Marketer’s Mind Memo – Issue #44

My business partner, Damian, is the opposite of most online entrepreneurs...

He hasn't read many marketing books, and he hasn't gone through many courses or training programs.

In fact, I believe you could count on one hand the amount of marketing books and courses he's consumed over the past decade.

And I'm glad. 

Because it means he hasn't been tainted by the same ideas the majority of online entrepreneurs have. He doesn't default to the standard or the norm when brainstorming stuff with the team. 

No. Because he hasn't been indoctrinated with the common marketing methods, he maintains a unique perspective and often comes up with out-of-the-box ideas. 

It reminds me of my buddy Rich Schefren.

Rich is extremely well-read. But, he doesn't read the standard Top 10 Favorite Books most flock to. He usually reads odd, unknown or little-known books.  

And this has played a big role in Rich's ability to see things differently from most. 

See: While there's certainly value in learning from others, most entrepreneurs use it as a crutch.

Following what others say allows them to bypass having to think for themselves. And in many cases, stems from a lack of confidence in their own ability to identify new and better ways of doing things.

Yet, fact is, what most entrepreneurs believe and follow as "best practices" are really just "common practices". The things the majority in the marketplace are doing.

But, you don't want to do what the majority does. Because the majority is the average. 

And when you do what the majority does, you get what the majority gets. Average results. Mediocre results. 

And I have to believe... you don't want that.

Nor do I want that for you.

I want you to experience extraordinary results. 

So, don't ever be afraid to zig when the rest of the marketplace zags. Don't ever be afraid to buck the trend, to be different, to take an approach few others are.

To get extraordinary results in your business, you can't follow the ordinary path. 

The ordinary path leads to ordinary results. 

Extraordinary results only come from following the extraordinary path. 

With that, let's get to this week's goodies...

MY FAVS THIS WEEK

• VIDEO: Asking My Richest Friends How They Made Their First Million
  
  Noah Kagan, founder of AppSumo, is hysterical. He's a great example of a video creator who almost always delivers a balanced mix of value and entertainment. This video is no different. 
  
  (One day maybe I'll tell you the story of the first time I met Noah... and the extreme pattern interrupt he used to introduce himself. Crazy.)
  
  
• The Robert Collier Letter Book: Master Copywriter
  
  I recommended this book a couple of issues ago in the Memo. This article provides a decent overview of some of the main topics covered in this legendary book. 
  
  I especially liked the section Use Dopamine to Your Advantage.
  
  
• Find the Right Words to Inspire Your Team
  
  It's amazing the change in impact you can have with slight word changes. This, of course, applies to every aspect of communication. Marketing. Sales. Leadership.
  
  If you manage a team... of any size... this is a great article about choosing your words carefully. I found all three tips insightful. 

🚨SWIPE OF THE WEEK

NEW SECTION: Got a new section for you in the Marketer's Mind Memo...

Here to help you build-up your own marketing swipe file every week. 

To kick things off I've got a little gem for you from brilliant direct marketer, Mel Martin, the guy known for his legendary fascination bullets. 

If you're familiar with the famous "What never to eat on an airplane", you've been exposed to Martin's copy. 

Download this week's swipe and study it. 

Pay attention to the diversity of bullets, the varying format of each, and the monster amount of curiosity piqued throughout the promotion.  

WHAT I'M TELLIN' MY TEAM

This week on our internal Team Marketing Training...

I walked the team through the deck copy of a promotion from Brian Keith Voiles. 

I focused on two critical elements:

(1) The power and impact which comes from presenting a specific and measurable promise of result.

Good copy is powered by claims and promises. Great copy is powered by concrete claims and promises. Claims and promises which your prospect can picture in their mind's eye. 

Vague, general claims of benefit are meaningless to prospects. They have little, if any, impact on their emotions. 

For prospects to be moved emotionally, they must be able to envision the result and transformation in their mind.  

This only comes from promises of specific outcomes and results. 

(2) The power and impact of leading with an over-the-top offer.

When you're talking to a highly-aware marketplace... and you have a truly remarkable offer... lead with it. Bring it right up front. Don't bury it.

Especially when it's based on a powerful risk-reversal proposition like Double Your Money Back.

TEAM TAKEAWAYS IN THREE BULLETS:

• The lead of every marketing campaign is there to set the emotional hook in the prospect. We do this by introducing a unique solution and unpacking the most compelling benefits right up front.
  
  
• When our claims or promises are so big they can stir-up doubt within the prospect, we need to address that doubt and skepticism immediately. We should never sweep them under the carpet and hope the prospect feels better by the end of the promotion. They won't. And they won't buy. 
  
  
• The Primary Promise of every marketing campaign should be a measurable outcome for prospects. Meaning: It should be something they can know with certainty when they experience it. 

MY ADVICE

A question posted inside the E5 Nation Facebook Group...

Below is my response:

The marketing idea is the core idea behind your marketing campaign...

It's the theme, the hook, the narrative undergirding what you're talking about.

The headline is where you first introduce the marketing idea. It's the first piece of copy on your page. And it's the words you've chosen to express your marketing idea.

So, the marketing idea is the idea behind the campaign; the headline is the expression of the idea.

Every idea can be expressed in a number of different ways, with a variety of different words.

Changing the words in the headline doesn't always change the underlying idea. 

For example...

"How to grow big tomatoes" and "How to grow huge tomatoes" are two different headlines. Yet, they both express the same underlying idea. 

So, you always want to start with your core marketing idea first -- ideally, developing a Big Marketing Idea. 

Then and only then do you want to work on the headline to express the idea in the simplest, clearest way possible. 

***
NOTE: If you're not in the E5 Nation Facebook Group with us yet, you're missing out on the opportunity to have me answer your questions. Not too mention, some killer content and live streams only shared inside the Group.

Go here and join us inside the E5 Nation Group (it's FREE!). 

ROCKSTAR RESOURCE

The biggest breakthroughs in marketing always come from a change in marketing format -- a different and fresh way of delivering your marketing message and offer. 

In this brand new 18-minute training I explain why, show how this has played-out in the world of online marketing time and time again, and introduce you to a brand new marketing format, what I call the Simple Selling Saga. 

PIC OF THE WEEK

I snapped this pic yesterday while on location in Ft. Lauderdale for a video shoot. 

It's the inside of an eclectic hole-in-the-wall coffee bar. 

Not sure if it was for design only or if they allow people to request books while enjoying their latte.

Regardless, it's one of the biggest private collection of books I've seen in a long time.

Needless to say, it gave the cafe a super-chill vibe. 

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