Current Events

September 22nd, 2006

Are you using current events in your marketing? If you’re like most, you are not, and missing out on a big opportunity.

As you may know, all marketing that you see from the big agencies (in mainstream TV and print) is designed to first and foremost get your attention.

We all operate in the “alpha” level, and the point of this advertising is to get you into “beta” level which is where you are conciously aware of what’s going on around you.

Most people I talk to do not believe it, however, we ALL operate in alpha level the majority of the time. Alpha level is a state where you are not 100% conscious of what’s going on around you. The perfect example of this is when you are doing something you do often and you don’t recognize things around you. For example, if you are part of the (unfortunate?) group of people who drive into work every morning, you may have an easy drive and not “see” a thing on the way into the office.

This is the perfect example of operating in the “alpha” level. Beta level, on the other hand, is like driving to the office during a snowstorm on extremely difficult terrain.

In that case, you are definitely aware of what’s going on around you.

And that’s exactly what your typical ad agency advertising is designed to do, get you into beta level so you are aware of the message they are trying to convey.

The problem, of course, is their message sucks and 9 times out of 10 they don’t even have a point to their advertising.

Usually it goes something like this:

Buy from me because I am funny
Buy from me because I am creative
Buy from me because I am cute
Buy from me because I made you laugh

Etc etc etc

There’s also a “brand recognition” element here that I am not even going to bother to address. It’s pointless because it’s non quantifiable and a bunch of BS that ad execs will sell to their lesser informed clients.

Ahh…but I digress.

So, on to my main point for writing this article- when you use current events in your marketing, and tie them into your product/service/information, then you are able to get your prospects into “beta” mode and THEN make them an appropriate offer.

For example, when the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers made headlines about crashing his motorbike (WITHOUT A HELMET ON), I noticed several sharp marketers use that story as means to get their product offering out there…

The communication went something like this…

Matt, don’t be like Ben Roethlesberger (the steelers quarterback for those of you who don’t care much about American football)

And then the pitch was something like “Ben knew he shouldn’t ride without a helmet, but he did anyway, and now he’s paying the price” type thing. Then, naturally, the letter asked why you didn’t invest in the coaching club, product, service etc even though you KNOW it’s the right thing for you and you need it, etc etc.

Here’s the point:

Use current events to get your prospects into beta mode. It’s free, you won’t have to hire a celebrity, and depending on your creative ability, you will be able tie these events in quite nicely with your product.

And if you follow my suggested guidelines for time tested marketing principles, you will be able to ride the coattails of these events quite nicely.

That’s all for now…

Matt

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It’s NOT Your Fault

September 4th, 2006

I am writing my first blog entry from Warsaw, Poland today where I am traveling throughout Europe with my Fiancee, Debbie.

It’s interesting the type of response I receive from folks who have learned of my “move” out here (although it’s more of a working vacation since I will be back in Chicago for 3 weeks here and there quite often).

Most people are just pure floored that I’ve taken my business over here- not to mention their thoughts on “how far” it is and just how much I removed from the daily news going on in the states.

Well, I still have my Fox News, so I am NOT that removed from things- even though The O’Reilly Factor does come on at 2 AM local time…

Nevertheless, it brings up an interesting point I wanted to make regarding the media and advertisers in the U.S., because if you DON’T use this in your marketing you are really missing the boat big time.

An important point to take to heart…

It’s what I call the “It’s Not Your Fault” concept.

When conducting marketing campaigns, you should NEVER be the one to tell your prospect that the problem they face is their fault!

This may seem obvious, but just the mere fact of NOT 100% stressing to them that it’s not their fault that they are overweight, depressed, broke, lonely, (whatever a problem your product solves) is a major mistake most advertisers make in their marketing online.

The idea is simply this- if most traditional media is telling your prospects that “it’s not their fault” for whatever problematic situation they find themselves in, then you DON’T want to be the person who is saying it IS their fault (or even implying it by not driving it home as well in your online marketing!).

That may seem like a reach to some, but I can tell you this is a very powerful motivator when it comes to your prospects making a buying decision.

As human beings we love to lie to ourselves, blame others and other circumstances “beyond our control” for our misfortunes. Whether it’s true or not is another story. However, when marketing your product, this posture has to be part of your presentation, otherwise you are likely to alienate a good portion of your prospective audience.

That’s all for now.

Matt

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