Good Examples
I recently heard this story about the great copywriter Gary Halbertā¦ Near the end of his career he was quizzing a protege and said, āThe best way to get a prospectās attention is to appeal to their sense of ___________.ā The protege replied, āTheir sense of self-interest?ā Halbert said, āNo…their sense of curiosity.ā Thatās great…
I read about a hotel that promises a āfun, colorful and flavorfulā and magical experience. Set to open in August, the hotel began taking reservations online in June. It sold out in two minutes. Introducing The Bell: A Taco Bell Hotel and Resort in Palm Springs, California. The Bell is just a temporary rebranding of…
Before publishing his first best-seller, Tim Ferriss tested options. He came up with six potential titles. Then he purchased Google Adwords ads — one version for each title — targeting search terms related to the bookās topics. Each ad used the potential book title as the headline and used the bookās tagline for the adās…
A marketing novice wondered whether a direct mail ad he received from a restaurant was any good. He described the ad in an online discussion board and waited for responses. Dozens of people replied with all sorts of marketing advice. Lots of them said they liked the ad. Some asked to see the advertisement so…
Last month, a networking group that I help manage contacted 18 former members to learn why they quit. Three of the 18 said they quit for no particular reason. They just let their commitment lag. Prompted by the phone call, they committed to resubscribe. Three out of 18. Thatās 17 percent. Thatās pretty good. Many…
In 1774, King Frederick II of Prussia was ruling over a land ravaged by famine. He urged farmers to plant potatoes to end the famine. But back then, potatoes were considered livestock feed in Eastern Europe, not suitable for human consumption. So farmers defied the king and didnāt plant them… …until King Frederick changed marketing…
Our company made a marketing mistake. Iām going to tell you about so you don’t repeat it. We sell email marketing software to many schools and school districts. So we recently ran a print advertisement in the membership directory for the Missouri Association of School Administrators (MASA). The ad included the address for our website…
As I entered a quick shop yesterday, I noticed a guy walking out who looked down on his luck. He stopped by the door and pulled from his shirt pocket a half-smoked, crooked cigarette butt. He bent it back into shape, lit up and took a long drag. When I walked out of the store,…
Last week, my twin children turned 22. Iām still Dad, but my hardest parenting work is behind me (I think/hope). That got me thinking about parenting lessons learned. Hereās a big one: When the kid does something bad, that doesnāt mean the kid is a bad person. As parents, we need to help our kids…
My friend Richard Terry asked me to help him with some marketing copy. Heād heard one of my presentations recently, and he thought he might benefit from my expertise. We met earlier today, and hereās what I told himā¦ …Richard, you donāt need my help. I was honored he asked. I welcome new business. I…