Posted by:
Daniel Levis
July 30, 2008
Issue #470
- How to jostle your way into hotly competitive, seemingly impenetrable traffic sources …
- How tackling a market “in detail” explodes your traffic and fattens your bottom line …
- Some fun examples to inspire your thinking …
- Plus more!
Dear Web Business-Builder,
Civilization is the result of abject terror.
Imagine our primordial forefathers and foremothers cowering in the shadows of the hostile environment of our early world.
Without the advantages of fangs, claws, fur, and sheer brute strength enjoyed by the saber-toothed tigers, mastodon and woolly mammoths who shared the planet, we must have felt utterly defenseless, exposed, and alone.
Doubtless we would have perished from the face of this Earth as a species had it not been for our remarkable ability to form groups and unite against the common enemies that surrounded us on all sides.
Only by banding together were we able to successfully defend against attack … hunt successfully … and leverage the great human invention — the division of labor.
Eventually, organized groupings of human beings came to dominate the world. And God said it was good.
There was just one problem …
Having become such a dominant force in the world, our natural enemies became scarce. And since humans need a steady supply, rival groups formed and began to rape and pillage one another.
Funny thing is, it wasn’t always the largest group who did the lion’s share of the raping and pillaging.
Very early in the history of warfare, shrewd military and political strategists understood the power of “divide et impera” — divide and conquer.
They discovered that by forcing the enemy to divide its forces and then dealing with those forces “in detail,” a small highly organized group could defeat a much larger one.
And so it is today, on the battlefield of traffic and conversion …
Yet few online marketers understand or appreciate this.
They send a single, solitary campaign out in to the marketing melee — attacking the tidal wave of traffic head on — full frontal. And then they wonder why it’s so darn hard to make a buck.
What should they be doing?
(more…)
Posted by:
Carline Anglade-Cole
July 29, 2008
Issue #469
I love bullets!
They’re fun - and easy to write once you get the hang of ‘em!
In this issue, I’m going to show you some of my secrets for writing powerful, strong and kick-butt bullets! Once you learn my tricks, feel free to start using them immediately. You’ll see how your copy just POPS, flows and takes off!
An easy way to create momentum in your copy:
Faster than a speeding (you know the rest) …
In case you’re not sure what I’m blabbering about, here’s how I define a bullet:
"A mini headline followed by strong supporting sentence aimed to tease and entice your prospect."
Bullets help you create momentum in your copy. And since most people scan instead of read - bullets can help you quickly drive home the points you want your prospect to remember.
I love working for clients like Boardroom, Rodale and Frank Cawood & Associates. These guys really appreciate the value of bullets. In fact, for their style of copy - bullets are KING! Here’s how I tackle writing a sales letter for them:
When I read their book, I turn every interesting fact or "fascination" I discover into a bullet. By the time I’m finished with the book, I’ve usually written well over 100 bullets.
Then I break up the bullets in groups of 10 to 15 … add a few paragraphs of copy … drop in another 10 to 15 bullets … do that for several more times … add a few subheads … and voila - my letter practically writes itself!
Here are five ways to give your bullets a powerful punch. And take a look at the examples for each. They’re actual bullets I wrote for a Boardroom Bottom Line Health promo:
(more…)
Posted by:
Clayton Makepeace
July 28, 2008
Issue #468
How Al Gore, Ted Danson, George Bush and I did it
Dear Business-Builder,
[CAUTION: If you love Al Gore, Ted Danson or global warming, you should definitely click here to go straight to the marketing lesson in today’s issue. Because I have some fun with them but the comments at the end of this issue should be about marketing – NOT tree-hugging.]
When someone said something naughty to me, my mama used to just give me a hug and suggest that I “consider the source.”
Her personal life coach – Jesus – said, “By their fruits, you shall know them.”
So please forgive me if I still think global warming is a steaming bedpan after a big chili dinner.
Because I’ve been watching the people who promote this mania. And frankly, I wouldn’t trust any of them with my wallet or my wife.
Take Al Gore, for instance. He’s been pounding this pulpit for more than a decade. And, well, frankly … the man is unhinged.
According to Al, the book and movie Love Story were based on his love affair with Tipper.
Sadly, according to the book, Tipper tragically passed away more than 40 years ago.
Evidently, her last words were “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” Then she croaked – probably from sheer embarrassment after hearing that mind-blowingly sappy and blatantly ridiculous sentiment proceed from her own mouth.
So either that blond hottie Al’s married to now is someone else or Al has also perfected the art of reanimating human corpses. Either way, I have it on good authority that Al is also being seriously considered for The Nobel Prize for Medicine.
… Or was it Mortuary Science? I forget.
No matter – I hear Al has also taken bows for personally inventing the Internet. So I figure the Nobel Prize for Technology can’t be far behind – not to mention the Adult Video Network award for “Greatest Advancements in Porn.”
In fact, after hours of exhaustive research on the subject, I have officially determined that the ONLY thing old Al hasn’t won so far is the Miss America pageant. He was, however, Miss Universe in, oh … let’s say 1997.
I hear his baton twirling sucked, but he won the swimsuit competition hands-down. Unfortunately, he was later disqualified when the judges discovered he had taped his man-boobs together to enhance his cleavage. Returning that tiara must have been the most difficult day of his life.
So what’s next for Al? Well, you can pretty much start an office pool right now on when Albert will announce that he invented Earth Shoes, the WonderBra, Pringles, Maxi-Pads and Hip-Hop.
Face it: Al is the single most infamous “exaggerator” in America. In fact, if you, me or anybody else exaggerated as much as Al does, people would probably stop calling us “exaggerators” and start calling us shameless, bald-faced liars.
(more…)
Posted by:
Troy White
July 25, 2008
Issue #467
Fellow Business-Builder,
Thanks for all the great comments from last week.
Actually, as you read this, I am sitting on the beach in beautiful Shuswap Country in British Columbia.
In an hour, we are headed out on the water on Sparkles (the affectionate name my twin 7-year-old daughters have given our boat).
One thing I learned last year, that continues to benefit me and my family, is that sometimes you just have to take the plunge and do something you have always wanted to do, even if it doesn’t make a lot of sense.
Living in Calgary, I am land-locked.
There are no real lakes or water around here for a boat.
Which explains why I have always wanted a boat – the “grass is greener” thing applies everywhere.
So last year we bit the bullet and bought a ski boat.
Most people thought I was CRAZY owning a boat in a city not even remotely close to water.
Thanks to my purchase, I took more time off last summer (three weeks) than I took in the previous three years combined. Buying my toy forced me to get out and enjoy it more …. And I loved every second of it along the way.
I am not alone either …
Get this … Calgary, a city of 1 million people with no water to be found, has the highest boat sales per capita than any other city in – are you ready - - NORTH AMERICA.
We buy more boats here than those who live ON the water!
Crazy.
But understandable.
There is a lot of money in Calgary (big oil town – and you know what is happening with the price of oil) … and people here like to spend their money on toys … boats being the #1 choice.
My point here is …
… Find that motivation … then take the plunge and just do it!
… Second, NEVER think you know a market, until you have done the research. Imagine a boat dealer never researching Calgary as a place to hang up their shingle … because there is no water. Meanwhile, their smaller competitor does the research, sees the proof, moves to Calgary and HAS THEIR BEST YEAR EVER.
All with knowing the truth.
(more…)
Posted by:
Daniel Levis
July 23, 2008
Issue #465
Dear Web Business-Builder,
There are three things that will slaughter response rates on your Web pages.
If you could recognize them, and banish them from all of your Web pages, your response rates would instantly soar.
What are they?
Savage response rate killer #1 — Boredom
If your website visitors can’t get excited about what they find on your website, your response rate will suck.
Remember, there are only two reasons people visit your website: To obtain pleasure or avoid pain. If what they find there fails to promise one or both, it is by definition, boring.
You’d think this would be obvious, but it’s not.
Most of the websites I visit online are like the actor who said, “Enough of me talking about myself. What do you think about me?”
Your website is NOT about your company or your product. It’s about your prospect. Keep him at the center of the dialog. Appeal to his self-interest. And you’ll have his attention.
Once you’ve got it. Keep it. How? By continually foreshadowing what comes next, slowly lifting the veil on all of the juicy secrets your prospect needs in order to obtain the object of his desire.
Self-interest and curiosity are critical to maintaining your reader’s interest. But there’s more to the boredom banishing formula …
(more…)
