Why Reading is so Vital to Marketing, Part One

It's an age-old debate, long copy vs. short copy? I view long copy used in print advertising and on the internet very differently than most people.

The Big Question!Right up front, let's look at a more important question. Why put any copy in your ad at all?* Some people honestly do believe, "a picture is worth a thousand words." Then, why the text?

I hope our unanimous answer is; to maximize sales, leads or sign ups, etc.

To understand my strange vantage point, I must tell you a story from a past life.

"Way Back in 1966...!I was 30 years old. I was in the carpentry business with two brothers... one 28 and the other 24. We framed and trimmed new homes in our hometown, Muncie, Indiana as sub-contractors.

We decided to go "big-time" and build a spec home, as general contractors. So we joined the local chapter of the National Home Builders Association, and built a home to be shown in their upcoming event, the "Parade of Homes."

There were eight new homes built simultaneously, all adjacent to/or across the street from one another by eight different home building firms.

Ten Thousand People?!Following an extensive advertising campaign, they would all be shown, jointly over a two week, three week-end period, in an Open House, termed the "Parade of Homes."

Ten thousand people would attend the event and view all of the homes.

On the Friday evening before the formal opening, we did a "dress rehearsal" inviting town VIP's, real estate agents, mortgage people, our sub-contractors, our employees and families, etc.

"What's a Buyer Look Like?"!We set up a Hospitality Area in one of the garages. As that Friday evening was winding down, all the builders gathered. I remember walking up to the senior builder of the bunch, Joe Haltemen, and asking him,,,

"Papa Joe (we all called him that;-), ten thousand people are going to go through these homes in the next two weeks,,, how in the world do you tell the serious buyers from the people who are just looking for decorating ideas?"

I was not prepared for an answer,,, it had just been small talk.

Then he said, "Wayne, I like you and your brothers. You've put together a mighty nice home here. And you fellows are an asset to the whole show.

"I'm going to tell you something I've never told anyone except my own son.

"You're artsy, aren't you, Wayne?"!I nodded.

"Get yourself a big piece of poster board and an easel. Draw a rendering of the front of your home at the top and put the price underneath it." I was all ears.

Look for part two of this article on this blog... very soon.

Wayne

* There is a reason not to put much copy in an advertisment, , , but that's a subject for another day. So stick with me on this blog, and I'll share it with you and it won't cost you a dime.

What's a 30 Minute Infomercial Look Like?

A couple of days ago, I presented the idea of producing an information product that could be sold on a network tv infomercial. It's a pretty "way out" concept.

What's a 30 Minute Infomercial Look Like?

View more presentations or Upload your own.

They are very complex to produce. And the whole idea is very costly. Say $250,000 for starters, and up from there.

Plus, once on the air, there is no guarantee that you'll ever make a dime. Most infomercial people say that unless you have a good "Back End" of residual products, you'll never make it.

"So why am I still talking about infomercials to a bunch of amateur public speakers?"

Because, once you begin to understand this marketing process, and how it will easily flip from network tv to the internet, , , do you see what the small-timer can do.

Today I am posting my little "simulator" model called What's a 30 Minute Infomercial Look Like?

In this simple blueprint for a network infomercial, I reveal for the first time that most 30 infomercials are actually three equal segments, each with their own Call to Action. It's like three little infomercials, back to back to back.

And all less than 10 minutes long.

What makes the 10 minute thing so important? Because that's exactly the limit of a YouTube.com and other free video hosting services will provide. In theory, you could test a network infomercial by posting all three segments as three different YouTube programs.

In reality the beginning public speaker could shoot and post three little 9 minute sessions and embed them into a blog or website and they would be up and running, , , any you've not spent a dime.

Anyhow, , , watch this little program. I hope it gets your wheels turning.

Wayne

Word of Mouth Marketing

According to Andy Sernovitz, in his latest book, Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking, Revised Edition
“Word of Mouth” has been around for a long, long time. What’s absolutely new is the second “M,” or Marketing.

Or, the idea that a company or marketer can actively influence the amount of “work of mouth” that really takes place. He says that this influence is actionable, trackable, and plannable just like any other marketing strategy or tactic.

Here’s an interesting visual I created that will help you explain Sernovitz’s principles.

Wayne