18 business quotes from my heart to yours
Few days ago I wrote about one of my favourite TV Shows, “Suits” which is about a New York Law firm and their day-to-day operations. I have a bunch of quotes from the movie stored so I thought it’ll be fun to share some of my favourite ones with you. All of these are applicable to your personal, professional and business life even if it doesn’t seem like it on the surface. You just have to look closely, think deeply and apply aggressively … and it will benefit you greatly. Here goes: 1. “8 o’clock means 8 o’clock” 2. “Naive and soft”. Not qualities we’re looking for …” 3. “I’m against having emotions, not using them” 4. “You can have my faith but you’re not getting my money” 5. “There’s always a way” 6. “The jury listens to words but they respond to fear “ 7. “That’s Stensland’s attitude and it’s a losing one” 8. “The bigger they are, the harder they fall “ 9. “Threat of sanctions is better than filing for sanctions” 10. “I’m not about caring, I’m about winning” 11. “I’m not interested in getting your business, I’m interested in keeping it” 12. “Nobody likes a show off” 13. “We may make money now but when we lose (which we will), it’ll hurt us in the long run” 14. “The most important asset an attorney has is his ability to always be self-assured” 15. “There are only 2 types of lawyers – winners and losers” 16. “It was your argument. I just framed it in a way that humanised the situation and brightened all of our afternoons.” 17. “You keep pressing until it hurts then you know where to look” 18. “Just because a pretty girl tells you a story doesn’t mean it’s true.” There you have it. 18 quotes that I would advise you to think deeply about. Don’t just go “Sounds great … Next!”. Read, re-read and re-re-read it. And if you do, you will reap the rewards and your business will thank you for it. For more articles like this on marketing, sales and copywriting, check out my website: Home When you get there, you have the option to join my email list. If you join you will get my free book that shows you how to multiply the amount of revenue you make in your business using your email list. If you’re interested, use the link above. Fola
A surprisingly useful social media advice
I was on social media last week and guess what I saw? A useful advice! I mean, that’s rather new. I was actually pleasantly surprised. Now here’s something about me — I am not a very social guy. Don’t like to hang out a lot, I’m inactive on all social media platforms and rarely even check them except for research purposes. In my proud opinion, social media is useless at best … dangerous at worst (especially with platforms being engineered to butcher attention spans and fund people’s dopamine addiction) It’s even worse when it comes to business advice. Most advice shilled on socials show a lack of understanding of the fundamentals of direct response marketing and is often misleading, inaccurate and useless. Especially people who give their earnings (i.e. “we made 10M last year with this secret system”) like that has any relevance to what you will make if you don’t have their status, network, connection, offer, marketplace positioning, reputation, network of affiliates, traffic source, list, product, testimonials, market sophistication, etc. ** Takes a second to catch my breath ** Okay, where was I going again? Yes, the social media advice. So I saw a video of a guy who (I think) teaches people to grow their Instagram accounts and he was talking about the importance of focusing on the fundamentals instead of trying different tips and tricks. In his case, he was teaching having a good hook, writing better captions, etc. And while I think, people should be putting that time and energy into building their list, I cannot be a hypocrite and dismiss the man’s good advice. Fundamentals. Always. Win. This is something the most successful professionals in any field have learnt and it is very glaring in sports. Every successful athlete focuses on the fundamentals and does it way better than everyone else, that’s how they become great. Bringing this back to marketing. What are the fundamentals? If you focus on these, your ads will almost always make it rain. Anyhoo, that’s all I’ve got for you today. For more of my marketing wisdom, you can check out my website: ikonmedia.net. See ya. Fola.
How to make your ad stand out like a naked man at the mall
Yesterday, I was researching someone I wanted to pitch. I have been in contact with him before but our conversation didn’t yield fruit then, so I decided to reach out again. Scrolling through his Instagram page, virtually every post had 3 – 5 people saying “Hey man, just sent a DM. Kindly check”. And I mean it was a constant, consistent barrage of pitches. It would be idiotic for me to also send a DM. He probably doesn’t even check his DM at this point and has an assistant filter it for “pitches” and sleazy marketers so he can get his work done. My approach? Direct Mail. I’m going to write a piece of copy with some documents and mail it physically to him. I can guarantee that nobody is doing it and it will make me stand out like a naked man at the mall i.e. I’m the only one he will see, read or even pay attention to. Of course, we will see how this plays out, but that’s my guess on it. This should be your mindset when running ads. Marketers are constantly complaining about high CPC, low CTR & high CPL on their ads but it is because of one simple thing: Their ads are boring! Sameness … blandness … indifference. That’s what most of the ads today ooze. You have got to do what nobody else is doing. You’ve got to zig where your market is zagging. This reminds me of something Sam Ovens once said: He said if you want to take over an industry, think of the things that cost the most, take the most time and require the largest amount of effort … and then do that. Because it is the path less travelled. You’re pretty much the only one on that path. And once it is done, you will be miles ahead of your competition. This is my approach with ads/emails/sales copy. You’ve got to play a totally different game from every other person. It’s easier to win when you’re the only one playing the game. For more marketing and copywriting tips like this, go to ikonmedia.net. Lastly, no matter what you do, remember these wise words from Earl Nightengale: “Whatever the majority of people are doing, under any given circumstances, if you do the exact opposite, you will probably never make another mistake as long as you live.” Fola.
Hollywood, segz and great copy
I have a riddle for you today. Ready? Here it is: What can a copywriter hold but cannot see? Take some time to think about it. Don’t continue reading! Actually look away for 10 seconds and think about it. Gotten an answer? Are you sure? Well, the answer is … Attention! Good riddle? Bad riddle? Okay okay. However you feel about my riddle, it is actually quite important for copywriters to be able to get and keep the attention of readers. In fact, you need to be extremely paranoid about it as your copy lives and dies based on how well it can hold attention. And one of the best ways tips I have heard about getting attention comes from the public speaking world. I heard it during an interview with Barry Baher (who used to be top-level a sales consultant for a large corporation) and he said whenever he notices people are no longer paying attention during his speeches, he simply says these words: “Alright, the next segment is going to be either about dating or segz”. And all the eyes in the room light up — attention returns. (Btw, that tells you something about the human species). Of course, this is like a nuclear option. Something you can only use once in a speech and never again (at least not to the same set of people), so be careful how you use it. Another example? Hollywood. They have this figured out already. If you’re a big fan of movies you will probably agree that a good movie draws you in. You almost lose sense of the real world and you’re purely invested in the movie. You begin to develop emotions for the characters and many times even cry, shout, and laugh based on how the movie is going. At that point, you are no longer watching a movie, you are an … active participator in the movie! This is something you should always strive for when writing copy. As people read your copy, they need to be active participators. They should not just read words. They should see scenarios, feel emotions, experience pain, fear, love & joy through your copy. Vivid … distinct … clear pictures of what you are describing should fill their minds. That is what great copy is all about. Allowing the reader to experience something mentally … before they ever see it or experience it in real life. If you can do this in your copy, you can almost never lose. For more marketing and copywriting tips like this, visit https://ikonmedia.net Fola.
An email list can save you from bankruptcy?
A few weeks ago, I had a consultation call with a business owner and we discussed everything from her offer to her landing page … email sequence and everything in between. She wanted us to work together on a project and just needed to put some things in place first. Fast forward 2 weeks after our conversation and her business bank account got hacked. Just like that … all their revenue … into thin air. Like smoke in the wind. She struggled to recover it, but it was long gone. And if the case was any worse, the business might have gone bankrupt. Thankfully, they were still able to keep the lights on. Here’s why I tell this story: This is an unfortunate incident but it can happen to anyone. You might be thinking “It can never happen to me”, but I’m pretty sure she never thought she would be the victim of such. If something like this happens, how do you rapidly generate munny to keep the lights on, pay the rent and make your payroll? Simple: Do a promotion to your list. Create a solid offer and send several emails selling that — and within a short time, you will get enough income to keep things afloat until you resolve the bigger issues you are facing. What? You don’t yet have a list? Have you been living under a rock? I have been preaching this for so long now. Everything you do should be geared towards building a list (ideally an email list, but if you’re savvy enough … a direct mail list too). Your email list can be the difference between bankruptcy and a thriving business. You just never know. Start building it now and start sending emails regularly. If this email gets you to become serious about building and writing to your list, then I have done my job. For more marketing/copywriting tips like this, join my email list. I send useful & interesting emails every day talking about marketing and copywriting. In addition, when you join my list, I give you my free book called “Your Email List Is Your Wife”. It shows you how to get maximum sales, response and profit from your email list. If you’re interested: https://ikonmedia.net As Gary Halbert once said: “When it comes to preparing for a disaster, it is better to be months early than a second too late” (paraphrased) Start building your list today. An article is enough for the wise. Fola.
How to write when you’re not in the mood?
I recently came across this question on a forum: “I’m not a writer, I don’t make my living by writing. But I do depend on writers to do what I do. I work with writers on a regular basis. What intriques me is how writers can consistently write when called apon to do so. I mean don’t writers have days when they feel down or uninspired? How can you guys/gals do it? If you don’t feel good about where you’re at on a particular day headwise, then how can you produce good quality work when you’e just not into it?” Which is a good question. Something most writers will certainly face especially if you are writing daily like I recommend (with email marketing). So what is the solution? What do you do when you’re not in the “mood”? And how do the best writers consistently crank out good pieces of writing day after day even when they don’t feel like it? The answer is surprisingly simple and Eugene Schwartz taught this many years ago. #1: Do the pre-work: Most people struggle to write (whether it is emails, sales letters, landing pages, etc) because they simply don’t know WHAT to write. Some call it “writer’s block” but that’s just a fancy term that does not exist and should not exist in your vocabulary. If you’re not in the mood … go back to research. That’s the pre-work. Your writing can only be as good as the “raw materials”. Learn more about your market … learn more about your product … research, research, research. And once you fully and internally understand the product and market, your copy will practically write itself. #2: Use the 33–33 technique: Admittedly, I haven’t done this recently, mostly because I don’t have to. But if you are struggling to write copy, Eugene Schwartz taught the 33-minute, 33-second technique for writing. Simply sit on your chair, open your laptop and start a timer for 33 minutes, 33 seconds. You are permitted to do anything you want relating to the piece of copy. You can stare at it … you can write … you can edit … you can delete … you can ignore it … BUT … you must not stand up from the chair until the timer goes off. Seems simple but it is highly effective. You are not trying to write a great piece of copy, a great email or a great sales letter. You are simply trying to write. Write anything and everything that comes to mind in that 33-minute & 33-second time period, after which you take a 5-minute break (doing something to totally take your mind off the piece of copy), then rinse and repeat. After doing 3–4 sets of that, you’ll find you have a piece of “copy”. Would it be good copy? Bad copy? Terrible copy? I don’t know. But you will have something. Something you can now refine, edit and finetune to create a masterpiece. More often than not, we just need momentum and after the first or second session, we enter into “flow” and it becomes way easier to write. There you have it. Eugene Schwartz’s secret to writing great copy even when you’re not in the mood. For more marketing and copywriting tips like this, you can join my email list here: www.ikonmedia.net You will also get my free book called “Your Email List is Your Wife” that shows 15 unpopular rules you must follow to have maximum response, sales and profit from your email marketing. Fola.
Everybody lies online – including me
The legendary copywriter, Eugene Schwartz once said that humans have a lot of “lying circuits” built in. And I have found it to be extremely true. Over several years, we have developed the ability to interpret cues and act accordingly … so we don’t act how we want, instead, we act how we feel is appropriate for the setting. It is not necessarily a bad thing (as it helps us to be decent human beings) but it can sometimes screw with the truth. Especially if you are basing business decisions on the information people give you (which is something we as marketers do all the time). Many times people will say what they think you should hear and not necessarily what they truly feel. Case in point: Dan Kennedy once told a story of a beer company that surveyed their list to find out which beer they preferred: The regular beer or the premium beer. It turns out 80% of their customers say they like the premium beer, but when they look at the sales most people actually bought the regular beer. Which made no sense to the company. But it makes perfect sense if you understand how humans act. Those customers felt like they were meant to prefer the premium beer, so that’s what they said. But in reality, they preferred the regular beer and that’s what they spent their money on. So how do you get good, truthful information seeing that people lie all the time? Well, here are 3 ways to get true, clean information from people: #1 — Make indirect feedback your best friend: The best place to do this is on forums. On most forums, people are anonymous so they tend to say how they truly feel as there is no shame attached and no one knows their identity. Reading through forums will give you a way better understanding of your market than asking them directly. #2 — Follow the dullarrrrr: You can never go wrong by simply looking at what people are buying. People can say whatever they want from now till Christ comes, but if they aren’t spending their money there, you shouldn’t take them seriously. People always put their money where their heart is. So you’ve got to follow the munny. #3 — Gut reactions > word of mouth: This might not be the easiest thing in the world to do, but if you can physically get people to give you their opinion on something (whether a product, a piece of advertisement, a blind taste test … whatever), then look for gut reactions. You will be far better off looking for involuntary reactions (e.g. facial expressions) as this will tell you what they actually think/feel than what they say. People can say whatever, but gut reactions will always tell the truth. Use this information to your benefit and don’t be like so many naive business owners out there. If you would love to get more profitable business and marketing ideas like this, simply book a call with me. Over the call, we will discuss your business, goals and whatever setbacks you are facing. I can’t promise to find you a solution. But you will at least get my perspective. https://calendly.com/ikonmedia-net/free-2024-marketing-plan-strategy-session Fola.
How to sell without being beheaded for it
For some reason, salespeople get a lot of shit nowadays. There is always some loud dummass at one corner of the earth shouting about how much he hates capitalism and any kind of “selling”. But we are business owners, we’ve got to love sales. There’s no other option. Like Vincent said to Beetroot in the 1988 movie, Twins: “Look, Beetroot, if we can’t renegotiate, we wither and die” Same in business – if we can’t sell, we wither and die. So how do we actually sell without getting our heads chopped off by the gods of this cold hard world? Well, you’re in luck because I have 3 tips that might be what you just need. Ready? Lezgeddis. #1: Promote to people who are in “heat”: Gary Halbert once said in a speech that you need to sell people when they are in “heat” (i.e. when they desire your solution the most). You’ve got to sell food when people are hungry. Don’t try shilling your shitty salad after people have eaten a 3-course meal and are so bloated they can barely move. It can’t work. Most people are trying to convert somewhat-interested prospects and that’s why they get so much hate. You are selling to the wrong crowd pal. Promote to people who are in heat. #2: Prospects can sniff out weakness like a dog: Most business owners unfortunately have their mindset screwed when it comes to selling. From my experience, most either have a mindset of fear (i.e. they are afraid of getting pushback from their readers) or they have a munny-first mindset (i.e. they don’t truly care about their prospects, they just making a quick buck.) None of these serves you. And your prospect will smell your intention and motive … and give you shit for it. They might not even know specifically why they hate you, but they know something is wrong. And they’ll just feel disconnected. You need to be in the mindset of helping and serving your audience. Yes, you are still going to sell. But now, you are doing it with the intention of helping and your prospects are going to “feel” it from the way you write … to the products you promote … to how you handle haters and everything in between. #3: There’s no such thing as too much fun: If people are complaining that you sell too much, then it just means one thing: You’re forking boring! That’s simply what it is. Nobody ever complains that an interesting movie is too long … or they are watching too many funny comedy routines. You can never have too much fun. Of course, we are in business, so we can’t exactly do standup comedy with email, but you’ve got to write in a way people enjoy and find entertaining. You’ve got to mix your offer & information seamlessly with entertainment. Doing email any other way is just going to make it hard for your readers to enjoy … and as a result, they won’t want to hear from you. There you have it, my advice for those who are getting hated for selling. If after doing all these, you still get pushback from your readers, then you, my palski, have earned the right to tell the complainer these precious 3 words: GO. FORK. YOURSELF. Or you can also just ignore the complainer or delete him from your list. That works too. Alright, I’m having too much fun with this email 😂 If you need help with marketing, business, lead generation, conversion – anything business growth related, then you can book a call with me. Over the call, you get to ask me questions, dig my brain, ask for advice, get my opinion on your current marketing … basically whatever you need. If that tickles your fancy: https://calendly.com/ikonmedia-net/free-2024-marketing-plan-strategy-session Click away. Fola.
YouTube genius teaches email marketing
Recently, I watched an interview with Mr Beast on the “Colin & Samir” YT channel. It was a pretty insightful interview and there were lots of business lessons for those who have the eyes to see, and the mind to perceive. If you don’t know who Mr Beast is, he is pretty much the largest YouTuber on the planet at the moment. Just a simple Google search will get you up to speed with who he is. Where was I again? Yeah. The interview. I learnt a ton from the conversation and I’ll be sharing a couple of them over the next few days. The first of such lessons is: * Your business thrives or dies at the hand of your packaging * During the conversation, they discussed how important a great title and thumbnail are when it comes to getting views on YT. But much more than that, they called it packaging. Their point was if your title/thumbnail is boring, nobody will watch your video no matter how great it is. It’s almost like your title/thumbnail is the upper ceiling on how great your video can be. Your video cannot perform better than your title/thumbnail performs. This principle directly correlates to the subject line of an email or the headline of a sales letter. If you are doing things right, your subject line/headline is NOT as important as it used to be 20 years ago (something I should probably explain in another article), but it is still extremely important and people don’t put nearly enough thought into it. Similar to the YT video analogy … your subject line is the upper ceiling of how well your email will perform. Might seem simple (and it is), but the sheer amount of terrible subject lines I see every day is outstanding. However, this transcends subject lines or headlines. It includes: * Book cover designs * Book cover titles * Podcast episode titles * Product names * Product packaging designs * Blog titles * Anything and everything that touches the marketplace m. Books are always judged by their covers. Or better put … their packaging. A terrible product that has interesting, exciting and fun packaging, will outsell a great product with bland, boring and chalk packaging. That’s just how it is. Low packaging appeal = Low conversions. If you’d like to get my opinion on your packaging, marketing and business at large then book a consultation call with me. My goal with this call is to help you get unstuck and show you ways to find leverage in your business and marketing. Currently, it is going for free.99 but that might not last very long. If you’re interested, this is where to go: https://calendly.com/ikonmedia-net/free-2024-marketing-plan-strategy-session Fola.
The F-word that triggers everyone I meet
There’s one word, one idea, one philosophy I have when it comes to email marketing that almost always gets me in “trouble”. Virtually everybody I speak to has a hard time understanding why I recommend it. And that word is: Frequency. That is by far the #1 thing I get challenged on. Most people can’t just fathom why I recommend sending emails frequently and preferably, daily. There are several reasons for this, but I think I can condense the reasons into 2. #1: What are you optimising for? Most people are optimising for the highest number of opens and lowest number of unsubscribes. If that’s the kind of person you are, firstly, I think you are wayyyyy off. You are literally scoring on the wrong side of the pitch. But if you’re sure that’s what you want, then you can safely ignore my great advice about email frequently. Me on the other hand? I optimize for relationships and sales – a totally different game from what most people are playing with their email marketing. But if your goal is to build the strongest relationship you can with your list and get the maximum amount of sales, then hearken thee to my wise words. #2: You can’t build a relationship talking once a week: If you are optimizing for relationships and sales (which is a by-product of relationships), then emailing frequently is your best friend. Why? Well, think about it in your personal life. If you are dating or married to someone, would you talk to the person once a week? Once in 2 weeks? Once in 3 weeks? Of course not. It is ludicrous. Quixotic even. You have to talk, play, interact, gist, fight, argue often And if you are most normal people, that will likely be every couple of hours. Of course, you are not “marrying” your email list, but the principle is the same. You can’t build a strong relationship talking to your list once a week. You need that frequency, baby! I hope this makes a lot of sense. I explain more about this frequency ideology and other email “best practices” in my book: “Your Email List is Your Wife”. I believe it is the perfect book to get started with if you are not used to my unusual ways and you can get it for free here: ikonmedia.net. You just need to supply your holy email address and name. And my secrets shall be safely sent to your inbox. Fola.
Should you tell the truth in marketing? Not really.
Before anyone smashes my face with a pan, hear me out. Marketing gets a bad rap many times because of the barrage of misleading and over-exaggerated claims that have been put out over the years. So let me come out and say that I believe it is stupid to mislead people with your marketing. You can trick them once but they’ll NEVER trust you again. And businesses are on trust and repeat purchases. That said, should you then tell the truth in your marketing? Well, kinda. Here’s the thing: The truth alone cannot carry the sale. Yes, you need to tell the truth, but many times, that is not sufficient enough to make the sale. So what do you do? Well, take a lesson from marketing legend, David Ogilvy: “Tell the truth in your marketing but make the truth interesting.” You can tell the raw truth from now till eternity but if your prospects don’t find it interesting and exciting … If it doesn’t play into their already existing desires, then they won’t buy. It is your job to make the truth interesting. Make your customers see the segziness of the truth. And use that to lead them to the sale. But if there is no way to tell the truth and still make a sale, then you need to improve your product until that is possible. At the end of the day, the honest company wins. Both with the feds. And with the customers. And even better, you’ll sleep at night knowing your products are changing lives and you sold it in the most ethical manner possible. To learn more marketing strategies that can be directly implemented in your business to make more green stuff this year, book a free call with me. Over the call, we’ll discuss your current approach to marketing your business and we’ll see where we can get more leverage in your business. Secure your slot here: Free 2024 Strategy Session Fola.
35 year old email marketing prophecy?
Earl Nightengale. If you know of him, then this will make sense. There is something he preached over 35 years ago, that I believe can inject your email marketing with steroids. And make you far more money and peace of mind than you would otherwise have. But for those who don’t know him … He was a renowned speaker who gave several talks and seminars on self-development and business success in his days. He died way back in 1989, but many of his principles are still highly effective (and I will argue, it is even more effective in today’s “copy-cat”, chatgpt-inspired, trend-dependent world). What “email marketing secret” did he teach? In his own words: “Whatever the majority of people is doing, under any given circumstances, if you do the exact opposite, you will probably never make another mistake as long as you live.” That is solid email marketing gold for those that can discern. For example, here are a few things I see most people do that are absolutely murdering their sales: * Sending one email per month. * Sending short punchy emails. * Giving content but not selling. * Sales pitch with no information. * Writing long-ass boring emails about things nobody cares about * Heavily graphic-based emails that almost always land in the promotions tab. * Boring headlines saying stuff like” Last chance!” … “12 hours left” or something similar. Simply doing the opposite of these would almost guarantee your success with email marketing. And Earl Nightingale prophesied this over 30 years ago. If you have any motivation to improve your email marketing game, then use this list as a guide of what NOT to do in your emails. Anyone with ambition can use and profit from – if they think deeply enough. That said, if you would like to dive into the deep ends of my brain and discuss more sales and marketing strategies for your unique situation, then in a call let’s discuss. The call is free (for now) and my goal with every call is to leave you with at least 1 thing you can improve in your marketing (email or otherwise) to boost your response. All it costs is 45 minutes of your time and your willingness to implement. Sound fair? Free 2024 Strategy Session Fola.
How fun would it be if I was God?
Recently, I had this funny thought: Would I enjoy being God? After a few minutes of thinking, the answer is not really. For instance: -> I don’t want to know everybody’s thoughts (too much to handle) -> I don’t really want to see the future (nothing to look forward to) -> I don’t want to have infinite memory (won’t be able to move past a lot of things). However, there is 1 characteristic of God I would definitely love to have. And that is the power of Creation. I love creating. To be able to imagine something and bring it to life. And I think it has influenced a lot of my hobbies: -> Engineering (Being able to design products from “nothing”) -> Marketing (Conjuring sales from thin air) -> Art (Bringing imagination to life) So if I were to have 1 characteristic of God, it would be the ability to speak something into existence. Anyway, I don’t know what this has to do with you. But it was just something that came to mind that I wanted to share. If you’re looking to scale your business this year, then I might be able to help “conjure” more sales from your existing prospects. Simply book a free consultation call and let’s talk. We’ll go through your business and your current marketing and find ways to inject your business with heavenly sales. Interested? Free 2024 Strategy Session Fola.
Why marketing doesn’t work
If you’ve been following my emails, you know I love marketing. And I am constantly reading, writing and talking about how businesses can grow. But sometimes, “marketing” just doesn’t won’t work no matter what you do. Here’s what I mean: My sister sells clothing and I buy from her from time to time. I like her apparel. And as I told her: No amount of marketing, copywriting or sales would make me buy a similar piece of clothing she sells from someone else. Why? Simply because I already have a relationship with her. It’s the same with any business. People buy because of relationships. Not because of marketing tricks or tips. Of course, those things help – but they should be used to strengthen the relationship you have with your audience. They are there to serve the audience. At the end of the day, the people with the strongest relationships with their audience will win. Whether or not they are good marketers. But the mistake most people make is they either focus solely on building relationships without making any sales … or they focus on sales without building any long-term relationships. Both are wrong in my book. There is a way to make sales while building a relationship at the same time,… So your business doesn’t die of lack of cash in the present, while still building a relationship with people for the future. If you’re interested in building a business this way, simply book a call with me and let’s chat. My goal with these calls is to do a deep dive into your business and help you uncover opportunities for growth. If you want in: Free 2024 Strategy Session Fola.
How to profit from email overload in 2024
A few days ago, I saw a LinkedIn post that was basically shitting on email marketers. There was a lot in the post and I won’t print it here because it isn’t exactly relevant. However, he mentioned one thing which is actually a real problem for those who don’t understand how to go about their email marketing. And that is: Email Overload. i.e. People’s inboxes are already filled with garbage and junk so they don’t even open most emails. Especially if they are promotional emails. But in my ears, this is good news. Why? Well, most emails are boring, corporate emails that look, feel and stink like a “promotional email” They are heavily designed but are still inherently boring. So nobody reads them. But if you do email marketing the way I preach, your emails feel a lot more personal. They look, feel and smell like an email from a friend… And they are way more interesting and insightful than most email garbage. That alone will make stand out in the inbox. And even if nobody opens the usual promotional emails, they are more likely to open yours because it is so unique, different and refreshing from everything else they see. This is how you can profit from the email overload in people’s inboxes. Simply write emails that feel personal and are interesting and exciting to your target audience and you can never go wrong. If you would love to know the specifics of how to go about writing such emails that your prospects find hard to resist and/or ignore, simply book a free consultation call with me. Over the call, we will analyze your current email marketing “game”, and we will tear down and build up your strategy (as need be). Ultimately, you’ll leave the call with clarity on what to do next in your email marketing to help you bump up your responses, sales and call booking. If you are interested: https://ikonmedia.net/free-2024-strategy-session/ Fola.
An email a day keeps sales-lessness away
When it comes to email marketing, I am a big fan of sending frequent emails. And by that, I mean sending emails every day. To some people, that is excessive, but the pros outweigh the cons. And I believe it can also help you build a very fat business. And here’s why: Imagine you have a neighbour who sells and buys homes. He is a happy chap who loves his work and is a joy to be around. He doesn’t come to your door to sell you stuff but every time you meet up, he is energetic, happy and vibrant … Always telling you a new “adventure” story about his work. Overall, he’s just fun to be around. And you see him every day, for weeks and months with this same energy Let’s say for some reason, you decide to relocate and want to sell your home. Who are you more likely to hire: Your friendly neighbour who sells home for a living … Or some ad on the internet from a guy you don’t know? Of course your neighbour. Such is the power of “Friendly Familiarity”. This term was invented by a very old advertising legend, Leo Burnett. But it simply means many times people buy just because they are familiar with you and not necessarily because your marketing is great. Which is good news for the average business owner. If you are able to reach your audience, build a relationship and sell to them (all at the same time) in a non-pushy, non-confrontational manner, day after day… They are more likely to buy from you. And that is why I love sending emails every day. It allows you to “hang out” with your subscribers frequently And is way more effective at building relationships and selling than social media (for a lot of reasons I can’t go into here) If you do it right, you won’t come across as salesy or spammy but instead be like the friendly neighbour at the corner. And when compared to others who are sending boring, bland emails once a week or once a month. The odds are in your favour. If you are struggling to reach your sales goals … or maybe you have hit a certain revenue ceiling and you need some help with what to do next, then I would love to chat. Over the call, we would look at your revenue goals and your current strategy, and I would let you know my opinion on your strategy and what I would change or double down on. I may or may not be able to help you (nobody can help everyone), but if all you get is one simple tip, it may very well change the trajectory of your business this year. All for the price of a few minutes of your time. If you’re interested: https://ikonmedia.net/free-2024-strategy-session/ Fola.
How to be premium in the world of commodities
There’s a popular saying that “There is nothing new under the sun”. And I believe it applies to marketing more than most people realize. There is not really a “new” solution to people’s problems (except maybe AI?) With enough digging, people can pretty much find any solution. So why should they pay you (a premium) for a readily available solution? Well, here are a couple of reasons you might think of: – You’re saving them time – You’re saving them money – You’re saving them stress But still, other people can save them time, money and effort. How do you NOT become a commodity? How can you truly produce something new under the sun? Well, it comes down to YOU. And I mean, your uniqueness. Your personality. While information is out there, nobody has the same life experiences, lessons, failures, successes, fears, preferences, etc as you do. And that is what makes you (and your offer) unique. Imprinting yourself on your offer or product is the only way to make yourself a premium in the world of commodities. What does that actually mean? -> Create your own system of doing things -> Add your unique twists -> Creating your variant. Something that worked for you specifically. Don’t just recycle old information. Make it your own. That way, you can charge exponentially more for it But I’ll also argue, that it is exponentially more valuable to people since you’re teaching them uniquely from your experience (which will help them avoid so many mistakes you faced) rather than just giving generic information. Hopefully, that made sense. If you want to learn more ways to market your health/wellness business with less stress while making significantly more this year, then book a free consultation with me. Over the call, we would dissect your business, discuss your goals and craft a marketing plan to help you achieve them. Interested? Free 2024 Strategy Session Fola.
How to get an unfair marketing advantage
Let me tell you a story: Lately, I’ve been doing a bit of travel so my routines have been messed up. I haven’t been getting enough sleep at night, so I’m usually tired during the day. But when I try to sleep during the day, I am unable to. When my eyes are heavy and my head is banging and I desperately want to sleep, I am just unable to sleep. And the more I try to sleep, the less it tends to work. Anyway, here’s what this has to do with you: A similar situation happens with customers/clients. The MORE you want clients, the LESS they want you. It is a weird thing and it affected me a lot when I first started. Especially when I first learned about “closing”. I always came across as high-pressured and desperate. And I wondered why nobody was buying. From your emails to your landing page to your sales calls. The more desperate you come across, the less people want to hire you. So there you have it. Seems like a simple tip. Simply eliminate desperation. But it plays a major role if you want to build a business that gives you peace of mind (i.e. you get clients you enjoy working with and not taking on toxic clients because of desperation). Anyways, if you want to build a marketing system that helps to bring qualified and quality customers without sounding like a high-pressure, money-hungry, desperate salesman, then secure a free strategy session with me. Over the call, we would dissect your business, discuss your goals and craft a marketing plan to help you achieve them. Interested? Free 2024 Strategy Session Fola.
LinkedIn hack but works better for email marketing
I’m relatively new on Linkedin. And so I have been studying how to grow LinkedIn. So far in my research, one thing has been coming up over and over again. One thing that if you implement in your email marketing can help build a solid base of repeat customers and buyers. What am I talking about? Relationships. LinkedIn is heavily based on relationships: Connections. Talking to people and hearing them out. Discussing with people like humans and not just numbers Stuff like that. And I believe the same mindset should transfer directly to your email list if you want to build a solid business. This does not mean to not sell. You should sell. And ideally every day (post for another day). But it means, everything you do should be to build a stronger relationship with your subscribers. Don’t sell a crap product Don’t lie to them (ever) Don’t waste their time. Always write something worth reading And so on. You get the point by now. If you want to grow your health/wellness business this year and need help figuring out some aspects of your marketing, I invite you to book a free consultation with me. This is a free call where we dissect your business, discuss your goals and craft a marketing plan to help you achieve them. Interested? Free 2024 Strategy Session Fola.
Nobody cares that you’re an expert, Susan
If you look around today … Everyone has: -> A book -> Spoken on stage -> Credentials of an expert But fortunately or unfortunately … Experts don’t necessarily win in business. And this is good news if you are not an “expert” Firstly, your customers don’t need you to be an expert. They just need you to be able to solve a problem Secondly, they want you to LEAD them. They need someone to show them the ropes and help them achieve a result. And that is who they will buy from. That’s why we have so many legit experts who have spent several years in school to refine their knowledge … Yet they are still broke Meanwhile, we have young kids on the internet who can barely dress themselves making good amounts of money. Again, not saying to not be an expert. It is better to be one, than not be one. But I’m saying, experts don’t always win. Leaders do. If you’d like to lead in your marketing, then book in a free call with me. Over the call, we would dissect your business, look for opportunities for growth in your industry and create a plan to help you capitalize on those opportunities. Interested? Free 2024 Strategy Session Fola.
Why I hate giving value (and why you should too)
Okay, I know. Everybody and their grandmother on the internet talks about giving value. Usually, they say something like: “Give your best stuff away for free, so people will wonder how great your paid stuff is” I know this advice is routinely handed out by every LinkedIn and marketing expert But hear me out would ya? Except you have the clout, money, status, affiliates and reach that the big guys do, their strategy won’t work for you. That’s for one. Secondly, think of it like this. Imagine you run a restaurant, would you say: “To prove how good I am, I am going to give out my best food for free so that people would back and ask for me” Does it make any sense? Absolutely-freaking-nottt ! At best, you should offer a taste. A small piece of steak A small chunk of cheese Something that makes their taste buds go crazy. Something that makes them WANT YOU MORE! It’s the same way with your content. You should not give away your best stuff. You should instead give away enough that makes people interested in buying stuff. Does that make sense? Alright. If you’d like to discover how to apply some more unpopular but highly effective marketing strategies to your health/wellness business, then book a free call with me. Over the call, we would dissect your business, discuss your goals and craft a marketing plan to help you achieve them. Interested? Free 2024 Strategy Session Fola.