While Internet legend (and young pup) Frank Kern would have you believe that I'm so old I should be confined to a wheelchair, I'm still on the good side of 100! And I can stil enjoy a good concert from time to time.
My daughter - Rachel, my wife and I had the good fortune to score some last-minute tickets to the recent Prince concert here in Atlanta. The concert itself was nothing short of amazing. Prince is a master musician who really knows how to play to his audience - and play his audience.
Of course, marketing concepts and lessons to be learned are never far from my mind - and this concert was no exception.
Morris Day and the Time kicked off the concert with a few songs to get the crowd revved up. And inquiring minds got the first clue about how they would do that.
In their 30-40 minute set, they mentioned Atlanta, A-T-L or Georgia about 20 times.
Questions like "Are you ready to party...Atlanta?" "Tell me, Georgia, are you ready for a good time tonight?"
Statements like "We love A-T-L!"
Even if you've never been to a concert before you imagine the roar of the crowd at every single mention of... the specific thing they could identify with.
But Prince absolute took this to a higher level. I lost track of exact count, but we're talking 70-80 mentions of those magic words. And the crowd never lost interest or got bored of hearing them. Perfect proof that people never get tired of hearing positive things about themselves!
But what really took down the house and gave Prince and his band ownership of these thousands of people for the night (and probably several days to come) was the salute to the late great Ray Charles. One of the horn players delivered an outstanding version of "Georgia On My Mind" to a standing ovation. Now, it may be that they do this at every concert, but it's particularly poignant in Georgia.
The important marketing lesson here is that you need to create a connection with your target market. And you can't do that effectively with generic phrases.
Look at these choices to open a headline:
"Drivers:"
Who cares?
"Truck Drivers:"
A bit more defined. Some possible identification.
"Long Haul Truck Drivers:"
"Rusted Out Truck Drivers:"
"King Cab Truck Drivers:"
"Dump Truck Drivers:"
Immediately, your brain does a quick test to see if you identify with one of these. If you do, there's a little part of you that says, "Hey...that's me!"
Depending on your target, you may be able to move in a little tighter like:
"Georgia Long Haul Truck Drivers:"
"Cowboy King Cab Truck Drivers:"
"Texas Cowboy King Cab Truck Drivers:"
Can you see how the more you narrow down your target, the more the prospect identifies that this message is for him?
When you can make that happen, your prospect pays more Attention and you get a little closer to making a sale.
You can also target in by creating identification with a problem:
"Are You Overworked And Underpaid?" (Note: Combine this phrase with "Georgia Long Haul Truckers" and see how your readership will skyrocket.)
"Allergy Sufferers:"
"Parents Of Children With ADHD:"
"To The Wife Whose Husband Won't Save A Dime:"
Obviously, you only want to use ideas that lead into the solution you want to sell. But these lead-ins help you follow the classic sales pattern of
Identify A Problem
Agitate The Reader About The Problem (like picking a scab)
Deliver The Perfect Solution
As my friend and mentor Dan Kennedy would say:
If you can identify the 2 or 3 things that keep your prospect awake at 3 a.m. - with his stomach churning from the boiling acid - then you can truly step into the shoes of your prospect and create instant identification with him.
So the next time that you're thinking about your marketing and sales campaigns (which should be most of the time), take a few moments to focus on how you can more closely identify with your target.
Yours in success,
Shawn Casey
Internet Millionaire Shawn Casey's "Mining Gold On the Internet" is one of the best selling Internet books with over 85,000 copies sold. In "Mining Gold", Shawn reveals the same step-by-step strategies he uses to create millions in Internet sales => http://www.ipcgold.com/ad/100/CD3839 Benefit from Shawn's 7 years of Internet experience and learn from someone who has actually made millions online.
The intellectual property transfer market is now estimated to be... Read More
A database is more than a simple list of names... Read More
TIP #1: Avoid the "Too Much Information" Syndrome... Read More
How would you use business cards for gift certificates?I asked... Read More
If your members, parents or donors wear clothes, watch t.v.... Read More
"Traction. Articulation. Ground Clearance. Maneuverability. Water Fording. We've put your... Read More
In the age of e-newsletters and e-mail, you may not... Read More
Trade show booths are one of the best direct contact... Read More
Direct mail can be one of the most effective tactics... Read More
How many times has someone you've called said, "Why don't... Read More
Now that you have had a chance to create a... Read More
60+ hour workweeks, cash flows that constantly keep you up... Read More
Starting a business, whether it's retail products or services, must... Read More
Today I've decided to share with you a new word... Read More
Sometimes, experiencing bleak sales is a matter of failing to... Read More
In your marketing efforts, be they on or offline, it's... Read More
Don't want your direct mail to end up in the... Read More
Whether it is for is a real estate listing, a... Read More
If you take a look at the features that different... Read More
Have you ever walked into a store or business and... Read More
HOW YOUR LIST AFFECTS POSTAGE COSTS AND WHAT YOU CAN... Read More
If you have your own small business, it's important to... Read More
Small & Mid Sized Business owners, have you revisited your... Read More
Think about all those Cracker Jacks you ate as a... Read More
If you want your business to grow and attract new... Read More
Marketing expert and author, Geoffrey Moore, has a useful fill-in-the-blank... Read More
Here's the deal: advertisement is not marketing. It's like saying... Read More
Fear and Greed. The stock-in-trade of sales. Appeal to them,... Read More
I knew this one would get your attention. How can... Read More
One of the most powerful, yet over looked weapons in... Read More
Owning a small business isn't easy, especially if you are... Read More
As you have probably experienced there is a lot of... Read More
Why cutting your prices is like cutting your own... Read More
What is the biggest problem most marketers have? Who knows.... Read More
Real estate marketing is a lot simpler than most Realtors... Read More
This newsletter is full of opportunities staring you in the... Read More
The challenge in business-to-business direct mail is knowing where to... Read More
Generation X"--the 40 million or so people born between 1965... Read More
Advertising on the radio can be an effective lead generation... Read More
If an alien civilization from Mars was planning a friendly... Read More
Viral marketing involves the use of surf-exchanges, and if you... Read More
With the Internet opening up the doorway to the global... Read More
The advantages of using direct mail to promote your home-based... Read More
Lots of people network but few reap the rewards of... Read More
"Try not to become a man of success but rather... Read More
The biggest crime in small businesses today goes unnoticed by... Read More
Most business owners get so involved in the work of... Read More
Easy Direct Marketing Methods for Insurance AgenciesThis Month: Strategies for... Read More
So many of you have been telling us that you're... Read More
Direct marketing can make you very successful, but you've got... Read More
Many small and home based businesses know they need to... Read More
We all know the importance of marketing to increase sales... Read More
I Hate Cold CallsLong before I started my business, I... Read More
Regardless how small or large your budget is, there are... Read More
First I want to welcome you to part two of... Read More
Joint Venture marketing has become a highly popular way for... Read More
Competition in the past has embodied such beliefs of "kill... Read More
I'm big on getting maximum marketing exposure at the lowest... Read More
Whatever business you are in, either online or offline, you've... Read More
One of the most critical but overlooked parts of business... Read More
Without doubt, understanding what a customer's wants and needs are... Read More
You have a great product or service? Now, how should... Read More
When I started my coaching practice I believed that I... Read More
I attended a "Sales Focus" seminar a few years back... Read More
For most businesses, making a sale is all important. However,... Read More
So you're starting a small business. You figured out what... Read More
Marketing |