I’ve been testing some new advertising concepts with Facebook Ads (actually, full-blow marketing campaigns that start with targeted research.. a topic for another post).

Here’s something I noticed that can help you keep down your CPC spend. Don’t include sexy photos if you want to limit clicks to highly targeted audiences.

Seems obvious, I know.

But let me explain my predicament.

My initial ads were for trade show exhibitors. So, I tried to think of some images associated with trade shows, and *bing* a classic idea pops into my head – booth babes.

So I searched for some uncopyrighted photos and picked a few. None of them were risqué or beyond the pale.. but there may have been some plaid skirts and temptress looking poses.

I found that the click throughs were unusually high when I included them. I’m talking 250% higher when the same ad ran with a diagram of a trade show booth. (Hey, that’s a lot of unqualified click-$, I thought.)

Something about the common Inter-web practice of clicking on hot ladies was the downfall of the campaign, I suppose. For the record: there was no larger picture of the ladies on my landing page (I probably disappointed a lot of clickers).

I’m guessing that cleaner, more qualified leads clicked on the more “dull” ads.

What’s your experience? Do you have any metrics to support the idea that sexy images coupled with value ads are useful? Not useful? Is there a fine line to walk? Best practices?

Would you consider yourself a difficult person to market to?

Do you research high-end products thoroughly before you purchase? Does it take lots of pressure to get you to move from one trusted brand or consumer product to another?

Me too. Especially when it comes to consumer goods like razor blades.

For years, I’ve happily used Gillette Good News razors. They’re simple, do the job and are inexpensive.

Until . . one day. . queue the bass drums. . I bought a package of Good News that included a free sample of the multi-blade Fusion product.

Now – I’ve tried these before. In fact – way back in the 1980’s I even had a power 2-blade razor that buzzes like the Gilette Power Fusion. I liked the concept and the shave back then.

But somehow I ended back up with the basic Good News razors. It was probably during a “simplicity” or economizing phase.

Anyway, I tried the Fusion sample and liked it a lot. The beard grew out less in a day, it seemed. That was a good deal for me.

So I ordered the Power Fusion product. And I’m waiting to get it from Alice.com. Mind you: this is after years and years of using the Gillette Good News razors.

The lesson? Persistent suggestions in your marketing materials (which were the actual product in my case) are CRITICAL!!! Never give up on this idea. Gillette sure doesn’t.

Offer samples, suggest up-sells, show the customer new ideas. IT WORKS.

It even worked on me – one of the more skeptical, difficult to motivate and move consumers I know.

Do you have any examples of how persistent messaging, product offerings or samples have motivated you to engage a company or switch products?

Please comment below.

Trade show season is headed your way. Hungry sales, marketing, biz dev and product enthusiasts will soon be heading to convention centers everywhere to try to “move the needle” in this gooey economy.

So how can you stand out? How can you put on a more remarkable presentation and turn heads? Here are my 11 thoughts:

1. Adjust and edit your marketing documents with the show’s context in mind. Companies, speakers and marketing materials that are relevant in context are much more compelling than boilerplate, “we use these at every show” materials. With today’s POD and rapid-PDF layout capabilities, you have no excuse for not revising content for specific events. The best way to stand out in a crowd is to be immediately relevant in context. If you do this one thing, you’ll sucker punch your competition before the show even begins.
2. Infuse your communications with authenticity and the company’s personality. We’ve all been discussing the dilemma of marketing and advertising “noise” for quite some time now. Trade shows tend to produce even more noise. How do you cut through the chaos? Be relevant in context (like #1 above), and use your company’s purpose, vision, personality and authentic positioning to stand out. Aim high and try to be that booth that the journalists and bloggers are buzzing about because the personalities, communication pieces, and vibe are irresistible. You can do this without looking stupid. You can do this by focusing on your solutions and getting excited about them. It’s a matter of digging deep into the real value of your company and products/services. You can do it.
3. Focus on the audience. Now is the time to start surveying show attendees. If you’re 2, 3 or 4 months away from the show, you need to start asking what their expectations, fears, pains, dreams, and desires are about the particular event. Why are them coming? What would be a great experience? What do they want to learn? Which kinds of keynotes do they hate? What are their all time favorite presentations? Gather information like this and you can position for a much better show experience. You’ll also have specific topics to discuss with real people at the show.
4. Edit with one-to-one or one-to-many in mind. A lot of marketing folks debate 2nd person and 1st person writing perspectives. To me, it’s simple. If you’re editing a trade show script, you need to pay attention to group dynamics and position your ideas with the multitude experience in mind. You can include one-on-one interactions in the presentation, but, for the most part, your conversation is with the collective audience. A white paper or special report requires a different positioning. Here’s where you want to speak directly to the reader. Address them directly and use “you” often. They are in a silent conversation with you, so your best bet is to be conversational.
5. Educate. Give to get. Then give some more. When you connect with prospects on their terms, in their worlds, with stories and cast studies that are relevant to their experiences, you stand out. You also build trust before any selling process begins. They can raise their hand on their own when they’re ready to discuss specific products and solutions. In the mean time, hang back and educate. Be soft like water.
6. Be more creative. Are you giving out thumb drives? T-shirts? Are they boring? How can you make them more interesting and creative? Are you allowed to be provocative? Think about who’s coming by your booth. What devices do they carry, and how could you interact with them in more original ways? My thoughts are just forming here, but I’ve got some ideas that include Google Goggles, Google Maps and your post show parties and events. . How about integrating a FourSquare, Facebook Places, or Gowalla activity that showcases your company? How about using the bar-code scanner app (Android or iPhone) to show prospects the super secret locale of your executive private round table and whiskey tasting event? Get creative now.. and hurry.
7. Take away more in order to show more. Go through all your brochures, presentations and hand outs with an eye for elimination. Take away excessive words, extraneous concepts and fluff. You’ll end up showing more of what makes you good. Try making your short pieces about only one thing. Try making your longer presentations and white papers about a maximum of three concepts. These two strategies are so valuable. Give em a shot.
8. Include frequent calls to action (CTAs). Have you ever seen a knock-out presentation that fails to provide a final, compelling CTA? It sucks. People fidget in their seats wondering what they should do next. Give them something fun, interesting, or important to do – immediately – and they’ll thank you for it.
9. Focus on your 3 most important “touchpoints.” Where are you hitting attendees first? With a personal, one-to-one handshake? With a hand out on a street corner? With a keynote? With a product demo? Figure out the first three places most people will encounter your company and make sure these are spectacular experiences. First impressions are everything, right?
10. Make your materials social. Community matters now more than ever. It provides that “stickiness” needed to get people buzzing about your solutions and engaging with your story. When you socialize your marketing materials (which include speaking events, casual gatherings and hard collateral) you give yourself a chance to be viral. If you do it well, you can create a buzz storm.
11. Perform an outside document and script review audit with a qualified technology marketing specialist. “Another pair of eyes” is always a good idea. When you present your materials to outsiders before the show starts, you can gain priceless insights. If I understand your industry and solutions to a reasonable degree, there’s a chance I can help (email me or call 949-244-9440).  If not, I can direct you to someone who knows your particular niche. I’ve been writing in-depth content for software, hardware, telecom and enterprise solution providers for the past 15 years. And I have an extensive network of techie marketers.

Thanks for reading, and good luck at your show. If I can help out in any way, please let me know.

Also… what else should I include on this list? Any suggestions? Please comment below, and I’ll do some research and elaborate for you.

Success stories should extend the reach of your sales force.

Your marketing documents should act as natural extensions of your sales efforts. They need to be good enough to pay for themselves by consistently generating leads, appointments and closed business.

Take a look at your documents. Are they living up to that promise?

Where can you get more bang for your buck? I recommend stepping up your case study development process.

Case studies or success stories are perfect for a company your size. They speak directly to targeted industries and show prospects “social proof” of customers who’ve already succeeded with your solutions.

Now ask yourself: Do you have time to do the interviews, write drafts, follow up, edit, revise and get everything approved and set for layout?

I can help.

I’ve been writing case studies for leading technology companies every month since 1995.  Even better – I’ve sold millions of $$$ worth of software, hardware and custom solutions by telling customer success stories in print.

Check my site to see some of them.

If you like what you see, take me up on my latest special offer: Book me for 5 case studies by July 15, 2010, and I’ll throw in a free copyedit of any other piece of collateral (up to 10 pp).

Call me at your earliest convenience (949) 244-9440, or email me dunn@qualitywriter.com.

P.S. My project queue fills up quickly whenever I send out these letters, so please call as soon as you can. Thanks.

Critical conversations have moved away from email in recent years. I was thinking about this because I recently exchanged business cards with a woman and immediately emailed her my contact info. These kinds of email introductions used to be followed up happily and quickly that day or within hours/minutes.

Not anymore. Days go by. Inboxes are too full. Spam filters send legitimate emails off the radar screen. It sucks, but it’s true.

So where have these crucial conversations gone?

• Back to the phone – this is good for a number of reasons, and I’ve personally seen this occurring in my own business.
• To SMS – Whether your contacts are close friends or important business associates, text messages seem to get much more attention these days. It’s the first thing people check, wherever they are and whatever time it is.
• Facebook, Linked-In and Twitter (for some people) – I’ve had entire business conversations with people within Linked-In and Facebook.. the FB one was a friend already, however. These tools allow people to strategically filter their discussions by friend groups.
• In person – Still the best way to discuss business.
• Via Skype, IM, Chat and so forth – This could include a Web cam or HD conferencing. Again, the filtering factor of buddy lists and contact circles makes it useful to busy executives.

What’s your experience? Are you having any luck with direct email marketing? Are people you meet and email slow to respond? Please comment below to share your thoughts.

“If it doesn’t sell, it isn’t creative.” – David Ogilvy

I just read an interesting post on ad agency focus in the Web 2.0 world by DJ Francis of Online Marketer Blog. The article elaborates on what David Ogilvy said about creativity so many years ago. Year after year, I come back to this philosophical kernel: sales is where the rubber meets the road. We often get so distracted with the fun, new-fangled Facebook, Twitter and Friend Feed tools. Yet, marketing and advertising are ultimately about sales. So, yes, those tools are useful channels for communication. But, if they aren’t used with sales in mind, their ROI is difficult to measure.

With respect to agencies, Web 2.0, social media, etc. will make a lot of dough for many agencies. People love the new communication channels and fun Web-based software tools. For many, however, this will be a money pit, a dazzling show and wheel spinning exercise. If not taken seriously, these types of efforts will get many agencies fired. No measurable ROI and they’ll be shown the door.

Web 2.0 marketing exercises can be a major distraction. Businesses need to realize that these tools and “strategies” are merely communication channels. That’s it! Nothing else has changed. If you’re not delivering the goods through those channels, you’re not going to move the sales needle. And by “goods” I mean the following:

• Prospecting and lead-gen. Do your social media efforts produce fruitful leads? Or have you deluded yourself into thinking that you’re “building a brand” by socializing. Heck, even Coke has to sell soda.. eventually.
• Persuasion. Remember the line from Glenn Gary Glenn Ross – “A-I-D-A. Attention, Interest, Decision, Action. Attention– Do I have you attention? Interest– Are you interested? I know you are, because it’s shit or walk. You close or you hit the bricks. Decision– Have you made your decision for Christ? And Action.” Persuasion takes many forms… but I just love that line from the movie. Dr. Robert Cialdini is the guy to read if you’re really interested in persuasion research and reality.
• Closing. You have to make promises, and provide compelling calls to action and offers. Like Vince Vaughan’s character says in “Wedding Crashers” – “Now get out there and close some ass.”
• Deliver value. Pure and simple – the product has to be a winner.
• Customer service. Every good solution, product or service has to be supported by supreme customer service. Make sure the right processes and people are in place.

Remember, “business” still has to happen. Don’t get distracted by socializing for socializing’s sake. Yes, business is a social activity, but value has to be added and profit has to be made.

Last December, social media icon and wine guru Gary Vaynerchuk experimented with several advertising channels to boost www.winelibrary.com’s wine sales. The offer included free shipping and was promoted via three different “media outlets”:

1)     Direct mail (snail mail)

2)     Billboard (traditional outdoor)

3)     Twitter messages about the promotion

Which one was the most successful? Any guesses?

Drum roll….

The direct mail campaign, which cost $15,000, brought in 200 new customers. The billboard ad, which cost $7500 netted 300 new customers. And, the Twitter campaign, whose costs were undisclosed (I can only assume that this would relate to Vaynerchuk’s hourly rate or some deconstruction of his speaking fees), brought in 1,800 new customers.

This is pretty impressive. Most companies could easily justify a Twitter approach, especially if their employees managing the campaign work for a reasonable hourly rate. Even at $200 an hour, an employee logging a couple hours a day scheduling targeted tweets on something like  www.tweetlater.com would pay off. When it comes to reaching people, the numbers are tilted in favor of Twitter. There are some caveats, however (see below).

Consider this: Twitter itself is a target audience of sorts. Gary Vay*ner*chuk’s audience is very tech savvy and connected via social media platforms, tools and social networking sites. If you’re not familiar with GaryVee, I’d suggest doing some googling to figure out who he is. He’s a major force in the “new marketing” biz.. as well as the wine industry.

So, someone like Vaynerchuk can get a lot more mileage out of something like Twitter. His audience is expecting to see him there.. eagerly anticipating his every tweet. A lot of companies don’t have this luxury.

That said, a campaign to build an audience on Twitter couldn’t be a bad thing, right?

Once your audience has some gravity and size, you can pull off promotional campaigns like Vaynerchuk’s. What’s the ideal size and quality of this audience? I don’t know. I’d like to see some research on this. It’s the one thing that’s often overlooked in social media discussion circles.

What are your thoughts? 10,000 followers? Two-thirds of which are involved with the product, brand, solution or issue? (please comment below and share this link via the ShareThis icon)

Technology executives, marketing managers, creative directors, sales people, CMOs, VPs and CEOs all have one thing in common. You have to sell despite the current economic climate.

You can’t just turn off the bull-horn and expect to save money by being quiet, though. That’s a recipe for disaster.

I’ve detailed this elsewhere, demonstrating how the smart companies actually gain market share during recessions or depressions. So I won’t belabor that point any further.

So, how do you connect with customers when they’re so resistant to new spending initiatives? How do you generate better leads when customer budgets are shrinking?

Here a quick, high-level run-down of the pertinent answers.

First, you should show them:

• How your solution saves them money.
• How your solution helps them make money.
• New ways to make money.
• How your solution helps simplify their business.
• How your solution helps them reduce head count (painful as that subject may be).
• How to eliminate wasteful activity.
• Real life customers you’ve helped do all of the above (as case studies)

I can help you do this by writing your white papers and customer case studies, which are crucial lead generation pieces.

The next question you should be asking is: How do I find people that are interested in these topics (with respect to my solutions/products/services)?

I have several different approaches to this last question. Some are social media related, some involve emailing people, some use good old-fashioned direct mail, some utilize Google Adwords and Facebook ads.

If you’d like to explore these topics in more detail and create a marketing campaign that gets immediate results, please give me a call at 949-244-9440 or email me at dunn@qualitywriter.com.

P.S. I have a really efficient system for carrying out these types of direct marketing plans. Please give me a call or email and I’ll tell you how I automate direct response campaigns with my assistant.

P.P.S If you end up hiring me to write some content for you, there’s zero risk. When the copy drives sales it’s essentially free. (All it takes is one extra sale to absorb your writing costs. You can’t lose.) Plus, I personally guarantee my work. You get a full refund by just calling up and telling me where I missed the mark and what I could have done better. I need you to tell me at least five things we could have done better. There’s one little catch: If you decide to keep the copy and continue using my services, I’d like you to give us a referral to one of your colleagues who you think can benefit from our services. Easy.

Yes, times are tight. However, as marketing managers, creative directors and sales people, you still have to sell. I’ve detailed this in other posts and showed you how the smart companies actually gain market share during recessions or depressions. So I won’t belabor that point any further.

Here are the important issues:

How do you connect with customers when they’re so resistant to new spending initiatives? How do you generate better leads when customer budgets are shrinking?

Here a quick, high-level run-down of the pertinent answers:

• Show them how your solution saves them money.
• Show them how your solution helps them make money.
• Show them new ways to make money.
• Show them how your solution helps simplify their business.
• Show them how your solution helps them reduce head count (painful as that subject may be).
• Show them how to eliminate wasteful activity.
• Show them real life customers you’ve helped do all of the above (as case studies)

The next question you should be asking is: How do I find people that are interested in these topics (with respect to my solutions/products/services)?

I have about 10 different approaches to this last question. Some are social media related, some involve emailing people, some use good old-fashioned direct mail, some utilize Google Adwords and Facebook ads.

If you’d like to explore these topics in more detail and create a marketing campaign that gets immediate results, please give me a call at 949-244-9440 or email me at dunn@qualitywriter.com.

P.S. I can help you start figuring out what your prospects are looking for in just a few simple steps. And, conveniently, I’m a marketing writer that can help you develop content that drives sales.

P.P.S. I have a really efficient system for carrying out these types of direct marketing plans. Please give me a call or email and I’ll tell you how I automate direct response campaigns with my assistant. You, too, can do big things with very few people.

.. Unless You Find a Way to Make Them Profit Your Customers

One of the hottest, latest conversation starters in marketing and sales meetings across the planet is “social media.” Ask people to join you in a meeting about social media, and you’ll find a lot of takers. This goes for internal folks and customers/prospects alike. The hype has hit that critical mass level.

But you’ll soon find out that most people don’t know what the heck they’re talking about or what the heck they want to accomplish with social media.

Everyone loves it, of course.

“I’m on Facebook!”

“Follow me on Twitter.”

“Join me on LinkedIn.”

Yet a lot of marketing and sales folks who are pumped about what this all means can’t give you a detailed outline of their social media and social networking strategies.

And by strategies I mean the following: How can I leverage social media platforms to make a difference in the lives of my customers or prospects?

Ask yourself some questions to get to the root of this strategy dilemma:

• How do people use these tools/applications?
• Why are they using them?
• What exactly can I do with things like Twitter and Facebook to start conversations with customers?
• What kinds of conversations do I want to have?
• What’s my goal when I have a conversation with someone via social media?
• Should I have a goal?
• Should I be educating?
• Should I give out free information?
• How do I structure free information to draw people closer to my organization and solutions?
• Can I schedule meetings, webinars or phone calls via social media?
• Can I close business on these platforms?
• What’s possible?

The ultimate goal of an exercise like this should drive to one general area, and that is: How does the person on the other end of these transactions and communications stand to profit from the exchange?

Are you solving a problem for them? Can you help them make more money for themselves and their company? Can you help them get a job or a promotion? Can you help them keep a job that they fear they might lose? Can you reduce their debt burden? Can you help them build out their market share? Can you help them reach more people and sell more via social media?

These are the kinds of questions you need to answer before you start jumping up and down about Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Otherwise you’re just propagating counter-productivity. Everybody knows that Facebook and Twitter are major time suckers unless you’re positioned to help someone every day. You have to actively help people get what they want out of life – whether that’s more sales, more compelling advertising, better health, a happier family life, a loving relationship, a place to live, a job.. whatever it is that’s motivating them.

Make the connection between what you offer and what people need, and you’ll be using social media and social networking tools effectively.

If you’d like to explore these topics in more detail and create a marketing campaign that gets immediate results, please give me a call at 949-515-3510 or email me at dunn@qualitywriter.com.

P.S. I can help you start figuring out what your prospects are looking for in just a few simple steps (using Facebook and Google AdWords, btw).