Generations of kids have learned letters, numbers and life lessons by watching the show. If your younger years included a portion of the the last four decades, you probably credit the characters on Sesame Street for teaching you how to count in Spanish.

I do.

Did you know the children’s television series on PBS is seen in 140 countries and has been the focus of more than 1,000 studies by independent academic researchers, making it the most researched TV show ever? In fact, one study found that teens who watched Sesame Street in preschool had higher grades and spent more time reading for pleasure than those who missed the show as children.

That’s good to know since my 4-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son occasionally spend TV time with the likes of Big Bird, Oscar, Grover, Bert and Ernie.

But I have to admit, there’s one character on Sesame Street who is projecting ill-will toward the business community. I’ll go so far as to say he may be responsible for sabotaging the marketing copy for thousands — if not millions — of companies worldwide.

Elmo.

For proof of his negative effect, take a close look at the copy in most companies’ marketing materials. The furry red monster is famous for referring to himself in the third person — and, unfortunately, many companies carry over this characteristic to their marketing copy.

Check out this text I recently saw on a company’s home page while searching for a carpet cleaner:

Phoenix Metro Cleaning offers superior Residential & Commercial Carpet Cleaning services to the entire Phoenix Area. Phoenix Metro Cleaning is a local Family owned and insured company. We pride ourselves on being a professional carpet cleaning company committed to being the best in the industry. We invite you to call us today to see why Phoenix Metro Cleaning is a higher standard for Phoenix carpet cleaning.

We always choose the best biodegradable chemicals and shampoos that will not leave your carpet feeling sticky or with residues, odors. Carpets cleaned by Phoenix Metro Cleaning stay cleaner longer and have a long lasting fresh appearance.

Our aim at Phoenix Metro Cleaning is to assist you in maintaining your carpets.

With so many references to Phoenix Metro Cleaning, I wondered if the company or an actual person would clean my carpets. Imagine how silly someone would sound if they used the above text to introduce carpet-cleaning services in a face-to-face conversation.

Remember, people buy solutions to their problems from people … not companies.

The first two sentences are examples of copy written in third person. If you replace “Phoenix Metro Cleaning” with “Elmo,” raise your voice a couple of octaves, and then read the sentences again, you’ll sound just like him.

When I critique copy, the first thing I do is skim each sentence to count the number of times “we,” “our” and a company name are used. Then, I go through the copy again to add up the instances where “you” or “your” appear. (Try this exercise with the example above.)

Although there isn’t a magic formula, you should see “you” and “your” much more than “we,” “our” and a company name.

When you use “you” and “your” — or the second-person narrative — you encourage your readers to connect your written words with situations in their lives. Your readers’ minds will instinctively personalize your product or service to meet their needs.

If you want to use third-person writing, save it for your bios and press releases.

(If you missed it, you can view the article here.)

I mentioned in that piece how, according to a recent study, consumers prefer receiving e-mail at a rate of 3-to-1 over any other communication channel. I also stated that the secret to e-mail success was obtaining permission before you start sending educational materials, offers, updates, etc.

Of course, getting the go-ahead from your prospects and clients isn’t always easy. But there are some things you can do to dramatically improve your odds.

Below is a comment subscriber Ken Ostrye sent me after reading my “My clients don’t read e-mail” article. Check out his approach that resulted in 15 people signing up for a colleague’s list after just one day.

“A thought to share …

People are more likely to “opt-in” to your (the client’s) email list if they are given a reason … a what’s in it for me … like you do with your newsletter. However, a newsletter may not always be the right medium for the industry.

A marketing acquaintance sells an array of things, among them bonsai trees, on the internet. He was mentioning that although he had good hits on the site, no one was signing up for his list.

I knocked out a quick 26-page eBook on bonsai trees and personalized it for him, suggesting he offer it for free on his site, in exchange for the prospect signing up.

Results … first day, 15 opt-ins.

It’s been a week and I’ll be checking in with him tonight to see how it’s going. But the point is to give them a reason to sign up. I know you know it, but these are the minor points we forget after doing it for a while.

Then, of course, there is the relationship building in order to make them your buyers …”

Ken’s strategy is dead on. You will get more people signing up for your e-mails when you provide an incentive.

Simply focus on delivering value first and people will reward you for your generosity.

But generating responses isn’t as simple as just dropping in some data.

The mind thinks in pictures, so numbers — especially large ones — are difficult to comprehend. To ensure the significance of your statistics is understood, you must match your data to experiences in your prospects’ lives.

For example, here are two sentences from a recent ad for The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority:

With two people per room, Las Vegas’ 140,000 hotel rooms could host the entire population of Boulder, Colorado.

Las Vegas has more than 10 million square feet of meeting and exhibit space, the equivalent of 175 football fields.

Notice how the descriptions after “140,000 hotel rooms” and “10 million square feet of meeting and exhibit space” made the facts easier to comprehend — and visualize. Without anything to reference, your mind would have trouble grasping each number’s significance.

In Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, authors Chip and Dan Heath, tell the story of Art Silverman. In 1992, as the communications director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Art wanted to educate the public about the unhealthiness of movie popcorn.

He began by sending a dozen medium-sized bags of popcorn from random movie theaters to a lab for nutritional analysis. Tests revealed a typical bag of popcorn had 37 grams of saturated fat — an enormous amount when you consider the United States Department of Agriculture recommends just 20 grams of saturated fat in your daily diet.

The culprit was the coconut oil theaters used to pop their popcorn.
The problem Art faced was that few people understand how bad 37 grams of saturated fat can be for your body. After all, who memorizes the USDA’s recommended fat allowances? When you’re dealing with grams, does “37″ really seem like a high number?

Art’s solution was a press conference where he presented a message almost anyone could understand:

A medium-sized “butter” popcorn at a typical neighborhood movie theater contains more artery-clogging fat than a bacon-and-eggs breakfast, a Big Mac and fries for lunch, and a steak dinner with all the trimmings — combined!

Brilliant!

The media ran with the story. Popcorn sales at movie theaters plummeted. And, before long, all the major theater chains announced they would stop using coconut oil.

The next example is from an ad written by copywriter Drew Eric Whitman for a brand of mattress covers and pillow cases. Drew’s statistics are made more compelling by his ability to paint a mental picture with written words.

No matter how often you wash your sheets, your bed is an insect breeding ground, teeming with thousands of hideous, crab-like dust mites aggressively laying eggs in your pillow and mattress, causing you and your family to suffer year-long allergy attacks. While you sleep, they actually wake up and start to crawl … eat your skin flakes … and drink the moisture on your flesh.

It gets worse. Did you know that 10% of the weight of a two-year-old pillow is actually dead mites and their feces? This means that every night you and your family are sleeping in the equivalent of an insect’s toilet, actually covered in a mélange of both their living and dead bodies and “oceans” of their bitter excrement.

How could you not rush out to buy new bed linens after reading that copy?

I recently heard this statement from a prospect after suggesting he start a permission-based e-mail campaign to complement his search engine optimization efforts on his website.

The prospect’s response caught me by surprise because his website was supposedly a source for numerous leads. Since many clients discovered his company while searching the Internet, I figured the chances of them using e-mail as a communication tool were pretty good.

Seems logical, right?

Well, eventually the prospect acknowledged his clients’ indifference toward e-mail was never verified. Instead, he assumed they didn’t read e-mails because he didn’t like reading e-mails.

These types of unwarranted beliefs result in many missed marketing opportunities. How often have you heard statements similar to these …

Direct mail doesn’t work anymore.

You must spend big bucks to get your website at the top of the search engines.

If you e-mail too often, people will label you a “spammer.”

Social media is a fad only popular with teens and twenty-somethings.

Because each marketing situation is unique, the only way you can make an accurate statement about any strategy is to test it yourself. Also, keep in mind, if your first attempt isn’t as successful as you imagined, that doesn’t mean the strategy won’t work.

For example, let’s go back to e-mail as a marketing tool, since it’s a common target for naysayers. One way you can get started in e-mail marketing is to buy a list and then blast out an announcement. You could also send that same announcement to a list you developed yourself using a permission-based approach.

Both tactics include elements of e-mail marketing. But one would likely get a much better response than the other.

In June, ExactTarget , a provider of software for e-mail communication, published its 2009 Channel Preferences Survey. One finding worth noting is that Internet users’ fondness for e-mail is rising.

In fact, consumers choose e-mail at a rate of 3-to-1 over any other channel for marketing communications, including text messaging, phone, instant messaging, social media and direct mail.

The key, however, is getting permission. One-half of consumers said unsolicited messages were unacceptable, even from companies they did business with regularly — an increase of 26% over 2008.

(You can get a copy of ExactTarget’s 2009 Channel Preferences Survey here: http://pages.exacttarget.com/channel.)

If this year started like most, you probably had high hopes for your marketing efforts.

Maybe you wanted to revamp your website … get a blog up and running … dive into social media … start a direct-mail campaign … organize a customer reactivation plan … or just maintain better contact with your current customers.

Regardless of your initial plan, now is when you should evaluate your efforts because you can still make adjustments. If changes are in order, here’s a strategy to help you replace lost time:

This approach involves attracting and engaging your target audience by delivering knowledge. Instead of pitching your product or service, you’re about to get a step-by-step approach to delivering high-quality, valuable content your prospects crave.

Your first step is to determine a common problem your prospects have related to your product or service. This can be done by compiling the questions people frequently ask you.

For example, let’s say you sell gardening supplies. Now I know nothing about gardening, but I realize certain vegetables grow better during specific seasons (especially here in Arizona where the sun can practically boil the soil).

I’m sure others share my confusion. In fact, a Google search for “growing seasons for vegetables” reveals 1.2 million results. That tells me there’s demand for this information.

So now that we have a topic, we can create content by simply compiling tips.

7 Tips for Selecting the Best Vegetables to Grow in Any Season … How to Get More Vegetables from Your Garden … 5 Gardening Tips for Growing Vegetables Year-Round … 11 Planting Tips for Growing Vegetables in Cold Weather …

Someone knowledgeable in gardening could provide information that fits any of these titles. You could do the same thing if you brainstormed titles about topics you’re an expert in.

Once your content is written, the hard part is done. Now you make your tips article available to as many prospects as possible.

The Internet makes this task easy and cost-effective.

Start by putting your tips article on your website and blog (yes, you should have a blog). This step is a no-brainer because you want your information available to prospects who visit your website directly or use the search engines.

(IMPORTANT: As you post more tips articles on your website or blog, prospects will want more information. So feed that hunger for knowledge by delivering insight in exchange for a name and e-mail address. That way you can maintain contact with your visitors using e-mail.)

Next, submit your tips article to free directories such as EzineArticles.com. Not only does EzineArticles.com get tremendous traffic (which results in more eyeballs on your information), but posting your tips article here makes it available for others to use in their newsletters, websites, e-mails, etc.

When you create quality content, your tips article will get picked up by information publishers. This is a big benefit because your knowledge gets shared with new audiences without you spending additional time, money or resources. And, because there’s always a link to your website at the bottom of your tips article, you’ll drive more traffic to your online home.

After this step, consider people who prefer viewing video — rather than reading text. Since YouTube is now the #2 search engine in the world, there’s a good chance your prospects use it.

You can read your tips article as a video script. But if you don’t feel comfortable in front of a camera, use Camtasia or Screenflow (for a Mac) to make a video from content you record off your computer screen.

Once you have your video, you can post it on YouTube. Or, for an even greater reach, use a free service such as TubeMogul to post on numerous video sites at the same time. Of course, include a link to your website at the beginning of your video description.

Now that your information is available online in several places, it’s time to use social media. My two favorite tools are Twitter and Facebook. After spending some time building followers/friends and developing relationships on these social networks, post a link to your tips article.

This simple step will result in instant traffic to your website — and you can do it repeatedly for the same article.

By now, you can understand how just one tips article can get you extensive exposure. But the best part is the knowledge you share acts as an online sales force that works 24 hours a day, 7 days week.

You can only imagine what happens when you duplicate this marketing strategy.

And these steps are just a small sample of what you can do with tips articles. You can also use them in your newsletters … autoresponder series (one of my personal favorites) … direct-mail campaigns … eBooks … podcasts … e-courses … brochures … press releases … webinars … teleseminars … and more.

Name calling … swearing … references to my appearance … criticism about my credibility … inflated claims … false assumptions …

This guy’s comments — a result of my article describing two common advertising mistakes that cost companies millions — had everything you could ever ask for in an angry outburst.

And I loved every single word of it.

I probably read each sentence 10 times before clicking the “Approve” link so his written rant would post on my blog.

Sure, my first instinct could have been to react with my own callous comments. But when it comes to my marketing copy, I embrace critics. The nastier the remarks, the better I feel.

You see, effective marketing copy is designed to target emotions because they are the source of all buying decisions. We make purchases based on emotional reasoning and then our minds seek logic to support that decision.

The way I see it, my writing must have tapped a strong emotion to trigger such an aggressive outburst.

Keep in mind, you should never try to please everyone when writing your marketing materials. Every person is not your prospect. Even if you have a product or service with wide appeal, your prospects are only a tiny fraction of the world’s population.

Also, think of your marketing copy as a one-on-one conversation — just as if your prospect was sitting next to you.

• Write in a simple language your readers understand,
• Use the same words you speak in daily discussions,
• Get straight to the point, and
• Be yourself.

Here’s a link to the post: http://www.writewaysolutions.com/blog/255/2-common-advertising-mistakes-that-cost-companies-millions/. You’ll need to scroll to the bottom to see his remarks. In addition to my follow-up comment, I e-mailed the reader to see if he was interested in sharing his supposed $100,000-a-month advertisement. He replied back several times, but he still hasn’t shown any proof to back up his claim.

However, one medium is growing so fast it’s impossible to ignore — online video. I started complementing my marketing efforts with video about a year ago. My only regret is I didn’t start sooner.

Viewership of online video has never been higher, and its growth is staggering. According to The Nielsen Co., nearly 136 million unique viewers spent an average of 3.5 hours watching online video in July 2009, a jump of 42.2 percent over the previous year.

The top site for watching video, according to Nielsen, was YouTube — with more than 7 billion streams and 104 million unique viewers.

The best news for budget-strapped businesses is getting your videos on YouTube won’t cost you a single cent. Where else can you make your marketing message available to millions without ever opening your wallet?

Earlier this year, I interviewed two of the most well-known names in online video — Gary Vaynerchuk and Mike Koenigs — for an article I wrote about how to get started using this exploding medium.

(You can listen to my 51-minute interview with Koenigs here.)

The following piece originally appeared in the Flagstaff Business News:

How to Use Online Video to Promote Your Business

Consumers’ online video viewing habits are creating big opportunities for businesses willing to incorporate the ever-growing medium into their marketing strategies.

According to eMarketer, a digital marketing and media research firm, 67 percent of all Internet users view some form of video advertising at least once a month. By 2012, that number is expected to jump to 81 percent.

In fact, the popularity of online video has grown so much that YouTube recently surpassed Yahoo as the world’s No. 2 search engine.

“The Web has become increasingly social and eyeballs are shifting from mainstream TV to the Internet,” said Gary Vaynerchuk, whose Wine Library TV show receives more than 80,000 online views a day. “There is an unprecedented opportunity to capture people’s attention by pumping out expert, free content within your niche.”

In September 2006, Vaynerchuk, director of operations at Wine Library in Springfield, N.J., set up a cheap camera in the corner of his office and began recording his commentary about wine. Today, thanks in large part to his online presence, he is a nationally acclaimed businessman and marketing strategist.

The biggest mistake Vaynerchuk sees businesses make when getting started in video is attempting to create a Web show that looks like a television program.

“They spend weeks working extremely hard over-producing video with bells and whistles when they could have pumped out more content and spent that time more productively getting engaged with their community,” he added.

After a career behind the camera, Mike Koenigs stepped in front of it and began recording in his garage using shop lighting. A few years later, he built a four camera, high-definition recording studio — Digital Café — and counts Tony Robbins, Debbie Ford and Deepak Chopra as clients.

He says today’s technology allows anyone to communicate worldwide without restriction or any form of traditional media distribution.

“Just get something and get started,” stressed Koenigs, who has distributed more than 3 million videos in less than two years with his Traffic Geyser product. “Your first video will be your worst video and your second video will be your second-worst video, and after that you’ll start getting a handle on it.”

As for equipment, a Flip Mino set on top of a book can get you started for little more than $100. But Koenigs recommends spending around $250-$300 for a camera, adding a tripod and investing in overhead natural lighting for a more professional look.

For enhanced sound quality, he also suggests using a condenser microphone plugged into your camera.

Once you’re set up, answers to the most frequently asked questions about your product or service can serve as video topics.

If you’re not comfortable in front of the camera, an optional starting point is screen-capture video. Using a screen recording software such as Camtasia (PC) or ScreenFlow (Macintosh), you can narrate and record what’s displayed on your monitor.

“As a business owner, you’ve probably made a PowerPoint presentation hundreds of times,” Koenigs said. “If all you did was snapped on a little microphone, did your presentation and spoke as if you’re in front of an audience, you could have your whole video.”

Once your video is complete, distribution is key to getting noticed. So Koenigs encourages submissions to as many video sharing sites (e.g., YouTube, Viddler, Vimeo), social networking sites and blogs as possible.

For increased visibility, he suggests writing your video title and description using terms people search online to find information about your product or service.

When it comes to video distribution and getting noticed on the Internet, Vaynerchuk says prepare to put in effort and engage with your community.

“Putting out great video content is not enough,” he warned. “Use Twitter, Facebook and all the other essential social media tools. All of these tools are free - you just have to be willing to work your face off.”

I had this experience about two weeks ago while reading one of my favorite copywriting and marketing blogs — Copyblogger.

Last Thursday’s post from Sonia Simone offered several tips for newbie marketers, such as describe features, not benefits … address objections … and get prospects to act by asking them what they want.

These 3 tips were excellent reminders. But, in my opinion, their importance is minimal when compared to Sonia’s final piece of advice — a tip she borrowed from copywriting legend Gary Bencivenga.

Make your advertising too valuable to throw away.

When you apply this suggestion, there’s little chance your marketing efforts won’t improve. After all, these 8 words represent the ultimate barometer for testing any marketing piece.

Think about it …

Let’s say you’re writing a sales letter. You start with a blank document — a virtual piece of paper that’s worthless.

However, as you add words, the value increases based on the knowledge you share. The more you reveal, the greater the value.

In effect, you’re no different than an artist who starts with a blank canvas. Your words are the “paint” that determines what prospects are willing to pay for your product or service.

You have the power to create unlimited value for your prospects. So don’t hesitate to give away some of your best tips, tricks and techniques.

There’s a possibility you’ll get upset when you see the statements below. In fact, if you have difficulty taking criticism, then you may want to stop reading right now.

However, if you’re eager for insight that could dramatically increase responses on your marketing materials, then please continue.

Okay?

Here we go …

Regardless of the product or service you provide, your prospects do not want it. You may think they do. You may even think what you offer would benefit them … but you’re wrong.

What’s more, you’re making a huge mistake if you’re specifically marketing your product or service right now.

Yes, I know this sounds senseless, especially from someone who preaches the importance of marketing during these challenging economic times. But the key to remember here is not the action of marketing, but rather what you’re marketing.

You see, prospects are only concerned with the end result your product or service provides — not the actual product or service.

Let me give you an example …

I guarantee few people want a pool in their backyards.

Pools are expensive and time-consuming to build … pricey to maintain … they take up a lot of space … and are dangerous for kids. Who wants these hassles?

What people want is the refreshment a pool offers on hot days … the beauty it adds to their landscape … the status it affords them … and the entertainment it provides for friends and family.

If a bucket of water offered an identical experience, most people would settle for that.

Unfortunately, you rarely see pool companies promote the end result in their marketing materials. Instead, they usually show pictures of vacant pools, so prospects are left to create their own conclusions (which is always a risky move).

If you provide legal services, are you limiting the appeal of your promotional pieces by telling prospects about your courtroom experience … your expert legal team … your awards … your peer ratings … or your “principles of excellence”?

Sure, there’s a place for this information. But as the primary focus of your marketing materials, these self-serving features do little to help your prospects imagine a change in their situations after using your services.

Remember, our minds are programmed for pictures, so you must use your text to create a positive visual experience for your prospects.

Maybe you bought a new flat-screen TV … a custom-tailored suit … or possibly the latest iPhone.

Initially, you probably had some concerns.

What if your cables at home weren’t compatible with your new TV? What if you changed your mind about the look of your suit the first day you wore it to work? What if you couldn’t get a signal in your neighborhood with your upgraded iPhone?

Questions and uncertainty are common prior to any purchase because risk is involved — these are natural feelings.

What’s important to understand is your prospects have similar thoughts when deciding whether to buy your product or service. They don’t want to risk making a bad decision, getting ripped off or being dissatisfied.

Fortunately, you can often eliminate this uncertainty by adding one item to your marketing materials.

A guarantee.

With a guarantee, you remove risk and build trust with your prospects. You also gain a competitive advantage by calling attention to your focus on quality.

Let me explain …

One of my most valuable learning tools is my iPod Shuffle. Almost every day I use it during my morning runs so I can listen to copywriting- and marketing-related interviews/podcasts.

About 3 weeks ago, my iPod died — it wouldn’t turn on or charge up.

Since the manufacturer’s warranty expired 6 months ago, I called American Express to inquire about their Extended Warranty program, which guarantees an additional year of coverage on purchases made with their card.

When I found out my iPod was covered, I filed a claim and — within a week — American Express added $100 to my account so I could buy another iPod.

Do you think I’ll now make more purchases with my American Express card?

Of course.

Am I likely to tell people about this experience and give American Express free word-of-mouth exposure?

You bet I am.

One of the biggest misconceptions about guarantees is they must include a money-back option, but that’s not always necessary.

If someone isn’t satisfied, you could always offer to fix a problem within a certain time period … correct a situation immediately … give replacement products/services … provide access to a person in management … or allow for a free trial period.

And here’s one more thought to consider: What happens now when a customer is disappointed with your product or service?

In most cases, you attempt to fix the problem, right? You certainly don’t ignore it.

Well, maybe it’s time you make this information known. Communicate your confidence in your product or service by writing your guarantee today.