As any marketer or sales pro know, good selling is all about the rationalization. We build up prospects’ emotions, touch them, lead them, and then we help them rationalize whipping out the credit card.  The good news is that we, as human beings, rationalize often. To borrow from the film The Big Chill:

Michael: I don’t know anyone who could get through the day without two or three juicy rationalizations. They’re more important than sex.
Sam: Ah, come on. Nothing’s more important than sex.
Michael: Oh yeah? Ever gone a week without a rationalization?

And that’s where testimonials come in. We can make the prospect feel, we can make her want, but we cannot make her act–until she rationalizes the action.

That is the purpose of testimonials. They show your audience that other people have bought your product or service and were more than satisfied. Because these customers are unbiased sources with no vested interest in your widget, their opinion carries weight, and helps overcome the audience’s natural resistance. Testimonials help build your credibility, your ethos.

Imagine this situation:

You’re in an electronics store, looking at a new stereo system. You like the snazzy look, the high-end features, and it sounds pretty good—except that you’re surrounded by the noise of the store, other systems, other customers, the thunder of the Xbox demo two aisles over. It’s hard to tell whether that stereo will sound good in your home. And the price tag is $3,000.

As you stand there scratching your chin, another customer walks by, sees you and says, “I bought that stereo last year. It sounds absolutely amazing!”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I love it.”

That innocuous testimonial might be exactly what you needed to rationalize that purchase. You buy the stereo, take it home, and you love it, too.

A few simple sentences of praise from third parties are worth their weight in gold. Marketers disregard them at their peril. When was the last time you went a week without buying anything?

The Myers-Briggs Temperament Test is an increasingly popular way to identify what makes a person tick. The Myers-Briggs Test, originally developed in the 1950s, is now used worldwide to identify patterns of behavior and attitude. The expansion of the test’s popularity has been spurred in large part by Dr. David Keirsey, who refined and expanded the Myers-Briggs types in his books, Please Understand Me and Please Understand Me II.

Human temperament theory states the following: all individuals can be categorized as one of four basic personality types. These personality types can each be broken down into four sub-types based on introversion/extroversion and the person’s preferred role as leader/follower, but those sub-types are irrelevant to the core values of the main types. Each holds a specific core value–the thing that drives people of that type.

Artisan (Sensing Perceiving – SP). There are many Artisans, perhaps 35-40% of the population. Artisans want to be excited, stimulated, to make an impact on the world.  They trust their impulses and aspire to virtuosity in their chosen field.

Guardian (Sensing Judging – SJ). Guardians are the most common, making up roughly 40-45% of the population. They are concerned about their lives, families, communities, responsibilities. They trust authority and seek security and belonging.

Idealist (Intuitive Feeling – NF). Idealists are rare, making up no more than 8-10% of the population. They are enthusiastic and romantic, seeking self-discovery and recognition of their efforts. They help others, and in so doing walk the path to enlightenment.

Rational (Intuitive Thinking – NT). Rationals are even more scarce, comprising as little as 5-7% of the population. They are calm, collected, trusting their reason and intellectual capacity. They live their lives in search of knowledge, fascinated by the systems that drive the universe.

With this basic knowledge, a good copywriter can craft a message to appeal to  all these types, or even more specifically to those types most likely to be interested in the message. One can develop marketing messages to maximize impact on certain personality types, or include hooks to appeal broadly to all four. Most of the hooks that will work on a Guardian will not likely work on an Idealist, because each type is driven by different internal forces.

One general difference between the types is that Artisans and Guardians operate most comfortably, and respond most favorably, to concrete things, such as tools, results, real-world things. Idealists and Rationals, on the other hand, are more likely to respond to abstract things, such as holistic concepts or systems.

Your job as a marketer is to craft a compelling message, and human temperament theory can be an absolutely priceless tool in your inventory.

How do you visualize your target audience when crafting copy? Are you a Myers-Briggs fan? Do you use a different approach? Please share what works for you.

Source: Keirsey, David. Please Understand Me II: Temperament, Character, Intelligence. Del Mar: Prometheus Nemesis. 1998.

Any good copywriter knows how to capture and lead the audience’s wants and capitalize on its needs, and he knows how to help the audience justify assenting to the call to action. All persuasive writing, including marketing messages, asks the audience to agree and to act based on an endless variety of specific reasons.

For example, in a clothing store:

Retail Seller: You look amazing in this dress!

Customer: Really?

Retail Seller: Absolutely!  Add these shoes and you look like a model.

The sales pitch here goes like this: You should buy this outfit because it will make you look like a model.

The call to action is to buy the outfit. The reason is that the customer will look like a model.

But there is a third element here: the value judgment underlying the reason. It is the unstated assumption that the customer wants to look like a model, that for the customer looking like a model is a good thing.

But what if the customer is more concerned about cost than appearance? What if the customer wants to look like a skater chick?

If the audience does not share your message’s value judgment, your unstated assumption, then your message will fall flat, no matter how good the reasons.

This concept applies to all copywriting. You have to think about what value judgments you are asserting and whether your audience shares them.

Your persuasive writing can (and should) use a variety of reasons and unstated assumptions. However, if the unstated assumptions conflict, your message will contradict itself, and the audience will recognize this.

What if the sales pitch above continued…

Customer: But I’m not interested in looking like a model. I’d rather look more like a professional.

Retail Seller: This would be an excellent dress to wear to the office.

Customer: I said I want to look like a professional, not a “pro,” if you know what I mean.

The customer then shrugs and leaves, and that’s exactly what your audience will do if your underlying assumptions are inconsistent with themselves or with your audience’s.

Remember that the unstated assumption is a value judgment that says something is good, something is bad, something is worth doing, worth having. If you craft messages that share these values with your audience, your message will find fertile soil. Without them, your message will wither like trees planted in a desert.

How do you identify and test your underlying assumptions? Do you have any war – or success – stories to share?

Lift notes, also known as lift letters, are so-called because studies have shown that they can increase the response rate of a sales letter by as much as 50%.  But what is a lift note exactly?

A lift note is a short letter or note from someone other than the writer of the main sales letter—editor, director, expert, creator of the product, etc.  There are three powerful reasons why this is an effective tactic for increasing direct marketing response.

1. The lift note’s physical difference and separateness from the main letter are one more chance to grab the prospect’s attention.  It’s often short and less intimidating to read than a full letter.  The difference in style or voice can also appeal to different types of readers. Furthermore, a good lift note will usually offer benefits not described in the main letter, something special about the product or service, or a special, “personal” offer.
2. When the lift note gets the prospect’s attention, it can bring them into the main letter with positive feelings. Excitement, curiosity, peace of mind that the reader has already read your guarantee, testimonials, special benefits, etc. The lift note compartmentalizes the reader’s attention, similar to a text box. Its brevity is its greatest strength, in that many readers are more likely to read it carefully and hit all your high points.
3. A lift note can give an extra impetus for the reader to act after she reads the letter. It’s an extra opportunity for a call to action, one more perspective on why your product or service is essential for the reader. A lift note works even better if you can take the reader’s interest and build on it with tantalizing leads such as: “Read only if you’re still not convinced…” or “Would an expert’s assurance help you decide?”

A good lift note should do only one thing—whatever that might be—and do it well. Whether that’s offering a “hidden” benefit, “secret” information, or an expert testimonial, the lift note should add another dimension to the sales pitch, not summarize what’s already being said elsewhere.

Session 1: Optimizing Your Facebook Fan Page for Profits

Presenter: Mari Smith

Facebook dynamo Mari Smith first looked at why Facebook is an important social media marketing platform for many businesses:

• Facebook is the number 1 social network in the world.
• Facebook has 500 million “active” users (have logged on to Facebook in the past 30 days)
• Half of Facebook’s user log on to Facebook every day.
• 70% of Facebook users reside outside of the U.S.
• 68% of Facebook users surveyed say they are more likely to buy based on a positive referral from a Facebook friend.

Facebook Fan Pages vs. Facebook Groups

For most businesses, Facebook Fan pages are a better choice than Facebook Groups because:

• Facebook Groups can have unlimited members, but you can’t send messages to more than 5,000 members; Facebook Fan pages can have unlimited fans (those who “Like” the page) and there is no limit on the number of fans to whom you can send messages.
• Facebook Groups do not allow you to customize your content, whereas Facebook Fan pages do.
• Facebook Group content is not indexed by Google; Facebook Fan pages are fully indexed by Google.

The new Facebook Community pages are for causes, activities or interests; not for business. Facebook has created many Community pages based on the interests of Facebook users. If you create a Community page and it becomes very popular, Facebook can take it over, at which time you lose all control.

Main Session Takeaways:

1. You must have a Facebook personal profile or business account in order to create Fan pages.
2. Fan pages are highly customizable (except for the Wall and Info tabs) and each carries its own unique URL. Because of this, you can test which tabs would make the most effective Landing page.
3. You cannot change the name of a Facebook Fan page once it’s created, nor its category. However, you can delete an existing Fan page and create a new one with a new name in a different category.
4. You should always have a Fan page administrator other than yourself; You cannot remove an administrator the originating administrator once assigned, but you can add others. and remove additional administrators as needed.
5. You should develop a strategy before creating a Facebook Fan page that addresses: Your target market; your objectives; implementation strategies; agreement on the technology and tools you’ll use for executing your Fan page strategy; decisions on how to track and measure results.

This is one of two SMSS sessions that feature Mari Smith. A more advanced Facebook session will be held on May 20.

Session 2: 5 Ways to Measure Social Media Marketing Success

Presenter: Jason Falls

As more and more businesses plan to budget for and implement a social media marketing strategy, a common complaint is that social media efforts are difficult to measure in order to determine their corresponding ROI (return on investment). Not at all true, as Jason Falls demonstrated in this session.

In order to develop a social media strategy and best track its ROI, you need to first understand what social media can do for you. Jason put the benefits of social media marketing into five main buckets:

1. Aids in branding and awareness
2. Builds community
3. Provides customer service opportunities
4. Allows for/enables/enhances research and development and collaboration
5. Offers direct sales opportunities

Main Session Takeaways:

1. Once you understand what you want social media to do for your business, you need to develop multiple, singularly focused and measurable goals.
2. Once your social media goals are developed, you need to create clear objective statements for each goal that include your target audience, the level of attainment that will allow you to meet your goal (number of site visitors, number of fans, etc.) and a time frame in which that level of attainment needs to be achieved.
3. Then, you’ll need to develop strategies that will allow you to accomplish your objectives; make a tactical To-Do list for each strategy.
4. Track and analyze results.

Once you follow these steps you’ll have clearly defined ways in which you can measure your social media success.

Session 3: How a Chicago Pizza Franchise Used Social Media to Create Raving Customers (A Case Study)

Presenter:Ramon De Leon, franchise owner of 6 Chicago-area Domino’s Pizza stores

In this session, Ramon De Leon explained how he used a variety of online tools to promote his Domino’s Pizza stores before social media as we know it ever existed. He also told of how groups of college students promoted their local Domino’s Pizza stores before he even became aware of it. A very important part of his early strategy was to allow those students to download pictures of people enjoying Domino’s pizza at various events, with the Domino’s logo on each photo. As students posted the photos to their profiles, the chain became more popular.

I was not able to attend the full session due to prior commitments.

Social Media Success Summit – Index of Session Takeaways

Did you attend any of these sessions at the Social Media Success Summit 2010 (especially the Domino’s Pizza case study session)? If so, what were your takeaways. If not, what are your thoughts on Facebook fan pages and measuring social media ROI?

When people find out I have a business writing agency, they often smile and nod. Then, invariably they tell me about their wife, nephew, fourth cousin, etc., who’s “a good writer.”

What, exactly, does it mean to be a good writer?

Signs of writing competency

• Vivid storytelling abilities
• Creative, effective syntax
• Mastery of grammar
• Good organization skills
• Smooth transitions
• Strict attention to detail

All of the above technically show writing proficiency, although skilled writers may possess only some of these traits, and in varying degrees.

Also, sometimes a good writer is simply someone who enjoys the creative process and consistently produces a high volume of content. Or, it’s a person for whom words come easily when tasked with writing a memo, report or email. Again, the above attributes may, or may not, apply.

In evaluating professional writers, however, we use a different set of standards. And we encourage you to do the same.

What is your goal?

People hire professional writers for a variety of reasons. Often, it’s lack of time, not lack of skill, that drives the decision to bring in outside help. Other times, companies bring in experts who can complement their in-house resources.

When evaluating writing help, it’s not a matter of determining whether the prospective partner is a good writer. Even a great writer may not be a good fit, depending on the project needs.

Are you trying to…

• Generate qualified leads?
• Raise money through direct mail?
• Communicate online?
• Differentiate your organization?
• Position your executives as niche experts?
• Converse with your audience?

Different goals require different writing skills – typically beyond the basic traits described earlier.

Good writing may get your point across without embarrassing the firm. But effective writing can increase your bottom line.

Future posts will discuss the skills that Market It Write looks for when adding talent for specific types of projects. What criteria do you use for interviewing writers for different projects?

In this guest post by Guy Kawasaki on the LinkedIn blog, he points out that now there are over twelve million small-business people on LinkedIn, which is roughly 20 percent of its total user base.

The new post is a follow-on to his original post, Ten Ways to Use LinkedIn, now expanded to 13, which he wrote back in early 2007. (Seems like centuries ago, doesn’t it?)

In his latest LinkedIn post, Kawasaki discusses an additional 10 ways for businesses to use LinkedIn that were suggested to him directly by the folks at LinkedIn. Maybe you’ve already considered some of what Kawasaki suggests, or maybe you haven’t. In either case, the new list provides some good ideas for how to get the most of your company’s LinkedIn presence.

Interestingly enough, his original 2007 post mentioned that:

All 500 of the Fortune 500 are represented in LinkedIn. In fact, 499 of them are represented by director-level and above employees.

It just goes to show you that it’s not too late for many small and medium businesses to operate effectively in the social media marketing arena, as many of the “big guns” learned early on.

I tried to drag Uncle Jim to see The Lion King on Broadway. He wasn’t interested. He threw his beer can at me and said he’d rather watch the game.

My brother hates sushi. He says he’d rather eat worms.

My mom loves to cook. My dad can’t even locate the kitchen.

My point? People have different tastes… different interests. And there’s no way you can appeal to all of them. I’ll clarify. You can’t appeal to everyone. Get it?

If you try to, here’s a quick story about what happens:

Setting: Touristy beach town. Restaurants: Hundreds. And every one of them served a plethora of cuisines: Italian, Mexican, Indian, Greek, steaks, burgers, Chinese and more. As you might guess, NONE of their culinary attempts was very good. (Believe me, I tried everything.) By trying to offer everything to everybody, these restaurants ended up serving bland, uninspired, confused food. And I started shopping and cooking for myself.

6 Reasons Why “Everybody” Is Not Your Ideal Customer

1. When you try to satisfy “everybody,” you weaken your quality (e.g., the blandest paella I’ve ever had).
2. “Everybody” is fickle. You can’t possibly begin to guess what “everybody” wants. But you can guess what your ideal customer wants. If you know who they are, you know what they read, watch and listen to. You know what they need – and you know what compels them to buy. You know what keeps them coming back.
3. You can’t use specialized language with “everybody.”
4. You have to be broad to impress “everybody.” But by being broad, you turn people off. People know impersonal when they see it. People want to feel catered to, understood.
5. If you try to market to “everybody,” you could spend millions and get nowhere.
6. Loyal customers are deeply attracted and deeply connected. To make meaningful connections, you need insight. You can’t have insight into “everybody.”

Here’s the deal… No matter how hard I try, I’m never going to get Uncle Jim to see The Lion King, my brother to eat sushi, or my dad to cook. These things simply are not going to happen. So trying to market musical theatre, spicy tuna rolls or Tupperware to any of these people is simply a waste of time, energy and money.

Don’t waste your time, energy and money on trying to market to everybody. Everybody is not your audience.

Who is? Figure it out, and talk to them. Listen to them. Market to them.

If you need help pinpointing them, or speaking in their language, we can help. Contact us and start targeting your market.

My green miniskirt worked for me for when I was 25. I looked hot.

Not so much anymore. It’s too tight. Too short. And far too inappropriate to wear at 30.

Admit it. We all know those people who are still wearing clothes that worked for them five years ago. Big mistake.

Why make the same mistake for your company?

It doesn’t matter if your website or brochure content “used to work.” If it’s more than a few years old, chances are it doesn’t work anymore.Why? Because a few years make a huge difference.

Here are 5 reasons why old content won’t get you new customers:

• Your offerings have changed. Are you still providing the same exact products or services? Or have you adjusted them? Improved them? Gotten better at the way you offer them? Since your prospects can’t read your mind, it’s important to update your content and share how you’ve improved.
• Your knowledge has changed. You know more today about your products or services than you did yesterday, last week, and last year. And the more you know, the better you can connect with your customer.
• Your customers have changed. Are you serving the same customers that you were a few years ago? Probably not. And even if you are, they have evolved. Their needs, and their expectations, have changed. But if your content hasn’t, your appeal has likely worn off.
• Your insights into your customers have changed. New content will help you tap into your customers’ new mentality and connect with their new needs. They might be more budget-conscious or more environmentally in tune. If your old content doesn’t address their current needs, then it’s useless.
• People notice dated. You can’t fool me and tell me this gas station coffee was brewed five minutes ago. I can tell. In the same way, your prospects can tell that your content isn’t fresh. If it’s old and muddy, it’s not going to hook anybody.

So don’t let old, outdated copy represent who you are anymore. Don’t let your company be the one in the too-short, too-tight miniskirt.

Remember to keep your content fresh so you can attract, secure, and keep new customers.

Does your content suit your business today? Or is it still wearing a short green mini?

Multi-channel marketing uses a variety of avenues to expose potential customers to your business’s marketing message. Direct mail, advertising, catalogs, telephone sales, retail outlets, websites, e-mail, and more recently social media networks are all ways to reach customers, both new and returning. This has come to be known as “bricks, clicks, and flips,” with reference to brick and mortar locations, mouse clicks on websites, and flips through print materials such as catalogs.

But isn’t trying to cover all those bases expensive? More importantly, what might be the benefits?

Multi-channel marketing can be used for both B2B and B2C applications, it can be used by public or private organizations, and can be as complex as the organization chooses to make it. Generally, the more channels used, the better the results.

The biggest benefit is that MCM is efficient. The marketing messages are optimized for each channel and audience, but the message remains consistent, with a significant amount of creative overlap. Taglines, visual designs, premiums, etc. carry over easily from one medium to the next.

The next benefit is increased interaction with customers. All these possible channels give the organization more opportunities to attract customers to buy products and services. This increased interaction also builds the credibility of the organization’s brand. Customers are more likely to trust companies the more widespread they appear to be, and ubiquitous appearances across numerous channels build that trust. A company that advertises in print magazines, maintains an active website, sends direct mail, and operates brick and mortar stores has so many more chances to connect with customers than a company that uses only one channel.

Eddie Bauer, Cabela’s, and Omaha Steaks are excellent examples of companies that use multi-channel marketing. Brick and mortar stores, print catalogs, and e-commerce increase consumer awareness and provide multiple channels for consumers to access the companies’ products.