How to Write Advertising and Marketing No Sane Person Could Refuse
Preston Campbell Principal Consultant Profit Zone Marketing/Y2Marketing preston@profitzonemarketing.com 805-528-4437 www.profitzonemarketing.com
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Why Marketing?
• Your sales are down and you just can’t seem to get them back up • You are frustrated with the amount of leads you are getting • You are sick and tired of paying big dollars for advertising that does not get results • Your prospects seem to flock to your competitors and never give you a look • You are being forced to compete on price (with tight margins) when you really want to provide best value • You want to take your sales to the next level, but can’t get there
Instead
Have your clients and prospects say “I would have to be an absolute fool to do business with anyone else but you... regardless of price”
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“Because of the nature of business, it has just two functions, and only two. Marketing and innovation. Marketing and innovation make money. Everything else is a cost.” Peter Drucker
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(It Creates Precise, Repeatable Results)
Marketing Is A System
Have Something Good to Say
(develop messages that separate you from the competition)
• Self-assessment • Client/Prospect Surveys • Competitive Surveys • Market Analysis
Say it Well
(Write compelling copy targeted to your ideal audience)
• Touch test - assess customer & client contacts • Determine best channels to advertise • Writing effective copy
Say It Often
(Create systems to contact your prospects until they buy)
• Contact management • Lead tracking • Follow-up systems
Maximize & Optimize Performance
• Joint Ventures • Referral Systems • Customer Service • Sales System Integration • Bundling, Upsells, Back-ends • Test, test, test • Innovation • Consumption Management • Building Networks
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The Only Ways to Increase Sales
More leads
• • • • Ads Referrals Joint Ventures Networking
Higher conversion of leads to sales Higher price Increased frequency of purchase
• Target the right audience • Great Copy • Build value • Bundle • Upsell • More repeat orders • Back-end sales of other products • Customer service
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Growth In Sales and Profits Can Be Huge
More leads •Survey needs, habits •ASAs Discriminate •Powerful advertising gets attention •Targeted lead generators More sales conversions •Marketing tells your story •Enough information •Staff knows what to say •Greatest credibility Value Pricing •Addressed desires •Lower risk •More value boosters •Trusted source
Example - Seminar Trainer Leads Before 16 % Buy No. Sales Unit Price Total Sales
x x
.50
= =
8
x x
$795
= =
$6360
After
43
.70
31
$875
$27,125 $20,765
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Increased sales
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The Confidence GAP
The New Paradigm Shift to Marketing
Confidence Gap -- Definition: The buyer’s inability to determine whether any of the businesses or any of the products or any of the services are any better or any different or any worse than any of the others
...And The Seller Is At His Mercy • • • •
The GAP
• • • •
Now The Buyer Has The POWER...
Increased Competition More Choices Increased Information Increased Resistance
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Longer Buying Cycles Price Competition Products Are Commodities Identical Marketing Messages
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Look Around Your House For Proof
Product Mid 1970’s Frito-Lay Chip Varieties 10 Breakfast Cereals 160 Pop Tarts 3 Soft Drink Brands 20 Colgate Toothpastes 2 Mouthwashes 15 OTC Pain Relievers 17 Running Shoe Styles 5 Contact Lens Types 1
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Now 78 340 29 87 17 66 141 285 36
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Results???
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Marketing Bridges The Confidence Gap
Sales Skills Start Here
Concise and WellArticulated Powerfully Stated Low / No Pressure One-Way Communication Not Afraid of Rejection
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Confidence GAP
Non-Obtrusive Reviewed At Own Pace Reviewed When It’s Convenient Can Ignore If Not Interested No Commitment
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The Beta-Alpha GAP
Beta Mode
Subconscious State • • • • • • • Auto-Pilot Running Patterns No Active Thought Habits Apathy toward advertising Oblivious to ads No chance to sell
Problems Annoyances Needs Opportunity Importance Intensity Duration Frequency
Reticular Activating System (RAS)
Alpha Mode
Conscious Awareness • • • • • • • • Actively Engaged Interested / Eager Learning Active Problem Solving Notices ads Actively seeking info Open to suggestion Will read and absorb
GAP
“HOT Buttons”
To Get A Prospect To Do Something… You’ve Got To Snap Them Out Of Beta And Into Alpha
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4 Stages of Alpha: Quick Definitions
• • Interrupt: Getting qualified prospects to pay attention (done with headlines) Engage: Getting those who do pay attention to remain interested (sub-headlines, 1st paragraph, 1st Educate: Giving enough information to make the prospect feel like he/she can make the best decision
250 words)
•
(body copy / text / evidence)
•
Offer: Getting the prospect to take an action based on information given (compelling reason to respond)
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The Marketing Equation
• Equation never changes:
Interrupt + Engage + Educate + Offer = Makes You A Lot Of Money. Every Time.
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Effective Interruption
• We use headlines based on HOT BUTTONS to interrupt the prospect
– Can also be used in conjunction with pictures/sounds
• Hot Button-based scenarios are received into the reticular activator and the proper emotional response is triggered • Then the prospect immediately searches for additional clarifying information
– The prospect is ready to be ENGAGED
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Marketing Is Getting People To WANT To Listen
“… It is as useless to try to sell a man something until you have first made him want to listen… as it would be to command the Earth to stop rotating.” Napoleon Hill
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Marketing “False Alphas”
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Based on cute, shocking, unusual, celebrity, sex appeal
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Interrupt
Bad Good
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Alpha Stage 2: Engage
• Once you have struck an emotional chord with the headline, you must get the reader engaged in the ad
– Sub-headlines that promise more information – First paragraph – First 250 words (long copy) – Not sales info… decision-facilitating info
• Convince prospects that if they continue to read the marketing piece will provide information that will facilitate: – Making the best decision? – Solving the problem?
• Curiosity, appeal to emotions, begin to address problems or desires
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Engage
Bad Good
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Engage: Good
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Alpha Stage 3: Educate
• You have engaged the prospect on an emotional level; now it’s time to give information that appeals to his logic • Give the prospect information that will prove the claims you’ve made while interrupting and engaging him
– Body copy – Testimonials – Charts, graphs – Before/after photos – Many more methods
• More control information can be given via Marketing Tools
– Audio CD’s, videos, websites, brochures/reports, CD ROM’s, etc.
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Control
Bad Good
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Control: Good
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Alpha Stage 4: Offer
• Every marketing piece should contain a risk-lowering offer to encourage the prospect to take the next step in the sales process • Offer should be obvious, easy to understand, and easy to see (coupon works well) • Offer can be for…
– More info via marketing tools (gain more control) • Avoid the “talk to a sales person” offer – Bonuses or premiums when ordering – Special offers for first time users
• This offer allows you to capture future buyers in addition to NOW buyers
– Allows you to control your target market
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Offer: Bad
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Offer: Good
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• Writing Evaluations:
– “Well I would hope so!” – “Who else can say that?” – “Well, Whoop-Dee-Do!” – “Do you really believe that? Prove it.”
• Specificity Challenge
• How much/many specifically/typically? • What, where, why?
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• Writing Evaluations:
– “Well I would hope so!” – “Who else can say that?” – “Well, Whoop-Dee-Do!” – “Do you really believe that? Prove it.”
• Specificity Challenge
• How much/many specifically/typically? • What, where, why?
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• Writing Evaluations:
– “Well I would hope so!” – “Who else can say that?” – “Well, Whoop-Dee-Do!” – “Do you really believe that? Prove it.”
• Specificity Challenge
• How much/many specifically/typically? • What, where, why?
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• Writing Evaluations:
– “Well I would hope so!” – “Who else can say that?” – “Well, Whoop-Dee-Do!” – “Do you really believe that? Prove it.”
• Specificity Challenge
• How much/many specifically/typically? • What, where, why?
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• Writing Evaluations:
– “Well I would hope so!” – “Who else can say that?” – “Well, Whoop-Dee-Do!” – “Do you really believe that? Prove it.”
• Specificity Challenge
• How much/many specifically/typically? • What, where, why?
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Do Your Homework
• Understand your product • Understand your customers • Study your competition • Do market research • Understand basic emotions and desires that motivate your prospects
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You Must Have a Unique Message
Your unique message is not merely a general statement of advertising puffery—not things like… • • • • • • Largest selection Professionalism Quality & service Biggest in the state Honesty & integrity In business since 1431 B.C. • • • • • Fastest Most convenient Lower prices Specializing in The experts in
These things are, however, the premises for the ASA. The key now is to get specific and quantify.
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Why Should Anyone Do Business With You?
• Begin With The Five ASA Starter Questions:
– What is most important to your prospect? What results are they ultimately trying to accomplish? – What problems do people have when doing business in your industry? – Why would a prospect favor your business over all of the competitors? – What does a person need to “look” for in order to make the best decision? – What does a person need to “watch out” for in order to make the best decision?
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Finding Your Unique Messages
• Turn features to benefits • Walk a mile in their mocassins • How do you solve their biggest problems or meet biggest desires • How do your prospects make decisions • How to you satisfy their emotional, psychological needs • What typical customer values apply to your prospects buying process • Verify customer hot-buttons, desires, problems • Find your position relative to the competition, exploit (and/or create and innovate) advantages
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Decision Matrix
• Use these quick steps to get inside the buyer’s head:
– What feelings are they having when deciding?
• Before buying? During the sales process? After the purchase?
– What is their state of mind?
• Fear, nervousness, excitement, skeptical, etc…
– What is the end result if they decide wrong? How do they feel? – What objections, concerns or questions will they have?
• We’re looking for HOT BUTTONS.
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Identify Your Unique Benefits
Features
Characteristics of the product or service (list everything you can think of)
Advantages
Characteristics that offer better performance than competitors relative to industry standards and other critieria
Benefits
What the prospect perceives he or she gets relative to solving problems or satisfying desires
Emotions
How does the product or service and its benefits make the prospect feel (love, happy, pride, eliminate anger, unhappiness)
Explicit Wants
Those benefits that the prospect decides must have to satisfy desires, meet emotional needs
Example: Ford Mustang Convertible Red Convertible 327 Horsepower 40 more horsepower than competitors Best color Look “cool” Fastest
Fastest Car Pride Impress Girls (best car) Love (impress girl) Competitive (fastest)
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Determine Your Prospects Buying Values
Use This list to help you summarize what things are valuable / important to your typical prospect.
Customer Values
Better Communication Better Service Better Warranty Easier Payment Terms Easier To Use Educates The Customer Experts In… Faster Delivery Faster Quoting
Customer Values
Faster Results Friendlier Guaranteed Results Higher Quality Higher Standards Largest Inventory Lasts Longer(reliability) Less Hassles
Customer Values
Lower Maintenance Lower Prices Lower Risk To Try Makes More Money More Accurate Quotes More Advice & Assistance More For The Money More Honest
Customer Values
More Results (choices) Price Is Appropriate Quicker Response Safer Saves Money Specializing In… Tastes Better Unique Inventory
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Discovery: Customer Surveys
• What You Are Trying To Accomplish?:
– Confirm your assumptions – Ask opinions about potential innovations – Discover needs, problems, desires-value hierarchy – What format will they accept the messages in – What are their Hot Buttons – Why do they do business with you – Can you use their testimonial, or will they endorse you – Bump and up-sell, get referrals
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Discovery: Customer Surveys • Five Types Of Customer Surveys
• • • • • Current clients Past clients Dissatisfied clients Not clients yet Prospects
•
Consider demographics (who), psychographics (why), geographics (where)
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Customer Survey Calls - The Questionnaire • What are the biggest frustrations you had when doing business with… or trying to find a good….? • What made you choose other companies in the past? • How would you like to be marketed to? • Do you know of anyone who can use our services at this time? • Can we use your comments in our literature?
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Discovery: Competitive Surveys
• Doing Competitive Intelligence:
– Gather list of TOP competitors – Create survey – Call and request information – Gather file of marketing, ads, sales tools – Analyze their marketing, advertising and sales efforts – Shop them. Go through sales and follow-up processes
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Competitive Surveys - Objectives Look For & Evaluate These Things:
• • • • • Strengths and weaknesses How they market, sell, advertise Customer service, performance Innovations Look for things that you can copy, exploit, and/or improve upon
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Competitive Survey Calls - The Questionnaire • How was the phone answered? • Did the salesperson ask questions pertaining to your needs or situation? • What are the advantages of doing business with them?
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