Category: Money

What You Can Learn From Studying New Ads To Help You Get Better At Copywriting.

What do old ads that worked in the past and new ads working in the present have in common?

Simplicity.

But here’s one other thing I noticed too ๐Ÿ‘‡๐Ÿฟ

While copying out this Pitney Bowes Mailstation 2 Ad last week, it struck me.

This ad is simple and goes straight to the point with one major thing: BENEFITS

Weigh It. Print It. Mail It. All-in-one.

The do-it-all digital mailroom.

It tackles the What’s In It For Me (WIIFM) question & tells you from the get-go what this machine is offering you.

Plus, there’s a coupon code right on the front page for you.

I mean, even if you wanted to resist, how many people can easily resist what’s free? ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿคท๐Ÿฟโ€โ™‚๏ธ

Especially when it’s plastered at the front like this ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿคท๐Ÿฟโ€โ™‚๏ธ

At the upper right-hand corner, there’s a postage stamp (PAID).

Look below and you see “An approved licensed partner United States Postal Service”

Just in case you don’t believe ๐Ÿ˜

What this does is REDUCE the burden on the customer.

As EVERY ad should do.

“Receive a 60 day free trial & free shipping on your order”

Man, everything about this ad screams OFFER!!!

The offers are so much, you don’t even notice the company’s name ๐Ÿ˜

Plus, it’s in small letters.

It tells you to IGNORE us & instead FOCUS on what we’re GIVING you.

Mailstation 2 also sounds like PlayStation 2.

Reminds me of the Poo-Pourri ad where the lady says it has better Amazon ratings than the iPhone 5

An excellent way to piggyback an existing or probably bigger brand.

Chances of stickability? Super High.

Also, look at how the different capabilities are segmented.

This proves people buy a product for different reasons.

Some people might buy this Mailstation because of its weighing capabilities.

Others might buy because of printing, while some others because of mailing.

Also, some people might buy it simply because it’s a great deal & it’s going to help them save money.

Notice how the colour on the SAVE segment is different too.

Eye-catching.

Just in case you’re not convinced by every other thing, it REMINDS you it’s a deal which will save you money.

Human beings love anything which either makes them money or saves them money.

Kaboom! ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿฟ

The segmentation also helps to highlight each of the capabilities with the use of bullets.

“โ€ขSave space”

“โ€ขPrint postage”

“โ€ขMail & Track”

“โ€ขRefill Postage”

If you’re not convinced from bullet 1, then bullet 2 should get you.

Isn’t it why they are called bullets? ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿฟ

They are also highlighted with a darker ink to draw your attention to them.

Smart ๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿฟ

Even the website pboffer.com/smallbusiness alludes to the fact this deal is mostly for small businesses.

And how’s it even a lie?

A small business would need an all-in-one mailroom because:

– They either don’t have enough space for all the other machines.

– They don’t have money for all the other machines.

– They probably don’t process enough orders to need all the other machines.

Genius stuff ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿฟ

Start your 60-day free trial. Hurry, this special offer expires May 31, 2016,” says one thing:

This is a GREAT DEAL & it won’t last forever.

One word: URGENCY

The next section breaks down the offers in easily digestible bites for the customer.

I mean, how is it a good offer if your customers don’t even understand?

$20 in postage coupons every month.

Net cost per month.

Metered mail discount.

Free Shipping.

Offers! Offers!! Offers!!!

This section also shows us how important it is to REPEAT the offers.

Your customers have a lot going through their minds already.

They’ll forget.

So, REPEAT the DAMN OFFER again and again and again.

See how the pronouns YOU/YOUR are used in this section.

It’s always about the customer.

Powerful Words ๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿฟ

They also managed to add their social media buttons.

Just in case you decide not to buy, you could follow them on any of the social media channels.

Following them on SM will likely put them in your face all the time.

Chances are sooner or later you’ll buy ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿฟ

If you don’t, at least they can brag about an extra follower on social media ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿคท๐Ÿฟโ€โ™‚๏ธ

Also, Mike Schauer of swiped.co had this to add.

But above all, I think this is a damn good ad.

PS: As I’ve said before, this is my breakdown of this sales letter. I probably missed some things too and youโ€™re free to point them out.

P.P.S: As much as I call myself a copywriter, like other copywriters, I miss some of these things while writing too.

My breakdown of this letter isnโ€™t to tell you how to write or what to do.

Itโ€™s simply to reinforce what Iโ€™ve been hearing for the last year.

And hopefully get better at this thing of ours.

I hope this helps you.

If this post gets serious engagement, I might be tempted to continue to do this kind of breakdown every week.

So, like, comment and share so other people can learn.

Also, donโ€™t forget to follow me on Twitter.

Go here: twitter.com/ucheokorolive

Thatโ€™s where I drop other powerful insights in sales and marketing you wonโ€™t find here.

If youโ€™re interested in this letter, hereโ€™s a link to it: https://swiped.co/file/trial-postcard-pitney-bowes/

5 Sales & Marketing Lessons From Self Made: The Story of Madam CJ Walker.

3 weeks ago, I missed church because I spent the whole of Saturday night & early Sunday morning watching Self Made: The Story of Madam CJ Walker.

I’m not even proud of it.

But if you work in sales & marketing, let me tell you why:

If you’re looking for the secret ingredients for creating a sales message that can singlehandedly turn a small business into a mega success, they are hidden in Self Made: Inspired By The Life of Madam CJ Walker.

Have you seen it?

If you haven’t, here’s what I noticed when I did:

To create a powerful & compelling sales message, above all, you need to:

1. Resonate With Your Audience.

And that’s because people buy what or from who they can relate with.

You need to feel what people feel.

Or at least, show them you feel what they feel with your product.

This is how empathy works.

And you can do this with a background story.

But it’s even more powerful if you can make it a personal story.

This could be yours or through other people’s testimonials.

Madam CJ Walker did this in the middle of a market by gathering all the women around and telling them her story – her hair loss, poverty & travails as a black washerwoman.

Every single black woman in that marketplace could relate.

They were all poor, working hard back-breaking jobs & had little or no time to take care of their hair.

Which meant they were at a high risk of stunted hair growth or worst-case scenario, hair loss.

And this leads to my next point.

2. Address a pain

In Madam CJ Walker’s case, it was hair loss or stunted hair growth.

Yours could be different.

But of course, not every business is a business that addresses a pain or problem.

You could address something else.

But before saying your product doesn’t address any problems, ask yourself, why are noodles so popular?

Because noodles are tasty?

Or because it’s healthy?

Nooooo!!!

It’s because it’s simple, quick & easy to prepare .

A meal that addresses 2 major problems with food:

Time & Cost.

For someone like me, I live alone, & I love cooking.

But the biggest problem I have is time.

What do you think would be my easiest meal of choice?

You got it right!

But in this case, I don’t like noodles ๐Ÿ˜†

But if I need to, I’ll buy noodles to save myself the emotional hangup of the time & stress involved in making meals.

And then justify it with logic.

As everyone does ๐Ÿ˜

But to address your audience’s pain, you do it through one thing: RESEARCH

It’s the gateway to understanding your audience.

This is what helps you speak their language.

Emotions and desires are everything.

And research shows you how to tap into them.

3. Audience

“You can’t be everything to everybody” – J.Cole

To succeed from day one, you have to decide who your core audience is.

And then address the problems they have your product can solve.

For Madam CJ Walker, she segmented her target audience from day one:

3 million Negro women in America.

Which is the truth about every business.

You don’t need to sell to everyone.

If you sell a $1 product to 1 million people, you’ve made a million dollars.

Multiply it to whatever amount you want.

That’s the math.

4. FREE

Discounts.

FREE SHIPPING.

FREE PACKAGING.

FREE CONSULTATION.

FREE whatever.

Just give something away for free.

Especially at the beginning.

Whether it’s information, lesser prices, lead gen, bigger sizes etc, just do it.

Because if you don’t, your competitors would.

And if you do, your customers will feel like they are cheating you.

Let them.

It’s better to feel like they’re cheating you, than for them to feel cheated.

5. Big Idea

I felt this when Madam CJ Walker said “gonna find a way to set me apart.”

And that’s because I remember I was working on a product in January this year when my mentor asked me one simple question:

What’s the big idea? What makes it different from everything in the market already?

I didn’t have an answer for that.

Well, if I didn’t, how was I going to sell the product?

Boom!

Big ideas don’t even have to be revolutionary.

Sometimes, we can craft this from a hidden benefit that comes from using our product.

A common mistake most of us DR marketers & copywriters make is we try to only sell what’s obvious.

We forget hidden benefits and only sell what’s obvious.

We sell the steak and not the sizzle.

We sell the oil and don’t sell the shine.

Craig Clemens did a Twitter thread weeks ago where he talked about the 4 most important areas a product can focus on to make serious money:

Health, wealth, love & status.

STATUS is powerful.

Ask yourself, what would hair loss/stunted hair growth mean to someone?

Or what would it mean to you?

To someone like me who’s made peace with it since my teens, I can’t relate ๐Ÿ˜

But to some other guy, it could be the reason they can’t get women.

For some other person, it could be the reason why they aren’t comfortable in public.

Every single one of us has something we are insecure about.

For some, it’s their looks and appearance.

So, when Victor Asemota said, “true wealth comes from constantly creating happiness and extracting value from it.”

I felt it.

One of Coca-Cola’s biggest taglines is Delivering Happiness.

Does your product deliver some form of happiness?

That’s why some people put themselves at risk of plastic surgery.

They were just pursuing happiness.

For some people, hair is happiness.

To some, it’s a bigger ass or boobs.

A bigger wallet or whatever rocks their boat.

When Madam CJ Walker said things like, “Hair is beautiful,” a bald guy like me couldn’t relate ๐Ÿ˜†

But I’m sure people with beautiful lustrous hair can.

Even other bald people too ๐Ÿ˜†

For other things like answering objections, the need for endorsements, jumping on opportunity, having faith & resoluteness, the importance of branding & packaging, having deadlines & pushing yourself as an entrepreneur, you should see the movie.

If I start explaining, I’m going to miss church again today ๐Ÿ˜

PS: I wrote this article because someone asked for a movie recommendation.

But don’t take my word for it, go see it for yourself on Netflix.

Just be rest assured that as you watch every minute, you’ll discover simple yet advanced psychological tactics for selling that will blow your mind.

Happy Sunday!

I hope this helps you.

Now that you’ve learned all these powerful sales and marketing insights, why don’t you discover more by following me on twitter.com/ucheokorolive

I mean, where else would you see such effective sales & marketing insights out here?

Where else? ๐Ÿ˜

Why Studying Old Ads Are Important & How It Helps You Improve Your Copywriting.

If you decide to learn advertising, sales and marketing, you need to study the old guys and what they’ve done.

It’s disingenuous thinking old things have passed away ๐Ÿ˜

And here’s why:

After writing out this “Don’t Do It!” ad used sometime around 1860 by hand, I decided to study it and see why it worked.

Niche: Consumer Goods

Headline: DON’T DO IT!

It’s a WARNING SIGN which means it’s attention-grabbing & curiosity laden.

Prospect sees it and asks themselves “I shouldn’t do what?”

The other subconscious question is, “why should I not do it?”

Consequence? Hooked.

Also, as kids aged 5, human beings are used to being told ‘no’ as much as 10 thousand times.

Compared to ‘yes’ a thousand times.

So, the word ‘No’ subconsciously takes them on a trip to their childhood when they were seeking Daddy & Mummy’s favour ๐Ÿ˜

So Robert Greene ๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿฟ

Don’t Do It uses reverse psychology on the ad reader tapping into a phenomenon called the Forbidden Fruit Syndrome (I coined this ๐Ÿ˜).

To explain this, imagine if God had told Adam & Eve to eat only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the Garden of Eden and no other ๐Ÿ˜

They would have most likely eaten every other fruit out there and avoided the forbidden one.

And that’s the thing with human beings – they do what you tell them NOT to do.

It’s the reason why ‘illegal’ stuff & banned substances sell like crazy e.g drugs, alcohol, sex etc.

Look at this logo closely, if you’ve seen the movie Compton, you’ll understand.

This is primarily one of the reasons why rap music blew up like crazy.

Forbidden Fruit Syndrome lends itself to our deepest desires as human beings – curiosity.

We want to know.

We want to know why.

Then the lead goes off listing a couple of things you shouldn’t buy.

This does 2 things:

1. It implants authority from the ad owner into the prospect’s head.

It also holds their interest.

Because if you’re telling me I shouldn’t do this, I’ll be waiting for the WHY.

2. It’s also polarizing.

(How dare you tell me what to do? Or what not to do?)

People DON’T LIKE TO BE TOLD WHAT TO DO in an obvious manner.

But they love to be seduced and led.

Now this ad tells them what NOT to do, gets them angry while seducing them into doing what was planned all along by the ad owner – to get them TO DO what he wants.

Genius stuff. ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿฟ

In fact, don’t buy anything for yourself or boy until you have seen our stock” breaks down the prospect’s buying decision into easily manageable steps.

Doesn’t tell you to buy anything.

Instead, it puts the decision in your hands – “until you have seen

No commitment required.

The prospect tells themselves “I don’t need to buy anything. I can just go there and feed my eyes.

From feeding their eyes, they essentially start feeding their brains.

And they’re READY to buy at this point.

It just becomes a matter of how the offer is presented.

AND WHY?

There’s a phenomenon called Reticular Activating System (RAS) in your brain.

The way it works is it makes your brain obsessed with incomplete thoughts, curiosity & questions.

You want to get to the root of anything you don’t understand.

Your CURIOSITY

AD OWNER WINS๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿฟ

Because we have anything you wish. The stock is the largest, the styles the best and prices low as can be found anywhere.

Benefits. Benefits. Benefits.

What your prospect looks out for any time they see a sales & marketing material.

People are inherently selfish.

Know this

And to round it off.

George Muse Clothing COMPANY gives a vibe of authority & establishment.

Doesn’t matter if it’s a small shop or a face-me-I-face-you.

The prospect will have to confirm.

But that’s until when they get there ๐Ÿ˜

TARGET ACQUIRED.

Mission Accomplished.

The first step in any online sales process is to get your prospects to CLICK.

Once you do your job to get them to click, the buying decision is cut by half.

This is what they do here.

Get the prospect to our store first, we’ll handle it from here.

Brilliant ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿฟ

PS: As I’ve said before, this is my breakdown of this sales letter. I probably missed some things too and youโ€™re free to point them out.

P.P.S: As much as I call myself a copywriter, like other copywriters, I miss some of these things while writing too.

My breakdown of this letter isnโ€™t to tell you how to write or what to do.

Itโ€™s simply to reinforce what Iโ€™ve been hearing for the last year.

And hopefully get better at this thing of ours.

I hope this helps you.

If this post gets serious engagement, I might be tempted to do this kind of breakdown every week.

So, like, comment and share so other people can learn.

Also, donโ€™t forget to follow me on Twitter.

Go here:ย twitter.com/ucheokorolive

Thatโ€™s where I drop other powerful insights in sales and marketing you wonโ€™t find here.

If youโ€™re interested in this letter, hereโ€™s a link to it: https://swiped.co/file/dont-buy-ads-1860-1880s/

How To Get Better At Copywriting

I’ve been studying a sales letter everyday for the last few weeks by writing them by hand.

Been doing this to break down what made them work.

By doing this, I hope other copywriters, DR marketers and sales & marketing enthusiasts learn something.

So, here’s what I noticed:

I’ll start with To People Who Want To Write But Can’t Get Started by the Newspaper Institute of America.

Niche: Writing

Headline

Ultra specificity: “To people who want to write”

Targets a problem/pain point while also alluding to a solution: “…but can’t get started”

But the power of this headline is the fact it tackles a common problem most people who want to write have: STARTING.

This is how you get into the conversation going on already in your prospect’s head.

Sub-headline

Using the problem-agitate-solution (PAS) style of writing copy, emphasises the problem: the fear of a beginner.

The common fear almost every beginner writer has.

Common problem?

Conversation going on in your prospect’s head?

Double-check.

Lead

Intro: “then listen to what Edward Weeks, an editor of the Atlantic Monthly has to say”

The use of an authority figure here is brilliant.

Nobody knows if the Atlantic Monthly is even a small newspaper.

But the fact that this guy is the editor of a paper makes him an important person.

An important person worth listening to.

Excellent framing.

Brilliant!

He talks about the need for new writers. But he does it from two angles:

1. The opportunity for newcomers at the Atlantic.

2. The need of readers.

He also slyly highlights the fact 8/24 (1/3) of writers making their debut in the Atlantic are new writers.

DIVERSITY.

Body Copy

“The Newspaper Institute of America offers a FREE Writing Aptitude Test.”

That’s a lead gen before the advent of lead gens.

Expert use of the word FREE to disarm the readers.

Body cont.

“The Writing Test is a simple but expert analysis of your latent ability, your powers of imagination, logic etc.”

The use of the word SIMPLE makes it sound easy taking away any fear or doubt from the prospect.

EXPERT ANALYSIS shows sophistication.

Your powers of imagination” will play at the ego of prospects.

All writers, even the bad ones believe they have a strong power of imagination.

Result? More signups ๐Ÿ˜

Body cont.

“All applicants do not pass this test.”

A classic use of negging (from PUA) to tap into their prospects ego.

I’ll bet most people who signed up for this program did because of this line.

Because it subconsciously challenges them.

It asks them “are you good enough?” without being direct.

No writer wants their ability questioned ๐Ÿ˜

Result? More signups.

Body cont.

“Those who do are qualified to take the famous N.I.A course.”

A classic use of framing. But in this case, double framing.

Those who are qualified” says this course isn’t for everyone – only the best.

A filtering mechanism.

The famous N.I.A course” claims it’s a prestigious institution – not for everyone.

Another filtering mechanism.

Body cont.

“This is the New York Copy-Desk method which teaches you to write by writing!”

This tells you what the program is about.

But it also plays at what the prospect wants – to write.

You develop your individual manner instead of trying to copy the style of others

Every beginner/old writer knows this all too well – impostor syndrome.

Every writer wants to write in their voice – even when their voice hasn’t been developed yet.

Another shot at the ego๐Ÿ˜

Body cont.

“You “cover” actual assignments” says you’re going to be treated with respect, not like an intern or IT student.

Something writers want.

Another cheap shot at our egos ๐Ÿ˜

(I’m crying right now ๐Ÿ˜ญ๐Ÿ˜ญ๐Ÿ˜ญ)

Body cont.

“Although you work at home, on your own time”

Remember one of the reasons why some people can’t get started is because they don’t have time.

But instead of stating it as a hindrance, it alludes to it as a benefit of working with them.

Smart!

Body cont.

“You are constantly guided by experienced…”

The promise of mentorship – something writers live and die for.

Body cont.

“It’s a really fascinating work. Each week you see new progress.”

Benefits. Benefits. Benefits.

The promise of enjoyable work + the promise of growth.

No writer can resist these two.

Body cont.

“In a matter of months you can acquire the coveted ” professional” touch.”

This reduces the timeframe it would take to become a good writer in the eyes of the prospect.

But what always makes me laugh is the use of words here to hide how long it might take.

You know 12 months is 1 year, yeah?

24 months is also 2 years, yeah?

“In a matter of months” sounds short, but the truth is it could be anything from 2 months to 24 months plus.

In case, you decide to complain or ask for a refund 2 months in, this simple line covers them ๐Ÿ˜

Body cont.

“Then you’re ready for market with greatly improved chances of making sales.”

No writer wants to starve.

Every writer lowkey seeks fame – we all want to be known, whether dead or alive.

That’s the beginning of immortality.

Another classic way to get into the conversation in your prospect’s head.

Testimonials (Always Use Them)

“I’m able to live on the money I earn by writing”

*Every. Writer’s. Dream.

“It’s not yet ten months since I began the course.”

Remember when I told you above how the use of a matter of months makes it seem easy, yeah?

Well, this part of the testimonial reinforces that.

But it also does something:

It plays at the ego of the prospect subconsciously.

“If he took up to 10 months, then he probably isn’t bright enough. Maybe I could do it in less” – The Prospect thinking to themselves

“Until a few months after beginning studying with you I had never had a line published”

Meaning I was a failure until I met you. In essence, your shit works.

Boom!

“What more can I say for a course which has enabled me to earn a livelihood by the most congenial work I have ever done?”

Check your dictionary for the meaning of congenial ๐Ÿ˜

The next person’s testimonial talks about how they’ve been getting paid and published.

Every. Writer’s. Dream

But you might have missed something else, I almost did.

Both testimonials were from 2 different people with 2 different lifestyles.

One a man, the other a woman (married).

Subconsciously, the prospect thinks “Well, if she can do it even as busy as she is as a married woman (with kids most likely), then I should too.”

This reinforces the fact most people will buy it because they’ve seen it work for someone else.

“If it worked for her, then maybe it could work for me too” – Your prospect when they see a testimonial.

It’s what makes us humans – social proof.

Closing.

“It requires but a FEW minutes and COSTS NOTHING.”

Make it easy for your prospect.

“Make the first move towards the most enjoyable and profitable occupation – writing for publication.”

Every. Writers. Dream – to write, be published, enjoy the process & profit from it ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿฟ

Even the coupon says “Send me without cost or obligation…”

And most of us don’t like cost or obligation. Especially to strangers.

Nailed!

PS: This is my breakdown of this sales letter. I probably missed some things too and you’re free to point them out.

P.P.S: As much as I call myself a copywriter, like other copywriters, I miss some of these things while writing too.

My breakdown of this letter isn’t to tell you how to write or what to do.

It’s simply to reinforce what I’ve been hearing for the last year.

And hopefully get better at this thing of ours.

I hope this helps you.

If this post gets serious engagement, I might be tempted to do this kind of breakdown every week.

So, like, comment and share so other people can learn.

Also, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter.

Go here: twitter.com/ucheokorolive

That’s where I drop other powerful insights in sales and marketing you won’t find here.

If you’re interested in this letter, here’s a link to it:
https://swiped.co/file/getstarted-writing-ad/

Do You Want To Write Better Leads? Then Let This Guide You

Takes 5-7 seconds to grab your prospect’s attention & get them to read your sales message.

This’s why how you write your leads is important.

If you dunno, a lead is the first 5-15 sentences, 300 words, 30 seconds or few pages of your message.

Here are 8 ways to do them better

1. Start with a story

People love stories.

But people are moved to buy by great stories.

You don’t know how to structure a story?

Study grass to grace stories.

Study The Hero’s Journey storytelling style.

Use them in a way that applies to what you’re selling.

Also, don’t forget people are moved by 3 types of people:

A champion.

A master.

An underdog.

Choose one character, create a story around them and exploit the hell out of it.

2. Give a compelling promise or promise a reward EARLY that what the readers are about to read/watch is worth their time.

E.g

“Ensure to read every word of this letter…”

Or

“Watch this video to the very end because what I’m about to show you is the secret that will…”

Another alternate ending is:

“…and what you’ll discover will be the…”

(And then you include your promise)

But learn how to vary it by trying different versions.

Don’t say something like “this is the best thing you’ve read or you’re going to read” if you can’t back it up.

It’s cliche and empty nowadays because people have seen or read so many promises like that that failed them.

Don’t burn yourself too.

3. If you don’t/can’t give a direct promise (due to whatever reason), then at least allude to it.

But understand some people might miss this.

Because all your prospects won’t be on the same level of understanding and sophistication.

As proven to be a norm, assumption is dangerous and the mother of all fuck ups.

So, as always, it’s better to be simple and break it down for them.

4. Lead with benefits before risk.

Every buying decision is weighed on the scale of benefits vs risk.

Every time a prospect sees an opportunity, they subconsciously ask themselves, “What’s in it for me?”

You give them reasons to buy from you when you show them the benefits.

And how these benefits outweigh the risks of not getting it.

5. Tackle a pain point or problem early on.

E.g

“Weight Loss doesn’t have to be a do or die affair like most weight-loss experts would make you believe.”

6. Ask an opening question.

E.g

Have you been struggling with making sales with your e-commerce store? So, what if I could show you a way you can turn it around in less than 4 weeks?”

But ensure this question is relevant & important. Not the usual cliche ones.

Also, it must point to the results or benefits they’d get from you or your product/service.

7. Use a baiting strategy.

E.g

“Before I go any further I need you to promise you’d watch this 70 seconds video to the end. Because only then will you…”

(And then your promise)

8. Build credibility early

You do this by introducing yourself and giving them reasons to continue reading or listening to or watching you.

This is where your qualifications, achievements, experience etc come in.

PS: You don’t have to lie or use conflated figures or unnecessary titles & buzzwords like 6-figure copywriter, leading expert/authority, 9-figure salesman if you’re not.

They are still people who’ll buy from you because you’re relatable or closer to the level that they are at.

I hope this helps you.

– Uche

If you enjoyed this article, you can follow me on Twitter where I post regular insights on sales and marketing that I don’t blog.

Go here

Gratitude Journal: 2021, Part 1

It just clocked in my mind this morning that within the last 4 months I’ve written copy for 2 projects that have grossed close to 1 million Naira each.

That’s over $4,000.

One of them with ZERO ad spend.

Yes, you heard me, ZERO.

I know it might not be much. I know ๐Ÿ˜

But one of the guys in I & my partner’s E-Commerce Mastermind group sent me a message that he did 700k last month.

Then he told me he’d been doing Affiliate Marketing since November and hadn’t made a single sale yet.

Shared a couple of ideas with him, and within a couple of hours, he made his first sale.

Lol, see how happy he was ๐Ÿ˜†

And that’s aside people in my small community that I’ve taught things that helped them increase their income.

Some of them made their first dollar online.

All these within the last 4 months.

I’m not trying to brag.

But around this same time 3 years ago I was a broke and frustrated Engineering graduate working at a Bet9ja shop on a 10k/month salary and struggling to make ends meet.

Then I quit & started teaching Spanish.

And now I’m in sales and marketing.

Lol, it’s been a crazy journey so far, crazy, crazy, crazy!

But I’m glad I listened to my first Spanish client, Tope Sanni who told me to get a job in sales and marketing.

I’m forever grateful for the opportunity ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿฟ

I’m also glad I listened to my instincts and turned down that bank job in 2019.

I’m also forever grateful to Toyin Omotoso for taking a chance on me when he didn’t have to ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿฟ

He sent out a glowing recommendation of me to his list last week.

Could never ask for a better mentor.

Thanks to Godwin Woha, the first ever mentor I had.

He read a questionnaire I filled, told me I waxed lyrical and advised I take my writing seriously.

Thanks to HillCity too for the opportunity to meet him asides other opportunities.

Thanks to my partner in crime too Emmanuel Adiotu.

Thanks for pushing me, man ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿฟ

I almost forgot Duolingo. Lol.

I haven’t even been practising my Spanish for a long time now.

But I’m dedicating at least 15 minutes every day for the rest of the year.

Because they helped unlock most of these opportunities I have today.

I have no idea why I’m up this morning counting my blessings.

But maybe it’s because today is the last day of the first half of this year.

And 2021 has been so good to me so far.

Thanks to God mehnnn.

Let’s do more for the rest of the year.

What Ugly Guys Can Teach Us About Sales and Marketing.

So many years ago, a beautiful young lady was sitting alone sipping on her drink slowly at a bar.

While she sat there, lots of men kept walking up to her and asking for a dance.

Some asked to buy her another drink.

But she kept saying no to every single one of them.

Most of these guys were young rich good looking Wall Street guys.

Entrepreneurs, lawyers, investment bankers wearing dapper suits and Rolexes.

But she said no to all of them.

She didn’t even turn to look at some of them.

Then this guy walks in.

A balding unremarkable plain-looking guy.

Not rich, at least obvious from his looks.

He sits for a few minutes at the other end of the bar.

Then he stands up and walks up to her, and whispers something in her ears.

Immediately her eyes lit up.

And then she turns around to face him with the most wonderful smile.

But what’s shocking is as he walked out of the bar, she followed him.

What did he tell her?

I’ve got some coke. You wanna play? ๐Ÿ˜

I can’t remember where I read this story.

But this is one of the reasons why ugly guys get the most beautiful women.

I mean, let’s face it.

Most good looking or rich guys depend on either their good looks or displays of wealth to attract a woman.

Whereas, most ugly guys have known a long time ago that nothing comes easy – talk more the undergarments of a woman.

So, what do they do?

They focus on improving themselves.

They improve their appearance by working out, dressing well, smelling nice etc.

They improve their status by doubling down on their hustle.

They make money and gain some status.

Because they know this is also important.

But they don’t stop there.

They also improve their ability to begin and carry a conversation.

They read books.

They learn manners and sophistication.

And in doing so, they develop the kind of steely confidence that reminds you of Alexander the Great.

Whereas the good looking guy keeps meeting women who aren’t moved by his looks.

Same with the rich guy.

You might be wondering if there’s a sales and marketing lesson in here.

Well, would there ever be a post where I won’t teach you something about sales and marketing?

You know they won’t ๐Ÿ˜

So, what’s the lesson?

Be the ugly guy.

Every single guy in that bar was interested in that lady.

But they weren’t intelligent enough to think about what she wanted before approaching her.

What if they knew she was a coke fiend?

They were going to get her number and possibly even take her home.

But since they never bothered to look closely, they lost the pretty lady

And this is exactly how sales and marketing should be done.

This is exactly how your prospects think.

Everyone out there doesn’t care what you’re selling.

Or what your business does.

What they only care about is one thing – themselves.

The earlier you put your prospect/customer at the forefront of all your marketing efforts, the better for your profits and revenues.

Lemme say it again, the customer is always right.

But not about their opinions.

No, fuck that!

They are right about what they care about.

And you should too if you want your business to grow.

You have to be obsessed with your customers and what they want or need.

Your business and life depends on it.

I hope this helps you.

– Uche

PS: You should be following me on Twitter for regular sales and marketing insights I dont post here.

Go here: twitter.com/ucheokorolive

How To Use Testimonials To Improve Your Business.

Do you run a business or provide a service and you usually get advice to use testimonials on your pages when trying to sell?

But you can not.

Especially because no one has used your product/service yet.

Well, here are 5 ways you can do it differently:

1. Use It Yourself

I remember seeing a tweet from Bruno Nwogu where he told his followers he had discovered a new way to make money via affiliate marketing.

He added that he wasn’t sure about it, but he was going to test it out and give them feedback.

Then, he came back and referenced the same tweet and shared his results with them.

Boom!

Toyin Omotoso used this same style when he wanted to grow his Twitter account.

He got a bunch of resources, tested them, dumped the ones that weren’t working and figured out how to get a large following.

Then he packaged this information and made his Twitter Money Blueprint Program.

And I’m a testimony to this because I’ve had a Twitter account since 2012 and never had up to 1,000 followers.

Let’s say it was because I wasn’t serious ๐Ÿ˜

But using some of the things he shares I’m almost up to 2,000 followers all within the last 4 months.

Powerful stuff ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿฟ

But don’t also forget you can suffer from owner’s bias. You need a balanced approach when it comes to using it yourself.

2. Give away for free in exchange for feedback.

I learned this from writing 1 post every week on my blog www.ucheokoro.live for 1 full year.

I’d write a post every Sunday evening, publish it, then take the link and post it on my WhatsApp status.

The feedback I kept getting helped me to keep going even when I didn’t feel like writing.

That’s how I got better at writing consistently.

Bruno Nwogu has a free Telegram group where he shares tips and techniques with 2,000+ other affiliate marketers on how to make more money.

Nowadays, he has a paid group.

But he uses the success of that free group to sell the opportunities in his paid group.

What are you selling?

Give away some of it to your target audience.

Then ask for feedback in exchange for what you gave them.

Then use this feedback as testimonials on your page.

Believe me, it works.

3. Encourage people to talk about you – Church style.

Have you ever been to a church?

Have you noticed that even people sleeping during the sermon wake up when it comes to testimony time?

That’s how powerful it is.

But it’s also powerful because all of us humans are moved by social proof – we usually do things because we see other people doing it.

Or because it works for other people.

That’s how Church grows.

Go figure.

4. Call your customers and ask for feedback.

When you’ve started getting some sales, you should call your customers and ask them some of the following questions.

“What was your experience?”

“Did you enjoy it?”

“Are you glad you bought it?”

“Do you like it?”

Then ask them for permission to use their testimonies on your page.

Church style again ๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿฟ

Voila!

5. Use case studies.

These can be stories of similar people like the person you’re trying to sell to.

When you do this, you help your prospects identify with your subject’s problem.

And you also make them experience the future relief (through the story you’ve shared) of what it would be like using your product/service.

I’m sorry I have to reference church again, but it’s a community that influences my thoughts on sales and marketing.

If you’ve noticed in certain churches during testimony time, there’s always another person (pastor, church worker etc) with a mic repeating the words of whoever is giving a testimony.

It serves three things:

1. The Power of Repetition.

You begin to believe anything you hear over and over again.

2. It elevates the perceived value of the church in your mind.

They emphasize certain points or events in the testimony making it seem deeper than you might have thought.

3. It paints a clearer picture.

Because in certain instances where the person giving the testimony can’t articulate it properly, the pastor or church worker does it better.

The power of testimonials lies in social proof.

And majority of people base their buying decision on the strength of other people’s testimonies.

And this is why undeniable testimonials = effortless selling. Don’t sleep on it.

This is also how church works & grows.

Learn how to use it in your business and watch your sales soar.

I hope this helps you.

– Uche.

If you enjoyed this article, you should be following me on twitter.com/ucheokorolive too.

Alright, I’m off to church.

Ciao!

This Is Why A USP Is Important In Your Sales & Marketing Efforts.

In today’s world where there are so many products struggling for your prospects’ attention and money.

This is why having a specific & compelling USP is one of the ways to differentiate yourself.

Here are 4 ways to do it differently:

But first, what is the USP?

According to advertising OG Rosser Reeves, the USP (unique selling proposition) is the one reason a customer needs to buy a specific product or service, or why it is better than its competitors.

Some USPs you might have seen before that are instantly recognisable are:

– Domino’s Pizza: “Fresh hot pizza in 30 minutes or less.”

– Avis: “We’re number two. We try harder.”

– Amazon: “Earth’s largest bookstore.”

– Coca-Cola: “Delivering/spreading happiness.”

– Peugeot: “Made for Nigerian roads.”

But it’s not just about the slogans.

A USP is what sets you apart from your competitors or why are you better than them…in a favourable way.

It’s simply what makes you different.

For example, Facebook started with connecting you to people you used to know but you might not have seen in years.

For young Nigerians, Twitter is a space where they learn, laugh, love, make money, make friends, hook up, debate, argue and fight.

That’s a crazy USP.

Back to the topic, these are ways to improve your USP:

1. Insist on benefits over features

“Why should I buy your stuff?”

“What do I stand to gain?”

“How does it help me?”

Your Customer is selfish and doesn’t care about you.

This is why your USP should be about them and how they stand to benefit from your product/service.

2. Differentiate Yourself.

What makes it different from others out there?

That’s why you see certain sales messages start with “Unlike most other products out there…”.

Or “Unlike some of our competitors…”

Once you can answer these questions clearly and compellingly, you’re on your way to making good money.

3. You can even do it through your domain or product name.

Think of products like Reel Fruits.

Most people won’t even remember the word is reel because it’s the same pronunciation as real.

Genius stuff ๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿฟ

Think of oneminutecureforalldiseases.com

lowestfares.com

4. Highlight a feature that your product/service has that others don’t/Fill a void in the marketplace.

When you go through Expertnaire’s timeline on twitter.com/expertnaire

You notice their USP’s are tied around the biggest commissions in Nigeria, getting paid every Friday, best affiliate marketing platform in Nigeria, how they fill in the void for Nigerians interested in Affiliate Marketing but can’t get on Clickbank, Moreniche, JVZoo because of location etc.

Also, their pinned tweet helps break it down for people with no prior knowledge or experience of affiliate marketing.

Now, the cool thing about USPs is you can use them for your advertising campaigns, product or service branding.

Or even a headline for a sales message.

Or an idea for a product launch.

Or a theme that sets you or your brand apart.

So, you must dig deep to find something powerful & compelling.

Your options for crafting a USP are enormous. Just don’t limit yourself.

I hope this helps you.

– Uche.

You can follow me on twitter.com/ucheokorolive

The Most Unusual Marketing Stories Of All Time V: Krav Maga And How To Apply It In Sales and Marketing.

Have you heard of Krav Maga?

It is widely known as the worldโ€™s most effective and dangerous form of martial art.

In effect, it is also the deadliest in the world.

Krav Maga is a military self-defence and fighting system developed for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israeli security forces.

It is derived from a combination of the most effective and practical techniques of other fighting styles – boxing, wrestling, judo, aikido, karate and street fighting.

Krav Maga focuses on real-world situations and doesnโ€™t care for rules and opponents well being – either permanently damage your opponents or kill them.

Its theme is:

When you fight them, don’t fight fair cos you’ll never win.” – Kendrick Lamar (Ronald Reagan Era)

Krav Maga was derived from theย street-fightingย experience of Hungarian-Israeli martial artistย Imi Lichtenfeld, who made use of his training as aย boxerย andย wrestler.

Some of the keys focus of techniques in Krav Maga are:

– Finishing a fight as quickly and aggressively as possible.

– Aiming at the most vulnerable parts of the body.

– Continuing to strike the opponent until they are completely incapacitated.

– Using any available objects at hand that could be used to hit an opponent.

This last sentence leads to the next point of using Krav Maga in your sales and marketing campaigns.

But first of all, let’s talk about a multinational corporation that turned around a negative situation with what can only be described as a Krav Maga technique.

Enter KFC.

It’s 2018 and KFC restaurants are running out of key ingredients, including chicken.

Not particularly due to the company’s or any of their staff’s fault.

It was a logistics issue.

But it was so bad that there were at least 53,000 mentions of KFC running out of chicken, alongside hashtags such as “#ChickenCrisis” and “#KFCCrisis”.

KFC had 900 of their restaurants closed.

Now, think about that as a business owner.

According to Meghan Farren, KFCโ€™s chief marketing officer for the UK & Ireland, “At the time, our business was, to be honest, on its knees. We have 26,000 team members across the UK and Ireland, and many of them were taking abuse from customers, day in and day out. They were being berated for not having salt, for not having ketchup sachets, for running out of hot wings.

The executives at KFC knew they needed to do two things:

1. Send out a mass apology to the public.

2. Explain what the problem was, what was being done to fix it, and fix it immediately.

So, how did they achieve this?

Enter the FCK Campaign.

FCK pronounced as f*ck was guided by the “three Hs” of “humility, humour and honesty”.

But the fact that it was the word “fuck”, an everyday swear word, but used creatively (rearranging the letters KFC) blew everyone’s mind.

It seized attention, before offering an apology.

Even the apology was funny.

It was a massive success.

The ad would go on to appear in over 700 press articles and TV discussions reaching a combined audience of 797 million all over the world.

Plus, 219 million social-media users within three months.

By that time, the campaign had generated more than one billion impressions. All from a single ad.ย 

All thanks to Krav Maga, this just proves that no situation is irredeemable.

Just fight with anything and everything you have…and you might just win.

I hope this helps you.

– Uche