Posts Tagged ‘howto’
3 Ways Compelling Content is Like an Infomercial
11
Nov
Click here: Compelling Content Can Be Used to Your Best Biz Advantage
Compelling content is presented with the intention of eliciting a specific action. If the content is indeed compelling, that action or a choice from suggested actions, is taken.
Those actions may be: “Read more…” ‘Click here’ “For More information…” ‘Click here for details and to purchase’ “Buy Now” — and literally hundreds, if not thousands of possible combinations and recommended statements that call for action. “Success” is measured by the actions taken — or not.
Copy may be written and presented in a number of ways: in long-copy style, or as short as a display ad, pay-per-click linked text, to name just a few. Compelling content comes in many forms and formats. It doesn’t have to be presented only in written form, but audio (as in radio), as well as video (television, YouTube, etc.). Media choices abound today. Keeping in mind the item or idea to be presented, should dictate media selection. Some products require a demonstration, so video is a must. While video is a powerful medium, a crisp photograph or representation of the item may be sufficient to give the reader a clear understanding about the featured product.
In this piece, I am referring to “compelling content” versus ‘copy,’ because I really do mean the whole presentation or production as a persuasive medium. Through careful integration of all of the right elements of copy (and word choice), visual representation (photo or video), and audio or text presentation (idea, concept, selling point explained), the content may compel folks to take action — hopefully as intended, and not switching channels (literally or virtually). Much can be said about both compelling copy and content, and lots has been written about how-to apply it. Here, I am offering a simple dissection, as an overview…
Compelling content consists of 3 parts:
- Introduction of an idea, concept or recognized need. Usually, the presentation is based off a recognized problem that requires a solution to address it. By attracting attention, this draws interested audience members into the presentation, with some desire to explore how this challenge they have can be solved. At this point, they are willing to invest a moment to begin checking that out.
- Explanation, demonstration and how-to use or apply the idea, product, or system, to address the established need. Once the audience believes the spokesperson, presenter, or writer is on the same page as they are — or somewhat, realistically — they are more receptive to the message. This does not necessarily mean they are totally sold, but open to learning more.
- Making an enticing offer, that allows those folks who are ready to take action and solve their challenge now, obtain the solution to help them. This offer may be attractive because of a special offer, a bundled offer with related or extra products, special bonuses, other items, services or perks that add value to the purchase.
These are 3 essential components of compelling content that present, explain and promote ideas, products, and services. While these components are necessary, the presentation must be also provide an enticement for anyone to spend the time to read, view or hear the information, enduring it to then eventual pitch. This enticement is not just the Old School Promise of a great BONUS for those who listen to the end, or click through. People are savvy, increasingly guarding their time and actions online, so your content needs to draw them in by providing great information, if at all possible be entertaining, and for sure to be well presented. It will need to grab them from the start — or they’ll click, change channels, and be gone forever.
Not to oversimplify, BUT: The perfect blend of the 3 essential components, combined with an enticing presentation, written in a concisely straighforward fashion, will be compelling as long as the featured offer and item are seen as possible solutions, of recognizable quality, offered with a good price-value relationship, and the whole deal seems credible.
That is why I think a classic example of “compelling content” is infomercials! Think about it…
BTW — Actor John O’Hurley Hosts “25 Most Memorable Infomercials Ever,” a one-hour special airing Sunday, November 13 at 9:00 PM ET on TV Guide Network, includes the gamut of infomercial memorables from the Magic Bullet® to The Clapper®, TV Guide Network stays up after hours to review the most successful infomercials that have contributed to the billion dollar industry.
I often write about Media and Communications! If you enjoyed this, sign-up to receive more Biz Tips in your email by clicking this linked text (here)
About the author: Becky Cortino provides Content-driven Marketing Strategies and Professional Business Services via Express-It Media Fusion as an Integrated Marketing Communications Adviser specializing in Branding, Communications Design and Media, especially for Business Owners and Independent Professionals ready to make an impact, and maximize the return on their marketing efforts.
Background Experience Includes: Work in the International and Domestic Markets, Major Market advertising agencies experience, including BBDO. Professional, Commercial Experience in All Media. Founder of Marketing Communications Services (1982), a marketing-PR consultancy, offering clients an extensive background in all areas of marketing and sales, with a diverse client base, services ranged from local, statewide, national and international in scope, and nominated for the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year Award. Becky has received numerous other awards and recognitions, including Small Business Administration Small Business Institute Award (for consulting).
More about Compelling Content: Content Marketing can be Used to Your Best Biz Advantage – Biz Tips With Becky Cortino
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YouTube LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGhHwyCYQqE
Joint Venture Partnership Power Tips
17
Oct
Click here for: Joint Ventures are Powerful Partnerships on Biz Tips with Becky Cortino
Applied correctly, Joint Ventures are powerful partnerships. Even experienced marketers make mistakes. Here are some JV Partnership Power Tips to keep you on the mark for a successful joint venture effort:
1) Know your prospective JV Partner well enough to determine (before contacting them directly to inquire if they are interested):
- What they bring to the table. Do they have a specific product, skill set, or service that relates, and could add to your campaign or idea?
- If necessary, do they have the capability and willingness to put something special together for your project, that aligns with your vision?
Tip: Research and determine before contacting a potential JV partner; then verify specifically. Establishing details and parameters of a JV Partnership should be firmly cemented in the initial conversation, so everyone has a totally clear picture of expectations, involvement and delivery. Only then can a JV effort successfully proceed.
2) Know your prospective Joint Venture Partner’s networking and presentation style, to determine:
- If it is a “fit” for what you have in mind.
- If their joining you in this effort will be mutually beneficial. It is always a 2-way street.
Tip: Everyone works differently. Don’t assume someone works within their network exactly as you do in yours.
3) Understand your prospective JV Partner’s way of doing business, to determine:
- If what you’re looking for or asking might even be considered as ‘possible,’ based on their own work and communication style. A “system” that works for one doesn’t necessarily work for all others.
- If the involvement is in keeping with their network — not everyone ‘hard sells,’ and their approach may well be vastly different from yours.
Tip: ‘Different’ is not a detractor, as long as you and your JV Partner can collaborate, playing to and on each others’ strengths and differences. Differences can add dimension to what is offered, reaching more people. Finding a “clone” assures overlaps with potential conflict, probably yielding less-than positive results.
4) Just because someone has established an extended network, enjoys a healthy level of engagement, and is well-seated in what you perceive to be “your target market,” does not guarantee success. This harks back to the premise that ‘if you think everyone is your market — no one is your market,’ because that is an impossibility.
- Every network is different, and is shaped by the unique connections within that framework.
- Your prospective JV Partner may not be able to “deliver” the numbers you are looking for, but the quality of their relationships may well be better than most, with higher results for the effort return ratio.
Tip: This is something to consider, in addition to reviewing your goals for the effort. It may give you an opportunity to expand your network, and introduce some new ideas or a product to your partner’s sphere, that they can also profit from.
Once again, it all gets back to the relationship, doesn’t it? Knowing your potential JV Partner, how they do business, their presentation style and network. The bottomline success of a Joint Venture is based on your prospective partner’s relationship not only with you, but also within their network.
I have seen folks literally jump into the middle of setting up a Joint Venture, based on assumptions they have drawn from inadequate and incorrect information about a potential partner. This ill-fated effort is further doomed for failure, when all expectations are not fully explained at the outset. There is nothing like the experience of letting your JV Partner know you need a coordinating product valued at a minimum of $100, just a week before the launch, and they have to develop something to meet your expectations!
When this occurs, it’s apparent the person suggesting the JV opportunity has not carefully considered those they are partnering with, nor thought the effort through, and in no way is taking their JV partner into consideration — only as an end to a means for their own benefit. With careful consideration and planning, these types of situations can be avoided. Mistakes can happen, but it is detrimental to reputation and business should there be any impression of sloppiness or lack of concern for JV partners. It will eventually leak out.
Keeping in mind a Joint Venture is a partnership, treat your JV associate like a partner — because they in fact are. Without their involvement, you have no “JV.”
I do speak from experience, because I have spent many years of my career putting together highly successful Joint Venture Partnerships, JV efforts, co-promotional commercial campaigns at the national and international levels, with recognized companies and brands, as well as with well-known individuals. I hope these Joint Venture Partnership Power Tips are helpful and serve you well.
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Epic Legacy: Things Steve Jobs Taught Us
06
Oct
Following the death of creative genius Steve Jobs, legendary Apple co-founder, entrepreneur, inventor… as so many are recounting the incredible life, career and contributions of Steve Jobs, I found watching this vid of his Commencement Address at Stanford University in 2005 inspiring, as it encapsulates his time and fire-tested philosophy…
Take-aways for me, from the 3 stories Steve Jobs shared from his life:
1) Connecting the Dots: “You can’t connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something… Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart even when it leads you off the well-worn path, and that will make all the difference.”
(From what Steve shared, his parents also dared to accept challenges, analyzing the ‘norm’ and doing what they believed was the best, based on the opportunities as they present themselves = Priceless Results)
2) Love and Loss: “I still loved what I did… I’d been rejected, but I was still in love… it turned out getting fired from Apple was the best thing that ever happened to me… it freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life… it was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life’s going to hit you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith… You’ve got to find what you love… The only way to be truly satisfied is to do great work… The only way to do great work is to love what you do. You’ll know when you find it.”
3) Death: ” ‘If you live each day as if was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right’…If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I’m about to do, today? …and whenever the answer has been “no” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something… in the face of Death… leaving only what is truly important… there is no reason not to follow your heart… and yet, Death is the destination we all share… no one has ever escaped it… and that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It’s Life’s Change Agent — it clears out the old to make way for the new… Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life… Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, everything else is secondary. ”
“Stay Hungry. Stay foolish.”~Whole Earth Catalog
EPIC Legacy: Steve Jobs iTY ~ Becky
Ezine Marketing Power
20
Sep
Ezine Marketing Power by Ali Brown
If “the money is in the list” is any indication of the true potential value of an opt-in email list, then staying in touch by regularly providing helpful, relevant information is a high priority.
Remaining in touch with your list allows you the opportunity to communicate with your subscribers, developing a more personal relationship, through shared content they wait to receive directly from you.
The process of providing valuable content over time to your target market is powerful, giving great return for the effort, allowing you to:
- Establish your status as an expert in your niche
- Develop a loyal following, hungry to hear more from you
Publishing an Ezine supports and nurtures your valuable business asset – your opt-in email list. An Ezine is one of the most effective ways to communicate with your followers, but it is not just a one-way street. An enticing Ezine also attracts new subscribers, so you can continue to grow your list.
Through actively and consistently providing helpful content over time, a well-published Ezine is an effective tool for winning loyal customers and growing business revenue.
When someone gives their email address when opting-in for your Ezine, they are giving you permission to share valuable information with them. They have already determined their interest in hearing from you.
Not keeping up your end of the conversation is a little like giving someone the ‘cold shoulder’ or ignoring them in real life, isn’t it?!
Are you missing opportunities to be in touch with your target market?
Ezines are well-established, effective tools for direct communication. Quite often, folks are wary of their ability to set an Ezine up, unsure of how to keep it going, and to concerned about providing a quality Ezine that will be read. Others have already been publishing an Ezine, but would like to fine-tune their effort for better results.
Recently, I read “Ezine Marketing Power” written by Ali Brown, known as the ‘Ezine Queen.’ Ali has taken her brand and business to incredible heights, including appearing on the season finale of ABC’s Secret Millionaire show. She began her enterprise with her Ezine.
We know that email marketing is alive and well, and can be effectively used in marketing and communications. Publishing an Ezine is a powerful tool in that toolbox, allowing you the opportunity to keep the conversation going through valuable content, and further developing relationships with your subscribers.
This comprehensive 334-page guide serves as a great resource for anyone who wants to publish a valued Ezine. It is clearly written, with a substantial number of examples, taking the reader step-by-step through:
- Planning Process: Goals/Objectives, Target Audience/Perspective
- Considering Content: Key components/Results-oriented Content Tips
- In-depth Details about Publishing: Management/Services/Formatting
- Subscriber Management: Corresponding/List-building
The Appendix also includes pages of:
- Sample Ezines
- Summarized Ezine Articles
- Ezine interview Letter Template
- Checklists for HTML and Text Ezines
- Bonus Articles
These are only some of the topics and features covered in Ali’s Ezine Marketing Power. It is a first-class presentation, in a large 3-ring binder, with tabs sectioning-off the various chapters – 5 in all, plus the Appendix, bursting with lots of helpful information.
I recommend Ali Brown’s “Ezine Marketing Power” for anyone interested in publishing an Ezine that will get read. It is written for folks who are new to this concept, as well as folks like myself, who are long-time Ezine publishers.
In 1998, I began publishing my first niche Ezine, and while many changes have been made through the years, I always had questions. This is the first definitive source I found that provided me the information I needed. It’s a great resource.
“Ezine Marketing Power” clearly takes readers through the process of using email marketing by publishing an Ezine to attract new prospects, win loyal customers, grow business revenues.
For more information about: Ezine Marketing Power, or to purchase, click this link (here)