Feb
03

Makes the postman blush (and grown men cry)

 

Hope you are having a GREAT week!

Nothing has helped me more from a therapeutic and marketing standpoint than writing daily emails.

I know it may seem like work…

…but nothing good every comes without some work.

And it isn’t hard work at all.

In fact… there are so many INCREDIBLE examples to share with you, its more difficult deciding what to share.

Today, 2 fine, fine examples of great marketing ideas.

First… the blushing postman.

Look how she starts this video for Panty by Post

Panty by Post

Great marketing ideas galore here!

 

…with a story about one of her great loves… the French… and French Panties.

Not only is the video simply divine (simple, and selling)., it grabs your attention and would compel you to watch (man or woman).

These days anyone and everyone with a simply little handheld HD camera can do this (even me!).

Then add in some of the great editing software out there these days and voila… you have a video to use on Youtube, on your blog, on your site, on Facebook shares… and so on, and so on.

The second thing I LOVE about this video is the unusual membership piece. You have hopefully read my Million Dollar Lobster report (if not – here is the direct download link  http://www.milliondollarlobster.com/MillionDollarLobster.pdf).

Unusual membership programs like this are powerful ways to draw attention, publicity and experience buyers.

A membership is an experience.

It is something you get to interact with on an ongoing basis.

Vs a one-time purchase.

Is there any way at all you can take frequently bought items and turn them into a membership concept?

I have seen near everything sold via membership…

…panties, shows, jewelry, honey, steaks, baked goods, fresh goods, lobsters, shoes, dive-bar tshirts, kids gifts, art and paintings, travel, cars, motorcycles, boats, to name a small sample of what is now available.

Can YOU be the first in your city, or industry, that brings out a membership program?

Think it through – it’d be awesome to inspire you to create this.

The second example for today you may have already seen on Facebook.

Budweiser NAILED IT with this viral video.

What a beautiful idea and concept here.

…and Bud is winning over more fans than EVER with this.

It evokes emotion… and may even bring a tear to your eye.

If you have ever felt like you love and activity so much, but know you will never be in the big leagues (due to age, skill level, whatever) then this video will get that emotion factor revved up.

I LOVE my martial arts.  Been doing it for 12 years or so off an on, the past 6 years in Tae Kwon Do (training for second degree Black Belt right now)… but I know that my age and size are a factor in competition.  Maybe it is more fear than anything, but I haven’t been in one with my TKD.  There is a chance coming up this summer… we will see.

But I GET this video.

I would love to be in a competition and feel like a superstar (despite not being close to one).

THAT is the feel Bud gets going with this video.

…and it does 2 things I want to point out: It shares some intimate emotions with their prospects and clients, and it shows them doing something that gives back to the community.

Both of which you and I could be doing.

My blog post this week talks about emotion and the powerful force behind it in your marketing… you should read it if you haven’t.
http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/the-true-power-of-raw-emotions-in-your-writing/

Anyhow, hope you have a GREAT day/week/weekend.

Troy

PS: The Story Selling Home Study Coaching program http://www.storysellingtips.com is ready and is an incredible way to introduce your clients and prospects to your backstories… where your real money will be made.

 

Feb
02

Bizarre yet delicious magnets to attract buyers

By now, you know my love for a great story.

My marketing assistant Casino - always on the job looking for bizarre marketing ideas

My marketing assistant Casino - always on the job looking for bizarre marketing ideas

You also know I am constantly on the lookout for unusual marketing ideas that you and I can modify for our own.

It is the EASIEST way to find breakthroughs in your own business.

Find something that works in another industry…

…modify it to suit your own.

Hence the problem.

“It doesn’t apply to me [insert nasally whining noise here]….” or “my business is different [whining voice]” or “my customers are far too sophisticated for this nonsense ” [snide comment and whining voice all in one]”

If you have ever found yourself making those excuses…

…you have a choice.

Continue making up excuses (and you should probably stop reading because nothing I would share with you is good enough for you…).

…or you can start taking this idea seriously.

REAL breakthroughs come from taking something that worked elsewhere, and finding a new or un-thought-of application for it.

For example, here are a bunch of weird, whacky, and wonderfully delicious ideas for you consider:

1) YOGA anyone?  How do Yoga and Airports fit together?  They don’t would be the excuse of the excuse-makers.  But this airport not only found a use for it… they found a fan-base for it (and the key to marketing is to build a fan-base and let THEM help you spread the word
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/30/us-fitness-yoga-airport-idUSTRE80T1MY20120130?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews&rpc=935

2) Mystery brown-paper packages, physical books (gasp! not an ebook?) and a wonderful mailing list to be on.  Some years ago there was a company in the city I am in that sold a gift membership for kids. Each month they child got a purple present in the mail – always a surprise – and always a wonderful treat for someone who thrives on imagination and fun.  Hint, hint – so do your clients! (how can you make surprise gifts or membership ideas for your clients?)
http://www.springwise.com/lifestyle_leisure/slovenian-library-creates-surprise-book-packs-based-genre/

3) Palm readers and Chinese school children.  Yes – they DO go together and parents have “flocked to palm readers” for the test.
http://www.calgarysun.com/2012/01/31/chinese-tots-subjected-to-palm-reading

4) Tampons and customized marketing messages, with a little bit of song and dance. This was sent to me by a fellow reader of this newsletter (thanks Kim Small!).  Fill in your name and watch what happens…truly awweesome and easily replicatable for all businesses.
http://www.obtampons.ca/apology

5) Neiman Marcus and $1 million dollar fountains.  These guys get it!  Yes, their clients are affluent… but the attention they draw brings in people from all walks of life. And then they offer those people something from EVERY price point imaginable. (HINT).

Long time read, subscriber and friend Xenia Stanford shared this:

“Checked Christmas Catalog from Neiman Marcus. The his and hers gift were matching dancing fountains for a mere 1 milion. There is only one such item (exclusivity) and the company comes to the estate of the buyer or gift recipient to install them. Another one time gift was the opportunity to be the maestro of aquatic ceremonies at the Fountain of Bellagio. The price tag only 1/2 million. There was also an edible gingerbread house large enough for children (maybe adults too) to fit in. The size of a large playhouse I think. Not sure of price tag. Catalog is still up at http://www.neimanmarcus.com/category.jsp?itemId=cat41900753 – also search on the site for fantasy gifts.

Not quite Pando poop but the idea is still there – something to talk about and bring attention to the company.”

So… have I lost you?

Or inspired you?

The list is unusual… and all over the map.

Which is EXACTLY my point.

If you took this list of ideas – studied each of them – and got the trusty old pad of paper out to jot down ideas…

…you may just find something BIG for your marketing, for your product offering, or for free media attention.

Not a bad trade for an hour or two of your time.

So, more excuses…or bigger and better ideas?

The choice is yours.

Hope this gets that brain moving today.

Chow for now,

Troy

PS: The Story Selling Home Study Coaching program http://www.storysellingtips.com should be ready by Friday and is an incredible way to introduce your clients and prospects to your backstories… where your real money will be made.

Jan
13

Big data small data all data

A good friend of mine is a math geek (PHD) and is right up near the top of a very large, very public organization.  His job is to determine what data is needed and then sends his stats squadron in to analyze data and find trends.

Much of what they find the general public never knows about… it’s just too scary.

What fascinates me about what he does (it sure isn’t the math stuff!) is the power that these anaylatical types hold in their hands.

When they analyze data, they can find some oh-so-useful-and-powerful information.

So when I read an article in reuters.com called Big Data Big Impact, I thought of him and how this all is becoming the lifeline of small business owners like you and I.

Data IS the future.

Knowing how to use it is where you find incredible breakthroughs that can grow your business by leaps and bounds.

Consider a few statements from this article: (reuters.com)

* “…if you use big data to track your sales more precisely, you need fewer salespeople.”

* The McKinsey Global Institute, trumpeting big data as “the next frontier for innovation, competition and productivity.”

* “To understand how much data is now at our fingertips, consider a few striking facts from the McKinsey report. One is that it costs less than $600 to buy a disk drive with the capacity to store all of the world’s music. Another is that in 2010 people around the world collectively stored more than 6 exabytes of new data on devices like PCs and notebook computers; each exabyte contains more than 4,000 times the information stored in the Library of Congress.”

* McKinsey believes that the transformative power of all of this data will amount to a fifth wave in the technology revolution, building on the first four: the mainframe era; the PC era; the Internet and Web 1.0 era; and most recently, the mobile and Web 2.0 era.”
So what does this mean to you and I, and all other non-math-stats-geeks?  

It means yeeeeeeee haw!

It’s time for us all to get a real grip on our customer data.

It means it’s time to start digging deeper into our customer databases to look for unique trends and commonoalities (imagine if you found out that 63% of your big ticket buyers were fans of Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged”, or that 51% of your Facebook fans were members of the CPSA).  

Think about it!

THAT is power in your hands.

You can customize your marketing and lead generation to find MORE of those people.

You could go to the CPSA and buy ad spots on their site, their blog, and inside their members newsletter.

You could and you should.

I specialize in helping small businesses grow (small business being defined as 75 employees or fewer, most fewer than 20).

That’s you.

That’s me.

That’s where our biggest opportunity is in 2012 folks.

   This is something I truly hope you “get” and that you really start tracking customer information better.

Perry Marshal has his new Fanalytix program which helps you analyze Facebook data.  I am just starting to test it – if it is even half as good as I think it could be, WOW – that is some SERIOUS power in your hands.

Every single chance you get to talk to a customer, or collect survey data, or do a questionare with them… look for information like books, movies, hobbies, memberships, and associations.

Track them.

Record them.

Look for trends.

…and when you find a trend or common trait… make sure you modify your marketing to capture MORE people like those who already buy from you.

   Small Data is just as powerful as Big Data.

But it is up to you to find it and capitalize on it.

Start now.

Troy

Dec
15

Mountain Woven Money Making Ads

Fellow business builder,

You may have heard of an ad that ran 65 years ago with the headline:

“Hand Woven by The Mountain People of New Mexico”

New Christmas Patterns in these unique ties. Wearers say an exceptional value.* Sold only direct from weavers to you.

It was a one-page ad that ran in the November 1940 edition of Life.  Simple – copy intensive – with a picture of the ties.

Fantastic example of copy-driven theme marketing (click the image to see a full size)

 

Get this: that ONE AD SOLD 26,000 TIES!

An amazing success story. And an amazing ad (written by James W Young).

What is most evident about the ad is the unique ways they use a number of great advertising techniques – ones that STILL work today just as well.

 

Think about this:

1) A unique headline – “mountain people” conjures up pictures with those two words.  “Hand woven” portrays the quality that they put into the ties.  Combined, this is a very intriguing headline.

2) In the subhead, this statement is interesting – “Wearers say an exceptional value.*” Note that the * references a footnote at the bottom of the ad that is actually a testimonial of a happy buyer.=]

George W Engelmann, well known Chicago business man, writes:

“Enclosed is my order for some of your ties. I would like to

take this opportunity to tell you how well I like your ties.

When I wear them they never fail to attract favorable

comment. They are also the most durable ties and best value

I have ever seen”

 

NOTE: a testimonial in a clothing advertisement! How often do you see that? 65 years later and few people are using this simple strategy.  The footnote is a nice touch – very interesting way to get people involved in the ad.

Also note how the testimonial is written. Chances are the adman wrote the testimonial and had the client approve of it.  In your business you should do the same. Your clients will provide glowing testimonials but (typically) have a tough time saying the best things about your business and how those things affect other potential buyers.

This testimonial touches on “here is another order” “they attract favorable attention” “durable” “best value” “well know business man” All of that in a couple short sentences!

3) The ad starts out with a very compelling story:

“For over 200 years the Spanish people who settled New

Mexico have been raising sheep and weaving wool. Their

looks have been handed down from father to son…..”

 

and on it goes into the story of where they live, the types  of fabric they make, the colors, the make of the tie, intriguing features like “invisible silk”, how they wear, wrinkle free, the textures, cleaning… and so on.

It literally forces you to read the entire story!

Then it goes into “My Christmas Offer” showing that they obtained a fantastic deal ($1 per tie) – makes the perfect gift – guaranteed.

How to order details are very intricate – making sure people know exactly what must be done to get a part of this special offer.  It is even discussed how they will be  packaged so the customer knows what to expect in their mailbox.

Last, the true  kicker: why they MUST order now – “before the Spanish go on their El Natividad” and why you must make a decision now before Christmas gets here and your gift is late.

What an amazing ad.

And, there is absolutely no reason you can’t use a concept like this in October and November for your year end specials.  Either you sell products or services that make a good gift – or it is the perfect time in the new year to order a new model.

Find a way to use these ideas:

- intriguing headline – make it a visual one

- testimonials – lots of them – or your best quality ones at minimum

- a great story about you – your employees – your spouse –  your kids – your pets – whatever, just make it interesting

- descriptives on what they get and why it matters

- a very special offer that WILL NOT be repeated

- make it descriptive on how to order (and give them options)

- the big reason why they MUST order now!

- tie it in to a holiday or special theme

Not rocket science – but if they can sell 26,000 neck ties with an ad like this – don’t you think you could find a way to sell more of your products and services using similar techniques?

You could if you try!

To your success,

Your 2012 Marketing Plan and Calendar (complete with thousands of marketing ideas, blog post ideas, promotional campaigns, etc)

Troy

PS: The 2012 Cash Flow Calendar is ready to roll… http://www.cashflowcalendars.com
…done-for-you, copy and paste marketing campaigns that make 2012 your best year yet!

 

If you need help with your marketing and promotional plan for the next 12 months…

…this is an exceptional way to plan out all your campaigns, with simple formulas and copy/paste templates.

 

We executed the _________ promotion and received over
$1000.00 worth of sales from it in one day! 
Fabulous I say.” – Fran Agar – Ballymoon Beauty

Nov
09

Want a Steady Flow of Business Without Selling? Read This …

This is the BIGGEST roadblock to success 
that I see most Canadian small business owners
and independent professionals have – and that
 holds them back from getting wealthy in business.

If you are frustrated with having to compete on price,
“sell” yourself all the time to make the sale, cold call
 to make sales, and then and have your customers and 
prospects ‘price-shop’ before they buy from you, then I would urge you to…..

Read This FREE Book – http://www.EntrepreneurProfit.com

I think he’s a little nuts, but I had to let you know

No Cost Book, Money-Making Marketing for Canadians

If you want to make a lot more money, a lot easier from your business or professional practice, then you need to grab a copy 
of the book my good friend Dave Dubeau and I wrote,  called
 “Money Making Marketing for Canadians” ASAP…

Right now Dave is actually giving our book away…

and if you grab one of the complimentary copies he is actually
 going to donate $2 to the Make-A-Wish foundation or Habitat for 
Humanity- you even get to choose the charity!

You already know about me, but in case you forgot…
 I am a self-professed Corporate World Flunky that left a six-figure-a-year career in the computer industry 10 years ago to start my own thing.

…Since then I have been privileged to live and work on my own terms, while helping entrepreneurs from all over the world build their own dream life as well.

I have been writing for Dave’s private paid newsletter membership for a number of years now and can speak to Dave’s ability to over deliver on everything that he does.

…and here is what “Canadian Rich Dad”
 Darren Weeks has to say about Dave Dubeau:

“I’ve know Dave for years. Dave is a friend and a business partner of mine, and with his marketing know-how we have 
grown my Fast Track Group of companies from 4 employees
in 2005 to over 100 employees with over $100M a year in gross 
sales and a ranking in the prestigious “Profit 100” list of fastest 
growing companies in Canada.”

He continues to say…

“Quite frankly, I would not have been able to grow this big, this 
fast without Dave’s amazing marketing skills and knowledge.”

Pretty high praise from a very sharp business owner… and I agree.

And, modesty aside, I have to say that this book is outstanding.

http://www.EntrepreneurProfit.comDave Dubeau, Troy White

In it Dave, myself and the 9 other Canadian expert marketers and 
business growth experts involved do what no other book I have seen
does… take you by the hand and show you exactly how to start from
 wherever you are in business and grow it FAST, even with a very small
budget.

And what I like the BEST is that everything we talk about in
 this book is proven to work here in Canada! None of the usual re-hashed stuff that “doesn’t quite work” here at home.

Get this complimentary book and…

* You’ll discover the “ONLY” 3 ways to grow your business (simplifies it doesn’t it?)

* You’ll learn how to double your profits in 90 days…or less.

* You will be able to quickly tell if your friendly advertising rep
 is ripping you off.

* You’ll find out the #1 way to make more money FAST from
 your existing customers.

* Never throw money away on wasted marketing again!

* Radically Reduce (or even Eliminate) Cold Calling Forever!

* Discover Dave’s #1 Money making marketing strategy, and
 how to put it to
use and much more….

So if you have been frustrated with the growth of your business,
sick of having to compete on price, or worried about making ends meet, I 
highly recommend that you grab a copy of the book now – and you 
can’t beat the price (GRATIS)…

http://www.EntrepreneurProfit.com

But don’t wait or think about it because Dave only has 83 copies 
available to give away and there are over six thousand three hundred 
business owners, entrepreneurs and independent professionals
 who will hear about this. (If you wait, your book will have to be on back-order for 2-3 months).

To Your Success, Profits and Ideal Lifestyle,

Troy White

PS: An important note on this book: The title says Money Making Marketing for Canadians… but the information applies to EVERYONE. There is no difference in how we grow businesses in Canada over the US, or Australia, or {insert your country here}. In the past 10 years I have written marketing campaigns for entrepreneurs all over the world – the EXACT same principles of marketing work everywhere.

Master it once and use it anywhere!

Here’s how… http://www.EntrepreneurProfit.com

Oct
05

Wacky Marketing from the field

One of the most creative industries for fun promotions?

…The sports industry.

And YES, it does apply to you.

No matter what field we are talking about (pun intended), the ideas behind these promotions could easily be changed to fit your own.

The sports marketing industry is very creative and they have to draw a lot of people out to their games… so their marketing had better be good!

Imagine if you had to get 10,000 people to pay you money every single week or month… what would you do?

Many with the marketing mindset aim for product launches and successful campaigns for single products. But what would you do if you had a weekly event to sell out that delivered pretty well the same experience?

Here are some great ideas that sports teams have used to get people through the gates, money in hand.
As you go through these, PLEASE start thinking about how you could make one or more of them work in your business.

I guarantee they could… if you try.

* The promotions could be for a sale.
* For a launch.
* For a fun event.
* For a customer appreciation party.
* Or just to get some free publicity.
* As a co-operative promotion with other like-minded businesses
* As a seminar or workshop
* As a theme party you throw for all the photos and videos you could use

Or any one of a hundred different reasons to get your customers and prospects interacting with you.

=========================
Wacky Marketing from the field
=========================

Bald head night: anyone who has their head shaved gets in for free.

Mustache Appreciation Night: Fresno Grizzlies fans were encouraged to grow mustaches. They also were incented to encourage their friends to contribute $ to a worthy cause as part of the promotion. Contests were also held for “best in show,” “best Tom Selleck look-alike,” and most pathetic attempt at a mustache. Great times – and great results.

Second Chance Night: Probation officers got in for free. As well as anyone who brought in a traffic ticket and promised to never do it again also got in for free.

Kevin Federline Night: The first 3,000 fans got free temporary K-Fed tattoos. They also got to watch videos of K-Feds rise through the ranks, and a dance contest between the dance troop to which Kevin Federline once belonged and the Grizzlies’
mascot.

The Hagerstown (Maryland) Suns had a McDreamy Day: Everyone was encouraged to dress the medical part… and to know their medical lingo to win prizes.

Or what about Anger management night – held by the Augusta
(Georgia) Green Jackets. One of their rival teams manager had a meltdown… so let’s turn it into a promotion! They offered the first 250 fans free stress balls and DVDs of the movie Anger Management.

[Look at all the new movies out and coming out on dvd - is there any way you can tie a promotion into the theme of the movie? The newest as of this week: 50/50, Money Ball, Abduction, Dolphin Tale, Lion King 3D, Courageous, Drive, Limelight, The Debt, to name just a few]

How can you go wrong with a Britney Spears promo? She certainly gives us all lots of great opportunity to make fun of her antics. The Newark (New Jersey) Bears held a Britney Spears Baby Safety Night. Anyone who dressed as a baby, brought a baby toy, or brought an actual baby got in for free. Everybody else that attended received a brochure about baby safety.

[NOTE: before you get uptight about how "hokey" or
"unprofessional" these events sound... remember how many TICKETS
they sold. Thousands and thousands of tickets sold per event.
They didn't worry about the "hokeyness" of the event... they
cared about the newsworthy parts of the promotion only. News and
buzz gets people talking about buying... these events did
everything you and I should be aiming for!]

The San Antonio Missions held a Used Car Night and gave away a dozen luxury used automobiles randomly.

Or how about the Southwest Michigan Devil Rays and their College Course Giveaway Night? Each fan received a free three-credit course of their choice at nearby Kellogg Community College.

The Charleston RiverDogs minor league baseball team is a master at using wacky promotions to get people in the seats. Some of their events: a Run, Forrest, Run 5-K Race; My Hot Dog Is Green Night and Salute to the G-string Night in which select fans will receive a G-string.

Get this… they even had a Vasectomy Night where a lucky male fan would win a vasectomy. That was canceled after management received complaints.

========================
Talk about getting some press!
========================

Or this: they even staged a Nobody Night, locking out fans at the door as the club attempted to set a minor league record for lowest attendance at a game.

Steal of a deal. Recessionary promotion gone wild with the Minnesota twins offering an entire season (81 games) for only $250. Comparable seats in New York go for $250 per seat – per game.

Hungry fans unite! The Athletics, Orioles, Rangers, Royals, Braves, Dodgers and Padres all have designated All-You-Can Eat sections for fans hungry to see more than a game. Ranging from $30 – $45 per person to eat their way through the game.

Musical fan fare. The Pirates have offered up REO Speedwagon and Collective Soul and the Marlins offer KC and the Sunshine Band. The Devil Rays have the most interesting series featuring The Commodores, Trace Adkins, Kool And The Gang, LL Cool J and MC Hammer. (could you not offer something like this in any of your promotions with lesser know artists?)

Luring them in. The Twins promotion department hooked some new fans by offering a Joe Mauer fishing lure. Only available to the first 5,000 fans, this was a run away winner.

==================================
How about some NON sports promotions?
==================================

What about the Beer-for-Bags event, which the company promoted that they would accept beer for merchandise. They grew their sales by 20% using this promotion (including all the free publicity they received as well). The company hopes to make

“Beer For Bags” an annual event, as it is in Australia.

Gonigam’s World Furniture Mall near Chicago offered customers up to $10,000 of free furniture if the Chicago Bears shut out the Green Bay Packers (which they did). The company had prize reimbursement insurance to cover their backs. They saw huge traffic growth to their site and an increasing amount of new sales to people who never bought from them before.

Long John Silver’s offered to give customers free “Giant Shrimp” if NASA found conclusive evidence of an ocean on Mars.

This is a great list you could use anytime you need a promotion.

====================
The key is to MAKE IT FIT.
====================

I realize 99% of those who read this blog are NOT in the sports marketing business. But… so what? Why can’t you put some time and effort into this list and find some ways to use these ideas?

Keep your eyes on the local news, industry news, Hollywood movies, strange trends, technology trends, and pretty well anything you see on the covers of the magazines like Star, National Enquirer, The Globe, etc (those are the ones the majority of the population reads… and you should be finding a way to tie into them!)

All it takes is some effort – and the results could be exceptional.

You won’t know until you try… right?

Thanks again.

To your success,

Troy White

PS: Speaking of Wacky Promotions… the new and MAJORLY improved
2012 Cash Flow Calendars is almost off the printing press. Wait and see
what we have in store for you this year! Thousands of wacky and creative
marketing ideas – many of them with done-for-you marketing campaigns
ALREADY WRITTEN.

If you can copy and paste, you can use these to grow your cash flow.

Watch for it. http://www.cashflowcalendars.com

PPS: One other plug for my favourite wacky guarantee and headline creator – Saddleback Leather.

They have a 100 YEAR guarantee on all their leather goods (they even tell you
to put it into your will). And they took a great quote from a customer and
turned it into one of the best headlines EVER….

…They will have to pry it from my cold dead hands as they
lower me into the ground.

Visual? yes. Intriguing – hell ya!

Check out Saddleback Leather – the PERFECT christmas gift for
those who have everything (and the perfect gift for your friend
and marketing idea generator… ME!

I gladly accept Saddleback Leather gifts :o )