Archive | September, 2019

Let’s face it – some products are just more boring than others. An air filter that takes out all the nasty stuff you don’t even know is there in the first place? Uninteresting. A video game that makes you feel like you’re going at mach speed with your hair on fire? Exciting!

So how do you sell a dull product? By making it exciting. As an example, let’s take one of the most ho hum products there is: White bread.

If you’re like most people, you’re already yawning. Sell white bread? You’d rather sell dust.

But what if you make that white bread into delectable frybread? Spicy croutons? Brandied bread pudding? Combine it with chocolate fondue? Toasted cheese with tomato and turkey?

You get the picture – it’s not the product you’re selling at all, it’s what you can do with the product. It’s the sizzle, not the steak.

You’re selling pimple cream? Then you talk about how they’ll be pimple free, right? Not really. Yes, you’ll show the before and after, the face with the pimples and the face without. But what you’ll talk about is how they’ll finally get the girl they’ve been lusting after for the past six months, or how the boy of their dreams will finally notice them and ask them to prom.

How about life insurance? What product could possibly be more boring and even repulsive than life insurance? Burial insurance, I suppose. Who wants to talk about either one of those?

But what if you made that life insurance and burial insurance EXCITING! Think it’s not possible? I think it’s VERY possible.

Consider this: When Joan Rivers passed away, we heard a quote from her that went something like this:

“When I die, I want my funeral to be a big showbiz affair with lights, cameras, action… I want paparazzi and I want publicists making a scene! I want it to be Hollywood all the way. I want to look gorgeous, better dead than I do alive. I want to be buried in a Valentino gown and I want Harry Winston to make me a toe tag. And I want a wind machine so that even in the casket my hair is blowing just like Beyonce’s.”

And by all accounts, Joan’s funeral was indeed a beautiful, funny, lovely and bittersweet event attended by 1,000 of her closest friends.

So why don’t life insurance sales people and burial people help the client plan a FUN funeral that shows the person as they truly were in life? Why not help them leave behind a legacy for their loved ones, a tribute to their life and give them a feeling of immortality?

It would be so simple to do, and the insurance/burial people who do it would be rich beyond measure because they’d have no competition. Imagine that – a life insurance person being SOUGHT OUT by clients. Yes, it could happen for them, and it can happen for you, no matter what it is that you’re selling.

So stop worrying that you have a product that makes paint drying look fascinating, and find a way to make it EXCITING, memorable and yes, FUN! Do this and you will be rich indeed.

…“OUCH!” Yes, it’s an old joke indeed. But what if… What if the guy walked into the bar, sat down next to you, and told you the following story:

“3 years ago I was flat broke, working at a department store waiting on people all day for minimum wage and hating it. I knew there was a better way – there just HAD to be – and I kept hearing about this “Internet Marketing” thing. So I did research, bought courses, haunted the top marketing forums and finally made my first move.

I made several thousand dollars from that site over the next 4 months, and then I sold it for several thousand more. And I was on my way. Today I own 22 sites earning me money, and I owe it all to that one concept – doing what has already been proven to work.”

I know you’re trying to make it online, and you think you have to have this incredibly brilliant idea that no one has ever had before, but you don’t. You simply need to find out what’s already working and DO THAT.

Online success isn’t hard. In fact, it’s been right under your nose all this time. You just have to reach out and grab it.

We talk all the time about having a great headline to draw your visitors into reading your blog posts. After all, while 80% of people will read the headline, only 20% of those will begin reading the post itself.

But what about writing effective headlines that not only get your posts read, but get them shared, too? While a good headline will get your article read, the RIGHT headline will increase shares through social media. That’s why I’ve compiled 5 of the very best tips for writing the kind of headlines your readers can’t help but share.

Make your headline extremely easy to read and understand. Sure, your die-hard fans know you and know what you write about, so you can be clever with them and they’ll still understand. But if you’re writing cryptic headlines that only they can decipher, they’re not likely share it with others. And even if they do share, their fans and followers aren’t likely to click something that isn’t perfectly clear.

If your headline is, “27 Ways to Stitch Time on Blog Posts” most people will be clueless about what you’re saying and they won’t click the link. And you regular readers probably won’t even share the link in the first place. But if you write, “27 Ways to Save Time Writing Blog Posts,” then it becomes very clear what your post can do for them.

Make your headline irresistible. Remember, the whole purpose of a headline is to entice the visitor into reading, or in this case, to compel the person on social media to click the link and go to your post.

So how do you make headlines irresistible? One way is to offer massive value to the reader. “How to save $200 on your heating bill with a 5 min phone call.” Of course the value doesn’t have to be monetary. “3 ways to know if your marriage is in trouble and 7 ways to save it.” That’s offering huge value.

Another irresistible method is to share insider knowledge, secrets or the latest gossip. People love to get the lowdown. “This movie star’s secrets to a bodacious bottom.”

Then there’s the common enemy theme. “How corporate greed will make your children into slaves.” Ouch.

Ask a question, such as, “Do you know how to buy a house for nothing down?” or “Do you know how to look 5 years younger and 10 pounds lighter in 3 seconds?” By the way, the answer to that second question is to stand up straight and tall instead of slouching.

Use curiosity when appropriate. If your article is all about how a peanut butter sandwich inspired you to earn $10,000 in a weekend, then use that in your headline, but only if it’s true. Don’t use curiosity as a bait and switch – you’ll just annoy your new visitors.

Make your headline short(er). Remember, Tweets are limited to 280 characters. That includes the title, shortened URL, hashtags and so forth. That doesn’t leave a lot of room for your title, so make every word count.

Be the person readers want to share with others. If your integrity is questionable, if it’s unclear who you are, if there is any ambiguity or negativity associated with your name and persona, readers will hesitate to share you with others.

This doesn’t mean you can’t hold controversial opinions, though. In fact, being somewhat controversial is perhaps the best way of all to get your readers to share your posts with their followers.

Just a little strategy can go a long way towards getting your readers to share your posts, thus increasing your traffic. Be sure you have system in place to capture the email addresses of your new visitors, too, along with links to your main social media counts. Once you get these new readers, you don’t want to lose them.