offering.
Or they’ve bought from you in the past.

Remember it’s cheaper to sell to someone who has bought from you
before than continually going out and finding new customers.

And one way of doing this is using email. Especially as it’s free.
Or use a sales letter.

Want to do a sales promotion, send out an email or sales letter
and watch the sales and inquiries come in. You should use email
to drive traffic to your shop as well.

Need extra money to pay Johnny’s university education? Send out
an email.

Look, you’re probably on various email or mailing lists already.
And you already receive special offers. Such as Clothing companies,
golf companies, guitar lists.

You need to be doing the same thing with your customers.

3. You’re familiar with Ronseal the garden paint manufacturer?
Of course you are! And their catch phrase, “It does what it says
on the tin.”

Well you need to prove to your prospect you do what it says on
your tin. Your business will do what your prospect expects from you.

How can you do this? How can you provide proof?

It’s simple.

There’s four ways you can provide proof and boost your credibility
in your customer’s eyes:

a. Testimonials. Use customer testimonials in all your marketing.
You haven’t got any? Well start collecting them.
b. Case studies Provide case studies of people in a similar
position as your ideal client. Somebody they can relate to.
c. Your history. Provide your company history. Show them you’re to
be trusted.
d. Your track record. Show your track record of helping customers.

Use these and you’ll put your prospect’s mind at rest. Let your
customers do their boasting.

And please, one thing.

Never say you’re the best. UNLESS you can prove it with facts
and figures. And have irrefutable proof. Otherwise you’re just
full of horse manure.

4. Like I said prospects are more wary where they spend their
money today. They’re more choosey. More selective.

So how can you tip the most cynical prospect over the edge so
you’re the one they spend with?

Simple.

Include some free bonuses with your product or service. Bonuses
which have a high perceived value to your customer. And bonuses,
which (hopefully) don’t cost you much. Or, only cost you time.

Just adding a few bonuses can help to tip your prospect into
doing business with you.

5. You know, 80 years ago ads and marketing pieces actually sold.
They had to earn their keep. It wasn’t a matter of keeping your
name out there. And hoping you’d attract sales. Marketing back
then had to bring in a return on investment. Or else the company
went out of business.

This was true direct marketing.

Nowadays for some reason all you hear about is build your brand.
Keep your ad in front of people and build brand awareness.

Why just the other day I was on a business forum online and a
business owner was inquiring about whether he should start his
business with his logo or build his brand. He was unsure what
to concentrate first.

It was amazing the advice he received. One said get a logo first.
Another said build his brand from day one.

I was gob smacked.

My advice was to write sales material which targeted the dominant
desire in his hottest prospects.

And I’d advise you to do the same.

Don’t just shove a web site up, sit back and think my web site is
beautiful and prospects and customers are going to flock to it to
order from me. If you do you’re in for a shock.

Listen up.

Your web site is your sales person. It’s your direct marketer.
It’s talking to your hot prospects. It’s gotta sell for gawd’s sake.
So make it work for you.

Make sure it sells and talks to your prospect. Spells out the
benefits of doing business with you. Overcomes objections. And
then lights a fire under your prospect so he’s galvanized into
action.

So think of these three things:

a. Who is your prospect?
b. What does this person need or want?
c. Show them your solution

Do this and you’ll make more sales.

6. Make sure you’re a business which puts your customer first.

Don’t talk about yourself to your customer. If you say “We do
this” or We’re …(fill in the blanks)…

STOP right now.

I got news for you. It’s all about the customer. Why? Because
they’re only interested in one thing:

WIIFM.

What’s in it for me?

Talk about what you can do for your customers. Put yourself in
their shoes and ask yourself what’s their major concern right now.
And show how you can provide the solution to their problem.

Think of it like this. You need to enter the conversation going
through their mind right now.

When somebody types into Google a keyword or keyword phrase about
the service or product you’re selling, and they find your site,
your site needs to reflect exactly what they’re thinking at the
time. Otherwise they ain’t going to be hanging around very long.

So put your customer first and you’re stacking the odds in your favour.

Ok I hope these quick tips help you generate more business in this
economic downturn.

Warmly

Mark

PS. If you’re struggling to make sales – then give me a shout.

Anyway, I start flicking through the newspaper. And start
looking at some of the ads. Now I want to play a game with
you. I want to look at the following headlines. Then I want
you to figure out what they’re trying to sell. Ready? Here
are some headlines I’ve picked out at random.

1. Stop The Rock
2. Sea Side – Oh We Do Like To Be
3. Celebrate With Us This Christmas
4. A Natural Smile Makes Such a Difference – Elizabeth’s Story

Well, what did you come up with?

I bet you had fun trying to figure what the heck these
headlines refer to. I certainly did. Some headlines confused
the hell out of me. Others, I thought WTF are they going on about.

So let’s look at them.

1. Stop the Rock. This is a headline of an article beside
an ad. Would the headline make you want to read on? I mean
what the hell does Stop the Rock refer to? It could be anything.
The headline is just so vague why would you stop and read the
article? You wouldn’t.

The headline is actually trying to sell you on tooth implants.
And the Rock bit in the headline is referring to having dentures
sliding around in your mouth.

Weird. The writer certainly didn’t have a clue when he wrote
that headline.

2. Sea Side – Oh We Do Like To Be

This is a FULL page ad for an upmarket hotel-restaurant. This
ad must have cost thousands of pounds. Yet, the headline is so
pathetic… so weak…. it can’t have drawn any response.

Why would you read the ad? The headline isn’t promising you any
benefit for reading on.

3. Celebrate With Us This Christmas

Well, did you guess the answer to this one? Again this headline
is very vague. If you guessed a restaurant you did well.
The next question is why I should celebrate with you this
Christmas. You just want my money.

4. A Natural Smile Makes Such a Difference – Elizabeth’s Story

I read the headline and first thought cosmetic surgery. But I
was wrong. The headline is for a denture ad. Adding the word
“story” I suppose could draw people into reading the ad. That’s
because as people we like to read about stories. But again this
headline is weak.

So there we have it four contrasting headlines.

Look if you’re going to run a ad, have a headline that enters
the conversation running through the reader’s mind. Make sure
the headline has a benefit in it that the reader wants. Then
spell out that benefit to the reader. Don’t make the headline
hard to understand. Don’t try to be cute or clever. Don’t try
to be funny. Make the benefit in your headline crystal clear.

None of the above headlines have any benefit for the reader.
Not a single one. Yet having a benefit laden headline has been
proven to generate a higher readership of the ad. And the more
people that read the ad the higher the response to the response.

The funny thing is I actually pitched this newspaper a few years
ago to see if they’d like marketing column or help in writing
ads for their business clients. The newspaper declined my offer.
Because they thought I might contradict what they have been
recommending and this might upset their advertising clients. Take
that how you want!

But I feel sorry for the business owners who are paying to be
advised to run such lukewarm ads. They’re spending their hard
earned cash for advertising that is never going to generate a
response. No wonder business owners think advertising doesn’t pay.

You’re better off taking your partner away for a break in a 5
Star hotel rather than spending money on ads with headline that
don’t catch your reader’s attention.

Till next time

Mark
www.markpocock.com

First, note the first letter of the first word in the first sentence. It’s what is known as a drop cap letter. Its purpose is to grab your attention. That’s once you’ve read the headline.

By using a drop cap on your first word you increase readership. In fact, you can increase readership by somewhere around 15%. That’s right 15% more people will read your ad. That’s not too shabby.

The second thing to notice about this ad is the bit at the top.

Look where it says “an advertisement feature by Thomas Sanderson.” This is the newspaper’s way of telling you the ad is… well, an ad, and not a newspaper article. Otherwise the newspaper could be seen to be endorsing the company.

What can you learn by this?

Well, if the newspaper didn’t make this disclaimer then the ad would look like editorial or an article. This is great news for you the advertiser. You’d get your ad read by more people.

So the moral of the story is this: Don’t make your ads look like ads. This way you boost readership of your ads. After all, people buy newspapers and magazines to read news. Not ads.

Until next time

Mark

So I’ve had few answers as to why the accountancy software ad was so successful. Many of you picked up on the great headline. And how you’re not “risking a penny.”

Also the overall ad itself: How the ad is full of benefits… endorsed by accountants… and there’s a FREE Trial offer…

And I agree with all of these points.

But, one of the best things I think makes this ad great is this. Just imagine you’re reading this magazine. (And by the way, this ad was on the right hand side of the page.) You turn over the page and see this ad. And straight away you’re sucked into reading this ad. Why?

Because the ad doesn’t look like an ad. The ad looks like an editorial. It’s laid out precisely as the other articles are in the magazine. There are 4 columns. There’s a drop cap letter. The name of the ‘article’ writer – that name must be fake.

So you read the ad. Because you think you’re reading an article. And that’s half the battle – getting your ad read.

Nobody buys magazines or newspapers to read the ads. We buy them to read news and interesting articles. So the more we can make our ads look like an article or editorial, the better.

So, well done to David and Lisa for pointing out that the ad looks like an editorial.

Also, for your interest, I’ve scanned in another ad that was used to sell this software. Only this ad was placed in a Saturday issue of the Daily Mail newspaper. You can see this newspaper ad here.

Enjoy!

Any comments feel free to post below.

Until next time

Mark

The ad is offering a special report. The idea behind running the ad is to get prospects to ask for the special report. What the company is doing is qualifying  prospects. Once a prospect has requested the report, you then follow each prospect up with a sales letter or a phone call.

So do you think the ad was a success?

The ad was so – so? Or a failure?

You can see the ad here

So what do I thionk to this ad?

Well, my biggest problem is with the headline. The headline makes me work too hard. I have to think and re-read the headline a couple of times to understand it. And that’s not a good thing. You want to make your headline simple and easy to understand.

Another thing is starting your copy by asking questions. And this ad starts by asking two questions. When you ask questions you need to be certain you’re only getting the answer you’re want.

Final point. The copywriter should have added one sentence to the copy. “If you phone in for your report you will not be sold to.” This would have eliminated the fear of getting some pushy sales person on the phone.

So was the ad a success?

Well, my gut feeling is this ad is an also ran. But I could be wrong. -:)

cheers

Mark

What a great headline.

To Business Owners Who Want to Build or Extend But Think

They Can’t afford It

This headline almost certainly enters the conversation some business owners are having in their mind.

In fact, the headline is a swipe of some famous headlines written by the famous copywriter Mel Martin. Here are some of his headlines using this particular formula.

For people who are almost (but not quite) satisfied with their own cooking – and can’t figure out what’s missing

For golfers who are almost (but not quite) satisfied with their game – and can’t figure out what they’re doing wrong

For New Yorkers who would rather ride bikes than subways, buses, cabs or cars

For adults who would love to pick up their education where they left off

Anyway, if you really wanted to criticise this ad you could say the ad doesn’t offer a FREE Report for the person to request. (Actually if you go to the company’s website www.smart-space.co.uk they do offer a Free Report.)

And Smart Space should have inserted the sentence “You will not be sold to” in their ad. Again, as in the previous 2 step ad, you’d overcome the fear of getting a high pressure sales person on the end of the phone. And that’s a big fear we have as people. That we’ll get talked into doing something we’ll regret later.

Also note the proof element from a KIA Motors Manager.

All in all, a good ad.

Cheers

Mark

Are you making mini videos and putting them on YouTube?

If you’re not you should be.

You could drive a heap of extra traffic to your web site
by putting up videos on YouTube.

That’s because YouTube is the second largest search engine
Behind Google.

We’ve recently checked on the number of views some of our
Client’s YT videos have had. And much to our amazement
Some of the videos have had….

13,707 views!

Amazing.

Now contrast that stat with another person’s YouTube
video experience.

We were at a recent dinner party and got talking to a guy
who runs a self catering cottage complex nearby. Anyway
the talk turned to marketing online.

Turns out this guy had paid £600 to a company to make
one YT video for him. And the number of views his video
has had?

730.

WTF.

Looking at his video the next day when I was sober I could
See why he hadn’t had more people view his video. He hadn’t
put the video up on YouTube properly.
And that’s a common mistake many people make.

Apart from that he could have saved himself £600 by making the
video himself. All you need is a camera costing under £100.

OR you don’t even need a camera. You can make a slide show
using Windows Movie Maker. And put that up.

The secret to getting higher number of views is – use the
right keywords when you upload your video to YouTube.

So start producing videos for your own business. And
See your traffic stats rise.

Until next time

Warmly

Mark