Marketing Madman

World Trade Center

2006-08-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

I got a chance to see a movie last weekend (an all too rare event). It was Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center".

Wow. What a powerful film. Not for the little kids, but it should be required viewing for anyone else. We got a chance to see some real life heroes portrayed on the big screen... and in a way that we will not soon forget.

It was a film that will take you through a range of emotions. There were a few chuckles... yet more tears, gasps, and even elation.

Without giving away too much, (and I'm sure we're all aware of the story), I dare say that I was even feeling a little claustrophobic at times. In short, not always an easy film to watch. Not a summer laugh riot by any means. Yet I dare say it was one of the most important films of our time.

So where's the marketing lesson? Easy.

A good ad, or sales letter, web site, or speech will move people emotionally. This motion picture did so masterfully by giving us characters we can admire and care about. Then we went with them into an extremely dangerous situation... came close to death... only to end with a big finish.

Does your ad, your sales letter, your speech or web site do this? Really? Can it be better? Look for ways to make it more impactful. Tell your story in a way that will move people and get them:

To move.
To identify with you.
To remember your message.
And most importantly, to take action.

What sometimes hurts entreprenuers who write their own ads is that they are too close to the situation. They know (and feel) things that their audience does not. And they fail to transfer those emotions.

That's why whenever I write an ad, sales letter, website, or speech for a client, my first draft often bears little resemblance to the finished product. With each edit, I look for ways to relay the message more impactfully.

Til next time,

John

P.S. Sean, my 21-year old son insisted on watching this movie together because he insisted that I was in it. What do you think, Nicholas Cage with a hat and mustache? Maybe I look like him. Or maybe he just looks like me.

For business growth help, see www.jgilvary.com

Customer Appreciation

2006-07-11T12:13:00.000-07:00

Long time--no blog?

Sorry about that folks. I've been working on some tight deadlines lately. I also attended the Customer Appreciation seminar, sponsored by Alex Mandossian and Armand Morin, in Los Angeles, last month.

I'm so glad I went.

Between the learning sessions, from a variety of speakers, to some fabulous networking, it was well worth attending.

The speaker who impressed me most was Joel Bauer. I'm going to do an uncompensated plug for Joel here because I thought he did such a great job. (He has no idea that I'm doing this.) Joel had a magical way of connecting with his audience. If you are going to invest mucho deniro on a trade show exhibit, (with all the ancillary expenses that go with it), I highly recommend that you have Joel guarantee the crowds that he can draw for you there.

John and his new buddy, Joel Bauer

Til next time...

John

For business growth help, see www.jgilvary.com

Lessons From The American Inventor

2006-05-20T18:07:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you caught the American Inventor series that just finished up its first season on TV. It was produced by Simon Cowell of American Idol fame. (Doesn't that just get you saying, "Why didn't I think of that?" The guy took 2 simple ideas for reality TV shows and made multi millions. My hat's off to him.)

Anyway, if you're not already familiar with the premise of the show, they invited American inventors to pitch their inventions, before a panel of four judges (and millions of viewers at home). There were a lot of odd balls and kooks, but some really impressive, intelligent and passionate people as well.

I would sum up the series, thusly:

A lot of people think of themselves as inventors.
Some of these people invested their life savings, energy, emotions, indeed their entire identity into what they think everyone in the world would want.
More often than not, they are the only ones who see value in their inventions.
There were some truly sad moments when the would-be inventors learn that their life's work has no real market... no real value... or it just wouldn't work.
There were some comical moments when it seemed that a very large percentage of the inventions were toilet related. (What does that tell you about Americans' priorities?)

However, there were two BIG lessons from the series:

Find the market before you develop the product. (Why spend your life's savings and all that time--that you'll never get back--developing a product that nobody would pay $.02 for?)
The final four inventors discovered that Madison Avenue can be great at making entertaining commercials (suitable for awards), but don't trust them to sell you product.

In case you missed it, the first two inventors (of four) who were eliminated on the final show relied heavily on the ad agency to come up with their message. The 2nd place winner went with the agency... but using his own idea for the message; while the gentleman who won the $1million grand prize fired the agency altogether and went right to the production company with his own concept.

Go to Madison Avenue, with a big budget, and you can get entertaining commercials. (And maybe even an award.)

But if what you really want is to sell your product, forget about the entertainment, the image, the awards and go straight to measurable, accountable, reliable Direct Response Marketing.

OK. I'll get off my soap box... until next time.

John Gilvary
Direct Response Copywriter

For business growth help, see www.jgilvary.com

Make Your Message Readable

2006-04-08T20:17:00.000-07:00

OK. So you identified your target market.
You put together an irresistable offer.
Now you just have to communicate that offer to your market.

How?

That could take volumes to cover fully, but let me just give you the basics here. One of the most common mistakes I see in advertising and especially sales letters, is that the writer tends to write too stiffly. Is that a word?

Let me illustrate my point with a comparison.

You put two friends in a bar, having a conversation over a couple of brewskies, they have rapport... they are comfortable with each other and they can exert enormous influence with each other.

So why is it that when they try to write a sales letter, they get overly formal? Are they afraid that their high school English teacher is going to grade them? Harshly?

They tend to get boring. The English teacher would be happy; but their intended client will likely trash their message, without reading it.

Just write like you speak. A conversational style will sell a lot better than English term papers ever will.

Til next time.

Be sure and check out my website: www.jgilvary.com

John

PS. I'm co-authoring a book with 21 other marketing experts. Look for it this summer.

Make Irresistible Offers

2006-03-28T23:22:00.000-08:00

Make it easier for your client to say "yes" than to say "no".

OK, so let's agree that you read my last post and got in tune with your market... your list. You correctly targeted who should receive your message.

Your next most important element is your offer.

How can you make your offer irresistible? One of my mentors, Jay Abraham, illustrates the irresistible offer by telling the story of the horse traders. (I'm paraphrasing.)

Horse Trader A wants to sell his horse and offers it for $500. Once you buy it--it's yours, for better or worse.

Horse Trader B offers his identical horse, but puts the buyer at ease. "My price is $750, but I don't want you to pay me now. Take the horse for a month, before you have to make a purchasing decision. Ride it. Make sure you and the horse can get along. I'll even provide the feed for this trial period. Put the horse through its paces. If you decide to keep the horse after trying it out, then I'll accept your money. If you don't LOVE the horse, I'll take it back. No questions asked... and no hard feelings, either."

Which of these offers is "irresistible"?

If you're the buyer, which horse would you prefer? (Even if you have to pay more?)

You say you're not selling horses... but cars, or clothing, or dental care, you name it. What things can you do to sweeten your offer?

Can you extend a superior guarantee?

Can you offer favorable financing terms?

Can you add premiums or bonuses to the package that add value and set you apart from your competition?

By answering these questions, you'll begin to find the irresistible offers that your clients will jump at.

Til next time...

John Gilvary

For business growth help, see www.jgilvary.com

2006-03-21T17:02:00.000-08:00

johngilvary

2006-03-21T15:52:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Marketing Blog of John Gilvary.

Sound exciting so far? Just wait.

I plan to fill this space up with lots of fabulous tips and tricks and ways to help you grow your business.

My first tip has to do with understanding your market. How well do you know who your best clients/prospects/patients are? Only after you know who you want to target will you be able to effectively market to them.

For example, I live in a home that is less than two years old and am amazed by some of the mail I receive (and don't receive) from local businesses. I regularly get some sales letters that are not badly written, but from a company offering to replace my aging furnace. If I had an older house, their piece may appeal to me. But I live in a neighborhood of all newer homes that are years away from needing to replace our furnaces (or windows, or a number of other products and services associated with older properties). This represents wasted marketing efforts and expenses.

The flip side also costs businesses money, needlessly. For example, there are a number of products and services that newer homes really need.

Landscaping comes to mind. Or how about furniture, appliances, customized woodworking, art or finishing items for a home that was built as part of a track? Where were all the ad pieces directed toward these real needs in an easily targeted market? (Nothing!)

The three most important factors in a successful marketing campaign are (in order of importance):

1. The List
2. The Offer
3. The Message (ad copy).

In Summary... If you have a brilliantly prepared letter/ad/piece going to the wrong market, you're going to experience dissappointing results. On the other hand, even a poorly written sales letter (and there are lots of them out there) to a hot market will convert some sales!

So who is your ideal market?

Check out my website, www.jgilvary.com for more information on how to grow your business.

Til next time.

John