how to use advertising to solve problems

At the Macworld expo in 1999, Steve Jobs gave a great example of using advertising to solve problems.

He said:

Well, I gotta tell you – we don’t do it because it goes down well or not. We have a problem, and our problem was that people had forgotten what Apple stands for. As a matter of fact, a lot of our employees have forgotten what Apple stands for. And so we needed a way to communicate what the heck Apple’s all about. And we thought, how do you tell somebody what you are, who you are, what you care about? And the best way we could think of was, you know, if you know who somebody’s heroes are, that tells you a lot about them. So we thought we are going to tell people who our heroes are, and that’s what the “Think Different” campaign is all about. It’s about telling people who we admire, who we think are the heroes of this century. And – some people will like us, and some people won’t like us.

What problems are you facing in business right now?

Could advertising solve those problems?

What the banks really think about your mortgage rate increase

To other news, interest rate hikes are working out pretty well for the banks…

According to news.com.au:

On Wednesday, the nation’s largest bank announced its largest ever cash profit of $10.2 billion in 2022-23, with the 6 per cent increase driven by expanding profit margins after soaring interest rates pushed the bank to hike variable mortgage repayments 10 times in that period.

I’m sure they’re just keeping pace with inflation.

And making sure they can offer better banking services for all Australians in the future.

Right?

Actually, I don’t think the banks care about their customers.

Only profits.

Which is fine. They’re not a charity.

What saddens me is that the top-level execs are probably laughing about it behind closed doors.

Mdr Lmao GIFfrom Mdr GIFs

Oh well, at least the CBA did something good with all that extra cash…

They paid CEO Matt Comyn nearly $8 million in bonuses, according to news.com.au:

Mr Comyn received an eye-watering $10.4 million pay packet, which included nearly $8 million in bonuses.

He probably deserved it.

Unlike the 7402 CBA employees who were getting underpaid since 2010, despite repeated requests to fix the unlawful employee agreements used by CBA.

And despite senior management misleading staff and the workplace umpire by claiming it was fully compliant with the law.

They got busted in the end. And finally fessed up:

AFR reported back in April that:

Commonwealth Bank of Australia has admitted to knowingly underpaying 7402 staff more than $16 million through mass use of individual agreements that unlawfully undercut union agreements.

Of course, the $16 million the CBA admits to withholding only accounts for their 2015 – 2021 wage scam. The 4 years of underpaying employees from 2010 to 2014 is protected by the statute of limitations.

Mdr Lmao GIFfrom Mdr GIFs

Strange habit makes your emails stronger

Every day I read what’s in my inbox… looking for lessons I can use to make my emails stronger…

Here are the 7 lessons I learned from reading emails on the 4th of this month:

Can you introduce news that concerns the reader?
Does your subject line have an element of curiosity – if not, chuck it out.
Promise news or useful information or both.
Your idea must be fresh, or feel fresh.
Never let the reader think: “I’ve seen this before” because she’ll immediately think, “I don’t need to read this”.
When we read we look for relevance. If at any point the reader thinks your message is NOT relevant or they think they know what you’re going to say next, or they know the thing you’re teasing about, they won’t read and they won’t click through.
Create curiosity loops or knowledge gaps. We read to discover information we need or want to know.

I have a document filled with hundreds of lessons like this.

Write better marketing emails

If it’s your job to write marketing emails…

I know 2 things about you:

1) there are days when you struggle to come up with ideas to write about. And…

2) when you have something to write about, you’re often unsure how to express it.

If that sounds like you…

There’s a simple solution.

Stop writing emails.

Seriously though, there is a way to get a never-ending flow of email ideas for your business.

And no, you don’t need to resort to using AI.

And you don’t need to read dozens of books about email marketing.

In fact, you can learn almost everything you need to know about writing great emails (and have a good laugh at the same time) by…

Watching comedy!

But not just any comedy.

I’m talking about watching a comedian who hosted a top-rated TV show from the late 1960s until the mid-1980s.

Unfortunately, the comedian is no longer with us.

He passed away in 2005 aged 68.

But his humor and wit live on… on youtube… where you can catch the reruns.

Here’s one to get you started:

I might explain some of the lessons tomorrow.

Your email marketing questions answered…

Today, almost every question about writing emails that convert readers into buyers has been answered.

Gone are the days when you had to guess about what to write to convince your target audience that what you sell is perfectly suited to their needs.

In fact, many copywriters today can, with just a few paragraphs of well-worded copy in an email, persuade the vast majority of your best prospects to begin a buying relationship with you.

Notice I said, “persuade” not “manipulate“?

That’s because the days of “used car salesman-style” copywriting are long gone. Today, if you try to manipulate or trick your prospects into buying they’ll hit the delete key on your email faster than you can say “have I got a deal for you”.

Yes, today if you want your emails to generate higher sales and conversions, there’s a copywriter who knows how to deliver that result for you, with almost 100% certainty.

No longer do you need to concern yourself with questions like:

Should I press hard for the sale or take a softer, more reader-friendly approach? (Actually, it depends on how far into the sales cycle your prospect is when they read your email)

Should I offer free information and service in my emails or go right for the sale? (Easily answered with a few questions about your ideal prospect and their natural buying journey)

How often should I send emails for my type of product or service? (This is NOT something you should guess at. Email too often for your type of product or service and you put your prospects off. Email too little and your competition gets the lion’s share of the clients)

Does short copy work better than long copy, or vice-versa? (It depends on the situation. But the situations in which short copy sells more than long copy are well documented)

What works best in emails: client success stories, testimonials, and a track record of results, or stories about the pain my prospects are going through and how I can solve those pain points?

How do I position my company and products or services to stand out from fierce competitors? (There’s a simple 4-part formula proven effective at eliminating the competition from the race for wallet share.)

What strategies can I use to sell without discounting, so I can maintain good profit margins? (In an inflationary economy people tighten their purse strings. It’s only natural they would want discounts and ways to save money. However, there are strategies that can help you hold — and even raise — your pricing, even while the rest of your industry is hell-bent on lowering their margins)

No longer do you need to struggle to find the right words to use in your emails.

To discuss these, and other ways to turn more of your email subscribers into clients, reach out to me via email here:

Contact Michael Low to chat about the best ways to sell more of your products or services with his email copywriting services

4 steps take any coach or consultant from struggling to thriving

Business is simple.

Get a customer.

Make a proft.

Repeat.

So why complicate things?

When you keep it simple like this, you can implement the perfect selling system.

Listen, your number #1 focus should be generating quality leads, establishing your credibility, getting those leads onto a phone call, and converting the phone calls into sales.

4 steps.

That’s it.

Would it help if I draw a picture?

How ’bout this:

If that frightens you…

or you have some kind of emotional objections or resistance to this idea then it tells me one thing:

You don’t believe in what you sell.

And if that’s the case… STOP.

Don’t do anything until you convince yourself that what you do is worthwhile.

Don’t buy ads.

Don’t write content.

Don’t send emails.

Don’t try to enroll new clients.

You’ll only waste your time.

If you have any negative thoughts about the coaching or consulting packages you offer… you must get rid of those negativities BEFORE you implement the elements of the perfect selling system.

But if you’re totally confident about what you offer…

And you’re ready to share it with as many people as possible…

the perfect selling system is for you.

Here’s how it works:

#1: Write killer ads that get a steady flow of new prospect’s interested in what you sell.

#2: Position yourself as an expert through content designed to establish your credibility

#3: Get your ideal prospects on the phone NOT by chasing them but by getting them to chase you

#4: Flip traditional selling on its head so prospects practically beg you to do business with them.

Each of these steps require copywriting.

Copywriting in your lead generation ads…

Copywriting in the content and emails that build your credibility…

Copywriting in your video sales letter or sales page that convinces people to book an initial consultation to find out more about what you do…

And copywriting in the simple high-conversion scripts you’ll use to turn prospects into clients.

You can learn to do all this copywriting yourself…

Or you can hire me to do it for you.

Choice is yours.

But before deciding…

You should first check out my quick report titled: The #1 Website & Email Marketing Mistake That Could Cost You Millions!

It’s important that you follow the advice in that report BEFORE you try to implement the perfect selling system.

Downloading the report will add you to my email list where I’ll send you one or two tips each week to start building your perfect selling system.

Why email campaigns beat email blasts

The great direct marketing teacher and direct response copywriter, Dan Kennedy, once taught that to get results you must have impact AND repetition.

And therein lies the issue with one-shot email blasts.

They have very little impact, only being seen by a small percentage of your list.

And they have no repetition – by their very nature a one-shot email blast has no repetition built into it.

A campaign, on the other hand, consists of multiple copy pieces. From the multiple emails based on the same topic to the landing page that is unique to the campaign and the retargeting emails and ads on Facebook and Google.

A campaign has repetition. A campaign — if done right — has impact.

For these reasons alone you should always think in terms of campaigns.

And yet I’m on dozens of email lists whose owners talk about a different topic every time they send an email — never capitalizing fully, or going deep enough, on any one topic to have the impact and get the response they desire.

A quick fix:

Every time you write an email, ask yourself:

“What else could I say about this?”

“What unanswered questions does this email raise?”

“What commonly held beliefs do my readers hold about this topic?”

And so on.

Questions like these will produce ideas for subsequent emails on the same topic.

Next, instead of jumping from topic to topic, spend a week or two writing only about that one topic.

Then spend another week or two on your next topic.

After 6 months of doing this you will have covered 12 topics in greater depth than most of your competitors…

…and the people on your email list will see you as an expert on the topics you write about.

After 6 months… review the topics that struck the deepest cord (and made the most sales). Repeat those topics in the next 6 months.

Drop the topics that didn’t sell any product.

It’s a simple shift in thinking.

And can make a huge difference to your results.

How an unusual demonstration at the NY Crystal Palace in 1853 can trigger a flood of new sales for you today

In the decades prior to 1853, buildings rarely reached more than seven stories tall.

Why?

Elevators were considered too dangerous — and NOT because people found them claustrophobic. The early users of lifts literally thought they’d fall to their death.

And since nobody wanted to climb more than seven grueling flights of stairs when returning home from the office or grocery store, seven stories or less became the norm.

I think you’d agree that’s a pretty big problem for lift manufacturers who want to expand their market.

Well, in 1853 everything changed when Elisha Otis invented the elevator safety brake.

Or I should say, everything almost changed.

You see, Otis’ invention was met with initial skepticism — just like your products or services are when trying to convince new customers to buy today.

And this left Otis feeling frustrated.

But consumer-resistance soon melted like a blob of butter on the hot pavement when, in a death-defying “stunt” at the New York Crystal Palace, Otis demonstrated his elevator safety system.

While standing on a suspended platform in view of the incredulous crowd, Otis signalled to a man perched on a scaffolding high above him to “cut the rope“.

The crowd mocked.

Some placed bets.

Others held their breath.

The rope was cut.

And the Otis elevator brake clicked into gear.

“See” said Otis, “there’s nothing to fear.”

The platform Otis was standing on didn’t fall to the ground and splinter into a million pieces as many in the crowd had supposed.

It remained safe and sturdy.

And Otis proved, in one powerful demonstration, that passenger elevators were not only convenient, but safe due to his unique invention.

Following the demonstration the first Otis passenger elevator was installed on Broadway. And today thousands of skyscrapers stand as silent monuments to Otis and his timely invention that helped transform city skylines all over the world.

But that’s not all Otis achieved in the Crystal Palace that day.

Otis showed the citizens of New York and people everywhere that a unique product, sold in just the right way, can transform a company and make its owners wealthy beyond their dreams.

Which brings us back to you …

Could different words used to describe your product or service transform YOUR sales just like Otis’ demonstration transformed public opinion?

If Otis’ experience is anything to go by then “yes”, better words on your website, landing page or email campaigns could open the floodgates to more sales for you.

So, if you’re ready to create an Otis-like breakthrough for whatever you are selling … click the button below:

Get in touch

Not ready to talk? You should first check out my quick report titled: The #1 Website & Email Marketing Mistake That Could Cost You Millions!

It’s important that you follow the advice in that report BEFORE you try to implement the perfect selling system.

Downloading the report will add you to my email list where I’ll send you one or two tips each week to start grow your coaching or consulting business.

The 12 words that increase email ROI

Q. Mike, I’m hearing a lot of talk about email marketing. For example, I’m told email marketing delivers $30 or more for every dollar spent. Is that true? Or just a bunch of hype from marketers and agencies trying to flog their products or services?

–Brian

A. Hey Brian, you’re right. There’s alotta crazy talk about email marketing on the web right now.

It’s a hot topic.

And for good reason —

Email marketing is outperforming all other digital channels by at least 3 to 1. And in some cases, yes, it’s even returning $30 to every dollar invested.

But to say everyone who spends time and money on email marketing will get back $30 for every dollar they put in… is an exaggeration.

And creates a false expectation.

The truth is your numbers will be unique to you and your situation.

Your results could actually outperform the average.

So don’t limit yourself by what others say.

And don’t get disappointed if your results don’t live up to a standard set by someone else.

Speaking of standards…

Here’s something you CAN do to give yourself the best possible shot at email marketing success:

It’s really simple.

All you have to do is act on this 12 word sentence that improves your email marketing return on investment:

“Send the right message with the right offer to the right audience.”

If you line those three things up — message, offer, audience — you’ll have an unfailing formula for success.

But get even one of those elements wrong… and your email marketing will fall flat.

Remember: Start with your audience. Make sure your email messages are on point. Then make offers they can’t refuse.

Focus on that and the numbers will take care of themselves.

Hope this helps.

–Mike

Check out my quick report titled: The #1 Website & Email Marketing Mistake That Could Cost You Millions!

It’s important that you follow the advice in the report BEFORE you try to implement the perfect selling system.

Downloading the report will add you to my email list where I’ll send you one or two tips each week to grow your coaching or consulting business.

Rise of the transparent entrepreneur [part-2]

A few weeks ago I saw a TV program about a rather unusual Sydney plumber.

At just 26 years of age his company was billing over $200,000 a week for plumbing jobs.

By my calculations that’s over 10 million a year!

That’s not the unusual part — although I’m sure it’ll capture the attention of any plumbers reading this who are stuck making 100K a year and want to get to the 1 million or 10 million mark.

My advice: don’t do what this guy does.

First, he manipulates consumers by operating under multiple company names, essentially competing against himself for customer leads.

In other words, you go to Google (the great manipulator of consumers all over the world – more on this some other time) and type in “local plumber”. You get a page full of search results. The top 3 results are ads, all run by this Sydney plumber but under different business names. You get a quote from 2 of them, not realising it’s the same business.

Although this is not technically illegal, it can be used to manipulate people.

Next, you accept one of the quotes.

Then, the plumber turns up at your house to do the job.

And here’s where it gets interesting.

Unbeknownst to you, you’re being MASSIVELY overcharged.

For example, one customer had a leaking pipe. She was quoted $15,000 to fix it. Thinking the problem was much bigger than it was she agreed. And a plumber came to do the job.

On inspection the plumber – a new employee at this plumbing company – noted the problem was a simple leak, and only required a quick fix for about $200.

So what did he do?

He rang the 26 year old boss who told him to …

SMASH THE PIPE. TAKE OUT YOUR HAMMER AND SMASH THE PIPE.

“What? Are you kidding me?” said the new employee.

“No” said the business owner. “I quoted this lady $15,000 and she agreed … so SMASH THE PIPE.”

He did.

And then he reported it. And that’s why the story ended up on TV.

Do you see the problem here?

I’m not referring to the obvious problem of a con artist at work.

I’m talking about the fact that many of our important buying decisions today are based on something we know very little about.

For example, do you ever get the feeling your mechanic is charging you for things that don’t need to be fixed?

Or your doctor is prescribing drugs you don’t need to take?

Or your bank is charging you fees for services you either don’t need or didn’t ask for?

This happens a lot — probably to the tune of millions of dollars in unneeded repairs, prescriptions and charges every day.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Here’s the point:

Although there’s not a lot we can do about dodgy plumbers … mechanics … doctors … or bankers ….

… there is something we can do to make the world a better place.

We can wake up to the fact that people are getting more and more skeptical every day (I know I am).

And we can make our marketing and business practices more transparent.

How?

Start by telling your clients exactly what you’re going to do for them and why.

And don’t just tell them.

Show them.

Demonstrate.

Reveal.

All in the name of being transparent.

Thus the heading on today’s post: The rise of the transparent entrepreneur.

Do this right and you’ll stand out like a camel on the sidewalk.

For more ideas like these, and for insider tips to improve your marketing, opt-in to my email list. I mail 2-3 times a week most weeks. or whenever a really good idea hits me:

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