The Truth About Advertising
How to Transform Your Business Into a Money-Multiplying Machine
What is Advertising Supposed to Do?
? Grab the prospects¶ attention ? Give them hope that you can solve their problem or fulfill their desire ? Prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that their hopes will be fulfilled ? Offer a specific, low-risk, easy-to-take action
95% of All Ads SUCK! ? That is to say . . .
±They suck the profits right out of your business!
± Let¶s explore why this is so . . .
A World Full of Lousy Advertising Almost all advertising fails at:
? Getting anyone¶s attention ? Getting those who do pay attention to stay interested ? Proving why anyone should buy the product or service ? Giving anyone a reason to take action NOW ? Making money!
Why Do So Many Businesses Do It So Wrong?
? National companies made fortunes advertising on TV
± Image advertising became the benchmark ± Everyone thinks ³that¶s how it¶s done.´ ± Ad agencies/colleges don¶t know any other way
Image / Institutional Advertising
? Attempts to get attention through cute and creative copy ? Has one goal To get consumers to remember a brand, company name, or slogan ? Relies on repetition ? Takes a ³Fortune 500´ budget
Direct Response Advertising
Produces direct, immediate, measurable response Tells a story or proves a case Gets prospects to take action NOW Separates your business from the competition Gets maximum results for every dollar spent!
The Trust Barrier
? Created by Brand/Image Advertising
± The consumer¶s inability to determine whether any business/product/service is any better or worse than any other ± The buyer feels like he doesn¶t have control so he thinks, stalls, comparison shops, and tries to gather more information
Most businesses try to break through the Trust Barrier with creativity and repetition«but you¶ll know better!
Direct Response Marketing is an Equation
? ? ? ? It never changes Is based on unchanging true principles Works like arithmetic As long we know the principles, we can always complete the equation
Let¶s learn a few things about how Polly Prospect¶s mind works . . .
Three Major Concepts
1.Alpha Mode 2.Beta Mode 3.Reticular Activating System
Alpha Mode
? Subconscious running of patterns in your life that function without engaging your brain ± Brain is on auto-pilot ± Routines and habits stem from Alpha ± People are unaware of what they¶re doing or thinking ± 25% of waking hours are spent in Alpha
Have you ever driven to work and then realized you don¶t remember doing it?
Alpha Mode in Marketing
? Trust Barrier-induced state of apathy toward any advertising ? Makes consumer oblivious to nearly all advertising messages ? Gives advertiser no chance to sell
Your ads must get the consumer to ³snap´ awake
Beta Mode
? State of active mental engagement
Person is consciously aware of what he/she is doing Person is interested and eager State of active problem solving and learning
Beta Mode in Marketing
? Person consciously notices ads ? Person actively seeks out information on products or services ? Person is open to ideas or suggestions ? Person will read or absorb as much information as necessary to make the best decision
Reticular Activating System
? Your brain is always subconsciously scanning the environment for anything that¶s: ±Familiar / Connected ±Incongruous / Not Consistent ±Threatening / Dangerous
?
Reticular Activating System Familiar / Connected
- The car you just purchased - A song from your youth ? Incongruous / Not Consistent - Clown at the Opera - Unusual odor ? Threatening / Dangerous - Baby crying in the night - A car moving into your lane
What is an Activator?
Anything that ³snaps´ a person out of Alpha Mode and into Beta Mode
Activators Must Hit ³Hot Buttons´
? Spark an emotional charge ? Identify problems, frustrations, annoyances, fears, or hidden troubles ? Involve specific, relatable scenarios that illustrate these emotions
Activators in Marketing
? Snaps the prospect into consciousness to pay attention to your marketing ? Can be accomplished with
Pictures: shocking, strange, sexy, celebrities, unusual (people love to look at people) Sounds: jingles, ³logo sounds´ (Intel) Words: paint a mental picture
The Direct Response Equation ? Use the Reticular Activating System to
³Snap´ the Prospect into Beta
Interrupt: Get prospects to pay attention Engage: Get those who pay attention to remain interested Prove: Give facts, figures, hard data Offer: Get the prospect to take action based on a call to action
Step #1: Interrupt
? Done with:
»Ad Style »Headlines »Photos
Interrupt: AD STYLE
? Big, bold, attention-grabbing headline ? Advertorial Style emulates news stories ? Captivating photos
± before/after ± happy/successful people ± shows the problem
Interrupt: HEADLINE
? Headline is the ad for the ad ? Appeals to the reader¶s self interest ? Creates a sense of urgency -- makes prospect want more ? Unique ? Ultra-specific
Interrupt: HEADLINE
? SLOGANS ARE NOT HEADLINES!
± SLOGAN ³Affordability now comes with a view´ ± HEADLINE
³I¶ll Teach You My Breakthrough Method for Overcoming Anxiety and Depression. And I Guarantee You Results Fast or Your Money Back.´
Which is more likely to hit a ³hot button´?
Interrupt: HEADLINE
? What your headline must do:
Grab your prospects by the lapels Push emotional hot buttons Be Unique Be Ultra-specific
³Headlines get read 5 times more than ad copy.´
-David Ogilvy
Interrupt: Photos
? What your photos must do:
Instantly show your prospect what the ad is about Push emotional hot buttons Be unique Demonstrate the self-interest appeal
People have a natural interest in other people -- use people in your photos whenever possible.
Engage: Lead & Sub-heads
Lead
± Gives hope/makes a promise ± Paints a mental picture
Sub-heads/Photo captions
± Keeps the reader moving through the copy ± Keeps the promise alive
Prove: Copy
? Tell Your Story or Make Your Case
± Juicy Details ± Ultra-Specific
Facts Figures Data Irrefutable Evidence Statistics Testimonials Expert Opinions Success Stories Charts & Graphs
Prove: Copy
Which rings more true? 1. ³We¶ve helped thousands of people stop smoking´ Or . . . ? ³6,758 People Can¶t Be Wrong--They¶ve Stopped Smoking with Hypnosis and You Can, Too!´
Prove: Copy
Sell Benefits, Not Features Example: Electric Can Opener Features Benefits
Single touch operation Power pierce cutter Push a button and walk away! Safe enough for your children to use!
Offer
? What is your USP?
± Unique Selling Proposition
? Is it irresistible? ? Does it make your prospect say, ³I¶d be crazy to do business with anyone else´?
What is the most irresistible offer?
The Thin Line
? Who is ready to buy now?
5%
95%
? Who will buy in the future?
Guarantee
? Consumers are Smart / Savvy / Skeptical
? Remove the risk . . .
± Nothing to lose ± Everything to gain
. . . And they¶ll buy from you!
Success is a State of Mind!
? 95% of all small business ventures fail within the first five years . . . But you¶re different . . . You believe in yourself You think differently You¶re willing to step outside the box And dream bigger than your competition
Which means that . . .
Untold success and riches will be yours!
Congratulations!
doc_138063411.pptx
How to Transform Your Business Into a Money-Multiplying Machine
What is Advertising Supposed to Do?
? Grab the prospects¶ attention ? Give them hope that you can solve their problem or fulfill their desire ? Prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that their hopes will be fulfilled ? Offer a specific, low-risk, easy-to-take action
95% of All Ads SUCK! ? That is to say . . .
±They suck the profits right out of your business!
± Let¶s explore why this is so . . .
A World Full of Lousy Advertising Almost all advertising fails at:
? Getting anyone¶s attention ? Getting those who do pay attention to stay interested ? Proving why anyone should buy the product or service ? Giving anyone a reason to take action NOW ? Making money!
Why Do So Many Businesses Do It So Wrong?
? National companies made fortunes advertising on TV
± Image advertising became the benchmark ± Everyone thinks ³that¶s how it¶s done.´ ± Ad agencies/colleges don¶t know any other way
Image / Institutional Advertising
? Attempts to get attention through cute and creative copy ? Has one goal To get consumers to remember a brand, company name, or slogan ? Relies on repetition ? Takes a ³Fortune 500´ budget
Direct Response Advertising
Produces direct, immediate, measurable response Tells a story or proves a case Gets prospects to take action NOW Separates your business from the competition Gets maximum results for every dollar spent!
The Trust Barrier
? Created by Brand/Image Advertising
± The consumer¶s inability to determine whether any business/product/service is any better or worse than any other ± The buyer feels like he doesn¶t have control so he thinks, stalls, comparison shops, and tries to gather more information
Most businesses try to break through the Trust Barrier with creativity and repetition«but you¶ll know better!
Direct Response Marketing is an Equation
? ? ? ? It never changes Is based on unchanging true principles Works like arithmetic As long we know the principles, we can always complete the equation
Let¶s learn a few things about how Polly Prospect¶s mind works . . .
Three Major Concepts
1.Alpha Mode 2.Beta Mode 3.Reticular Activating System
Alpha Mode
? Subconscious running of patterns in your life that function without engaging your brain ± Brain is on auto-pilot ± Routines and habits stem from Alpha ± People are unaware of what they¶re doing or thinking ± 25% of waking hours are spent in Alpha
Have you ever driven to work and then realized you don¶t remember doing it?
Alpha Mode in Marketing
? Trust Barrier-induced state of apathy toward any advertising ? Makes consumer oblivious to nearly all advertising messages ? Gives advertiser no chance to sell
Your ads must get the consumer to ³snap´ awake
Beta Mode
? State of active mental engagement
Person is consciously aware of what he/she is doing Person is interested and eager State of active problem solving and learning
Beta Mode in Marketing
? Person consciously notices ads ? Person actively seeks out information on products or services ? Person is open to ideas or suggestions ? Person will read or absorb as much information as necessary to make the best decision
Reticular Activating System
? Your brain is always subconsciously scanning the environment for anything that¶s: ±Familiar / Connected ±Incongruous / Not Consistent ±Threatening / Dangerous
?
Reticular Activating System Familiar / Connected
- The car you just purchased - A song from your youth ? Incongruous / Not Consistent - Clown at the Opera - Unusual odor ? Threatening / Dangerous - Baby crying in the night - A car moving into your lane
What is an Activator?
Anything that ³snaps´ a person out of Alpha Mode and into Beta Mode
Activators Must Hit ³Hot Buttons´
? Spark an emotional charge ? Identify problems, frustrations, annoyances, fears, or hidden troubles ? Involve specific, relatable scenarios that illustrate these emotions
Activators in Marketing
? Snaps the prospect into consciousness to pay attention to your marketing ? Can be accomplished with
Pictures: shocking, strange, sexy, celebrities, unusual (people love to look at people) Sounds: jingles, ³logo sounds´ (Intel) Words: paint a mental picture
The Direct Response Equation ? Use the Reticular Activating System to
³Snap´ the Prospect into Beta
Interrupt: Get prospects to pay attention Engage: Get those who pay attention to remain interested Prove: Give facts, figures, hard data Offer: Get the prospect to take action based on a call to action
Step #1: Interrupt
? Done with:
»Ad Style »Headlines »Photos
Interrupt: AD STYLE
? Big, bold, attention-grabbing headline ? Advertorial Style emulates news stories ? Captivating photos
± before/after ± happy/successful people ± shows the problem
Interrupt: HEADLINE
? Headline is the ad for the ad ? Appeals to the reader¶s self interest ? Creates a sense of urgency -- makes prospect want more ? Unique ? Ultra-specific
Interrupt: HEADLINE
? SLOGANS ARE NOT HEADLINES!
± SLOGAN ³Affordability now comes with a view´ ± HEADLINE
³I¶ll Teach You My Breakthrough Method for Overcoming Anxiety and Depression. And I Guarantee You Results Fast or Your Money Back.´
Which is more likely to hit a ³hot button´?
Interrupt: HEADLINE
? What your headline must do:
Grab your prospects by the lapels Push emotional hot buttons Be Unique Be Ultra-specific
³Headlines get read 5 times more than ad copy.´
-David Ogilvy
Interrupt: Photos
? What your photos must do:
Instantly show your prospect what the ad is about Push emotional hot buttons Be unique Demonstrate the self-interest appeal
People have a natural interest in other people -- use people in your photos whenever possible.
Engage: Lead & Sub-heads
Lead
± Gives hope/makes a promise ± Paints a mental picture
Sub-heads/Photo captions
± Keeps the reader moving through the copy ± Keeps the promise alive
Prove: Copy
? Tell Your Story or Make Your Case
± Juicy Details ± Ultra-Specific
Facts Figures Data Irrefutable Evidence Statistics Testimonials Expert Opinions Success Stories Charts & Graphs
Prove: Copy
Which rings more true? 1. ³We¶ve helped thousands of people stop smoking´ Or . . . ? ³6,758 People Can¶t Be Wrong--They¶ve Stopped Smoking with Hypnosis and You Can, Too!´
Prove: Copy
Sell Benefits, Not Features Example: Electric Can Opener Features Benefits
Single touch operation Power pierce cutter Push a button and walk away! Safe enough for your children to use!
Offer
? What is your USP?
± Unique Selling Proposition
? Is it irresistible? ? Does it make your prospect say, ³I¶d be crazy to do business with anyone else´?
What is the most irresistible offer?
The Thin Line
? Who is ready to buy now?
5%
95%
? Who will buy in the future?
Guarantee
? Consumers are Smart / Savvy / Skeptical
? Remove the risk . . .
± Nothing to lose ± Everything to gain
. . . And they¶ll buy from you!
Success is a State of Mind!
? 95% of all small business ventures fail within the first five years . . . But you¶re different . . . You believe in yourself You think differently You¶re willing to step outside the box And dream bigger than your competition
Which means that . . .
Untold success and riches will be yours!
Congratulations!
doc_138063411.pptx