Thoughts on Marketing…

If you talked to a dozen marketers you might get a dozen answers if you asked for THE most important thing to remember about marketing. They might say “the headline,” “the list,” “the offer,” or even “the P.S.” Some would say the research – knowing who the target audience is before you write a word.

All of those things, and more, are vital to your success. But one of my favorites is to always keep foremost in your mind that it’s not about you, and not about your product or service. It’s about them.

Your prospects don’t care anything about you, except in how you relate to them and what you can add to their lives. So you have to “hear” them asking you “What’s in it for me?” And you have to answer that question. How will you fill their needs and satisfy their wants? You have to show them.

Of course, you have to remember to answer them quickly, before they lose interest. That means you have to jump right in to your story – not ramble around for a page or two before you answer.

The research I do for my copywriting clients includes checking out their competitors websites, and I am continually amazed at how few people “get” that detail. So many sites begin with “I” or “We” that it makes my fingers itch – just wanting to tear apart their copy and fix it.

But of course, I only do that for people who ask me to.

Update from my in-box…

Remember that guy I wrote you about a couple of months ago? The one who sounded a bit angry because I didn’t contact him?

At first he wrote every couple of weeks, then every week. Now I hear from him every couple of days. His message is always the same:

“We have not received any reply yet. You are receiving this email because we wish you to use our web design service.”

Then it goes on to say they’re wonderful.

I wonder if someone honestly believes that a message like that one would make someone want their services? It appears that someone did tell him to use the word “you” – but forgot to tell him to drop “we.”

I feel a little sorry for the company – but guess they’ll eventually learn from the school of hard knocks.