A marketing friend recently shared with me that a health-oriented launch he ran, complete with videos, an email series, and lots of excitement…had been a huge disappointment.
Does that mean that launches don’t work?
Does that mean that videos don’t matter?
Does that mean that people think every email they receive is spam?
No, not at all.
But it can point to a very simple problem that many people have with their marketing. Here’s what I wrote in my email reply to him:
Dear Mr. X, <– not his real name!
With a promotion for a product like this (one that is very “nichey”) you should be filling the course.
One thought — How much of your promotional “real estate” did you spend talking about your customer, and how much did you spend talking about your product/service/theory/self?
“If you can understand and explain a person’s problem better than they can understand and explain it themselves, they’ll naturally assume you understand, know, and can provide the solution as well.” — Wyatt Woodsmall (paraphrased)
Most marketing problems are as simple as violating that rule.
-M
So let me ask you, my reader. How much of your own marketing is filled with references to you, your company, your product, or service?
On the other hand, how much is dedicated to talking about the prospect and his problems, issues, and concerns?
I’m proposing that you have a 4 to 1 ratio. That means 80% of what you write should be about your prospect/customer, and only 20% should be about you.
It’s a hard shift to make in your writing style, but one that will pay dividends.
I’m currently writing some copy for a Credit Card Merchant services website that I am building for a client. (I build websites for local businesses, in addition to my Internet Marketing work.) I’ve looked at other competing sites, and they are all about them — the company. They talk about how long they’ve been in business, how they guarantee 100% satisfaction, how they can get you the lowest rates…
Bla, Bla, Bla…
And not one of them talks about the challenges of applying for a merchant account for the first time, or what to do if you were declined by another merchant services company, or how the Visa and Mastercard businesses really work.
Not one.
So what have you done with your marketing? Is your copy more about you and your company? Or is it more about your prospect and his problems?
If you’ve been writing about you, make the change. Then let me know what happens.
I think you’ll discover that what Wyatt says is true.
To Your Success,
–Mark Widawer