Lady In Red Marketing – Shark Tank Blog – Spooky Marketing Tips

Hello Blog Readers – and all ships at sea:

When fall bursts into color, and the leaves are changing, you can’t beat the Northeast.  This is one of the most beautiful places to visit in the US.  I’m sure we have competition, but everyone should see it once in a lifetime.  My family took a drive around New England this weekend. After a long ride we found ourselves in Salem Massachusetts. Wow what a madhouse, but it was a great example of marketing. There were thousands of tourists there.

As Halloween approaches I’m sure you’re thinking of ideas how to scare up new business.   (Just to let you know I’m adding more Halloween puns and metaphors – I can’t help it – it’s just so much fun). My suggestion, follow the Salem example, and start some major buzz about yourself by embracing marketing for maximum return.

Rule#1 – Salem knows their target market inside and out.  Anyone who has an interest in Witches or the paranormal knows Salem.

Rule#2 – Timely promotions – October is their MAXIMUM exposure month.  I’m sure you know the buying cycles for your market.

Rule#3 – Highly visible promotions – Reaching a maximum audience they used Radio & TV advertising along with traditional Word of Mouth on social networks.

Today I’m thing about another hot technique for marketing –  writing monstrously good articles.

People trust the printed word. Yet most business owners won’t take advantage of writing blogs, articles or white-papers. One common fear is information would appear trite, irrelevant, or too self-serving.   Hypnotize yourself  and repeat after me “This as my opportunity to share what I know.”

Still wondering what to know what to write about? I’m here to give you the 5 magic formula questions of writing an article.

1) People are interested in learning what new trends are happening in your industry.
2) What questions does a prospect ask when they call you?
3) What questions are you asked in social situations about your industry?
4) What information does your family or friends ask you about your job or profession?
5) How is technology changing your line of work?

Write down everything that comes to mind in a notebook. Don’t throw anything out. This brainstorming will become your magic writing spellbook. The key to this exercise is open your mind, and let the creative thoughts flow to the paper. You’re channeling your inner spirit, so avoid censoring your thoughts.

Look over your brainstorming session – pick one big idea which jumps off the page. Write it onto the header of a piece of paper as a question. That question is your topic for your first article.

Next put together a quick outline indicating two or three points you want to cover. Your article will have an introduction, two paragraphs about the topic question, an external experts opinion and your conclusion. Remember in the conclusion make sure you indicate who you are, a link to your website, and how to contact you by phone or snail mail. That’s it!

Mirror, Mirror on the wall – hope this helps explain article writing once and for all…

If this hasn’t helped you can always call in the marketing experts. Using a company like mine will help you carve out a killer PR plan. We also help you find content for articles. You can hire a ghost writers to pen an article or two.

Now you know another big marketing secret. My favorite way to reach more customers, and improve your website ranking, is writing articles. Next blog post I’ll touch on a Thanksgiving theme. I’m not sure how well that will work out, but we will see. I’m thinking of carving up Turkey SEO ideas.

Until I blog again – have a good month, and market well.

Christine

About the author: Christine Vilmur Cavaliero is the owner of First Degree LLC .  With 20 years of consulting experience she writes and manages two websites decided to marketing consulting services – LadyInRedMarketing and BestSEOintown. Her company specializes in results oriented marketing services for small business owners.

Click on the envelope to email ChristineEmail me

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Lady In Red – October Shark Tank Blog – Lists & AIDA

Howdy all – we’re enjoying a rainy, windy night – hope the power stays on… So far so good

Thought I would talk about something related to customer conversations this week. Should I use mailing lists to promote my business service? Short answer – YES!

I remember back to my first marketing job selling mailing lists. I didn’t appreciate what I was holding in my hands. Really a mailing list is a legal money printing press. I should have paid closer attention, or read some of those direct mail proofs and mockups. It was marketing gold wrapped up in great copy. I didn’t realize what a goldmine selling “CPM Sweepstakes Yes” and “Ecofriendly Affluent buyers” would be. Mailing lists reach deep into the pockets of targeted hungry customers!

Next question I’m asked – how do I write a sales letter? First suggestion – call me. If that isn’t in the cards remember there are two different types of writers in business. People who breakout in a cold sweat when they have to write, and people who believe they can beat the best copywriter at their own game.

Here’s the big secret… you don’t need to be an excellent writer to be a great copywriter. The trick is to give your prospects something to salivate over, and offer them an ethical bribe within great copy! For people who write use AIDA (AIDA isn’t my girlfriend) – AIDA is a standard formula for writing marketing copy.

Attention – Grab your reader in the first few words. You only have 10 seconds to get them to read your email or letter. Attention starts right from the beginning: Jump off the page promises, controversial title of an article, the punch you in the face headline, or an awesome offer on the envelope. You are starting to get the picture of getting attention.

Interest – Keep your readers attention. Whether you’re writing an e-mail autoresponder series or a 20-page sales letter speak directly to your audience. Remember the term WIFFM – or what’s in it for me. Frame your text with the reader in mind. The best way to write is keep a mental image in your mind who you’re speaking to. What do they care about, what’s their pain, and how can you fix the problem.

Desire – You want to tap into a pool of white-hot burning desire. You want to tease, tempt and tantalize them. Leave them wanting what you offer. I hate to say it but you’re performing an old fashioned striptease when you write great copy.

Last A is Action – Tell them how to take action. Don’t write great copy, put together an irresistible offer. Just remember to ask for another date. This means give them 10 different ways to buy what you’re offering. The sooner the better on your call to action. Get them to purchase on the web.

I realize I just posted this but I wanted to add one more thing… Take away their objections. Give them a money-back guarantee. Take away all the fear of doing business with you. Of course you put yourself at risk, but if your business service is as good as you’ve promised you don’t have to worry about returns.

Remember good copy can overcome a lot of objections. Let me reiterate – don’t let direct marketing’s bad reputation spoil the party. People who hate direct mail don’t understand its power. They think direct mail is cheesy. They assume people will judge them as a blue suede shoe salesman running a second class business. Nothing is further from the truth – you are a smart business person. Bottom line – direct mail & direct website marketing works.

Until next time – keep those comments coming – I appreciate people reading the blog. If you have a copy project or need research for writing projects give us a ring.

All my best – Christine

Please check out my Search Engine and Social Marketing website


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Welcome to the Shark Tank

This is our first post – today was a beautiful day to enjoy the weather and get our website up and running. Thanks for everyone’s patience and we will post blogs more often. Thank you also to Christian for your hard work. We’re looking forward to getting some video and digital media work collaboration done.

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