99  Ideas:    Powerful  Marke2ng  Tac2cs  That  Sell  

Presented  by  Sheri  Jacobs,  CAE  

President  +  Chief  Strategist  Avenue  M  Group,  LLC  

Na2onal  Associa2on  of  Home  Builders  2010  Execu2ves  Officers  Council  Seminar  

They read what interests them and sometimes

that happens to be an ad.

People don’t read ads.

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Connect  the  dots  with  four  straight  lines  without  liPing  the  pen  from  the  paper.  

99  Ways  to  Improve  Response  Rates  Through  Powerful  Marke2ng  

Copy  

Know  everything  you  can  about… 1.  What  you  are  selling.  

2.  Who  you  are  selling  to.  

3.  Your  compe22on  4.  The  factors  that  influence  a  

decision.  

5.  How  you  want  them  to  act.  

Know  everything  you  can  about  WHAT  you  are  

selling.  

1.  Know  what  you  are  selling.

Conduct  an  Asset  Audit  Associations Now

(Print) Annual Conference

Audience(s) Served All CEOs, Senior Staff

Referral rating (10=high) 10 2

Uses technology to deliver No Yes

Tangible or measurable Yes Yes

Costs less than $500 Yes No

2.  Iden2fy  at  least  one  thing  different •  Reputa2on  

•  Depth  +  breadth  of  offerings  

•  Network  connec2ons  •  Price/value  

•  24/7  access  to  informa2on  

3.  Interview  the  product  manager •  What  are  the  objec2ves?  

•  Who  is  the  audience?  

•  What  interes2ng  facts  or  stories  may  be  relevant  to  what  you  are  trying  to  sell?  

Know  everything  you  can  about  WHO  you  are  selling  to.  

Know  everything  you  can  about  WHO 4.  Review  customer  service  inquiries  

5.  Conduct  a  member  needs  assessment.  

6.  Ask  new  members  within  30  days  why  they  joined.  

7.  Create  a  social  media  profile  of  your  members.  

Know  everything  you  can  about  WHO 8.  Iden2fy  your  top  influencers  

9.  Create  ways  for  members  to  generate  buzz  

10. Create  an  internal  social  media  listening  group.  

Know  everything  you  can  about  your  COMPETITION.  

11.  Iden2fy  +  track  your  compe2tors.

12.  Put  yourself  in  your  members’  shoes

Know  everything  you  can  about  what  MOTIVATES  people  

to  buy.  

13.  Show  proof  of  value  

Don’t  lower  the  price,  add  more  value.    

14.  Take  away  the  risk  in  a  BIG  way.  

•  Offer  a  FREE  1-­‐year  trial.  

•  Guarantee  sa2sfac2on    for  365  days.  

•  Ask  for  no  money  down  when  you  take  an    applica2on  or  registra2on.  

15.  Tap  into  the  emo2onal  needs.  

What  emo2onal  needs  will  your  product  solve?  •  Staying  afloat  during  the  recession  

•  Providing  a  work/life  balance  

•  Sor2ng  through  an  avalanche  of  informa2on  

•  Budget  constraints  –  no  money  to  travel  and  alend  conferences  

16.  Address  objec2ons  

Too  expensive?  •  Membership  is  less  than  $2/day  •  Offer  LOTS  of  freebies  to  offset  the  cost  to  

alend  a  mee2ng.  

Lack  of  2me?  •  Tell  how  alendees  can  stay  connected  at  the  

conference  

A  good  involvement  device  in  direct  response  adver2sing  has  doubled  and  even  tripled  response  rates.  

“Write  down  3  issues  you  want  to  address  when  you  come  back  from  the  the  NAHB  2010  EOC  Seminar”  

17.  User  involvement  &  ownership  

18.  Tell  a  REAL  story.    

WSAE  offers  educa2onal  programs  “that  are  worth  gerng  up  at  5:00  am  and  driving  halfway  across  the  state  to  alend.”  

19.  Add  personality.

Show  a  personality.    

Use  real  photos,  real  words  and  real  

stories.  People  connect  

with  people.  

20.  Establish  credibility  quickly.  

21.  Jus2fy  the  purchase.  

1.  You  buy  on  emo2on  and  jus2fy  the  purchase  with  logic.  

2.  View  logic  as  the  answer  to  the  unspoken  objec2on,  “Why  should  I  buy  this  thing?”  

Emo2on:  BMW.  The  Ul2mate  Driving  Machine!  

Logic:  Ul2mate  efficiency.  Well  equipped.  No-­‐cost  maintenance.  No-­‐cost  BMW  Assist  Safety  Plan.    

22.  Create  a  Sense  of  Urgency  

•  Introductory  price/offer  

•  Limited  quan2ty  –  only  the  first  20  people  who  register  will  receive  a  free  white  paper  

•  Pricing  based  on  number  of  registra2ons  sold  

•  First  50  registra2ons  sell  for  $49  

•  Second  50  sell  registra2ons  for  $99  

•  Third  50  registra2ons  sell  for  $149  

23.  End  your  price  with  a  7  or  9  

$139  will  typically  generate  more  sales  than  a  price  of  $130.    

If  your  members  are  resistant  to  paying  $599  to  alend  your  educa2onal  conference,  try  

offering  it  for  3  installments  of  $199    

24.  Offer  installments  to  lower  the  price.

25.  Keep  it  simple  and  easy.  

Make  it  so  easy  to  register,  join  or  buy  that  all  the  customer  needs  to  do  is  click  or  sign  on  the  doled  line.  

26.  Be  Specific  

“Top  rated  educa2onal  program”    

or  

“97%  of  past  alendees  rate  this  conference  as  one  of  the  most  important  moves  learning  how  to  reach  new  home  

buyers.”  

27.  Focus  on  the  first  sentence.

1.  Is  it  short?  

2.  Is  it  easy  to  read?  

3.  Is  it  compelling?  

28.  Create  a  Must-­‐Read  Headline.  

•  It’s  possible  to  miss  an  en2re  gorilla  •  When  was  the  last  2me  you  WOWed  your  members?  •  Nothing  sinks  a  marke2ng  campaign  faster  •  6  Ideas  we  guarantee  will  improve  your  brand’s  image  •  11  Great  tweets  from  the  Great  Ideas  Conference  •  3  Ways  to  get  a  prospect  to  buy  •  Marke2ng  to  Gen  X  and  Gen  Y  

29.  Use  the  words  “How  to”  

Old  Headlines  (Actual  2tles)  •  Search  Engine  Op2miza2on  Secrets  •  Excep2onal  Customer  Service  Builds  Business  

Revised  Headlines  •  How  to  Appear  on  Page  One  of  Google  •  How  to  Grow  Your  Business  and  Keep  Clients  Happy  APer  the  Sale  

30.  Use  a  number  in  your  copy  

The  numbers  5  and  0  feel  manufactured.  When  you  use  a  number  such  as  6,  7  or  9  it  feels  more  real.  

10  Steps  to  a  Successful  Open  House  Or  

11  Steps  to  a  Successful  Open  House  

31.  Cut  your  copy  in  half!  

Provided  that  -­‐  -­‐  If  In  order  to  -­‐  -­‐  To  The  majority  of  -­‐  -­‐  Most  Accordingly  -­‐  -­‐  So  Facilitate  -­‐  -­‐  Help  Frequently  -­‐  -­‐  OPen  

32.  Create  a  sense  of  exclusivity

•  Create  a  sense  of  exclusivity  by  serng  limita2ons  on  who  can  buy,  join  or  register.  

•  Offer  other  exclusive    products  to  prospects  have  par2cipated,  joined  or  alended  a  session.  

33.  Use  Curiosity  to  Get  Them  Interested  

NAHB  to  Sue  EPA  Over  Lead  Paint  Regula2ons  

New  lead  paint  regula2ons  will  increase  costs  to  78  million  homeowners    

34.  Pretend  you  are  selling  face-­‐to-­‐face

1.  Prepare  a  sales  pitch.  

2.  Pitch  the  sale  to  a  friend  who  does  not  work  at  your  associa2on.  

3.  Use  the  conversa2onal  tone  in  your  copywri2ng.  

4.  Address  the  ques2ons.  

35.  Ask  why  3  2mes  before  wri2ng. Why  did  you  register  for  this  conference?  We  are  struggling  with  membership  recruitment  

What  is  the  challenge?  It  is  so  difficult  to  cut  through  the  cluler;  to  get  someone  to  open  my  mailing  and  respond.  

Why  do  you  think  this  session  would  help?  I  don’t  have  any  formal  marke2ng  training.  I  need  to  learn  how  to  stand  out!  

How  to  write  marke2ng  copy  that  sells.    A  class  for  those  without  a  marke2ng  degree.  

36.  Avoid  Clichés  

They  will  make  your  marke2ng  invisible!  

wordle.net  

37.  Leave  out  the  brochure. Dear Reader:

On a beautiful late spring afternoon, twenty-five years ago, two young men graduated from the same college. They were very much alike…but there was one difference. One was a manager of a small department and the other was the CEO of the same company. What made the difference.

Are  you  looking  for  ways  to  cut  costs  yet  s2ll  deliver  great  service?  

Does  your  budget  limit  the  amount  of  con2nuing  educa2on  you  can  alend?  

38.  End  your  copy  with  a  ques2on

39.  Add  the  word  “You”  to  your  copy. Instead  of..  

We  connect  great  ideas  and  great  people  to  inspire  leadership  and  achievement  in  the  associa2on  community.  

Use…  

YOU  will  be  connected  with  great  ideas  and  great  people.  

40.  Edit  your  copy.

1.  Eliminate  “that”  words.  

2.  Eliminate  “the”  words.  

3.  Edit  for  rhythm.  

4.  Combine  sentences  

5.  Rearrange  thoughts  so  they  flow  beler.    

Design  the  brochure  so  that  it  can  easily  be  skimmed.    

When asked how young professionals (YP) first learned about their association, 76% of survey respondents selected colleagues and 56% selected employers. A significant percentage of young professionals also become aware of the association through the organization’s website (70%) and through their academic environment (66%).

How  do  young  professionals  first  learn  about  your  associaDon?  

Colleague  76%  

Website  70%  

41.  Use  graphics  instead  of  words.

42.  Use  white  space  to  draw  alen2on.

43.  Use  photos  that  build  the  brand.

An  envelope  with  no  wri2ng  has  to  be  opened  to  see  what’s  inside.    

44.  Keep  your  envelope  blank.

45.  Form  follows  func2on.

46.  Tell  a  story  that  is  bigger  than  you.

47.  Use  a  coupon  or  giP  card.

48.  Add  a  Q  &  A  to  your  copy.

49.  Compare  your  speaker  to  someone  famous

Warren  Buffet  Sheri  Jacobs  

50.  Use  a  crowdsourcing  tool  -­‐  slinkset

51.  Use  social  sharing  to  spread  the  word

52.  Borrow  a  page  from  Facebook

53.  Bring  your  copy  to  life  with  YouTube

54.  Monitor  your  keywords

55.  Create  a  linking  strategy

Who  has  content  on  their  web  site  that  your  organiza2on  would  want  to  link  to?  

Start  building  connec2ons  and  links.  

56.  Highlight  key  info  in  the  preview  pane.  

57.  Cut  down  on  the  copy  in  your  email

58.  Clearly  iden2fy  yourself  in  emails

59.  Offer  free  content  to  go  viral

•  Tips  

•  Whitepapers  

•  Videos  

•  Expert  op-­‐eds  

60.  Use  a  compelling  benefit

•  A  new  way  to  conduct  a  job  cost  analysis  

•  Alrac2ng  financing  for  new  sites  

•  Ways  to  increase  sales  to  ac2ve  adults  

61.  Use  simple  font  types

Our experts will discuss: •  The current environment for single-family residential

construction lending •  Strategies, alternatives and hazards for both

performing and non-performing credits •  Potential legal options that may be available to

builders.    

62.  Test  different  subject  lines

•  How  to  save  $100  at  this  year’s  conference  

•  Early  bird  registra2on  

•  What  would  you  do  with  $100?  

63.  Make  email  readable… when  images  are  disabled.  

64.  Send  a  series  of  emails

Break  content  into  parts  and  send  a  series  of  e-­‐mails  •  Include  links  to  all  content  •  Label  content  as  part  of  a  series  •  Provide  other  resources  

65.  Brand  your  email  with  the  “from”  line

From:    HBA  of  Greater  Chicago  

Date:    August  5,  2010  

To:    Sheri  Jacobs  

Subject:    Webinar:  A  New  Way  to  Measure…  

66-­‐  72.  More  2ps  to  get  your  emails  read 66.  Offer  a  table  of  contents.    67.  Retell  stories  you  hear  from  members.  

68.  Share  relevant  research  informa2on.  

69.  Share  2ps  from  members.  

70.  Be  an  aggregator.  71.  Have  an  opinion.  72.  Share  other  opinions.  

73.  Be  Different

Highlight  at  least  one  thing  that  is  

different  about  you.  

70  -­‐  78.  Use  a  P.S. 74.  Emphasize  your  guarantee  

75.  Repeat  your  key  benefit  

76.  Repeat  your  limited  2me  offer  

77.  Provide  contact  informa2on  

78.  Showcase  a  special  giP  

75%  of  recipients  read  the  P.S.  first!    

Take  a  risk.    

Try  something  completely  new.  

79.  Give  away  200  membership

Or  give  a  free  registra2on  to  

every  10th  person.  

80.  Change  your  new  member  kit.

81.  Use  Reposi2oning  Post-­‐it  ™  Notes

Alract  the  next  genera2on  of  members.  

82-­‐88.  Alract  the  next  genera2on 82.  Use  direct  mail  

83.  Lower  the  price  84.  Provide  online  peer-­‐reviews  85.  Create  a  sense  of  ownership  86.  Use  contests  87.  Demonstrate  diversity  88. Make  it  social.  

89-­‐99.  Engage  members  in  the  marke2ng 89.  Ask  members  to  review  events  and  post  real  

comments  –  good  +  bad  online  

90.  Invite  members  to  make  predic2ons  about  the  future  –  and  share  it  

91.  Interview  members    

92.  Highlight  member  achievements  

93.  Create  a  statement  from  the  community  

94.  Ask  members  to  contribute  op-­‐ed  pieces  

95.  Encourage  members  to  be  guest  columnists  

89-­‐98.  Engage  members  in  the  marke2ng 96.  Summarize  the  latest  advice  from  the  

trenches.  

97.  Ask  members  to  par2cipate  in  a  news  roundup.  

98.  Create  a  successful  failures  column  

The last 7 words spoken by all

failed companies are…

99.  Take  a  risk.

But we’ve always done it that way.

Q  &  A  Do  you  s2ll  have  ques2ons?    Contact  me.  

Sheri  Jacobs,  CAE,  President  +  Chief  Strategist  Avenue  M  Group,  LLC  

jacobs@avenuemgroup.com  T.    847.849.3396