As the person responsible for marketing and generating leads for your company, you face serious challenges right now.

After all, have you ever stopped to consider how easy it is for prospects to find your competitors?

Today, more than ever, new and shifting technologies have made it effortless for prospects to find alternatives to your product or service. What’s more, this competitive marketplace spans all industries and grows bigger every day.

Making your situation more challenging are consumers’ increasingly stubborn expectations and demands.

If you’ve experienced a slowdown in leads, today’s well-informed prospect is one place where you can pinpoint your problem.

It’s no longer enough to “exceed expectations,” “deliver excellent service,” “offer customer-focused solutions,” or “have an experienced team.” Today’s prospects demand you deliver value before they even consider doing business with you.

Few companies have adjusted their marketing to accommodate today’s consumers — and that leaves incredible opportunity for you.

Search online, open the newspaper, scan your mailbox, flip through the Yellow Pages or read a few emails. You’ll see little difference in marketing approaches.

Not only do pushing products and slinging services remain the norm, but the same words get used over and over again.

So what’s the solution?

Well, one way you can differentiate yourself in marketing is to make your prospects feel important.

Let me explain …

Think back to the last time you met someone who made you feel special. The type of person who you instantly enjoyed being around. Someone who can spark a smile from just about anybody.

How did that person act when you met? What did he/she talk about? Who received most of the attention?

Most likely, that person made you feel important (and good about yourself) because the conversation centered around you.

Right?

Now consider how this approach carries over to marketing.

You see, most attention in marketing focuses on hyping a company or its product/services. I often compare this approach to the person at a party who only talks about himself, laughs at his own jokes and always has a story that tops whatever anyone else says.

People cringe when this person walks into a room. So imagine how your prospects feel when they see this same “strategy” used in your marketing.

If you want to generate more leads, shine the spotlight away from your company. Stop thinking about what you can get from your marketing and instead focus on what you can give.

Want to spend an hour going through how you can adjust your marketing to match today’s consumers and generate more leads? Here’s the easiest way.

I’m about to blatantly ignore your needs …

That way I can tell you about my “industry-leading solutions” … ramble on about myself … write in a sophisticated manner you can only decipher with a dictionary … and make inflated claims without any supporting facts …

Then, when I’m done, I expect you to open your wallet and give me money.

You ready?

Okay, okay … I’m exaggerating. Unfortunately, though, this approach isn’t far from what many business owners and entrepreneurs use when creating marketing materials.

They focus attention on a company, person, product or service, while ignoring the needs of potential buyers. The desire for quick sale overshadows any thought of first delivering value.

As a result, few (if any) prospects respond.

During a recent event for a local chamber of commerce, I shared several of my simplest copywriting strategies for creating compelling marketing materials.

The tips included two easy ways to begin a marketing piece so you qualify prospects and get them reading deeper into your copy, as well my nine favorite techniques for writing eyeball-grabbing headlines.

Here’s a video of the entire 42-minute presentation (you may recognize the story at the 20:10 mark):

What makes someone eagerly buy a product or service that’s priced at least two times more than comparable options?

You might be surprised to know that, in certain cases, the decision comes down to something as simple as a piece of paper.

Let me explain …

My wife, Michelle, and I recently stopped at Bed, Bath & Beyond for new bed pillows. She replaced the last set without me. So I went into the store not really knowing what to expect.

I groaned the instant we set foot in the pillow section. The price range was ridiculous — and all the items looked the same!

Prices for the puffy white rectangles started at $19.99 and went as high as $159.99.

Confused, I immediately grabbed a “middle-of-the-road” option. After all, my only buying criteria was avoiding the cheapest, low-quality choices.

Michelle, on the other hand, zeroed in on a high-end model that was at least twice as much as my pillow. When I asked about her preference, Michelle explained she wasn’t sleeping well and believed the pillow she picked would solve the problem.

I rested my head on her pillow. It felt the same as mine and, of course, looked identical.

The only difference?

The label showed Michelle’s pillow was recommend by sleep expert and New York Times best-selling author Dr. James B. Maas. What’s more, the packaging included Dr. Maas’ sleep tips booklet, which is an excerpt from his book Sleep for Success! Everything You Must Know About Sleep But Are Too Tired To Ask.

Although the booklet was just a few saddle-stitched pieces of paper, the information inside represented tremendous value to Michelle. After all, the topic matched the thoughts in her mind (i.e., I need a pillow that helps me sleep better.).

Think about this for a minute …

Knowledge shared on little pieces of paper caused my wife to spend twice the medium price for a commoditized product. And you know she’s not the only one buying those pillows.

I often talk about how you writing a marketing piece from scratch is like an artist with a blank canvas. Your written words serve as the “paint” that determines what prospects are willing to pay for your product or service.

The closer you match their problems, the higher the price they’ll pay.

Search for Dr. Maas’ pillows on the Bed, Bath & Beyond website and you’ll see another smart marketing move. All seven pillows (only one was available in the store) target a specific type of sleeper or problem.

For example, he offers options for people who sleep on their side, stomach and back, as well as those who feel stressed or enjoy reading in bed.

Dr. Maas doesn’t offer pillows like everyone else. He delivers solutions to specific problems and uses his marketing to prove it. As a result, he can charge higher prices.

So how well do you target your prospects’ problems in your marketing? Do you deliver solutions — or only pitch what you offer and hope people buy?

Photo credit: Mark 2400

Controversy shook the whiskey world last month.

But unless you’re a devoted whiskey drinker or live close to Loretto, Kentucky, you probably didn’t notice the news.

Maker’s Mark, a company with a fiercely loyal following, announced it was lowering the alcohol content of its whiskey due to overwhelming demand.

You see, making a batch of Maker’s Mark takes at least six years. So diluting existing reserves is the fastest way to increase supply.

The decision triggered an instant uproar, especially on social media. After all, Maker’s Mark execs essentially admitted they would soon offer a lower-quality product.

Then, about a week later, CEO Rob Samuels and Chairman Emeritus Bill Samuels, Jr. announced via a link on Twitter, “We are reversing our decision to lower the ABV of Maker’s Mark, and resuming production at 45% alcohol by volume (90 proof).”

For the most part, the media attacked Maker’s Mark management for its foolishness. But I still believe, besides deciding to water down its whiskey (and not embracing the scarcity and social proof the situation offered), the company makes many smart moves that business owners/entrepreneurs can learn from and incorporate into their marketing efforts.

First, it’s worth noting that the dilution decision was initially announced to “Maker’s Mark Ambassadors,” an all-volunteer group that fuels the company’s marketing engine. As official card-carrying members, these company advocates get gifts to help spread the Maker’s Mark message.

(The promotional items — such as bottle sweaters, gift boxes/wrap and stickers — are so popular that people auction them off on eBay! Can you imagine … a company’s marketing materials so in demand that customers sell them?)

As an Ambassador, you also get your name engraved on a barrel of aging bourbon, an opportunity to buy a bottle of Maker’s Mark from “your” batch (when it’s ready), updates on the aging of your bourbon, invites to exclusive events, and several nomination cards to recommend others for the group.

In effect, your Ambassador status gives you a level of ownership in the company — and membership doesn’t cost you a single cent.

Brilliant!

Keep in mind, Maker’s Mark does not promote its Ambassador program. Advertisements never mention it. In-store displays don’t show it. And on the website, you need patience and a little luck to uncover the registration page.

Maker’s Mark also won’t reveal how many members are in the group. But the count likely reaches well into the thousands. (A Maker’s Mark Ambassadors group on Facebook alone has 10,232 members.)

Pretty impressive, isn’t it?

In addition to regular communication with Ambassadors through snail mail, the company is active via e-mail and social media.

These conversations involve people who want to hear from Maker’s Mark — not an interrupted audience that hasn’t asked for communication from the company (as is the case with most marketing messages).

Ambassadors are treated as friends. They receive behind-the-scenes access to company operations … sneak peeks at new products … and, in general, communication that makes them feel special.

The result is incredible loyalty.

Furthermore, just as if from a friend or family member, e-mails from Maker’s Mark come to Ambassadors in text format. There are no fancy graphics, dull templates or exaggerated logos, as are common with most companies’ e-mail communication.

The relationships created by Maker’s Mark marketing even carry over to the Ambassadors themselves. After your name is added to a barrel at the company’s distillery, you receive photo proof and then opportunities to communicate with your other 29 barrel mates.

Now, I’m not an Ambassador (I interviewed several for this post), but I think we can assume the primary conversation topic isn’t the weather. They, of course, chat about whiskey (and, in all likelihood, Maker’s Mark).

Unfortunately, rarely do businesses apply a fraction of the effort Marker’s Mark does in creating loyalty and an audience of advocates. The marketing attention instead revolves around creating instant sales, especially when leads dry up.

Remember, your marketing must develop relationships before it can drive profits.

So when was the last time you communicated with your prospects and clients for a reason other than pitching your product or service?

Photo credits: Rich Snyder–Jetarazzi Photography, matt.ryan620, Taoist Biker and Dyskinesia

Mary, my 7-year-old daughter, recently got her first taste of pitching products.

She’s a first-time Brownie and sold Girl Scout cookies during our neighborhood’s annual home tour a couple weeks ago. Of course, as a marketing junkie, I couldn’t help but give her a little guidance.

You see, Mary’s troop leader encouraged her to approach as many people as possible and ask if they wanted cookies. She said the girls who talked the most and were the loudest made the most sales.

Now, as you know, this “strategy” violates one my 11 Rules of “You” Effect Marketing …

You can’t market effectively when you rely on interrupting as many people as possible with a message they never asked for.

But still, for a few hours, Mary and my wife — as well as another troop member and her mother — pulled a cookie-filled wagon around the neighborhood and asked for sales. I joined them for the final 45 minutes and sensed the disappointment.

To Mary’s credit, she still wanted to sell after her friend went home. So we set up shop in the driveway and started marketing to (as legendary copywriter Gary Halbert liked to say) a “starving crowd.” We also adjusted Mary’s message and stopped interrupting people.

By 4 p.m., she sold 127 boxes of cookies and proudly clutched the largest wad of cash she’d ever seen.

I tell you this story because … well … my daughter’s actions make my heart swell with pride.

But also because her selling success is a classic example of not being afraid to market in a way that’s different from others in your industry. While many other girls pitched cookies during the home tour, I’m certain no one matched Mary’s output.

Last Friday, I told this story during a talk I gave on behalf of SCORE to members of the Surprise Regional Chamber of Commerce. During the short seminar, I also shared 5 ways to make your marketing reach more buyers with less effort.

Here’s the video:

Over the years, I’ve shared many techniques for persuading prospects in your marketing materials.

Some simpler ones include the “because” approach to controlling your prospects’ actions, the mind-manipulating word that can create buyers, and how to demonstrate similarities that trigger  action.

Well, now I have something new for your bag of persuasion tricks. But unlike the techniques mentioned above,  I haven’t tested this one yet.

You see, I just saw it last week in an Inc. magazine article. Still I believe the technique is worth sharing because it’s so easy to incorporate into your marketing. What grabbed my attention is how the technique is supported by 42 studies on 22,000 people.

The concept is simple: Use words that reaffirm people’s freedom of choice.

In marketing situations, this choice is often whether to buy or not. So you remind prospects that they have the right to decline your offer.

Across all 42 studies, a “yes” response was twice as likely when an offer was followed by a reminder that a “no” response was okay, too.

This approach is known to as the “But You Are Free” technique. In addition to the BYAF phrase, another one that worked just as well during studies was “but, obviously, do not feel obliged.”

As you can see, the exact words aren’t important — only that  prospects know they control the decision.

And here’s a catch …

The best results were achieved in face-to-face situations.

Studies showed, however, that writing the words (especially through e-mail) work when persuading prospects, too.

To see the original Inc. article, click here: http://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/the-most-effective-persuasion-technique-youve-never-heard-of.html

Last Friday, I had a phone call with a member of a client’s search engine optimization team. The first five minutes were painful and, unfortunately, the anguish only intensified the longer we talked.

You see, my client’s website dropped in the search engines. So his SEO guy and I were discussing what caused the crash.

The culprit was a problem you likely heard of …

Duplicate content.

In an effort to keep content fresh, chucks of industry-related articles were pulled from other sites and then added to my client’s blog. Post after post used content that appeared — in many instances — on multiple websites.

I see this happen a lot.

Instead of writing their own material, business owners and entrepreneurs try to shortcut the SEO process by using content from other places. In some cases, entire pages get posted word-for-word.

Although not as common nowadays, I also see websites with feeds that automatically add identical content from outside sources.

If you use one of these SEO shortcuts, I urge you to stop today.

Now, let me be clear …

I’m a direct-response copywriter — not an SEO expert. But I regularly see how trying to trick the search engines into higher rankings causes trouble. I also repeatedly see how creating helpful, properly written content can attract the right traffic — and get those people to take action.

So here’s the SEO “shortcut” I suggest:

Create content that truly helps people.

This concept isn’t new. You won’t see it talked about as a “insider secret.” And, let’s be honest, useful website content takes longer to create.

Of course, these reasons are why serving website visitors with value isn’t for everyone.

Keep in mind, people now consume more content than ever before. They’re also more selective in what receives attention.

Look at your own situation …

Many e-mails go unread. Much of your mail ends up in the trash. Most content competing for your attention (especially online) gets ignored because it doesn’t deliver what you need.

Simply put, information only becomes a priority when it’s seen as useful.

Last Friday morning I gave a short seminar to a local business group about how to “sell” to today’s skeptical consumers.

After my presentation, several people came up to me afterward with marketing questions specific to their situations. One attendee’s question, in particular, is especially worth sharing because it ties into a common mistake when marketing to prospects.

The guy provides consulting services to companies wanting to “improve overall business performance.” He recently hung out his entrepreneurial shingle after retiring from a well-known global corporation.

Now he’s on the hunt for clients.

His current marketing strategy involves targeting companies he wants to work with and then sending e-mails to contacts he finds online. The company he asked me about is one of the largest retail chains in the United States. And, unfortunately, he’s frustrated because he can’t get his message in front of the right decision-maker.

His disappointment is understandable … and avoidable.

You see, he’s making a mistake included in The 11 Laws of “You” Effect Marketing:

You can’t market effectively if you rely on interrupting as many people as possible with a message they never asked for.

The guy is essentially hoping to generate business by convincing people that they need his services. Worse yet, he going about the process by pitching his services as an unknown source.

Sure, sometimes you should share your marketing message with people who haven’t ask for it (especially if they already demonstrated desire for a product/service similar to yours). But asking for business as a way to introduce yourself is not an effective approach.

I encouraged the business owner to begin developing marketing materials that educate prospects about problems that hinder performance. That way he proves his position as an industry authority, instead of looking like just another person pitching services.

Furthermore, since he just started his business, I suggested first testing his message with smaller companies.

If the people you target don’t realize they have the problem your product/service solves, trying to convince them to take action on your offer will almost always lead to frustration.

The convincing game is expensive and wastes your efforts. You’re better off attracting prospects by sharing educational messages that develop relationships over time.

After all, your marketing must develop relationships before it can drive profits.

Read the CNNMoney article below that explains a growing concern among sales professionals at brick-and-mortar retailers.

Then return for several ways to solve the problem.

Macy’s shoe salesman hurt by online sales (by Emily Jane Fox)

——————-
If you look at Nelson Springer’s situation from a traditional sales perspective, he only has two ways to boost his paycheck:

1. Get more customers to buy shoes
2. Raise shoe prices

Unfortunately for Springer, neither is a viable option.

As the article explains, he’s already trying to sell more shoes. But the appeal of shopping online overshadows his efforts. And second, he has no control over the prices Macy’s puts on their footwear.

So what’s left for a commission-dependent salesman to do?

Plenty.

First, Springer would benefit by avoiding the “salesman” label. The title alone implies his sole purpose is selling shoes.

When you’re seen as a salesman, you force prospects to use a single variable when deciding whether to buy from you — price. Your product instantly becomes a commodity because price is the only way to distinguish your offer from similar alternatives.

I recommend Springer begin presenting himself as an authority on all things shoes. He likely already shares his shoe knowledge with customers. Now take that insight and deliver it in a shareable format.

Maybe he offers customers a printed guide on how to pick the proper dress shoes (and provides tips for different occasions) … or records video reviews of new arrivals … or creates tutorials on making shoes last longer … or interviews representatives from the shoe brands offered at Macy’s … or writes articles about mistakes to avoid when shopping for shoes …

Besides giving away this information in person, Springer can share it with new (and larger) audiences by posting on a blog, YouTube, iTunes, Facebook, Twitter and other media.

These actions (and the added frequency) would help establish Springer as a recognized authority and a helpful resource — rather than just another person selling shoes. Furthermore, his online educational material plays right into shoppers’ evolving buying habits.

Of course, Springer should also distribute his information “products” to past customers. That is, assuming he collects contact information during purchases — which he should.

And speaking of customers …

Why not regularly alert them to new offers (in addition to sharing helpful shoe-related information)? Or send e-mails when updated versions of previously purchased shoes become available?

In many cases, past customers stop spending only because they aren’t given more opportunities to buy.

Remember, trust is already established with past customers. So it takes less effort to get them to buy again. On the other hand, attracting new customers requires more effort and resources because trust isn’t developed yet.

Make sense?

Let’s also not overlook ways Springer can encourage customers to spend more. He can simply offer other goods (and even services) with his shoes. Socks, belts and shirts are easy options. Some type of shoe maintenance plan is even a possibility.

Thanks to Springer’s employer, finding and storing extra inventory isn’t a problem. All sorts of complementary products already sit on store shelves.

He could even package products with pairs of shoes to create higher ticket items. Shoppers benefit from convenience because they get everything at once, instead of waiting for separate online shipments.

Of course, once Nelson’s authority status grows, consulting is another money-making option. After all, he’s in New York City where many view fashion and style like a religion. There’s also a large corporate audience that could seek out shoe and/or fashion advice.

And, finally, don’t forget joint ventures and referral sources. Partnerships with local suit tailors, shoe shines and even doctors are possibilities.

So what have I missed? What ideas do you have for helping Nelson?

Photo credit: adamjackson1984

You don’t need me to remind you that every square inch of a marketing piece is precious real estate.

Which is why I can’t understand the reason behind stuffing marketing materials (online and offline) with large logos, insignificant pictures and meaningless words — instead of copy that delivers value.

Of course, spotting pictures and logos isn’t tough. The meaningless words are also easy to find …

Value added … leading provider … full service … innovative … commitment to clients … leverage … cost effective … next generation … wide range of solutions … flexibility … world class … premier … cutting edge … mission critical … groundbreaking … advanced … proactive approach …

Can you imagine anyone using the above words (or similar variations) in a conversation?

Let’s say we just met at a business event and I ask what you do. Would you respond by saying:

I’m a leading innovative solutions provider who delivers a complete range of cost-effective products and services designed to meet the ever-increasing needs of my clients.

Of course not!

But you see written statements like these all the time, especially on websites.

Now, other wasted words aren’t as obvious as the above examples. They do, however, deliver just as much damage to your marketing message.

One quick way to find them is simply through logic. You see, many people and companies over-promote characteristics they should have or actions they’re supposed to do.

A worker’s compensation attorney markets himself as being “experienced,” “dedicated to fighting for your rights” and “committed to getting you the compensation you deserve.”

Don’t you already expect these traits?

A website design firm employs “a team of creative professionals who believe in doing high-quality graphic work at a fair price and as quickly as possible.”

Well I should hope so!

Yesterday I saw a chiropractor promise “to improve quality of life by facilitating healing in a compassionate, caring and friendly environment.”

Can you imagine the alternative?

Go to Google right now and search the above promise (with quotes). You’ll see those 15 words are so common that the exact phrase brings up 860 results. Ugh!

Whether written or spoken, your words can’t persuade if they don’t deliver value.