Stupid Marketing Tricks Part VII - Using The Wrong Words

Let's take just one moment to review what we have accomplished this far . . .

The very broad and most basic formula for developing and implementing an effective marketing plan has not changed at all. It is still, and most likely ever shall be:

a. Define the market.
b. Define the people.
c. Define the message.
d. Define the preferred delivery system(s).
e. Deliver the message.

We have thus far accomplished a and b. We have begun to learn how to craft an effective message (one that creates sales). This is the second post on this subject.

Remember that the entire formula must be viewed from a new perspective that takes into account the current options now available in the marketplace. The old 'tried and true' marketing systems are not working because they being applied TO a marketplace that has changed radically, dramatically and permanently.

In her book, Every Generation Needs A New Revolution, author Linda Thompson of Life Path Solutions ( http://www.lifepathsolutions.biz ), provides us with an extremely penetrating look into this new marketplace. (If you have not read her book, I highly recommend you do so if you intend to successfully market any product or service in this new marketplace. In my opinion, it is the new Bible in regards to learning to craft effective marketing messages).

"Remember the sale pitch, 'This is not your father's Oldsmobile?' That's what's happening today,” Linda says. “We are trying to sell our products and/or services to multi-generations, using the same delivery, to everyone. Most likely, those who have tried this approach have not found a great deal of success. Every Generation Needs a New Revolution illustrates how this commonplace problem can easily be overcome and can indeed be transformed instead into a real asset.”

In her book she defines the following groups of people:

The Veterans - born 1901 - 1929
The Silents - born 1930 - 1945
The Boomers - born 1946 - 1964
The Generation X - born 1965 - 1976
The Generation Y - born 1977 - 1990
The Millenials - born 1991 - Now

All of these diverse groups are found in the marketplace currently. However she breaks this down even more. For our purposes here I will summarize briefly just a few characteristics of these groups. Her treatment is far, far more comprehensive. (Again, I highly recommend that you read the book to get the full, unedited picture).

Veterans
Personality: Traditional, Family Oriented
Core Values: Patriotism, Loyalty
Think of: Charles Lindbergh, Rudolph Valentino

Silents
Personality: Conformist, Conservative
Core Values: Dedication, Sacrifice
Think of: Jimmy Carter, Charlton Heston

Boomers
Personality: Driven, Soul Searchers
Core Values: Optimism, Teamwork & Involvement
Think of: The Beatles, Bill Gates

Generation X
Personality: Risk Takers, Skeptical
Core Values: Diversity, Global Thinking
Think of: Michael Dell, Brooke Shields

Generation Y
Personality: Optimistic, Prefer Collective Action
Core Values: Confidence, Civic Duty
Think of: Tara Lipinski, LeAnn Rimes

Millenials
Personality: Remains to be seen
Core Values: Remains to be seen
Think of: Remains to be seen

What does this mean to you and your marketing efforts? It means a great deal. For here we have 6 very distinct groups of people, with 6 very distinct ways of communicating and 6 very distinct ways of perceiving that message you are sending.

One of the primary reasons your message may not be effective is that it is being perceived by groups of people who perceive your words in many DIFFERENT ways, not all of them as favorably as you might hope. This is not your father's anything.

According to Ms. Thompson in Every Generation Needs A New Revolution, the numbers break down as follows: (these numbers have not been verified by me - I reference them here from the book)

The Veterans 63 million
The Silents 49 million
The Boomers 78 million
The Generation X 40 million
The Generation Y 70 million
The Millenials Unknown

Now, let's suppose you are a Veteran, but your primary market is Gen Y. You develop a great message that references Rudolph Valentino. Nobody will know what the hell you are talking about. Don't laugh. I have files full of these things. I see this over and over again.

(Remember that you are developing multiple profiles. Hopefully you will have more than one. You will want to craft one message for the female Silent, and a completely different message for a Gen X male. You may have many profiles, requiring many different, highly targeted messages - perhaps even a different landing page for each profile . . . )

Not talking the language of your targeted market would be a really stupid marketing trick. More on this subject in the next post.

For more information, visit http://www.freepublicitygroup.com

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Asoma Music Teams With Dan Millman To Create 'Song Of The Sage' - Music That Changes Lives

[Killaloe, Ontario – December 12, 2008] Asoma Music, a Canadian media company, has teamed up with Dan Millman, author of several bestsellers including 'The Way Of The Peaceful Warrior', to produce an audio product that can literally change lives. Entitled 'Song Of The Sage', the CD (also available for direct download) features twelve tracks, each dedicated to detailing a spiritual law. The readings are drawn from Dan Millman's book, 'The Laws of Spirit'. The voice recordings are done by Dan Millman himself and are combined with lush music created by Asoma Music. The end result is an experience that can take the listener to deep levels of relaxation while simultaneously allowing the listener to absorb spiritual principles that transform one's life experience.

Dan Millman is a prolific author who has sold millions of copies of his books worldwide. These include Way Of The Peaceful Warrior, The Journeys of Socrates, Sacred Journey of the Peaceful Warrior, Wisdom of the Peaceful Warrior, The Life You Were Born To Live, Everyday Enlightenment, No Ordinary Moments, Living on Purpose, Body Mind Master, and The Laws of Spirit. He has also authored two children's books; Secret of the Peaceful Warrior and Quest for the Crystal Castle.

View the entire multi-media release at http://www.freepublicitygroup.com/Release_Asoma-Music.html

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Social Multi-Media Press Release Has Arrived

The Social Multi-Media Release has arrived - bigtime.

Now, simply by using this form of release, in addition to your traditional press releases, you can not only get the word out to traditional media (newspaper, magazine, radio, tv, etc) but can also get it out to technorati, facebook, linkedin and also social bookmarking sites such as digg, delicious, etc. Using both allows you to cover nearly the entire spectrum of publicity resources.

In addition you can embed audio, video - whatever you can imagine. The end result is a multi-media experience that covers all the bases. I posted a full article on this at http://www.freepublicitygroup.com/ArticleEndOfAnEra.pdf

Later this morning I will post a sample here on this blog and will continue to do so from time to time.

More at http://www.freepublicitygroup.com

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Stupid Marketing Tricks Part VI - Selling YOUR Product

Thus far, we have covered the first 3 key areas to be addressed before attempting to create a marketing plan that will actually produce sales. We have discussed the facts that you must determine:

a. IF there is a market for your product or service

b. if so, HOW MANY people comprise that market, and

c. WHO comprises that market.


So let's complete a short quiz:

1. IS there a market for your product/service? If so, what verifiable sources can you cite? List them.

2. HOW MANY people comprise that potential market? Cite the studies, surveys, verifiable information sources.
(NOTE - Failure to produce verifiable proof sources will cause you to get an F- on this quiz. Please stop fooling yourself and do your homework. Hey, it's your money and time . . . :) )

3. WHO comprises this market? How many profiles have you created? Remember you must know your potential purchasers:

* Gender
* Income Level
* Age
* Occupation
* Education Level
* Geographic region
* Lifestyle characteristics
* Purchasing characteristics
* Hot buttons
* Benefits sought by this profile

The next two very broad steps will cover developing the message and delivering the message.

THE BASIS OF DEVELOPING A MESSAGE FOR EACH PROFILE

Before we get into developing a message, I would like to make a very important point.

All successful marketing messages have, at their core, a common element. Conversely, many unsuccessful (or mediocre) marketing messages have, at their core, a different common element. Do you know what these common elements might be?

Let's look briefly at two, 'in your face' marketing messages:

Message A:
"My Handy Dandy Super Duper Lawn Destroyer 2000 took over 400 hours of research to develop. For the money, it is a real bargain. It has oversized wheels, a comfort rubber handle and a patented Jizmo Gizmo Lever that allows it to be emptied easily. The Lawn Destroyer 2000 is great! You will never find a better lawn mower at a better price. . . ."

Message B:
"This easy to use machine is easy to push and easy to navigate around anything found on your lawn. The handle reduces vibrations, so that your arms never get tired. You can even empty the clippings without bending and stooping. It's so easy to use, even children and grandparents can use it. This kind of comfort cannot be found in any other lawn mower, at any price, anywhere."

Now, what is the difference? Some would say it is FEATURES VS BENEFITS. True. However, what is demonstrated in the second message is that you have the potential clients' best interests at heart.

Listen to me carefully now. Developing an effective marketing message (one that produces the results you seek) has absolutely NOTHING AT ALL TO DO WITH YOU.

Nothing. It instead has EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THE PURCHASER.

People do not care about you. They do not care about your product or service. They ONLY CARE ABOUT SOLVING THEIR OWN PROBLEMS, WANTS AND NEEDS AS THEY PERCEIVE THEM.

To develop a message that will work, regardless of profile, you need to get inside that profile's head. You need to solve their problem as THEY wish it to be solved. This involves five steps:

1. Acknowledge and identify the problem/need/want

2. Build up the problem/need/want - make it urgent

3. Offer a very good solution

4. Make the decision easy to implement right now

5. Ask them to solve their own problem/need/want right now

This is not salesmanship - this is helping people. If you learn to help others, you will succeed with the WORST of messages.

Having the best interests of others at heart, and being able to communicate it well, is the key element to successfully marketing anything.

Look at the messages you have been using. Find the 'me's, we's, our's and us's' and cross them all out with a big red pen. Now start over.

Not giving your potential buyers what THEY want is a REALLY stupid marketing trick.

More at http://www.freepublicitygroup.com

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Free Publicity Focus Group Announces New Web 2.0 Press Release Services

[December 4, 2008 - Holden Beach, NC] The Free Publicity Focus Group today announced a new press release service. Dubbed the 'Web 2.0 media release', this service takes advantage of the power of audio, video, social bookmarking, and a host of other features not available through the traditional press release model.

'It is a model for both the present and for the future,' stated Don McCauley, founder and facilitator of the Free Publicity Focus Group, 'and frankly, the time for a service such as this came a long time ago. It is evident that the traditional release, though still viable in many respects, is quickly being surpassed. Historically, the ability to get that release into the hands of the public has represented a challenge, due to the fact that traditional print media is limited in regards to space, and traditional electronic media is limited in regards to available time. The need to incorporate 'direct-to-the-consumer' news releases has not only become necessary - one could say it has become urgent. Current Internet technology makes this very easy to accomplish.'

The Web 2.0 media release incorporates resources that are simply not available in traditional news releases. These include, but are not limited to:

* Graphics
* Social Bookmarking Tools
* Audio
* Video
* Links
* Referral Tools

and a host of other resources. In addition to the social bookmarking aspects of this style of media release, these releases can also be highly ranked by search engines such as Google and Yahoo. Links to media sites, such as YouTube, allows for a single release to serve as a media experience, rather than a potentially boring, flat text file.

'Assuming the release is properly structured, i.e. keyword and search engine optimized', stated Mr. McCauley, 'this style of release can also serve to drive the release and the information to the top of these search engines. That fact, combined with the power inherent in presenting the information in audio and video formats, makes this style of release both an informational tool and a very powerful, direct-to-consumer marketing tool. The days of struggling to get a single release printed in a newspaper or magazine in a single market are quickly passing into obscurity.'

In addition, the ease of bookmarking the release on social marketing sites adds the potential for making the release a viral marketing tool through the utilization of tell a friend links and other information sharing tools.

A sample of the Web 2.0 press release can be seen at http://www.freepublicitygroup.com/pressrelease_web2.0.html. For more information, including options and price quotes, contact Don McCauley at the Free Publicity Focus Group by email at don@freepublicitygroup.com, or call 910-842-9248.

The Free Publicity Focus Group specializes in demonstrating how anyone can build a massive marketing and publicity campaign for little or no money. The Free Publicity Focus group brings 30 years of marketing experience to the table for their clients. Services include, but are not limited to publicity and /advertising strategy analysis, marketing plan development, campaign development, website services, traditional and web based publicity services and a host of other services.

The above release details something I've been meaning to do for a long time now. I have finally decided to offer this service because, as I see it, if you are not using a 2.0 media release in addition to the other tools in your bag of marketing tricks, that WOULD be a stupid marketing trick . . .

More at http://www.freepublicitygroup.com

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Stupid Marketing Tricks - Part V

Thus far, in our quest to build a realistic marketing plan that produces results, we have done some homework and some legwork and have answered the first two questions:

1. IS THERE a market for my product? (do people need this product or service) AND
2. HOW MANY people feel they want or need my product or service?

These are but 2 of the most important questions you must ask before beginning to develop the plan. The next question is equally, if not more important. It is:

3. WHO ARE these people?

Now anytime we discuss marketing on the Internet, the subject of getting traffic comes up. Everybody wants traffic to their site. Everyone wants lots of traffic to their site. This is foolishness.

I have 2nd page placement on Google for my very generic search terms. First page on Yahoo. Does this get me traffic? Yes. Is it the traffic I want? In most cases, no.

What I get is the tire-kickers. I don't want tire-kickers. I want people who are

a. sincerely interested in marketing their product
b. are willing to do the work necessary to be successful
c. are willing to invest the time, money and effort to be successful
d. are willing to step back and do it the right way
e. have set specific goals by which they will measure success
f. are realistic in their approach and in their expectations
g. will not give up easily
h. understand that marketing is a numbers game and will play the game by the numbers
i. are willing to allow the real numbers to drive the plan, resulting in success
j. are willing to change the plan when market factors change

Unfortunately, what I often get is that person who is looking for the easy, get rich quick method of selling a product or service. These are the wannabe marketing rock stars (read 'failures'). Or I get the person who wants to pick my brain for hours for free. I turn down nine of these people for every one I accept. In short, I rely on the traffic to create leads, not sales.

Internet marketing works exactly the same as marketing in the real world. The game is simply bigger. Bigger offers much more opportunity, but also much more competition. The process of selling on the Internet, therefore, requires that you create a much tighter, more restrictive definition of your niche.

Here is a silly example. Imagine that you have a store in a mall. You sell skateboards. Now, who would you rather have in your store:

100 people age 65 and above OR
5 people age 14?

Certainly, the 5 people age 14. These are your real potential customers. They buy skateboards. Hardly anyone over 65 will buy a skateboard, unless they are buying it for someone age 14. 'Nuff said.

In the world of Internet marketing, you must imagine, however, that your store is located in a mall that contains several MILLION other stores. That changes the game in a major way. How will you set your storefront apart from the millions of other stores in that mall?

By defining your niche.

You must now define very clearly WHO that potential customer might be. Let's draw a picture of your first niche customer or client. Who is that person?

Gender?

Income Level?

Age?

Occupation?

Education?

Geographic region?

Lifestyle?

Purchasing characteristics?

What is the hot button for the person who fits this profile?

Why does this person feel they need or want what you have to offer?

What benefit (not feature) does your product offer to satisfy that need or want?

CAUTION - Don't feel that you must draw just one profile. You can draw as many as you like. For instance, if your answer to gender is both 'male' and 'female', continue through the rest of the questions for just 'male', and then repeat all the questions for female. You now have two profiles. You will want to do this because you will create one message for 'male, age 25-35' and another for 'female, age 25-35'. You will create a different message for each profile and will most likely want to create a different landing page for each profile on your site.

What will motivate the female age 25 is not necessarily what will motivate the male age 25.

When defining your niche, don't use an ax - use a scalpel.

Creating a single 'one size fits all' message for ALL your potential customers or clients could be said to be a VERY stupid marketing trick.

More at http://www.freepublicitygroup.com

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Stupid Marketing Tricks Part IV

In the last few posts I have made the point that, before taking any product to market, you first must determine whether or not people need or want your product or service. If they NEED it, you will use one approach. If they merely WANT it, then you will use another approach.

So let's assume that people actually WANT or NEED your product. Now we must look at how MANY need or want that product.

Again, don't laugh. Not looking at this subject realistically will cause you to fail faster than many of the other failure factors that might come into play here.

Let us suppose that you have developed a small computer chip that solves a system error in the XYZ232 computer system. Every user of the XYZ232 Computer Operating System in the world really NEEDS this chip. Without this chip, users of the XYZ232 Computer System will experience never-ending and ongoing frustration. In all the chat rooms, on all the discussion groups, in the IT forums, everyone talks about the need to solve this inherent problem. You have the answer. In your mind, you have determined that this is a NEEDS based marketing scenario. And so you spend 10 grand to develop your chip. You then announce that you have developed the chip in an ever so perfect marketing campaign. You do everything exactly right.

Sales, however, end up being 50 chips. Just 50. What happened?

What happened is that you failed to do the research. Surprisingly, there are only 200 XYZ232 Computer Systems users on the entire planet.

Knowing there is a market is one thing. You KNEW there was a market. Knowing the potential size of the market is another.

You see, a really stupid marketing trick is to believe that everyone is just like ourselves. We assume this is the case. It is not. The fact that you are interested in a subject does not necessarily lead to the correct conclusion that there are many others interested in that subject.

Yes, it is important to you. However, it may be important to just a few other people. If this is the case, you will fail.

As marketers, we believe it is all about us. This is human nature. However, in successful marketing, it has absolutely nothing to do with you. It is all about the potential buyer. Your OPINION frankly does not matter at all. YOUR likes, YOUR preferences, YOUR dislikes are not going to cause another to willingly part with their hard earned money. THEIR likes, dislikes, preferences and perceived needs or wants will.

All of marketing comes down to the ability to get into the head of another person or large groups of people. You will only be successful if you solve THEIR perceived problems in the way THEY want them to be solved. Very basic, but often overlooked.

Artists (painters, poets, authors and musicians, etc) are especially guilty of assuming everyone will be interested in their grand works of art. Not so. Yet artists are SO INTO their works of art that they never stop to consider the fact that frankly, nobody cares, except extremely limited and narrowly targeted groups of people. This is how the phrase 'starving artist' came to be. (Selling artistic works is very difficult in the general marketplace, but EXTREMELY easy if one can precisely define that specific group of potential buyers).

And so, the second step is to determine the size of the market. This is done through research. There is no single research tool that will provide the answer for all products.

The Internet can provide much of the information you need. Start with a search on 'XYZ232 Computer sales' as your search term. Look specifically for studies, articles, etc on the number of buyers out there. Also use Google Adwords Keyword tool. This tool now tells us the NUMBER of searches done on a particular phrase for a specific period of time. Look at the number of searches done on 'XYZ232', for instance. If the number of searches done on 'XYZ232' was 100, while the number of searches done on 'ABC456' was 10 million, you can guess that your potential market is relatively small.

Ask for help. Get into the chat rooms of XYZ232 computer users and ask about where you might get information on these numbers. Everyone in these rooms is really trying to be helpful, so get some input from others. Don't forget about that old, dusty library down the street. Explore magazines devoted to the XYZ232. Go to the bookstore. As your local computer technician. Ask XYZ232 Inc. What you are looking for here is the NUMBER of users of this brand of computer.

But be careful. If you ask XYZ232 users IF they will buy the product, nearly all will say yes. You are not attempting to find out IF they will buy (they certainly will), you are trying to determine HOW MANY THERE MIGHT BE. Don't be fooled into thinking there MIGHT BE a large number of potential buyers.

You must KNOW there are a VERY LARGE NUMBER of potential buyers for your product or service. Establishing THE PROOF that this is so is the first step any potential manufacturer of any product would take in the real world. Again, this is so basic that it perhaps need not be verbalized. Marketing 101. Failure to know the size of the potential market before even considering taking that product or service to market would be a majorly stupid marketing trick.

More at http://www.freepublicitygroup.com

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Stupid Marketing Tricks Part III - The Unrealistic Marketing Plan

As promised I am going to discuss how an effective marketing plan is developed. We must start the discussion by asking what might at first glance appear to be a silly question.

This question is so basic to one's ultimate success that most people never stop to ask this question when attempting to take a product or service to market. This is why most people fail.

This question is so basic that it is easily pushed out of consciousness and is frankly often never asked.

Yet it is hands down the most important question one could ever ask.

Are you ready for the question? Get a pencil and some paper.

This question will be developed in three distinct steps. Ready? Ok, here goes.

Step One: Write down the name of your product or service

Step Two: Put a question mark AFTER the name of your product or service

Step Three: Before the name of your product or service, write the words 'DO PEOPLE NEED'

Now you have a question. It should look like this:

DO PEOPLE NEED (NAME)?

Now answer the question. And don't laugh. This is not the time for laughing - this is the time for brutal honesty.

I spend all day talking to people who are having a difficult time marketing their product or service. They have gone to all the trouble to set up a website, print up brochures, put together mailing lists, sent out direct mail, posted ads, sent press releases, done blog tours, developed newsletters, joined associations, put together affiliate programs, blah, blah, blah, blah on and on and on and guess what? No or low sales.

They then ask me why, after doing all of this, there are no sales. There are no sales because they forgot to ask the most important question:

DO PEOPLE NEED (NAME)?

This is not funny. You see, we get so excited about developing and marketing our product or service that we forget to ask if anyone actually needs the thing.

When I say 'need', I mean need. Not want. Want is different. The entire approach will change when one needs something versus wants something. The entire game, the whole approach, is different.

Need means the prospect will die without it. It means they will suffer terrible consequences if they do not have it. Need items are items such as food, clothing, shelter, air, water etc. Some needs are legislated (auto insurance) etc. Need means need. Must have. No way out of it.

If people NEED this product or service, the potential market is a given. The approach then is to advertise, market or publicize the fact that your product or service meets the NEED better than the product or service of the competition. People recognize the NEED for your product or service; you do not have to 'talk them' into it. It is a given.

Once you have determined that people NEED this product or service, then you must simply take the steps to define WHO needs the product or service. This is the second step. Let's not go there yet.

WANT

If people do not NEED your product or service, but rather simply WANT it, then you must attempt to elevate their WANT to the status of a NEED.

One of the primary mistakes those new to marketing make is that they assume everyone NEEDS their product or service when in fact they do not.

You may believe people NEED your item. This will not cause them to buy your item. What will cause them to buy your item is when THEY RECOGNIZE they NEED that item. This is accomplished by elevating their WANT to the status of a NEED in their mind.

See how this works? It's basic. So basic, in fact, that we forget to do it.

Do not fool yourself. Be brutally honest. Look at this from an outside perspective and ask yourself if people actually NEED this product or service. The answer to this question will form the basis of the entire approach of a successful marketing plan.

People do not NEED toys. They do not NEED gadgets. They do not NEED books. What they WANT is the enjoyment the toy might bring. What they WANT is the reduction in stress a gadget might provide. What they WANT is the information in the book.

Selling to satisfy a NEED is not easier than selling to satisfy a WANT. It is simply a completely different approach. Do NOT fool yourself into thinking that people need your item when, in fact, they do not. If you fool yourself, you will end up wasting a great deal of time and money.

Trying to sell your product or service without asking 'DO PEOPLE NEED (NAME)?' is a really stupid marketing trick . . .

More at http://www.freepublicitygroup.com

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Stupid Marketing Tricks Part II

Watching TV Is Exhausting . . .

. . . and exasperating, I might add.

Karl Greenberg of Media Daily News says it better than I ever could. However, I would also add that the same holds true for radio (especially), newspaper and magazines. The article he wrote is located here:

The public, by and large, is fed up. The use of commercial skipping technology is on an ever-upward trend. I have commercial skipping technology on nearly all my electronic devices. I call it the 'mute' button.

People want to buy. However, they do not wish to be sold. Giving the market what it wants, in the way it wants it is key, but does require a completely different set of strategies.

As I have said many times - giving your potential buyers a message, using intrusive advertising tactics not only does not work, it causes them to actually resent your message.

The entire world of advertising is slowly moving towards being lumped under the 'spam' heading.

Do you really want your potential buyers to actually resent your methods? If so, keep shoving advertising in their collective faces. If not, draw them in with strategic publicity strategies.

To be fair here, running intrusive advertising certainly is not a Stupid Marketing Trick . . . yet.

More at http://www.freepublicitygroup.com

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Stupid Marketing Tricks - Part I

Now don't laugh . . .

Being a marketing consultant, I spend my day talking to people who are having a hard time selling their product or service. It seems to me that there is no end to the number of people who are experiencing this difficulty.

This week, I heard a story from one such person. This person could not understand what might be wrong. According to her, she had done everything exactly right. She posted a very long list of all the things she had done, from the development of the marketing plan, to advertising, publicity, blogs, seo work, newsletters - the list went on and on and on and on.

She could not understand, having done everything a human could possibly do to market her product, why the sales were not happening. The answer seemed very simple to me.

So, here is a question.

Who buys medicine?

Really - answer the question - who buys medicine?

Answer?

Sick people, obviously.

People can be sick. Or they can believe they are sick.

If they are not sick, or do not believe the are sick, they will not buy medicine.

Why make such a silly pronouncement?

It is an unfortunate fact that unsuccessful marketers concentrate on the benefits of their product or on the strength of their marketing efforts. They believe people will buy actually their product on the strength of the benefits it offers, or on the basis of a marketing plan based on fantasy. Benefits are important certainly. This is true. However, this is not what sells products (or medicine for that matter).

What sells medicine is the fact that there are enough buyers who are either sick, or believe themselves to be sick.

Again, this seems silly, but this makes a very important point. That point is this:

You can do everything right - perfectly right down to the last detail. However, if there are no sick people, or no people who believe they are sick, no one will buy your medicine. Ever.

The very first question you must ask, before even considering developing, creating or taking a product to market is whether or not there is a market for the product.

IS THERE a REAL market for this product? And precisely how big is that market?

Don't laugh. Hardly anyone thinks of this question before jumping into the market. This is why many fail.

I read hundreds of marketing plans every year. I even have a form I have people fill out before we talk. One of the very first questions asked on the form is 'If everyone who COULD buy your product DID buy your product, how many sales would you make?'

This is another silly question. However, without a doubt, it is the MOST important question.

Very few people can answer it. Nine times out of ten the answer is either 'I don't know' or 'Everyone!'. Both answers are completely wrong.

You have a great product or service. It does great things or provides benefits you feel people need. However, you must ask yourself if THOSE PEOPLE believe they need it. If not, you would be stupid to spend the time, money and effort to try to sell them something they simply will not buy.

Let's cover that again. People will only buy your product if they believe they need it.

If they do not believe they need it, they will not buy it. (Please note that I said 'believe' they need it).

The Internet is many things - however it is primarily marketplace where people go to find something they already know they need. Few people log on thinking "Today I will buy something. I don't know what I will buy. I just want to buy anything. I will look around until I find something to buy."

No indeed. People log on thinking "I need X. I will find the right X at the right price and I will purchase that X."

Throughout the coming weeks I will demonstrate how to begin to build a valid, realistic and working marketing plan - one that may actually make you money. So, before the next post, I will ask you to answer several questions:

1. HOW MANY people NEED your product or service. This requires a numeric answer, not 'everybody' or 'anybody' or 'a lot of people'. Give me an actual number here.

2. Now, prove it. Show me the studies or survey results.

If you can't answer with a number derived from studies or survey results, you are only fooling yourself or being overly optimistic.

I almost said 'You might be a stupid marketer IF . . . ' but I won't. That's already been done.

More at the Free Publicity Focus Group (http://www.freepublicitygroup.com )

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Some Marketers Just Don't Get It - Part IV

In the last few posts I have discussed the fact that, to become a successful marketer, you must think like a leader, as your communication will flow from your perception of yourself. I also mentioned that a key component in this is that you learn to provide good content to your potential clients or customers, as this is what they desire.

Have you ever signed up for a newsletter? If so, I think you will agree with me that there are basically two types:

In the first, which I shall call Style One, we are pleased to receive a flow of information we both need and desire. Normally, these types of newsletters will start by quoting a recent report or study ie 'XYZ Special Report - Recent Study Shows More Seniors Going Online'. Then, we are presented with perhaps the facts or reports that give us the details. Finally perhaps, we are told why this is important to our business. And then, at the end, we are told that XYZ is a leader in developing effective email strategies.

Style Two is decidedly different. It goes a little something like this -

"Don - NEWS FOR YOU! More seniors are going online! YOU NEED THIS REPORT NOW! Special Discount Pricing FOR MEMBERS ONLY!'

Hmmm. Now, which of these two do you believe will catch my attention, assuming I am a real businessman (with a marketing budget) interested in creating a successful business that involves email marketing?

Style One demonstrates the potential for thoughtful analysis, real facts and rock solid information. Style Two sounds like it was written by a carnival huckster.

Now we must ask the real question. Whom do you trust? The businessperson who provided the information in Style One, or the shady character that jammed Style Two down our throats?

Credibility is key. You will never succeed in marketing without it.

I asked you to think of yourself as a teacher. Now I will ask you to imagine yourself as a consultant.

It is said that consultants make the big money. Why is this so? It is because they provide facts and proven strategies - impartial information.

Real leaders - teachers and/or consultants - do not use these styles of communication. They impress us with the fact that they are credible and really have the best interests of others at heart.

Likewise, nothing impresses me more than a marketer who will admit his competition is also quite good at what they do. This creates a level of credibility in my mind that can be produced in no other way. This shows honesty.

You are a good businessperson. This does not necessarily make your competition 'bad'. If you say this, you will totally lose your credibility. If you even hint at this, you will lose some credibility. A real consultant, real teachers, know that they are not the only ones on the planet with good ideas, theories, methods or techniques.

When learning to create free advertising and publicity, one need only to stop thinking like a marketer and to start thinking like a publicist. Likewise, to become a really successful marketer, one need only to stop thinking like a marketer and start thinking like a consultant.

The whole timbre of the communication offered will change. Others will perceive you in a whole new light. Likewise, YOU will perceive you in a whole new light.

Teachers and consultant are perceived to be leaders. That perception - being perceived as a leader - will cause your sales to soar.

Imagine for a moment that Albert Einstein, after developing the Theory of Relativity, had put out an email to his constituents:

"Don! You Gotta See This! I have developed an entirely NEW, secret Theory of Relativity! I am offering this report to only a very SELECT group of people. You need to HURRY as they are going fast! The price, now just $97, will most likely be raised to $147 very soon. GET IT TODAY!!!!!"

Testimonial " Albert, you are right on the money with this one! This has provided me with everything I need to know to build a rocket ship! Everyone needs this report! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Order my 'Secrets To Relativity' Report today and I'll throw in bonuses worth over $4900! Blah Blah Blah"

Now, would we have put any faith in what he said about the Theory of Relativity? No. Neither will anyone put any faith in what you say if you use this type of communication. This type of communication puts you in that carnival huckster category (in the perception of real business people) in nearly every case.

It goes without saying that, if you wish to market anything successfully, you must become a valued, credible resource to your potential clients or customers. You must become a leader. In your own mind. First.

And then you must speak like a leader . . .

More at http://www.freepublicitygroup.com

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Some Marketers Just Don't Get It - Part III

Now, I certainly did not mean to give the impression that you can be a leader in your industry simply by deciding that you are (as you may have thought from the previous post). What I meant to impress upon you here is that your communication is only as good as the results it produces. Your communication will flow from your own perception of yourself.

If you believe yourself to be a leader, your communication will reflect that perception. Conversely, if you are not confident about either yourself, your abilities, your ideas or the worth of what you might offer to others, your communication will also reflect this.

What YOU think you are is precisely what others will BELIEVE you are. Again, Psychology 101.

In the physical world, communication is more than just words. Have you ever observed a person walk into a room who exudes an air of authority? All we have to do is look at this person and we know, intuitively, subconsciously, that this person commands and expects respect. The expectation of respect is evident in the way that person walks, stands or gestures. The bearing of this person tells us he or she expects to be treated in a certain manner. It is evident in the attitude of this person. We know intuitively what this person believes himself to be. When this person speaks, his words will command attention and respect from us, as we will believe he KNOWS what he might be talking about.

So what does this have to do with marketing?

In the electronic environment, others cannot see you or, in most cases, hear you. Therefore, the only way to communicate this demeanor is through the words you use in this environment. The words you use, (this includes the tone, the delivery and a host of other factors), will determine whether others will percieve you to be believable and, subsequently, whether or not you will be trusted. Ultimately this will be the factor that will determine whether a potential client will do business with you. The only way to create that all important trust, in this environment, is to use words. The words will communicate everything there is to know about you. These words always flow from your own perception of yourself.

As regards marketing, that's very important. Frankly, it is the single most important factor to be considered, for it forms the basis of all the rest.

Success in marketing always begins with being a leader in regards to ideas. If you have an idea that attracts others, those others will be drawn to you and subsequently your product or service. If you are perceived as being just 'one of the pack', you will never experience the success you seek. The singular trait that all leaders share is that they not only are 'idea leaders', but that they FREELY share those ideas with others.

Even if your product or service is mediocre, you will still experience greater success if you serve as a resource of ideas for others. This does not mean you give away all of your 'secrets'. It does mean you must freely give enough of your ideas to be truly helpful to your customers or clients.

The Internet is based upon the free sharing of ideas - more than any other factor. We respect those who have knowledge that can help us. We revere teachers. We crave information. If you can become the source of that knowledge, can convey it effectively to others and are willing to do so, your success is virtually assured.

Your failure, on the other hand, is likewise virtually assured if your potential clients perceive a hidden agenda of some kind. For instance, if you send an email out to your list every week that provides just a tidbit of good information, covered over by paragraph after paragraph of blatant sales language, you will fail - eventually.

However, when you take on the role of a respected teacher - a teacher willing to share freely with others - your potential clients will buy whatever you recommend they buy. This only happens when you are perceived to have their own best interests at heart, rather than perceiving that you are only interested in getting into their wallets.

This is another area where new marketers fail by the thousands. Some new marketers believe that the goal is to create a huge email list and then to mail a new and exciting sales pitch to that list week after week after very boring week. No indeed.

This does not lead to success - it leads quickly to a high rate of lost subscribers. It leads to disappointment on the part of your potential client or customer.

Those who experience long term, lasting success, are those who realize that the goal is to teach. Through freely teaching others, through the sharing of ideas, they establish a position of dominance in the minds of their prospective customers or clients. This must be established PRIOR TO recommending the purchase of any product or service.

The leaders of thought in the field of education become famous for their creative thinking. The leaders of thought in the field of business have, in most cases, become rich.

To be even more succinct - if you wish to experience success in marketing, become a teacher. Do not sell - teach. It appears to be a contradiction that, if you can learn to teach - to share your ideas with your customers or clients for free, - your sales will skyrocket.

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Some Marketers Just Don't Get It - Part II

I mentioned that the key, the Holy Grail, the single factor that will determine your success or failure in marketing your product or service, more than any other factor, is your ability to create relationships with your potential customers or clients. Real relationships.

No, I am not talking about one of those long distance, auto-responder kind of relationships. I AM talking about REAL relationships that are built on trust, effective communication and are mutually beneficial.

I would like to try a very brief project now. Please complete this before you continue reading. Ready?

Please write down the names of 3 businesses that are just like your business. Write the names of 3 companies or people who do what you do, in the same way you do it. Do this before reading on . . . .

I'll wait . . .

Got it? Good.

Can't think of three? That's fine. Now you can continue reading.

If you managed to think of 3 businesses like your own, you get an F.

If you could not think of a single business like yours, you get an A+.

The first step in creating a relationship that will produce new clients/customers is to differentiate yourself from your competition ENTIRELY. You must claim a position that is uniquely yours. This is basic branding and positioning.

If you want to experience mediocrity, simply do what has made others successful. That is the sure road to eventual failure. This, unfortunately, is the road most marketers take, as it is the easy road.

Your situation is completely unique. Copying someone else's methodology is akin to wearing someone else's eyeglasses. You might be able to see, but you will not see well.

It goes without saying that, if you wish to achieve stellar success, you must be perceived to be at the very top of the proverbial food chain. You must be not just A leader, but THE leader.

But how, I hear you asking, can I be the leader when I am currently located at the bottom of the damned chain?

The answer, so elusive to those new to marketing, is this:

Simply assume the lead.

Imagine for a moment that you are, really are, the leader in your industry. Imagine that your company sits at the very top of this chain. Vividly imagine this for just a moment in your mind. Now ask yourself:

What would the leader in this industry do today?

What would the leader in this industry be thinking today?

What decisions would the leader in this industry make today?

What beliefs would the leader of this industry hold?

And, most importantly, if you were the leader of this industry - if this were true - what would you say to others?

Now, say it.

You must learn to act, think, decide, believe and speak like THE leader in your industry. When others hear what you have to say, whether that be on your website, in your articles, in your posts or on your blog, they will recognize clearly the fact that you ARE the leader.

It is vital to your success that you change your perception of yourself first. Changing your perception of yourself will change your style of communication completely. It is this style of communication that will draw customers and clients to you, more than any other factor.

When you are perceived to be the leader by others, people will come in droves and will very much want to create those relationships with you. People do not want to associate with mediocrity or middle of the road success.

Think about this. What communication style attracts you? Suppose you are seeking good advice about a business project. Which of these two people would you have a tendency to believe?

Person A: "I tried a few things, and I think this might work . . "

Or

Person B: "This is precisely what you need to do today . . . "

When you are perceived to be at the top, they will come to you.

Those relationships will never be formed unless you - YOU - perceive yourself to be the leader and know that you are worthy OF those relationships.

This is the primary step. This is Psychology 101. This is NLP Modeling in its most basic form.

Take a moment today to think about those you perceive to be the leaders in your field; those you wish to emulate. Now ask yourself - Are they mediocre? Do they apologize and/or argue? Do they waffle? Or do they speak with absolute confidence and authority?

Leaders do not follow. Leaders lead. You must do the same if you wish to experience the same success. Do not copy the leader. That will make you a follower. Lead.

In the old days, the saying was 'Build it, and they will come.' In this new marketing model, the saying has become 'Build YOU, and they will come.' You see, in this new model, leadership is no longer defined by an established brand name. The old school, lumbering big boys on the block can no longer stand solely on their reputation.

In the Internet free market model, everyone is equal. Leadership is now taken by those who are on the cutting edge of thought - not past leadership or reputation. It is not based on yesterday's success. It is built upon the ability to think forward. Those who look to the future, not to the 'this is the way it's always been done' past, will lead.

In reality, you may not be the leader. However, this is the chicken or the egg theory. To become the leader, you must first believe yourself to be the leader.

Assuming the leadership role in your own mind will not actually make you the leader. However, when you take on the leadership role in your own mind, every aspect of the way you approach your business will change. But what will happen immediately is that your communication style will change completely. You will speak with the authority that comes from confidence in yourself and confidence in your ideas.

Only then will you be able to build relationships built on trust.

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Some Marketers Just Don't Get It

Ok, I will jump right in and say it.

Advertising is dead. Or nearly so.

Certainly, in the world of e-commerce, I would go so far and be so brave as to say that nearly any money spent on advertising is wasted money. Yes, it can create some awareness. It seldom creates direct sales.

There. I said it.

Look, in days gone by, people bought ads. Ads were designed to draw attention. The attention was drawn away from something the buyer wanted to do (watch a tv show, read news, etc) and presented the potential buyer with a sales message. This is interruptive. People simply don't want to hear a message that is shoved in their face while they are trying to pay attention to something else.

Again, those of you who know me know that I state that this is like shoving a hook into a fish's mouth and trying to make it bite. This does not work with fish. It does not work with people.

People have really come to associate advertising, any advertising, with spam - unwanted messages from someone they don't know and most likely don't wish to know.

In a manner of speaking, the Internet has destroyed the effectiveness of advertising. The Internet is content. People go to the Internet to get that content. They want free content. Listen and see if you can see the sense in what I am saying here.

Inexperienced marketers make the mistake of trying to CREATE interest in a product through advertising. This will never work. Ever. If I am in a hardware store shopping for a hammer, and someone shoves a flyer in my hand detailing all the benefits of using a screwdriver, I will ignore it. I will trash it. More importantly, I will resent the intrusion. You cannot CREATE interest. In this case, I want a hammer, not a stupid screwdriver.

However, if I am looking for that hammer, and some older dude at the end of the aisle starts telling me about the benefits of a new cutting edge type of hammer, and all that it did for him, I will be very interested. That, in a few sentences, is the primary difference between the Internet and traditional advertising.

People who are searching the Internet, googling about for this or that, are there because they are ALREADY interested. There is no need whatsoever to engage in a futile attempt to CREATE interest, or to try to get them to change their mind about what might hold interest for them. This is a waste of time and money. Yes, some people will look - about 1/2 of 1%, on the average. Is this effective? No. Is this expensive? Yes. Advertising is a component of marketing that is expensive and produces few results.

As a member of the Internet community, if I want a hammer, the first thing I will do is google the word 'hammer'. I am interested in hammers. What I have just done is SEARCHED. Next, I will be presented with a list of sites that contain content having to do with hammers. Now, I have moved from SEARCHING to BROWSING.

Therefore, if you are selling hammers on the Internet (and assuming that people are searching for hammers on the Internet), the key to success now is to create the impression that YOU are the leading expert in the field of say, hammers. How is this accomplished? Informative content. This is why informative websites work. This is why blogs work. This is why social sites work. Content is king.

Most likely I will ignore the hammer ads for now, however, because I know these people are attempting to sell me a hammer now. I am not ready to buy a hammer . . . yet. I want to know what is available, I want to know my choices, I want to know the cost and I want to know what others think about the different types of hammers available. I am browsing for informative content.

Others will be posting what they think. I will explore the advice they give. Now, we come to the good part . . .

All successful marketers know that the number one, all time winner in the results race is relational based marketing - word of mouth. You tell a friend about something you like. That friend tells his/her friends. Referrals are pre-sold gold to the marketer. Relation based marketing works like nothing else ever has, or ever will. It's money in the bank. If one friend tells another that you know what you're talking about, and that you provide good informative content, friend number two is gonna show up, guaranteed.

Notice that I said 'good content'. Not 'good sales pitch'.

Advertising is akin to shoving a hook into a fish's mouth. Publicity is akin to dropping a bait and wiggling it. If hungry, the fish will bite.

Relational marketing, on the other hand is one hungry fish looking at another hungry fish and saying to it's friends 'pssst . . . . come over here. This is really good!"

This is why it works so well. This is why it works better than any other strategy. This is why those who keep this in mind at all times are successful, regardless of the product or service they might be hoping to market. If you can impress others with your knowledge, and they in turn tell their friends or associates, they will come in droves. Learn how to create relationships like this and you simply cannot fail. They psychology of this has been proven time and time again. Give people what they want and they will tell their friends. No blatant advertising method can provide this. This is no comparison between the two.

So how do you get other people to tell other people? This is what I'll be covering over the coming posts - word of mouth marketing on steroids.

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Midsummer Massacre? A Bloodbath?

The large US newspapers are getting hit very hard. Check it out . . . .

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.san&s=86831&Nid=45201&p=932294

I believe a bit of clarification is in order here. I still recommend LOCAL newspapers, if advertising is your thing, in that the local rags generally have a very loyal readership. However, many of these smaller papers are owned by the big boys. Two of our local newspapers are feeling this crunch from the trickle-down, the other two are not.

Both categories will suffer to varying degrees from Internet competition however. Local papers will continue to be a good resource for local awareness advertising if your target market is age 50+.

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Even More Proof That The Internet Is Hurting Traditional Media

If there was ever any doubt, here is the proof . . . .

Check this out

If you have not yet made a change in your strategy, now is the time.

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Uh oh . . newspapers are making a move . . .

Eric Sass wrote today in MediaDailyNews that the Tribune Company intends to slash editorial content so that their publications maintain a 50/50 advertising to content ratio. Of course this appears to be a cost cutting measure. However . . .

In my humble opinion, people are moving away from newspapers in droves in an attempt to find ad free content. If this is true, INCREASING advertising percentages in newspapers while DECREASING content could be a major catastrophe. This is just an opinion on my part and I am in no position to make any predictions regarding the future.

However, from a personal perspective, this gives me even more reason to shun the daily and go to electronic formats instead to get my information.

Only time will tell . . . .

Leia Mais…

More Bad News For Newspapers And Print Media

Erik Sass, in Media Daily News wrote this morning, and I quote, . . . .

"U.S. marketers say they will be cutting print and boosting online ad spending over the next three years, according to a survey by Eloqua, a Canadian-based company that helps marketers increase lead generation and customer acquisition with integrated campaigns, including online and offline components.

The survey, titled "State of the Marketer" for 2008, asked roughly 200 marketing executives from companies with revenues between $10 million and $500 million about their plans for the future.

Overall, 90% of respondents said they plan to increase online ad spending, and 15% said they would boost it "radically." Seventy-eight percent said they will increase spending on social media, 74% on email campaigns, and 65% on mobile texting.

In part, respondents said the move to digital media is driven by increased pressure for accountability in marketing by the rest of their organizations, with 86% saying corporate pressure has increased over the last three years.

The outlook for offline media isn't as promising, with print media taking the punches. Fifty-five percent of the marketers surveyed said they anticipate spending less on print advertising in three years. The Eloqua study did not specify newspapers, magazines or both."

The article is here:


http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.san&s=83381&Nid=43132&p=932294

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We Have Come Full Circle At Last

I saw an interesting study today that confirms what, up to this point, was a suspicion for me. I knew in my heart this was happening but could find no proof sources. Now at last there is a proof source. Newspaper ads still work. They are not quite dead yet. The key is to tie the ad into your Internet site. Most people do this anyway. But the question was, can we prove that this increases sales? Check out this article . . . .

http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.san&s=81286&Nid=41945&p=932294

There at last is the verifiable proof.

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Get Booked On Radio

Mark Kaye is offering a teleseminar that may interest many of you.

Mark is offering a money-back guarantee if you are not satisfied with the information he will be providing here. Mark produces results and he certainly has the experience. I recommend you take a serious look at the seminar here if radio or tv is a part of your marketing plan!

Leia Mais…

A Change Of Pace

Rather than post 7 pages of text here, this week I invite you to download a free copy of a new, mini-Ebook just posted at the Free Publicity Focus Group website:

http://www.freepublicitygroup.com

The Ebook is entitled 'The New Marketing and Publicity Rules". It is located in the free section on the left menu.

Enjoy . . .

Don McCauley
Free Publicity Focus Group
Performance Based Marketing and Publicity
http://www.freepublicitygroup.com
http://freepublicitypro.blogspot.com

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Creating Publicity Through Writing For Publication - Part Two

Here are the specific steps to landing writing gigs (and getting a great deal of free advertising and publicity) with small, local publications . . .

Step One
Find a small, local publication and offer to contribute articles or local area specific pieces. Show them samples. Establish the fact that you are a published author and can provide quality content for their magazine or newspaper (small weekly community newspapers are best for this). Contribute in trade for a blurb or for ad space.

Step Two
Write for a period of time. Establish yourself. Get comfortable with the process. Naturally you will want to keep in close contact with the editor of the publication. Solicit feedback, but don’t be a pest. Be professional in your approach.


Step Three
After establishing your credibility with the public and with the editor of the publication, ask the editor of this single publication if he or she would be willing to provide a quick reference for you. Don’t insist. Again, be professional.

Step Four
Now you know somebody. Contact other small publications and offer to contribute to their publication. You can now provide samples of your work from a PUBLICATION SIMILAR to their own, and you now have a reference from an editor. You now know somebody. Somebody in the field. Somebody who is willing to vouch for you. People only do business with people they trust.

This may take some time. Expand your horizons are far as you can and still be comfortable.

Step Five
Continue doing this and build a resume. Take on as many of these small publications as you can reasonably handle. Every one of them is providing free ad space for you. Work your way up to the larger publications. It IS best to start with small publications if you have not done this before. Once you feel comfortable with ‘writing on a deadline’, move up to those larger publications.

Nothing will get you booted faster than missing a deadline! Make certain you are capable of making those deadlines. If you miss your deadline you leave that publication in a real bind, especially the smaller pubs. This is very important. However, if you get booted from a small publication the pain will be far less than getting the ax from a larger, more widely read publication.

Step Six
Continue this until you are fabulously rich and extremely famous. The next time you are on the Oprah Winfrey Show, please be certain to mention me. My last name is spelled “M-C-C-A-U-L-E-Y”

Seriously, though, this is a fantastic tool for indirectly marketing your book or business in the public arena. And it keeps you sharp. Many writers dream of making a living writing. Very few actually achieve the goal. This is simply because they are writers, not marketers.

However, you are fast becoming a marketer.

BTW, I have just created a new e-book entitled 'The Greatest Marketing Tool Ever Created'. It is located in the free section of the Free Publicity Focus Group site at http://www.freepublicitygroup.com . This tool, used properly, holds the potential to forever change your marketing life! Enjoy . . .

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Creating Publicity Through Writing For Publication - Part One

Some of you are writers. You can write. If you can write, this is your greatest marketing tool.

Being the editor of a regional magazine, I can tell you that good writers are hard to come by. This is why so many writers receive rejection letters. That is not to say that a rejection letter means you are not a good writer. You get many rejection letters because the person sending the letter has become overwhelmed with submissions from bad writers. Trust me on this.

Good writers are hard to come by.

As an editor of a small magazine, I am ecstatic when I find a good writer. If I find a good writer and print articles by this good writer, the quality and the value of my magazine increases greatly.

I want good writers. Good writers are VERY hard to come by.

Are you getting the point yet?

The point is simply this: If you are a good writer, small publication editors want to talk to you.

A small pub editor will print you if you are a good writer.

How can you use this?

As the editor of a magazine, I want to compete with larger magazines. I want to do this because I can then attract larger advertising clients, which will increase my cash flow, the bottom line in any business. To compete with the big boys, I must have a quality piece and good content.

Only the writers produce that good content for me.

Therefore, you become very important to me.

I am being simplistic here, but for good reason. I want you to understand the opportunity you, the writer, create for small to medium size publications.

The larger publications are not in this situation. They have good writers. They don’t need you. But the smaller, competitive publications certainly do need you.

The Plan

Start by contacting smaller publications and offer to write for them.

The smaller, local magazines will be open to your suggestion. They will, of course, want to see samples of your work. It is wise to use excerpts from your book, if you can, as you have already had this professionally edited and it represents your finest work.

Try to pick an excerpt that might be relevant to local readers. If your work is fiction, this may not be possible. If not possible at all, start by writing a story about a relative or friend. Show the personal connection. You may also try local history. This will work wonders, if you can pull it off.

HOT TIP: Do NOT ask to be paid. That is an immediate turn-off, going in. There are far too many willing contributing writers to compete with. Offer to be a contributor at first. So, you might innocently ask, why write if you are not being paid?

You are being paid. If you write a full-page article for a publication, it is essentially the same as getting a full-page ad. For you. For your book or your business. However, there is a marked difference here.

The article you write is not so much advertising as it is publicity. These lines are somewhat blurred in the minds of some. The differences between advertising and publicity are easy to understand.

Advertising is a message that is completely controlled by the creator of that message. The goal of any advertising message is to either create awareness or to create action. These messages are purchased by the advertiser.

Publicity on the other hand is not controllable. Publicity can be ‘good’ publicity or ‘bad’ publicity. In addition, the goal is to create awareness, not action. However, publicity CAN create action; occasionally even more so than a properly crafted advertising message.

This is because the public has become jaded in regards to marketing messages. Our email inboxes are jammed with spam. Our physical mailboxes are filled with advertising flyers, letters and postcards of every description. We are overwhelmed with these messages while watching television or listening to radio. Please don’t get me started on the Internet versions of advertising banners, popups, etc.

All we wish to do when going to the inbox, the mailbox, our television, radio or any web page is get the information, the CONTENT we came for. The ad we encounter is perceived to be an interruption. It is the content we came for. Therein lies the simple secret to using publicity as a marketing tool.

The content is gladly welcomed, indeed sought by the seeker. Advertisements, as a general rule, are not. Your writing, your article, will be perceived, in this scenario, as content.

This is gold to you as a writer. Large segments of the public will come to appreciate what you can do and what you might know. And guess what?

There, at the bottom of the page, for the whole world to see is a little blurb . . .

‘Mary Jones is the author of ‘Creampuffs Through The Ages : The Ultimate Guide to Creampuffs’. Her book can be purchased at www.creampuff.com”.

Your article or piece can become a full-page ad if crafted properly.

The only thing you should insist on is that the blurb be placed at the end of any article you write for the publication.

Now most publications will have no problem with this at all. It is normal business practice. This article or piece is a decided benefit for the editor, so much so that many small magazine and newspaper editors are also willing to even consider trading AD SPACE for writers who contribute.

I personally use only local writers for my magazine. I give each and every one of them a free ad for their book or business, every month, in exchange for providing a monthly article for my magazine. This is because I, as the owner of the publication, must otherwise PAY writers. If I instead get a contributor to write and simply trade ad space, I do NOT have to pay for writing.

I can fill up an entire magazine (if desired) with quality writing and never have to pay one penny. The ad space I trade costs me very little as compared to paying a writer. I save money. The contributor creates awareness. In nearly every case throughout the years, these contributors have told me that the articles they write for the magazine produce far more in the way of sales than any advertisement.

This theory will most likely work best with small to medium size publications and local or weekly or specifically targeted newspapers. Please don’t try this one with the New York Times. If you try this with the New York Times please do not mention my name.

This, of course, puts your writing into the public arena. This gets you published. This creates credibility. But there is something more here.

This creates relationships. You do remember relationships, don’t you? If you are an author, having a good relationship with an editor can pay off handsomely when it's name-dropping time.

Don't be afraid to approach these local publications. The potential payoffs are huge. Next week, I will show you specifically how to make an approach to a publication that can result in your message being placed in literally hundreds of print publications for free.

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Using Article Submission To Create Publicity - Part Two

Last week I promised specifics in regards to using article submission as a marketing tool. Here are the specifics.

Trust

I know you are getting tired of me talking about this subject, but I am attempting to reinforce this in your mind. If you are going to use article submission to put yourself out there as an 'expert' in your field, building trust with your potential client or customer is of primary importance. You begin to build that trust by being aware of the overall 'tone' or 'feel' of the article.

I love scenarios. So let us look at two scenarios to illustrate my point:

Scenario One

Suppose for a moment you are standing at a party. One of your friends points to an extremely well dressed man across the room who is surrounded by a group of people hanging on his every word, some even taking notes. 'That is Joe Smith," says your friend. "He is an author. He shows people how to sell millions of books on the Internet. He has done it for others 1000 times over."

So you saunter on over to the crowd surrounding Mr. Smith. Eventually you get a word in edgewise, introduce yourself and coyly ask, "So how does one sell a million copies of a book on the Internet?"

"Oh, it's very simple," replies Mr. Smith, "ridiculously simple. It can be done in with very little effort whatsoever and takes no time at all. All you must do is . . " Just then someone taps Mr. Smith on the shoulder and whispers in his ear. "Sorry, I must leave," states Mr. Smith, "it was nice meeting you." He walks away.

How would you feel?

You might feel like kicking yourself for not getting to Mr. Smith sooner. You might stay awake all night, tossing and turning. Mr. Smith has the answer and it is very simple. He was willing to give you the answer, the answer you want, the answer you need! But now it is too late.

Come Monday, you call Mr. Smith's office and are informed that it takes 18 months to get an appointment. You offer to pay a little extra, if you can be squeezed in somehow. The answer is a firm no. Now how do you feel?

Mr. Smith has the answer. The answer you want! The answer you need! But now it will be at least 18 months before you can get it.

You have been left hanging. You are in a state of extreme curiosity. You are ready to take action.

Scenario Two

You are sitting in your office when the phone rings.

"Hello," says a voice on the other end, "my name is Fred Jones. I show people how to sell millions of books using the Internet. I would like to show you how. The cost is only $400 per month, this week only!"

"No, thank you," you reply politely.

"But wait," says Mr. Jones, a hint of desperation in the voice, "I have done this for many of my clients. I have had a lot of training. I go to great lengths and offer many free services. Just tell me what you need and I promise I will be able to help you. . . "

"No, thank you," you reply, a bit more forcefully. "But wait, you don't understand . . . " you hear Mr. Jones saying as you hang up the phone . . .

Now think about it for a moment. If you were going to have surgery, would you choose a surgeon who:

a. has a waiting list a month long OR

b. calls you every day and begs you to use his services?

You want to give the reader the impression that you are Mr. Smith, NOT Mr. Jones. The sad fact is that most of the articles I read give the impression that the writer is Mr. Jones. This is not an impression you want to create, either in your articles or on your website. Giving TOO MUCH information creates the impression of ‘neediness’. Your potential buyers pick up on this quite quickly and simply click away.

Trust is created by the attitude, the tone, the feel of your writing.

All other things being equal, people will only do business with people they trust. What is being sold matters not at all. And, conversely, if a potential buyer does not trust you, they will NEVER do business with you. YOU MAKE OR BREAK THAT TRUST IMMEDIATELY IN THE FIRST PARAGRAPH OF THE FIRST ARTICLE your potential buyer reads. You make or break that trust INSTANTANEOUSLY when your website flickers onto the screen. If your article and/or your website does not create INSTANT TRUST and CREDIBILITY, you are dead in the water.

Assuming that you are savvy enough to get beyond the initial trust hurdle, everything you present from this point on will either ADD TO or SUBTRACT FROM the initial trust created.

OK. Let's assume you have fine-tuned the article to not only create trust, but also to not SUBTRACT from it. Let us also assume your article contains the all-important, subtle calls to further action. What then? I have spent a good deal of time conversing with site owners. Here are some other important considerations.

How Many Sites and/or Postings?

As many as reasonably possible. As mentioned previously, submitting articles is extremely time intensive. Submit one article to one hundred sites. You will see what I mean. Your fingers are going to hurt before it's all over.

A good rule of thumb is this: Submit ¾ of your articles to the top 5 to 7 article sites. These are sites that have high Google page rank. Submit the other ¼ of your articles to 30-40 medium to high page rank sites.

The advantage to doing this is that it will keep duplication to a minimum, but will initially give you a quick boost in the number of readers hitting your site. (see next topic)

Different Versions of the Same Article?

Are you penalized for redundant content by the search engines? Do you want to have 15 articles on page 93 of the search engine results? Or would you rather have 1 article listed many times on the first page of the search engine results?

Redundancy is an important topic in regards to article submission. I read posts over and over from those who believe that posting the same article to hundreds of sites results in hundreds of backlinks to YOUR site, raising your ranking in the search engines. Well, yes and no.

Remember always that the purpose of the search engines is to help people find what they are searching FOR. Suppose the above theory were to hold true, and you posted several hundred versions of the exact same article with the term ‘Widget’ in the title.

Joe Citizen now goes to Google and types in the search term ‘widget’. The search engine then returns page after page after page of nothing but YOUR article. How do you think Joe might feel?

Not happy. The search engine is not going to index your article hundreds of times. It will index a few and then simply drop the rest, as this information IS redundant. If you went searching for ‘widget’, would you appreciate seeing your competitions listing over and over again on page after page of search engine results? No indeed.

This is why you want to post that article to only 5-7 of the top sites. This is all that will be indexed and ‘stick’ anyway. When you post the other 25% of your articles in the same vein, there will be a short period of time when they will all be indexed. These will drop away quickly as the search engine catches up. In the meantime, you WILL get traffic from these redundant articles.

To clarify, lets suppose you post 4 articles per week (or per month). Post article 1, 2, and 3 to the top 5-7 sites. Post article 4 to 30-40 mid to highly ranked sites. Then begin a new round of articles.

Submission Software?

There are advantages and disadvantages here. Submission software takes you from site to site, automatically logs you on, sends the article to the site, enters all other information and then logs off and moves to the next site. This is great, in theory. The problem is that most don’t work too well. Some sites flat out refuse to accept articles from authors using these programs. The computer cannot think. It can only do. For this reason, some of these programs can cause nightmares for the person using them.

I am personally of the opinion that you should retain complete control of each submission. This allows you to fine tune the article specifically for the given site and for the given categories on the myriad number of sites out there.

The subtle change of a word or two here or there can make a major difference in the message to the highly targeted audience.

Sites?

Different sites cater to different audiences. Don't submit a self-improvement article to a marketing site.

Categories?

Different sites have differently targeted categories. One of the major beefs site owners have is incorrect category submission (putting a religious article in a transmission repair category). Remember that your article will be reviewed for quality, content, categorization, etc.

Site 'popularity'

This matters a bit. However, these numbers change nearly as quickly as search engine rankings. However the top sites generally do not change much. They are very quick to get your article out there. They are perceived to be expert sites. The links THESE sites create back to your site are valuable indeed.

How often?

Regularly and continually, keeping in mind that the process is somewhat akin to planting seeds. You may not see immediate results, but eventually you will have a field full of plants. Some will be annuals, some biennials, and some perennials.

'Quality' of the article

Nothing will kill the trust and credibility factor more quickly than a shoddily written article, catchy, worn out industry specific phrasing, insincere language or an article containing a blatant sales pitch. Try this experiment. Visit an article site, pick a topic and read through 5-10 articles. Notice anything? What you will notice is that you will have an intuitive impression that will tell you whether a particular writer truly knows the topic. Remember that this is what people will be doing with YOUR article.

PLEASE don't pretend to be an expert if you are not an expert. If you really don't know what you are writing about, nothing will destroy trust more quickly than the fact that you really don't know what you are writing about. Be honest at all times. If you don't know something, say so. If you do know, say so.

And Finally . . .

Article submission, done properly, is a valuable tool in your free marketing arsenal. There are other free marketing tools you will also want to utilize. Press releases, used correctly (see previous posts) may lead to your article being submitted for publication in newspapers or magazines, (also radio interviews, television coverage, etc.). This concept can lead to you being chosen as a regular contributor.

Don't ignore that large segment of the population that, (believe it or not), does not yet own a computer or perhaps owns a computer and simply does not know how to operate the thing. These are the folks who, when looking for a life-coach, will type in the search phrase 'coach' rather than the phrase 'life coach specialization depression'.

So, how does one use article submission to drive insane traffic to one's website?

"Oh, it's very simple, ridiculously simple. It can be done easily and takes practically no time at all. All you must do is . . "

Sorry. . . I have to go . . .

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Using Article Submission To Create Publicity - Part One

Article submission is a great way to create publicity and to attract traffic to your website. If you can write (and write well, as will be assumed here) this is one of the more popular 'free' marketing techniques that might just work for you.

The General Idea

Here is how article submission works. You write an article covering a specific area of a broader general interest category. You then submit your article to any number of the hundreds of websites that accept these articles. The goal here is two-fold:

a. to create backlinks to your website, raising your 'popularity ranking' in the eyes of the search engine robots AND

b. to position yourself as an expert in your field of expertise.

Let's look briefly at each . . .

Site Ranking

Your website will be ranked by a number of ever-changing factors in relationship to a search term entered by an Internet surfer. Search engine optimization is a subject that will be covered in later posts. However, article submission can have some effect on your search engine ranking. I have been working with a number of life coaches for some time so I will use this as our example.

Typing in the word 'coach' as the search term on Google brings 10,500,000 hits. Yahoo does one better on this one, bringing in 173,000,000 hits. That is one hundred seventy three MILLION hits. In neither case does either engine bring up a life coach at all on that all-important first page.

Now think about it. When YOU surf the Internet, do you look much farther than maybe the first page or two? Most likely not. There are many life coaches who use this article submission as a component of their marketing strategy. So, why aren't any life coaches appearing on that first page? Over and over I hear comments like "Gee, I spent hours and hours posting articles and nothing has happened." Why is this so?

Let's change the search term. Type in the words "life coach". Google now brings 21,800,000 hits. No life coaches on the first page. Type in the search term life coach on Yahoo and you will get 55,600,000 hits. One life coach's website will appear. One single site on the first page. Now, do you know why this ONE person's website appears on this all-important first page? The answer is simple. And it may surprise you . . .

The Article Submission Process

To submit articles you must first find the article submission sites. You then register with the individual article sites. You will be required to fill out a form for each site. Most sites will then send you back a confirmation link, which you must visit to activate your account. After this has been accomplished, you may submit articles, subject to the submission guidelines of the particular site. Depending on the number of sites you register with, this can take from several hours to several days.

Once registered, you will need to visit each site and submit your article. This is where it gets really time intensive, as you will need to fill out a form for each article, paste the article, provide keywords, author information and bio, links and submit the article.

This is AS time consuming, if not MORE time consuming than registering for these sites.

Once the article is submitted it is 'up for review'. Most sites review each and every article submitted. Depending on the relative size of the site, getting your article approved can take from a day to months or even longer.

The Advantages

Submitting articles, as mentioned, has two advantages; it creates back-links to your site and helps to position you as an expert in your field.

The back-link is one of the criteria in determining how well your web site is ranked in relation to all the other sites out there. You will be competing with, in the example above, perhaps 10's of millions of other sites for that coveted high ranking. But of course back-links are not the only criteria in ranking your site. There are many other factors, (again, far too many to list here) which will contribute to the optimization of your site for the search engines.

Time constraints notwithstanding, you will most likely want to use the article submission idea, but don't expect too much in the way of quick results. The article submission process is a bit like dropping pebbles into a bucket of water. At first, it seems as though nothing is happening. After a time though, the pebbles begin to replace the water in the bucket. Eventually, the bucket will be filled with pebbles and no water will remain. Think of this as a process, but it is certainly not as the be-all and end all to search engine Nirvana. Time and effort not withstanding, it is an extremely effective tool in the free marketing arsenal.

Positioning yourself as an expert in your field should be the PRIMARY goal here. Article sites go to great lengths to get the top rankings and keep abreast of changes in search engine criteria. Rely on them to get the ranking for your ARTICLES. You should concentrate on constant submission and on the content of the articles submitted.

The Content

I could write a book on this subject. Someday I may.

Let us use websites to illustrate my next point regarding content. Take a few moments and sit down and just look at your competitor's websites. Get a feel for the content. Notice anything?

Too much information! Plain and simple. I preach and preach and continually preach this to my clients. If you get nothing from these words, please understand this: Every single word, every single sentence, every single paragraph gives your potential customer or client the opportunity to say "No". Every single word, every single sentence and every single paragraph should be carefully designed to do just one thing:

Create curiosity. For it is curiosity that will lead to ACTION.

Yes, yes I know. We want to tell our potential customers all about ourselves. We want them to know what our business, practice or book can do for them. We want them to fully understand why they should consider us as opposed to the competition. And so we give them everything. And when we give them everything, they make a decision BASED on that information. No, no, no. . . WRONG!

Web site designers are not marketers. They are web site designers. They are wonderful people and many of my personal friends design websites for a living. But they are not marketers.

An effective site or article will create curiosity. Period.

This curiosity will lead to action on the part of the potential buyer, client or editor who may be looking at your article or web site. The action should be to request more information or to sign up for a newsletter or any other action you desire. In this case, the article links to your web site. The 'closing' should be done in person. Unless you are marketing a $9.95 booklet or a very low priced product or service, don't try to get potential buyers to take action immediately based on the information on the site or in your article! A $9.95 booklet is an impulse buy. It is an impulsive, hedonic response. If you are marketing a larger ticket item it will not be an impulse buy. The action component of the sales process should always be accomplished IN CYBERSPACE-PERSON!

A Quick Word About Pictures

Please, please be careful with this! Believe it or not, a picture is one of the primary reasons people will make the dreaded snap NO decision.

Real estate agents, for example, especially insist on using a picture in their marketing materials. But if you happen to look like Aunt Bessie who used to smother the client with unwanted kisses years ago, you could lose a potential buyer solely for this reason. You may look too professional. You may look too homespun. The older client may perceive you to be too inexperienced. The younger client may see you as an old fogy. You have no control over this but, either way, you COULD lose. When in doubt, do not use a picture, unless you have a very good reason for doing so.

I could go on and on about this, but I will stop before I get carried away. I am getting off topic.

Information

Your article should provide great information. This is how you position yourself as an expert. But it should not give ALL the information in regards to the topic. Again, it should be carefully crafted to create enough curiosity to get them to click on the link to your site. The article must contain SUBTLE prompts to action. But, remember this: The article may be perfectly written to cause that person to follow up and click through to your site.

The site provides further information. However, again, your site MUST also 'leave them hanging'. This creates further curious ACTION. That action should be to pick up the phone. Sign up for a class. Buy a product or service.

The Viral Factor

There is another factor here that must be considered. When you submit an article to an article site, you must agree to allow others to pick the article from the site and use YOUR article in THEIR publications. This is another primary purpose of these types of sites - to provide content.

This end user might be someone’s website. It could be someone’s newsletter. It may end up in an ezine or magazine. Now, anyone who uses your article (theoretically) CANNOT edit it and must also PRINT YOUR BIO AND THE LINK BACK TO YOUR WEBSITE. This means that the end user is effectively advertising for YOU!

If your article appears in a large company newsletter, ezine or magazine, think of all the free press you will gain! If your article ends up on another entity's website, and that website is highly ranked and gets tons of traffic, you will ride along on THEIR coattails!

Be aware of this when penning your articles. You are potentially writing for many different markets when submitting articles to Internet sites. This presents a wonderful opportunity that, until recent years, has never existed before in history. In years gone by, you would need to seek out a newspaper or a magazine or a publisher of some physical product if you wished to present your articles to the world. This is no longer necessary, as the Internet can now serve as your publishing platform.

The Specifics

There is a tremendous amount of misinformation floating around out there in regards to using article submission as a marketing tool. How many sites? How many articles? Keyword optimization - duplication penalties - categories - site ranking - submission software - timing, on and on and on. Rather than attempt to answer all these questions in a this single post, (which is getting quite long) I will provide the specific answers to all these questions in the next installment of this series.

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