Posted by: Troy White
December 3, 2009
Issue #812

Celebrity Obsessions
and the Huge Opportunity
It Spells For Your Marketing

In this issue:

• Two systems you can use to get your stories written and your customers to buy (including which one is best to start with if you want to master the second) …
  
• Reasons why people are so obsessed with Hollywood celebrities – and what it means to your business and your marketing …
  
• Shameless self-promotion for a story that was recently written about me …
  
• The single website that TRUMPS the traffic on 99.5% of websites out there – and the sad reality of what it means …
  
• And Much More!

Fellow Business-Builder,

I want to further discuss the theme of storytelling in your copy and talk about new ways to get your story written – and in front of the right people.

As a little side note, and maybe a little shameless self-promotion, have a look at the story that Canada’s largest business newspaper, The National Post, ran on little ol’ me …

“When opportunity knocks, marketing walks in the door” – by Rick Spence, National/Financial Post Published: Monday, January 21, 2008.

Why is it that we, as a society, are so fascinated
with stories? Especially the circus that
Hollywood has become!

Society has now reached a clinical diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder.

From wanting to know (who knows why) what Brad and Angelina had for dinner … to the next stupid move Britney makes … to the post-baby pictures of what Nicole Richie looks like after her baby was born.

Honestly, www.tmz.com is a celebrity portal dedicated to showing you what every celebrity is doing every minute of the day. And SOMEONE is definitely tuning in … TMZ is ranked 506 on Alexa … meaning that with millions and millions of Web pages in existence, TMZ is in the top 1,000 for website visitors.

Celebrity-gossip websites have seen a 30% growth over the past 12 months – many offline print magazines are seeing a 50%+ growth rate – this while newsworthy publications like Time are seeing a 17% decline in readership.

Impressive, to say the least.

Reasons why it has now reached such a state are varied:

• MONEY! There are huge dollars involved for the press, the paparazzi, the magazines, tabloids and the television shows dedicated to lifestyle intrusions.
• Advertising reach. Like it or not … millions upon millions of people in North America tune in to this sideshow daily to see what is happening. And if they are your target market, this is an ideal way to get in front of them. Advertisers are paying MUCHO dinero to be placed in these publications, as long as the readership numbers stay as high as they are.
• Many people lead more isolated lives now, more than ever before. E-mail, texting, video messages, long distance working relationships – we are more alone, in many ways, now than in previous generations. That develops a need within many for a parasocial (one-sided) relationship with people we like.
• Celebrities are being positioned in all these varied media choices as just “one of us.” From using first names only, to seeing endless amounts of pictures with them grocery shopping, lunching, walking with their kids, taking the dogs to the park … watching these publications you would think celebrities ARE just like us average folk.
• The desire to avoid “real news.” Reading the newspapers and watching some of the world news television stations CAN be outright depressing. Jake Halpern, the author of Fame Junkies, found that there was 300% more news dedicated to celebrities than there was to real world issues like the crisis in Darfur!
• Reality shows now making every day accountants into major celebrities. Survivor started this whole obsession with reality shows – and it seems as if there will be no end to it. Anyone can become a celebrity now – and many dream about being in the limelight they see on TV.

Now, this DOES become important to you
as the business owner.

You and I may not be celebrities in the Hollywood spotlight, but we can leverage this fascination with stories into our own businesses.

Before, I’ve shared the story of my twin daughters being born in a different city, some of the fear and challenges we faced, and the reason why I contribute 10% of my sales to the Ronald McDonald house.

I also wanted to share another story with you to help you see some of the various ways you can use stories and celebrities in your marketing toolkit.

I am going to encourage you to look at all angles of your business to find story angles you can use.

• The start of your own business – the trials and tribulations you went through.
• The growth of your business – what your customers said and did to help your company grow so fast.
• The story of your employees. Make them the celebrities and share their personal stories. They will love it!
• The story of your suppliers. Similar to employees, they are worthy of a great write-up that others can enjoy.
• The history of your industry, the long-past celebrities many may have forgotten.
• Stories of what keeps you going and motivated.
• Your personal stories – where you came from, growing up, your successes, your failures, your dreams and aspirations, and sharing some intimate details of what makes you … you.

You can use these stories in your marketing materials, your newsletters, your websites, and your sales copy. Once you have a few good stories in your arsenal, you will find people thanking you for writing this type of material.

I realize this may sound highly unusual for your business, but I assure you that this WILL keep them reading and enthused about doing business with you.

Here is another story I wrote, that keeps on getting large numbers of readers following the story:

The Klondike Gold Rush
what really happened to 30,000 men
– and how critical it is to your future wealth

****************************
What follows is a true story
of the Klondike Gold Rush.
****************************

This is a condensed version of a fantastic reference book I read called The Klondike Quest. I assure you that there are a ton of lessons in this story – that apply just as much today as they ever have.

Also, a very generous surprise
will be announced
somewhere in this article.

On a chilly July morning in 1897, the whispers began. Rumors had started that there was something going on – something big. As the first miners staggered off the Excelsior steamboat, wrestling with their luggage that seemed extraordinarily heavy … the rumors were proven true.

There was GOLD in the Yukon … lots of it.

And the Klondike stampede began with explosive force.

These were the times of a depression – and riches beyond comprehension were available … somewhere. Most of the men that became infatuated with the big dream had no clue where they had to go – they just knew they had to.

Blinded by the prospect of gold, they thought little about what lay ahead or what they had to do to come home with the treasure.

To those blinded by the dream
– it seemed too good to be true.

And it was.

They fought tooth and nail to board the first leaky boats that were headed up to Skagway. They all had crazy schemes on how they would get their gold. From the divers who were convinced they could swim under water and scoop up all the gold into their bags … to the compressed air idea that claimed it could suck the gold out of the water … to the trained gophers who could dig for it … everything seemed feasible for the gold-crazed adventurers.

They were optimistic beyond belief – and the air took on a mystical aura.

The boats were barely seaworthy – the conditions on the boats beyond deplorable. Men slept five to a bed (if they were lucky to get one), and food was almost non-existent.

Many gave up when they landed at the one stop – only to discover they had to hand carry all their gear for miles to the next rickety old waterlogged flat-bottomed boats for the next phase of the journey.

Those that persisted went through even more hell to get all the way up to Scagway. A town had popped up out of nowhere in two months – saloons, kitchens, shoemakers and newsstands. Gunfights were common – and law was not strictly enforced here.

Here is where the men discovered
that the REAL tough part of the journey
hadn’t even begun!

Now they had to pack all their gear for the actual gold prospecting, all their clothing, all their food, all the possessions they would need for the next 12 MONTHS – either on their backs or on the pack horses.

What lay ahead is what movies today are made of.

A narrow footpath, slippery with slime and shale, snaked upward toward the summit of the mountain. They made their way slipping and sliding, sometimes tumbling back down.

It didn’t look all that bad at first …
until the pathway started to narrow
– ending up at a one to two foot sliver
that carried on, twisting and turning
up the mountain for 45 MILES.

Many men and horses died along the way. Some from the sheer torture they were putting themselves through. Some from falling off the sheer cliffs to their left. They started dropping like flies from the rotten horsemeat they had to eat, the pneumonia that overcame them, and the complete exhaustion they now faced.

The pathway became cluttered with corpses. [SIDE NOTE: this had taken them a full two-and-a-half months to get this far – it was now winter with snow piling up fast, and the weather getting cold]. Many stuck fast to their dreams.

One man strapped together a number of reindeer and rode them up the pass carrying all his belongings. Another, a woman (one of the few who made it this far) had strapped dough to her back, which – after it rose with the heat of her body was made into bread – she sold it at a VERY healthy profit. Another prided himself in taking the most ghoulish pictures of dead men and horses and proceeded to make a tidy profit selling them later at a Broadway emporium.

Those that then reached the summit – experienced what could be called an endless blizzard.

From snow blindness, to avalanches that buried everything they had hauled so far – this was not for the thin-skinned.

Five months later, they arrived at the next stop.

Now they had to build boats out of trees – and embark upon what became known as “the great flotilla.” 7,800 boats took off on the final leg of the race for gold. They battled rapids, cold, and starvation – but they were close – too close to turn back now.

June 8th, 1898
(almost a full year from when the first whispers
were heard about gold).

The first boats of the flotilla started to arrive at the Klondike’s river mouth. And they continued to pour into Dawson day and night with no break for a full month. Men poured off the boats onto the shore and collapsed with exhaustion (30,000 men made it this far).

It was here that the most bizarre spectacle
of the entire Klondike phenomenon happened.

Rather than rushing off headlong for the gold creeks, which they had come for, they did nothing. Thousands of men started to wander around aimlessly. They appeared dazed, confused, listless – and without direction on what to do next. They wandered around for days on end in an aimless parade.

For whatever their reason – they had given up on the gold dream – and were now content to do nothing. The gold was right there for the taking – but few men went after it.

How is this possible?

How is it that thousands of men (and women) could go through 12 months of torturous hell – only to give up at the very last step of their journey?

There are many theories about this … but the fact is these men gave up on their goal. So close – but ultimately headed home with nothing to show.

Which brings me to my point.

Having worked with many entrepreneurs in the past and having attended a large number of high-priced seminars … what is happening in 2009 is no different than it was 109 years ago!

Many of the entrepreneurs I worked with, some of them used to be the "in" gurus of the day – gone. Nowhere to be seen or heard from. Seminar attendees that heard the same content I heard, still working at jobs they hate – or still trying to figure out what business they are in.

Again, I ask you – how is this possible?

My belief?

There are two reasons why this happens
to those with gold in their eyes.

First, they have no plan in place to get the gold. They wander about blindly – with shiny little objects gleaming in their eyes – the mere mention of another shiny object sends them running off in a new direction. They have no clue on what it takes to get there. The challenges they will face. The obstacles they must overcome. How long it will take – and how hard they must work to even come remotely close to their dream.

And then there are those who stumble through all the unplanned hurdles and ultimately make it to the summit – just a few more steps away from making everything they have dreamed of so far to come true. They sit there – wandering around – appearing lost with what to do next.

Some seem just plain old tired out. Others fall to their health. A few may make the final steps – and THOSE are the ones who reach the gold.

I want you to be the one who not only goes after the gold – but the one that goes the distance and comes home with a bag so heavy with gold, that you need a pack-mule to carry it for you.

 …The story went on to describe some of the things I would be doing to help people who attended an event of mine to find their gold.

Stories are the easiest way to compel your clients and prospects to become more devoted readers of your materials.

EVERYONE loves a good story!

Now, not everyone is a natural storyteller (I’m not – I constantly work on this to find new and interesting ways to build stories into my newsletters and copy. Funny thing is … the best comments I get back (and sales) are when I have the most compelling stories worked in).

Here are 2 ways you can start writing stories (in addition to the techniques I shared last week):

1. The 3×5 card system. A timeless technique to create a storyboard behind your idea. Starting with the main story point you want to cover. The end goal you want to achieve.

Use one or two sentences to outline the steps involved in your story – weaving your way from start to finish.

Ideally you have a beginning, middle and end in your mind before you begin. Mark the backs of the 3×5 cards with guidelines so you know where each point goes in the finished storyboard (the beginning, middle, or end).

When you feel you have sufficient points to cover in your story, start flipping through the cards from beginning to end. Do this again, and again, and again.

Ultimately you will start seeing the story take shape in your mind and you can literally taste how it will turn out. Get out that pad of paper or your computer and start writing. Let it flow out of you and get your thoughts down as quickly as you can – without thought to spelling, grammar, punctuation, or any form of editing at all.

Get it down on paper … take a few hours off … come back to it and start editing the flow (read it out loud for that).

2. The free-writing flow. This is my favorite – but the hardest to get into when you are just starting. Basically, you do your research first, then either sit back and think about the story then start writing, or you just get writing immediately when inspiration strikes. The more you do the story board technique, the easier the free-flow technique will get.

   The editing process is the same as above … the actual preparation time is usually substantially less.

No matter what type of writing you are doing, or what process you are using, make sure there is one major point or hook to your story. That point or hook should be the tie-in to the action you want them to take, or the thing you want them to think about.

Please start trying to tie in stories to your business.

Your customers will love it – and will hopefully become obsessed with your newfound celebrity status and stories!

Please let me know your thoughts, and if you have any further topics on this you would like to see discussed.

To your success,

Troy White
Editor, Small Business Mastery
Supplement to THE TOTAL PACKAGE

Looking for resources related to this article? Try some of these.

Looking for more of Troy’s articles? Check these out.

Looking for past issues of The Total Package? Click here for our archives.

A Final Note:

If you have specific subjects you would like addressed, or have any comments on what you have seen here, please submit a comment below and I will see how I can help.

"Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.”

–Napoleon Hill

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8 Comments »

1. Comment by Troy White — December 3, 2009 @ 11:34 am

   I also wanted to mention something I saw on Oprah this week (hey, the first step is admitting it!).

   Chris Rock was there talking about his documentary he is doing on ‘Good Hair’.

   One of the guests, Solange Knowles, was sharing something that confirms this incredible obsession. She is an R&B singer and the sister of Beyonce Knowles.

   Recently she cut off almost all her hair, opting for a very close cut look.

   She was personally disgusted in the fact that there were almost double the interest online for information about her haircut, versus the recent results from the election in Iran.

   More people are interested about her haircut than the potential worldwide consequences of a new leader in Iran.

   It does show the sad state of affairs this celebrity obsession has become…

   …but it is also an opportunity for an astute marketer.

   Find ways to tap into the celebrity game.

   Don’t fight it - accept it and leverage it!

   Troy

2. Comment by Coach Donnelly — December 3, 2009 @ 11:49 am

   Troy,

   I couldn’t agree more on your point that we all need to find ways to LEVERAGE this very annoying obsession with celebrity culture. Look at the Tiger Woods story right now. How long is this thing going to dominate headlines? My guess is he’ll be gracing the cover of gossip tabloids for at least a year or two now.

   But what are some ways to leverage stories like these? Simple, find the lesson to be learned, talk or write about it, and use it to sell your products in a newsworthy fashion.

   It’s really a pretty simple formula. But who out there is doing this? Very few.

   Excellent article! Very good timing for me!

   Coach Donnelly

3. Comment by Troy White — December 3, 2009 @ 1:51 pm

   Hi Coach Donnelly, I think you summed it up with your comment “annoying obsession with celebrity culture”. It truly is ridiculous what it has come to in North America. More people vote for American Idol than the US president. People watch others live their lives on reality shows, rather than live their own life. My guess is that it will only get worse.

   BUT, rather than fighting it - use it to your advantage.

   Like you say, Tiger is front and center now. Anyone in the golf market, marriage market, divorce market, etc. should be ALL over this!

   All it takes is a headline from the news, find the important and pertinent points, and write your articles and blog posts around that.

   Works like a charm. And delivers relevant and timely content to those who are interested in your business.

   Thanks for the contribution. Troy

4. Comment by Steve Newdell — December 3, 2009 @ 4:17 pm

   The Theme of the story must lead directly into the headline promise.

   We get a promise,a deck leads into a story that makes a point, (Eating breakfast and sharing fruit with monkeys on our porch) leading back to how we bought land in Panama and how you can do it too thus leading back to prove the promise.

   You know that ad, you’ve seen it. There are many similar. We’ll take a lesson and work on it.

   Meantime you guys, read a lot of short stories to see how they’re done.

   Steve Newdell

5. Comment by MARKEAUX — December 4, 2009 @ 11:45 am

   Hi TROY! I really enjoyed your article. I have been studying ways to make money with this computer as I don’t work for others terribly well as a rule. The more I learn, the closer I get. I have been a writer all my life and have branched into filmmaking and music. You are spot on in your assessment of the facination with celebrity and I agree that I should not fight it but exploit it. This article has given me some fresh ideas as well as food for thought. I thank you for that. MARKEAUX

   PS I love telling stories and have a few I think you might like as well as a bunch of cartoons (ask MISS MARTHA about those). Let me know if you’d like to check them out.

6. Comment by Evelyn — December 4, 2009 @ 1:20 pm

   Troy,

   Great article! I now know why I enjoy your articles and get so much out of them - the stories.

   Celebrity obsession - even my kids notice it. I see it locally in the neighborhood newspaper. There are certain local people that seem to make it into nearly every edition. I have often thought how great that would be for my business.

   My kids roll there eyes when I tell them stories to make a point. Telling stories comes naturally to me, it seems.

   Based on my desire for a bit of local celebrity and my natural need to tell a story, I am going to try using it in my business. Especially now, with this wonderful economy!

   Thanks for the inspiration!

7. Comment by Bryan Aucemanne — December 6, 2009 @ 9:06 am

   Troy,
   As an aspiring copywriting student,I’m trying to gather everything I can to become one.Could you write a checklist,a how-to A-Z,for aspiring copywriters.I know it would help me immensely!!Thanks to you and Clayton(Wendy too!)for your newsletters.I wait anxiously for each and every issue.

8. Comment by Chuck — December 7, 2009 @ 12:42 am

   Does anyone besides me feel “slimey” about attaching their message to the private life of someone (a celebrity) who you don’t even know?

   Chuck