One night I was at my favorite local dive bar and there's this guy sitting next to me and he's trying to get something going with this girl and all he can talk about is himself. What he did today, what he's doing tomorrow, what kind of car he drives, what kind of sports he's good at.
In other words, he was giving her product information - features and benefits.
She was bored in about thirty seconds and started basically ignoring him a couple of minutes later.
He switched gears. "Can I buy you a drink?"
Another wuss. The neediness of the "Can I buy you a drink?" was palpable.
She looked down at the full glass in front of her and the expression on her face was priceless. You could see how exasperated she was with having to deal with yet another boring idiot with no clue.
"No thanks" as she picks up the full glass and shows it to him. She was visibly relieved when he walked away.
Are You That Guy?
If you think you're going to sell people with nothing but product information... think again.
As consumers, we're all that girl in the bar. We've all heard the same boring bullshit a million times.
Nobody really cares about product information. They may smile and nod politely as you ramble on, they might even let you buy them a drink. But trust me, you're not taking her home with features and benefits.
This whole how to pickup girls thing isn't just a metaphor. It's what's really going on.
As a marketer, whether you like it or not, whether you believe it or not, you are the guy at the bar and the visitors to your site are the girl. The exact same social dynamics are going on. Exactly the same - even if all the visitors to your site are men.
So, how to pickup girls?
The first step is to realize that it's not a talent, it's a skill. It's not secret knowledge, it's not something mysterious. It's something anyone can learn and do.
But all skills require study and practice. The cool thing about practicing the marketing game is that the rejections aren't as in your face as they are at the bar.
But never forget that the social dynamics are the same. It doesn't matter what your gender is, if you're trying to sell something, then you're trying to pickup girls.
If selling as social dynamics is new to you, here are two places to get you started:
Rules of The Game by Neil Strauss - This really is a How to Pickup Girls book, but you can read it from a marketer's point of view (frame), focus on the social dynamics and really get a lot of solid information that you can transfer directly to your salesmanship.
And of course, the new mother of all selling as social dynamics books:
Pitch Anything by Oren Klaff - If you haven't read this one yet, you're really missing the boat.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
The Challenge Manifesto
New in The Challenge for 2011 is The Challenge Manifesto.
This a written guide that accompanies The Challenge training and expands on the ideas presented in each Module.
Personally, I think the best way to do The Challenge is by using The Manifesto as your starting point, and ending point, for each lesson. Start with the relevant section in The Manifesto - this will give you a head's up for that day's training and will help you get more out of the video because you'll know where it's going and what you need to be learning from it.
After you've finished the day's videos, go back to The Manifesto and review the section again to make sure you've learned what was meant to be learned for that day and then go on to your action steps.
The Challenge Manifesto should be your every day companion to The Challenge Training.
This a written guide that accompanies The Challenge training and expands on the ideas presented in each Module.
Personally, I think the best way to do The Challenge is by using The Manifesto as your starting point, and ending point, for each lesson. Start with the relevant section in The Manifesto - this will give you a head's up for that day's training and will help you get more out of the video because you'll know where it's going and what you need to be learning from it.
After you've finished the day's videos, go back to The Manifesto and review the section again to make sure you've learned what was meant to be learned for that day and then go on to your action steps.
The Challenge Manifesto should be your every day companion to The Challenge Training.
Friday, September 9, 2011
How to Create Engaging Content
I think in the beginning of your quest for great content, the most helpful thing is to get into an engagement mindset and start looking at your everyday life in terms of engagement. When something "catches" you in some way, ask yourself why.
As for specifics, you can start by identifying the market leaders in your niche and watching carefully how they're doing it. You can identify market leaders in many ways. You can see who is getting the most re-tweets in your market and you can analyse the tweets themselves to find out why that particular message is getting attention. You can read forums in your niche and see who is delivering good stuff and who is just babbling. You start to follow the leaders.
You can ask. For example, in this forum you could say something like, "I'm new to internet marketing and I don't know who the real movers and shakers are. Besides The Challenge team, can you suggest some people I should be following on Twitter? People who you follow and who you think really know their stuff or have an interesting point of view, or are really good at digging up good stuff."
You can search blogs in your niche and see which posts get the most comments and try to figure out why. You can see who is making the most engaging comments and start to follow them.
You can search press releases and news stories for clues about who is the most active in your market. You can look for good stuff in RSS feeds via Google Reader and see where it is coming from and who is saying it. Again, if it grabs you or it grabs a lot of other people, ask yourself why and try to use the same principals.
Think about "popularity" in terms of engagement. Why was Britney Spears the most popular search on Google for so many years? It's because people love gossip. People love to know what other people are doing. Tell people about the features and benefits of purple widgets and nobody cares. Tell a story about how your love of purple widgets got you a raise, or almost got you fired, or best of all, got you a date with Britney Spears and then you're on the road to engagement.
Think about how popular the word "New" is in advertising. New is a popular word in advertising because human beings are curious by nature. If something is "new" or "fresh" or even just different, we want to know about it. Offering a new point of view can be very engaging. Spotting new trends in the market place and letting people know about them can be engaging.
Another thing people love is to be social. To feel included. To let people know, "I'm like you" is engaging. To validate people's feelings is engaging because it creates rapport and trust. Speaking to people's emotions at the same time as speaking to their intellect is engaging.
Humor is monumentally engaging.
So this whole "engagement" deal is all around you and that's why developing the mindset of looking for it is so useful. And when you couple that with examples of the most engaging content being created in your market right now, then you've got a solid base to build on.
When it comes to creating content, I never start with a blank page.
As for specifics, you can start by identifying the market leaders in your niche and watching carefully how they're doing it. You can identify market leaders in many ways. You can see who is getting the most re-tweets in your market and you can analyse the tweets themselves to find out why that particular message is getting attention. You can read forums in your niche and see who is delivering good stuff and who is just babbling. You start to follow the leaders.
You can ask. For example, in this forum you could say something like, "I'm new to internet marketing and I don't know who the real movers and shakers are. Besides The Challenge team, can you suggest some people I should be following on Twitter? People who you follow and who you think really know their stuff or have an interesting point of view, or are really good at digging up good stuff."
You can search blogs in your niche and see which posts get the most comments and try to figure out why. You can see who is making the most engaging comments and start to follow them.
You can search press releases and news stories for clues about who is the most active in your market. You can look for good stuff in RSS feeds via Google Reader and see where it is coming from and who is saying it. Again, if it grabs you or it grabs a lot of other people, ask yourself why and try to use the same principals.
Think about "popularity" in terms of engagement. Why was Britney Spears the most popular search on Google for so many years? It's because people love gossip. People love to know what other people are doing. Tell people about the features and benefits of purple widgets and nobody cares. Tell a story about how your love of purple widgets got you a raise, or almost got you fired, or best of all, got you a date with Britney Spears and then you're on the road to engagement.
Think about how popular the word "New" is in advertising. New is a popular word in advertising because human beings are curious by nature. If something is "new" or "fresh" or even just different, we want to know about it. Offering a new point of view can be very engaging. Spotting new trends in the market place and letting people know about them can be engaging.
Another thing people love is to be social. To feel included. To let people know, "I'm like you" is engaging. To validate people's feelings is engaging because it creates rapport and trust. Speaking to people's emotions at the same time as speaking to their intellect is engaging.
Humor is monumentally engaging.
So this whole "engagement" deal is all around you and that's why developing the mindset of looking for it is so useful. And when you couple that with examples of the most engaging content being created in your market right now, then you've got a solid base to build on.
When it comes to creating content, I never start with a blank page.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
The Challenge 2011 is Finally Here!
Wow, the new materials went up on Sept. 1st and once again, I am blown away by all the great information provided by Ed and The Challenge team.
I've been watching videos like crazy and trying to deal with all the new people in the forums, but I hope to soon start reviewing the whole course from beginning to end.
I will, as usual, be posting what I think are particularly important ideas that come up in the forums and so here we go again!
I've been watching videos like crazy and trying to deal with all the new people in the forums, but I hope to soon start reviewing the whole course from beginning to end.
I will, as usual, be posting what I think are particularly important ideas that come up in the forums and so here we go again!
Saturday, August 27, 2011
How I Get the Most From Training Videos
As a student of marketing, I end up watching a lot of training videos and I've developed a system for making sure I get the most from them.
My problem with video is that like all of us, I grew up watching television and so I expect video to be entertaining. And let's face it, most training videos are not entertaining in the traditional sense.
So I had to find a way to avoid the "tuning out" that can easily happen when you're watching a training video, especially those that are mostly just talk.
Here is my system and I'd love to hear your tips as well!
Watch it through the first time, with no interruptions, just to enjoy the show and to just absorb. Don't worry if it seems like important details are whizzing by, you know you're going to come back again. I always have those "I need to write this down" moments as well, but resist the temptation and let it go - remain focused on drinking it all in.
At The Challenge, Ed tries to keep the videos to manageable lengths, but some videos will simply be too long to comfortably view in one sitting, so go ahead and hit the Pause button and get up and stretch your legs. It is important that you take your break away from the computer!
Do not switch to email or some other time sucking task on the computer. Get up and putter around the house a bit and then sit back down to finish the video.
After you've finished, go wash the cat or do some other non-challenging task to clear your head.
The Second Time is for Strategic Planning
This is when I take notes. I generally write down two kinds of things; key points and action steps.
One of the biggest problems with training videos is thinking that you've "got it" just because you understand what is being said. The way you know you've really got it is when you can apply the generalities to the specifics and can also see how the specifics can inform you about the generalities.
In other words, the training video may be about writing effective email messages, but the larger lesson is basic communication skills that can also apply to blog posts and even telephone conversations with your mom.
So in the second watching of the video, take notes on those key points and think about how they might apply to other facets of your business. Don't be afraid to pause the video often in order to give yourself time to take complete and coherent notes. Write down everything that seems important at all. You'll edit them later, so for now, just grab.
I'm also taking notes on action points. Be sure that you don't gloss over something just because it seems obvious at the moment. You want your notes to remind you of all the essentials no matter how long it has been since you watched the video.
Once you've been through the video and created all your notes, it is time to organize them into an action plan.
Generally, there will be one central idea to a training video and that idea is either going to apply to a particular project or to all of your projects. So how you take action is going to be determined by the nature of the information, but it is vital that you write it down. We all have our "to do" lists and I also have lots of notes stored in a "do it better" file that I keep for assorted tips. Plus, I always find a way to take immediate action in some way. "How can I do this right now?"
There is no point in training if you never put it into action, so watch the video and get the big picture, then watch it again and take notes. Then organize those notes into an outline for action and then take your new knowledge and understanding, put them into action and kick some butt!
My problem with video is that like all of us, I grew up watching television and so I expect video to be entertaining. And let's face it, most training videos are not entertaining in the traditional sense.
So I had to find a way to avoid the "tuning out" that can easily happen when you're watching a training video, especially those that are mostly just talk.
Here is my system and I'd love to hear your tips as well!
Watch it through the first time, with no interruptions, just to enjoy the show and to just absorb. Don't worry if it seems like important details are whizzing by, you know you're going to come back again. I always have those "I need to write this down" moments as well, but resist the temptation and let it go - remain focused on drinking it all in.
At The Challenge, Ed tries to keep the videos to manageable lengths, but some videos will simply be too long to comfortably view in one sitting, so go ahead and hit the Pause button and get up and stretch your legs. It is important that you take your break away from the computer!
Do not switch to email or some other time sucking task on the computer. Get up and putter around the house a bit and then sit back down to finish the video.
After you've finished, go wash the cat or do some other non-challenging task to clear your head.
The Second Time is for Strategic Planning
This is when I take notes. I generally write down two kinds of things; key points and action steps.
One of the biggest problems with training videos is thinking that you've "got it" just because you understand what is being said. The way you know you've really got it is when you can apply the generalities to the specifics and can also see how the specifics can inform you about the generalities.
In other words, the training video may be about writing effective email messages, but the larger lesson is basic communication skills that can also apply to blog posts and even telephone conversations with your mom.
So in the second watching of the video, take notes on those key points and think about how they might apply to other facets of your business. Don't be afraid to pause the video often in order to give yourself time to take complete and coherent notes. Write down everything that seems important at all. You'll edit them later, so for now, just grab.
I'm also taking notes on action points. Be sure that you don't gloss over something just because it seems obvious at the moment. You want your notes to remind you of all the essentials no matter how long it has been since you watched the video.
Once you've been through the video and created all your notes, it is time to organize them into an action plan.
Generally, there will be one central idea to a training video and that idea is either going to apply to a particular project or to all of your projects. So how you take action is going to be determined by the nature of the information, but it is vital that you write it down. We all have our "to do" lists and I also have lots of notes stored in a "do it better" file that I keep for assorted tips. Plus, I always find a way to take immediate action in some way. "How can I do this right now?"
There is no point in training if you never put it into action, so watch the video and get the big picture, then watch it again and take notes. Then organize those notes into an outline for action and then take your new knowledge and understanding, put them into action and kick some butt!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Are you worth listening to?
I had an art professor once who said, "Learning to draw is like learning to speak a foreign language. But never forget that it's one thing to know the language and quite another to have something worth saying."
He was saying that drawing isn't just a skill; it's a form of expression. And the real point is to say something with your art. To say something worth listening to.
And so it is with the content we create as marketers. The point isn't to just put up some content. The point is to say something worth listening to.
OK, so that sounds good as a goal, but how to do I go about making sure that I'm creating content that is worth listening to? How do I achieve the goal?
Not surprisingly, Google has already figured this out. Here's what they say:
Engagement refers to the attention other people pay to your published content, like blog posts, news & articles. They see and read a post, and then because it’s interesting, inspiring, or controversial, they get “hooked” and decide to take further action.
Getting hooked and acting on it when you read something that makes you think, laugh, or get angry is engagement. The actions that people then take are called engagement events.
So there it is. You know you're creating content that matters, you know you're saying something worth listening to when people "get hooked and take further action."
At least that's how Google is going to judge you.
This is something you need to understand and act on. It's all right here: What is Engagement?
I know that creating great content is something that most people new to marketing seriously struggle with. It's frustrating. But never forget that it's nothing more than a skill. It's like learning to play tennis. With practice and perseverance, anyone can do it. And luckily for all of us, we know a guy who teaches that skill.
Content is everything. Do whatever it takes to make sure you're creating content that is worth listening to.
He was saying that drawing isn't just a skill; it's a form of expression. And the real point is to say something with your art. To say something worth listening to.
And so it is with the content we create as marketers. The point isn't to just put up some content. The point is to say something worth listening to.
OK, so that sounds good as a goal, but how to do I go about making sure that I'm creating content that is worth listening to? How do I achieve the goal?
Not surprisingly, Google has already figured this out. Here's what they say:
Engagement refers to the attention other people pay to your published content, like blog posts, news & articles. They see and read a post, and then because it’s interesting, inspiring, or controversial, they get “hooked” and decide to take further action.
Getting hooked and acting on it when you read something that makes you think, laugh, or get angry is engagement. The actions that people then take are called engagement events.
So there it is. You know you're creating content that matters, you know you're saying something worth listening to when people "get hooked and take further action."
At least that's how Google is going to judge you.
This is something you need to understand and act on. It's all right here: What is Engagement?
I know that creating great content is something that most people new to marketing seriously struggle with. It's frustrating. But never forget that it's nothing more than a skill. It's like learning to play tennis. With practice and perseverance, anyone can do it. And luckily for all of us, we know a guy who teaches that skill.
Content is everything. Do whatever it takes to make sure you're creating content that is worth listening to.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Easy SEO - Your About Me Page Matters
In this new age of Authorship, it is more important than ever to have a great "About Me" page on your site.
Many people new to marketing tend to shy away from doing much with this page, if they bother to do one at all, but that just doesn't fly these days and so I've scoured the web and I've assembled the best tips and ideas for creating the perfect "About Me" page for market leadership.
Be Real
The overriding principal is always to be yourself. Never try to present yourself as something you're not. There's no shame in calling yourself an "enthusiast" or "a fan of" or a "follower of." The fact that you like something enough to build a website about it is proof enough of your "fan" status. Take as far from there as is true.
I Never Forget A Face
Include a photograph. Preferably a smiling head shot of you. If you feel compelled to use someone else's face, be sure it is one you own the rights to use commercially.
Can We Have a Story, Please?
Human brains are hard wired for stories. We all love a good story. It's simply a part of being human, so give people what they want and tell them a story. Tell them why you care about the subject of your site and what problem you hope to solve. Make it as personal as possible.
What Was Your Name, Again?
You need to have a reason that you stand out from the crowd in some way. What makes you different? Have an opinion in your market and express it. Mouth off. Tell people straight up why they should listen to you. It really doesn't have to be anything more than "I'm going to do my best to always find the truth and bring it to you here." This isn't rocket science.
I'm So Glad We Had This Chat
Be welcoming and invite people to contact you. Use your email address as a link to your Contact Me page.
I would also suggest that you check out as many "About Me" pages than you can find. Here are some to get you started:
30 Beautifully Designed About Us Pages
Make A Great About Me Page
Onward and upward!
Many people new to marketing tend to shy away from doing much with this page, if they bother to do one at all, but that just doesn't fly these days and so I've scoured the web and I've assembled the best tips and ideas for creating the perfect "About Me" page for market leadership.
Be Real
The overriding principal is always to be yourself. Never try to present yourself as something you're not. There's no shame in calling yourself an "enthusiast" or "a fan of" or a "follower of." The fact that you like something enough to build a website about it is proof enough of your "fan" status. Take as far from there as is true.
I Never Forget A Face
Include a photograph. Preferably a smiling head shot of you. If you feel compelled to use someone else's face, be sure it is one you own the rights to use commercially.
Can We Have a Story, Please?
Human brains are hard wired for stories. We all love a good story. It's simply a part of being human, so give people what they want and tell them a story. Tell them why you care about the subject of your site and what problem you hope to solve. Make it as personal as possible.
What Was Your Name, Again?
You need to have a reason that you stand out from the crowd in some way. What makes you different? Have an opinion in your market and express it. Mouth off. Tell people straight up why they should listen to you. It really doesn't have to be anything more than "I'm going to do my best to always find the truth and bring it to you here." This isn't rocket science.
I'm So Glad We Had This Chat
Be welcoming and invite people to contact you. Use your email address as a link to your Contact Me page.
I would also suggest that you check out as many "About Me" pages than you can find. Here are some to get you started:
30 Beautifully Designed About Us Pages
Make A Great About Me Page
Onward and upward!
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