Why do you do the things you do?
If you think you are in complete control of your everyday actions, you are unfortunately mistaken.
I'm not talking black helicopters and voodoo mind control here. I'm instead referring to subliminal influence. Every day, we are influenced by people who want you to move in their direction, whether figuratively or literally.
Today's election is a good example of that.
Here in California, Phil Angelides is running for Governor against Arnold Schwarzenegger. He's got a TV commercial where Angelides is walking among a few dozen cardboard cutouts of Schwarzenegger.
The cutouts are interesting, though.
1) They've reversed some of the images so they face the other way
2) They are black and white, not color
3) They are substantially shorter than Angelides.
Go see it now, and then race right back here. . .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sae314iu4bI
So what is the effect of these production decisions?
1) With the photos facing in opposite directions, it's hard to know which is the "real" Governor. That's doubt.
2) Black and white images, used in this way, show shallowness.
3) I'm not sure of their relative height, but I'm pretty certain Angelides is not 4 inches taller than Arnold. Their relative height implies Angelides' greater stature, power, and masculinity (whether actual or not).
And what about the music?
While Angelides talks about the Governor, the music sounds like something you'd hear in a murder mystery, as the soon-to-be victim is innocently walking down a dark hallway, only to go lights-out seconds later at the hands of the bad guy.
But the moment the contender begins talking about himself, the full orchestra joins in with a melody that makes me think of children running through a field of daisies, or the beautiful damsel being rescued by our Hero.
Happy days are here again.
What's the effect of all of this?
The ad is designed to make you feel bad about the Governor — scared, pensive, doubtful — and good about the Challenger, who must be strong, smart, powerful and an all around good egg.
Marketing messages are created like this, and fed to you without your conscious acknowledgement, every single day, hundreds of times each day. And like it or not, you are influenced by them.
It's just a part of doing business, living in a society, being a part of a family. . . in other words, it's just part of life.
The important thing is that when it comes to your website, you can use these kinds of tactics to your advantage, to your disadvantage, or not use them at all.
Which would you choose?
This month's Landing Page Cash Machine workshop is all about Subliminal Persuasion Tactics like these.
I'm still working on the Insider's Guide, but I expect to be done by Tuesday, November 14. I've updated the Workshop calendar, though, so members can see when their private consultations are, and when the Workshop teleseminar will be held.
To get immediate access to the Subliminal Tactics ebook once it is complete, you need to be a member of the Landing Page Cash MAchine Workshop. The best way to join the workshop is by getting the Premium edition of my Landing Page Cash Machine ebook. The Premium Edition comes with a three month Silver membership to the Workshop.
That means you'll immediately get the prior three Insider's Guides on SEO, Creating Bonuses, and how to make your site Googleicious. Plus, you get a companion teleseminar for each Insider's Guide, and a bunch of Free bonuses.
Go now to download your own copy of the Landing Page Cash Machine ebook, and get a big discount on the Workshop — and the subliminal guide — at the same time.
To Your Success,
–Mark