|
|
A Dozen Reasons to Send a Press Release
Generate Credibility News releases are an excellent, inexpensive way to promote your business through public relations. The stories they generate are, in fact, a much more credible source of information about your company than advertising. ...
Ezine Advertising Strategy Exposed-16 Tips To Boost Your Profits
In my opinion, Electronic Magazine (Ezine) advertising is thegreatest, untapped source of online advertising available today. The reason: Ezine Advertising (EA) matches your product or ideato people with similar interests. Example: who better to...
Give People A Reason To Visit Your Web Site!
That is the single most important thing to remember about promoting a website. Commit it to memory, and remind yourself of it often. Don't make the mistake of thinking (all my hard work and all the great stuff, if I build it they'll come) Nothing...
The Single Most Important Success Tool for Your Business or Practice
You've got your business plan for 2003, you've done your affirmations, you're pumped up, you're ready to go ... NOT! You've forgotten the single most important success tool for your business - a marketing consultant. WHY ENTREPRENEURS FAIL As a...
Top Ten Ways to Attract Targeted Local Customers With Online Marketing
Top Ten Ways to Attract Targeted Local Customers With Online Marketing Judy Cullins ©2005 All Rights Reserved. Does your business have a Web site? Have you missed the idea that it can be your 24/7 virtual marketing machine? Do you wonder how it...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Your Product is an Experience!
Imagine this: A man scoops up a big slice of pizza with his hand, and as he pulls it closer towards his mouth fat strings of mozzarella cheese drip around the slice and cling stickily to the rest of the pie on his plate. The man takes a bite, and more hot cheese oozes out, while thick red sauce and golden brown pepperoni and round juicy mushrooms bunch up against his mouth.
Now how about this: A woman in a trench coat walks through a foggy drizzle, then pauses underneath a street lamp. She looks down at a creased card with the words "meet me" in her hand. When she looks up again the fog seems to lift, and she sees him -- standing cold and unsure in front of the French café. He sees her and smiles, then at the same moment they run towards each other and embrace on the cobbled street. As they dissolve into a kiss the drizzle disappears, and shy beams of sunlight begin falling on the poignant Eiffel tower, watching over them and the café and all the lovers in the world.
Now, these may seem like the kind of images you usually see on tv commercials. As a matter of fact, they ARE.
But as marketers let's give them each a closer look, and find out what makes them affect not just our minds, but also places in our stomachs and our hearts.
The first image is asking you to order their pizza. The second is asking you to make flight reservations to Paris. Both are offering you tangible products & services.
But what they're really selling you on -- and what their images vividly show -- are the EXPERIENCES they promise you'll get when you purchase what they offer.
Because although emotions are at the heart of all human decisions, it's EXPERIENCE that catalyzes all emotion. And knowing that can help you win most any round of this marketing game.
YOUR Product Is An Experience ----------------------------- Our lives are made up of strings of experiences, and they're what define our memories, awaken our feelings, and influence our decisions both personal & professional.
As business owners, we need to understand that when clients start asking about our products, they're really not that interested in speed, gigabytes, or all the flashy buttons (although they might seem to at first).
At the heart of all their questions they really need just one answer: How is your product going to affect their lives?
And this question can only be answered by describing the experience.
Fairy Tales and Coffee Mugs --------------------------- Disney initially defined itself as a maker of cartoons, then eventually went into other business ventures as well.
But now whether you think about movies, or toys, or a trip to Disneyland, you are clearly aware that Disney consistently promises you the same kind of experience: The chance to have fun, to play, to make believe and be a child again.
And for many adults this is an experience worth saving for, or travelling
hundreds of miles for -- making Disney a leader in its field, and a phenomenon in the marketing industry.
But suppose you're not as big as Disney, and are offering something that many other entrepreneurs also have the ability to offer?
This was the situation for most coffee shop owners before Starbucks entered the scene.
Although they offered the same thing (coffee & pastries) in essentially the same way (in cups and plates), Starbucks made its mark by opening shop in the busiest cities and promising urbanites a distinct experience:
The chance to break away from the chaos of city life, sink into a quiet couch with a steaming cup of coffee, and relax the hours away without anyone bothering them or asking them to leave.
Your Turn --------- Based on these examples, you can see how it's entirely possible to turn any feature into a benefit, and then package all your benefits into an emotional experience.
The question now is, how do you work in this image / message / promise into your marketing materials?
Here are 3 ways:
1) Show. Experience your product through the eyes/ears/nose/skin of your client, then translate those sensations into an image they can understand.
This "image" may be an actual photo, a video, or a compelling paragraph of words. Use them on your website, in your ezine, on your pop under ads -- and make sure you truly deliver on your promise, so first-time clients become long term patrons, who in turn tell others of their experiences with you.
2) Testify. When you use client testimonials, you actually give potential customers the most convincing evidence for buying your products: actual accounts of other people's positive experiences with you.
Because a testimonial comes from someone outside of your company, it quickly eliminates most prospects' doubts, because they're more inclined to accept it's true.
3) Demonstrate. With the interactive capabilities of the Internet, it's now easier more than ever to actually let potential clients get a first-hand taste of what you're offering before asking them to commit to a purchase decision.
This act of giving them full control of the process is a positive experience (for them) in itself, usually leading to a satisfying ending -- both for the client, and for you.
So no matter what you're offering -- whether it's widgets or ebooks or software or potato chips -- people will always remember if buying & using it was enjoyable, or easy, or frustrating, or fun.
And THAT first experience is what could make them want to do it all over again and help you convince others who haven't tried it to say YES.
© Tatiana Velitchkov
About the Author
Tatiana is the publisher of: www.TheFortunesEzine.com, the FortunesEzineWeekly at www.TakeYourFortune.com, and owner of the traffic-solution slam advertising sites www.Guaranteed-Hits.com and www.Guaranteed-Hits.net
|
|
|
|
|
Ezine Article Submission - Submit Your Best Articles For Massive ... |
EzineArticles.com allows ezine or email list publishers to upload or download free expert content that can be used within email newsletters or websites. |
ezinearticles.com |
  |
The Ezine Directory |
The Ezine Directory lists thousands of the best email newsletters available on the internet today. Search, browse, or add your ezine for free! |
www.ezine-dir.com |
  |
e-zine-list: John Labovitz's e-zine-list |
I also wrote "Five years and counting," a longer article for Art-bin about the history of e-zines and the e-zine-list. Finally, for the real Internet ... |
www.meer.net |
  |
BME: Body Modification Ezine - The biggest and best online bod-mod ... |
Comprehensive resource on piercing, tattoos, scarification, subincision, castration and all other forms of body modification. |
www.bmezine.com |
  |
Ezine Publishers & Email Marketers Promote Their New Email ... |
Submit Your Ezine To New-List For Massive Free Exposure - Grow Your Ezine - Ezine Marketing Made Easy By New-List.com. |
new-list.com |
  |
Ezine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
Ezines are typically tightly focused on a subject area. ... CULT OF THE DEAD COW claims to have published the first ezine, starting in 1984, with its ezine ... |
en.wikipedia.org |
  |
News & Ezine Strategies For Email Newsletter Publishers ... |
EmailUniverse, The E-mail List-Owner Resource Network is an excellent source for today's Email List Owners, Managers, and Editors. |
emailuniverse.com |
  |
Best Ezines - Email Newsletter Peer Reviews & Ezine Awards For ... |
Email Newsletter Publishing Award Site: Fellow Ezine Publishers Review The Best Email Newsletters. |
www.bestezines.com |
  |
Ezine Directory |
Home | Sign-up for your Free listing | Link to us Code | TOP 100 Ezines. CATEGORIES ... ezine directory. link exchange with us ... |
www.ezinelisting.com |
  |
Browser based email list management, ezine hosting, and campaign ... |
Browser based email list management, ezine hosting, and campaign software. Keep in constant contact with clients and potential customers. |
www.ezinedirector.com |
  |
Splendid E-zine |
Splendid: Daily music reviews, articles, interviews and more. |
www.splendidezine.com |
  |
OS/2 e-Zine - The Best OS/2 Reading Anywhere! |
Monthly magazine with reviews, articles, and discussion forums. |
www.os2ezine.com |
  |
E-ZineZ - The Handbook of Ezine Publishing |
An ezine directory, free ezine builder tool, ezine tutorials including everything you need to know to start publishing an ezine or email newsletter. |
www.e-zinez.com |
  |
EzineUniversity - Free Online Training for Ezine Publishers |
EzineUniversity provides provides information, tools and products for ezine publishers. Featuring EzineUniversity Journal, EZU Tutor and FREE online ... |
www.ezineuniversity.com |
  |
Ezines |
E-zines directory with categories of free ezines, newsletters, email magazines and online publications. |
www.web-source.net |
  |
My Favorite Ezines - The Family Friendly Ezine and Email ... |
The best family friendly ezine and email newsletter directory providing education - motivation - inspiration and marketing support. |
www.myfavoriteezines.com |
  |
Tattoos.Com Ezine Front Page |
Historical information from the tribal art of Borneo to the wood block prints of Japan. Alphabetical listing of studios around the world, events, ... |
tattoos.com |
  |
Welcome To Ezine.Com! |
Welcome To Ezine.Com! Welcome Page For Ezine.Com ezine online magazine electronic magazine zine e-zine ezines eziner ezining. |
www.ezine.com |
  |
Ezine Information |
What makes your ezine hot stuff? With literally thousands of ezines online ... We all have ezines that we love to read and learn from but that doesn't mean ... |
www.dtguide.com |
  |
Asian American Movement Ezine |
Asian American Movement Ezine is a radical and progressive zine on Asian American politics, art, history and culture. |
www.aamovement.net |
  |
|