Tag: Marketing Sense

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Marketing Sense

How to Write Successful Promotional Posts: Part 2

Marketing sense

                                   

  In Part One last month I shared the fictional promotional post below:

Would you like to receive coaching training from Sally Sue?

Sally Sue, 3-time New York Times bestselling author and coach of 36 years

will be giving an exclusive training to new and established coaches to help you

be as effective and as successful as you possibly can be in 2021 and beyond.

We want to rewrite this post so that it’s reader-focused and benefit-driven. Transforming a ho-hum marketing message into one that converts requires more than simply rearranging the  words. Sally’s ad needs more details, more clarity, and more benefits, THEN it will be time to rewrite it. Let’s add those details now.

Let’s List All the Details We Know Now

We’ll need to fill in the gaps for Suzy because she didn’t include several key pieces of information in her original post. We’ll use fictional answers and we’ll make every detail more specific than in the original post. Here we go!

Suzy’s audience description: “new and established coaches” needs more specificity.

We’ll choose: marriage coaches.

She doesn’t identify the problem her training will solve so that doesn’t help us.

We’ll make one up: not enough clients  

Her promised results: help you be as effective and as successful as you possibly can be means absolutely nothing. No practical or measurable result.

We’ll create a measurable result: double your income in 2022.

What IS the actual offer? An exclusive training

Let’s help Sally out and change that to: Facebook ads training.

Length and location: She doesn’t say.

So we will: 4 weekly 60-minute Zoom calls.

Day /Date / Time: Sally didn’t share this info.

But we will: Every Saturday in February 2022 starting at 10PT / 1ET.

Price: Sally doesn’t mention the $99 price.

We won’t either: Tell you why below. 🙂

Now We’re Ready to Rewrite!

Let’s begin with a new headline, one that lists the Big Benefit first, …the measurable result Sally’s promising the reader. We decided her promise would be doubling their income in 2022.

What frustration will we cite? No need for the solution Sally’s offering unless her reader has the coordinating problem. How about the never-ending struggle to gain new clients?

See how the benefit (the measurable result) is the flip side of the frustration (the problem)?

Now we have all the details we need. Let’s do it!

Marriage Coaches: Double Your Income in 2022!

Tired of the never-ending struggle to gain new clients? Join bestselling author and marriage coach Sally Sue for this new, 4-week Facebook ads training designed especially for you! If your calendar isn’t already booked through this summer, it’s time to ramp up your marketing efforts. Full details at…then we’d add our active link.

Notice that some important details are still missing, such as: the training will be delivered via Zoom, the day/dates/time, and the price. That’s on purpose. We’re not ready to share that info yet.

Here’s what we haven’t talked about yet:

we don’t want our promotion to answer every question.

We only want it to be clear enough and interesting enough to get our ideal reader’s attention, so they’ll follow our link to find out more and take the appropriate action: sign up, enroll, purchase, take your quiz…whatever you want them to do to complete this step and move on to the next one.

Our goal is to help our audience

First by pulling them away from the throng so we can further educate them, answer their questions (including the ones they haven’t thought of yet), list even more benefits, and point them to our desired call-to-action button.

Creating an effective promotional post or ad is the first step in a multi-step effort to get our readers’ eyeballs on our offer.

Sally Sue’s former offer didn’t do that. Does yours?

Patricia Durgin

Patricia Durgin is an Online Marketing Coach and Facebook Live Expert. She trains Christian writers and speakers exclusively, helping them develop their messaging, marketing funnels, conversational emails, and Facebook Live programs. Patricia hosted 505 (60-minute) Facebook Live programs from 2018-2020. That program is on indefinite hiatus. She’s also a regular faculty member at Christian writers and speakers conferences around the country.

Website: marketersonamission.com
Facebook: MarketersOnAMission

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Marketing Sense

How to Write Successful Promotions: Part One

Marketing sense

You’re finally ready to promote your latest book or product or course. All you need now is buyers. Woo-hoo! That’s what happened last spring to Sally Sue. The fictional promotional post below is typical of hundreds of such posts seen every day. Let’s dissect it, shall we?

Would you like to receive coaching training from Sally Sue?

Sally Sue, 3-time New York Times bestselling author and coach of 36 years

will be giving an exclusive training to new and established coaches to help you

be as effective and as successful as you possibly can be in 2021 and beyond.

The Headline

The headline is dead: Would you like to receive coaching training…? The writer lost me immediately. I’m out. Gone. Won’t be back.

You and I and Sally Sue have milliseconds to gain the attention of readers who are scrolling past our words at supersonic speed. That headline won’t cut it.

 The Only Sentence

There’s a single sentence, as if Sally Sue was a breathless teenage girl running to tell her parents she just smashed into the garage door while parking and she had to get all the words out in one long breath. It’s exhausting to read, isn’t it?

The First Line

Readers don’t immediately care who we are, what we’ve accomplished, or how long we’ve been doing it. They DO care about themselves and what’s in it for them. You and I are the same way.

Sally’s only talking about herself; there’s no hint of any benefit to the reader.

It’s easy to forget that our readers are inundated every day with thousands–literally thousands–of promotions. Like us, they’ve become numb to them.

Some marketers swing to the other end of the pendulum with offensive or loud graphics and words in their promotions to get attention. They get attention, yes, but obnoxious promotions don’t help us reach our goals.

The Second Line

“Exclusive training to new and established coaches…” means what, exactly? What kind of training and how long will it last? Will it be free or is a price attached? Will it be delivered via a weekly Zoom meeting, at a weekend retreat center in California in May, or in Sally’s church basement next summer? Readers won’t know because Sally hasn’t shared that information.

What, if any, expertise does the reader need for this opportunity to be a perfect fit for them? Again, we’re not told. So how can they decide if they want to attend? If in doubt, they’ll pass right by. We tend to think they’ll stop, dig around in our post for a link we may or may not have remembered to add, and perhaps visit our website to find out more. Brace yourself. They won’t.

The Third Line

“…be as effective and successful as you possibly can be…” is not what we’d call a specific result.

Isn’t This a Bit Harsh?

We rarely see flaws in our work while others’ flaws leap out at us. This fictional writer is helping us learn through her weak marketing example.

Like Sally Sue, you and I write from our perspective, forgetting that the reader doesn’t know what we know, doesn’t have the details we have, so they can’t put two and two together. What will they do? Simply scroll on by, leaving us wondering why more people didn’t sign up for our fabulous offer.

It’s easy to think poor results prove we’re a failure and we should apply at our local Starbucks tomorrow. Perhaps, but probably not. What we need is reader-focused, results-oriented marketing.

In Part Two next month we’ll reword Sally Sue’s post.

Patricia Durgin

Patricia Durgin is an Online Marketing Coach and Facebook Live Expert. She trains Christian writers and speakers exclusively, helping them develop their messaging, marketing funnels, conversational emails, and Facebook Live programs. Patricia hosted 505 (60-minute) Facebook Live programs from 2018-2020. That program is on indefinite hiatus. She’s also a regular faculty member at Christian writers and speakers conferences around the country.

Website: marketersonamission.com
Facebook: MarketersOnAMission

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Marketing Sense

Email Content Demystified

Marketing sense

One of the great mysteries new platform builders (aka Christian writers and speakers) seek to solve is, “What should I write about in my weekly email?”

Initially it’s a joy to have email readers, but as month after month passes, draining your content well (and your mind!), creating new, interesting email content can become, well, wearisome.

Here’s the good news: your message is broader than your book. It’s true, and aren’t you glad? You know scads and scads about your topic, only one part of which is your book. Share the email content your readers expect, then share the unexpected. They’ll thank you with their  loyalty.

Ideas to Take Your Emails Beyond the Same ‘Ol Same ‘Ol

May the two examples below revitalize your email content in 2022.

Option #1: Health and Fitness

Yes, we all know we should eat less sugar and drink more water. Though true, that’s old news and will drive readers away in droves. They anticipate suggestions about having fun on vacation without sabotaging themselves and how to make wise choices at the church potluck. Deliver that, then broaden your content’s reach.

Send emails about mindset and hope and goals and progress and confidence…without once bringing up the words “health” and “fitness.”

You have so much to offer your audience, no need to beat the same drum every week. They’re three-dimensional people with fears, challenges, and a past that, while not directly tied to your topic, impacts their ability to apply your message successfully. Weave insightful content into your emails without ignoring your primary message.  

Once readers realize your emails aren’t one-trick ponies, they’ll open, read, and apply your message more often, reaping the rewards you always knew they could (but that they doubted). You’ll become one of their trusted resources. Now you’re growing your platform!

Option #2: Fictional World War I Romance Set in England

Readers interested in this book’s storyline might also be drawn to Europe’s pre-WWI royal lineage and its multiple entanglements and intrigues. The main players were family, after all, and that means misunderstandings, pride issues, disappointments, and the like.

Perhaps these same readers would like to know which political decisions set the stage for this disastrous war, particularly if national or international politics are woven into your story.

Bringing it more current, consider sharing news of upcoming events in your story’s locale, along with links to find more info. Even if your readers can’t attend, they’ll enjoy discovering more about the area because your book sparked their interest.

For a fun idea, consider setting up a get-together with your readers either at your story’s locale or yours. An event gathering like-minded people builds community.

And the best part? Each idea mentioned above requires email content that is not–I repeat, not–formulaic, which gives you yet another chance to stand out from the crowd. Sweet!

The Ideas Are Limitless Once the Lid Is Ajar

Let these suggestions become thought-provoking ideas for the surprising (and interesting!) journeys you’ll take your readers on via email, for email is simply regular, written conversations between two people with similar interests and/or experiences, one of whom (you!) knows more about the subject matter. 🙂

As You Develop Your Content Plan, Remember…

How much your audience already knows–or thinks they know–about your topic. Create your content accordingly. Let Christ guide you, for He knows what He wants you to share with those He’s gifted you to serve.

In the first example above, the writer’s audience is well versed on the health and fitness topic, having read 100’s or 1,000’s of articles about health and fitness through the years. That also means they’ve read misinformation, too. Those may be the two top “content buckets” from which most health and fitness emails are drawn. Adequate, but since there are so many more possibilities that other experts don’t offer their audience, if you do, your emails will surely rise to the top.

Readers served by the WWI example may not know the basic, historical facts about that time in history, and while your emails shouldn’t be instructional, recognize that your readers don’t know as much about your topic as you do.

Draw them further into the intrigue of your book’s story. Share additional back story info without “stealing” from the book. Further flesh out that time in history, contrast the location from nearly 100 years ago to now, keep them informed about current events there…anything connected to your story will do, if it’s interesting to your audience. May writing emails that captivate your readers never be a mystery again!  

Patricia Durgin

Patricia Durgin is an Online Marketing Coach and Facebook Live Expert. She trains Christian writers and speakers exclusively, helping them develop their messaging, marketing funnels, conversational emails, and Facebook Live programs. Patricia hosted 505 (60-minute) Facebook Live programs from 2018-2020. That program is on indefinite hiatus. She’s also a regular faculty member at Christian writers and speakers conferences around the country.

Website: marketersonamission.com
Facebook: MarketersOnAMission

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Marketing Sense

if you only have one marketing goal in 2022, make this one

Marketing sense

If you’re already deeply connected to your audience…if serving them up close and personal is already your priority…and if your email list numbers are all you want them to be, skip  this month’s article. Otherwise, read on!

FACT: Our Message Has No Value Without An Audience

God gifted us to write and speak His truth. But if we don’t spend time in one-on-one engagement with our audience, our message won’t spread far. It may be perfect but few will read it or hear it. Fewer still will apply it, so lives won’t change.

Why? Because a critical element will be missing: our audience won’t know us personally. They won’t know what makes us laugh or what makes our blood boil, so they won’t care about us or our message. We won’t make the impact Christ intended.

Don’t let this travesty happen to you. You are the only one who can prevent it. Here’s how.

Build An Online Community

If you have only one marketing goal in 2022, build a community where your audience can find you, engage with you, be helped by you, and get to know you. The works offline but is easier online. Whatever’s best for you and your audience is the perfect choice.

The Primary Way You’re Connected to Your Audience Even Before Publication

You and I know our audience in ways that others don’t because we are like them; they are like us. That’s God’s Master Plan. We know what makes them tick. Their fears. Their questions. What causes that acrid taste of fear in their mouths or that dream that fills them with anticipation.

Others who also want to serve this specific group create surveys to discover what this group needs, so they can offer it. But you and I don’t need surveys. God’s called  us to serve those who’ve experienced one or more of the traumas we’ve experienced from which He’s delivered us. Or perhaps one or more of the “impossible” goals He’s helped us reach.

Our message is the hope that He can deliver them, too, but we don’t stop there. We go on to share how He helped us, such as the steps we took–that they can also take–and so on. As they apply the principles He first taught us to apply, their lives change, too, and He is glorified.

This creates a deep, common bond between our audience and us. It’s time to solidify that bond in 2022 and build upon it.

Get face-to-face with your audience. Develop a community for them…with them.

It Doesn’t Have to be a Facebook Group

There’s a cornucopia of ways to engage with each other digitally or in real life. The first step is to make the commitment, then invite those audience members you already know to join you at the appointed time–you choose where–and bring their like-minded friends with them.

Serve them. Laugh with them. Connect with them, being your natural self. Create a safe space for them to speak their mind, ask questions, and get to know each other, too. Build a community together.

Some ask about serving online, “What if I say something wrong or my Internet connection goes crazy?” Rest easy! You WILL say something ridiculous and your Internet connection WILL go kablooey! And guess what? The world will keep right on spinning because those things happen.

Learn how to handle the ups and downs of “live” service and get over yourself already!

Before Internet days, I wrote and taught over 1,000 classes combined–each one different–at my job, church, and elsewhere in my local region.

Online, I’ve hosted over 500 (60-minute) Facebook Live interviews and over 200 live trainings on Zoom.

In all, I’ve survived some wacky experiences, and my audience was right there supporting me, eager to learn what I offered. We always made it through together. The snafu that tried to separate drew us closer instead. That’s God’s way.

Your Audience Will Support You, Too

They want the information, solutions, inspiration, or education you offer. Deliver it to them and they’ll be back. The Holy Spirit will draw others hungry for your message, too. You do your part. He’ll do His.

It’s amazing to watch your community transform from a random group of strangers with no apparent commonality into a strong band of followers who are loyal to you and each other.

Intentional fellowship changes everything, increasing both your clarity and passion as you see first this and then that person’s eyes light up and their burdens lifted, sometimes, because they know your story so well, too.

You’ll miss these tangible benefits if you don’t connect with real people in real time, whether online or off, in Jesus’ name and for their sake.

Make COMMUNITY your number one marketing goal for 2022!

Patricia Durgin

Patricia Durgin is an Online Marketing Coach and Facebook Live Expert. She trains Christian writers and speakers exclusively, helping them develop their messaging, marketing funnels, conversational emails, and Facebook Live programs. Patricia hosted 505 (60-minute) Facebook Live programs from 2018-2020. That program is on indefinite hiatus. She’s also a regular faculty member at Christian writers and speakers conferences around the country.

Website: marketersonamission.com
Facebook: MarketersOnAMission

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Marketing Sense

How to Deliver the Lead Magnet for Your Upcoming Interview

Marketing sense

How to Deliver the Lead Magnet for Your Upcoming Interview

This is the second in a two-part series. Part One is about the design elements, length, and content of your Lead Magnet. Read Create a Lead Magnet for Your Upcoming Interview here.

[https://www.almostanauthor.com/create-a-lead-magnet-for-your-upcoming-interview/].

Once Your Lead Magnet is Prepared, How Will You Deliver It?

The two easiest options are to upload it to your email account or your website. Let’s explore both.

To upload it to your email account, you’ll first need an email provider. Duh! There are tons of choices: Aweber, Active Campaign, Constant Contact, MailChimp, the list goes on. These companies store your email “list,” meaning the names and email addresses of readers who request this or any other free or paid resource you offer.

When readers type their name and email address into those opt-in boxes we’ve all seen inviting them to “enter your name,” and “enter your email address,” actions are triggered behind the scenes inside your email provider account. Whatever settings you have or have not created determine what happens next.

If you’ve decided to deliver your Lead Magnet directly to your readers–attached to your “Thank You” email–upload it to your email provider, then attach it to that unique email. Ask your email provider for help. They should have articles or video trainings showing how to do that.

To deliver it from your website instead, upload it there. If you have a WordPress website, WordPress will generate a direct link to it automatically. The link will be exclusive to that PDF (Lead Magnets are typically created as a PDF files). Copy and paste that link into your email message. Best practices are to type your Lead Magnet’s full title into your email, then make those words an active link, directing your reader to your website page where the PDF is stored so they can download it. Again, check with your email provider for those steps.

What’s the Payoff for Going to All This Trouble?

You have the answers to your audience’s questions. The solutions to their problems. Your interview gives them a taste of your knowledge, personality, and communication style. Your Lead Magnet gives them another.

Once readers are on your email list, you’ll want to develop a relationship with them based upon service. Do that by continuing to offer them valuable information, every week or every other week. Get to know them. Help them get to know you. Become their trusted resource on your topic.

Email is the single most valuable marketing tool available. For the few minutes they read your emails, you’ll have your reader’s undivided attention (if you’ve written fantastic content). Make it count.

Show them how to get from where they are to where they want to be, one step at a time. Teach them shortcuts to work faster. How to use the online tools necessary to do their work or reach their goals. Update them on the trends and breaking news surrounding your message’s topic.

Encourage them. Entertain them. Inspire them.

Share personal stories and tie them into your audience’s needs, connecting with them along the way. Be emotionally vulnerable at the right time, but don’t be naked by sharing too much, which will make them feel “icky.” They’ll either unsubscribe or simply ignore future emails.

Serve them as Jesus would, sharing a bit from your story and then moving right into their story, their concerns, and how to conquer their fears.  

Emails are private conversations between you and your reader. This is one reason they’re such a powerful marketing tool. Write as if they’re a close friend and over time, they’ll become one.

Serve, serve, serve, and serve them, then occasionally, invite them to take an action that will benefit you: enroll, purchase, promote, and so on.

And that relationship begins by offering them useful information for free, via a Lead Magnet offered during your interview. That’s a triple win!

Patricia Durgin

Patricia Durgin is an Online Marketing Coach and Facebook Live Expert. She trains Christian writers and speakers exclusively, helping them develop their messaging, marketing funnels, conversational emails, and Facebook Live programs. Patricia hosted 505 (60-minute) Facebook Live programs from 2018-2020. That program is on indefinite hiatus. She’s also a regular faculty member at Christian writers and speakers conferences around the country.

Website: marketersonamission.com
Facebook: MarketersOnAMission

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Marketing Sense

Create a Lead Magnet for Your Upcoming Interview

Marketing sense

Will you be the guest on an upcoming podcast, TV, or radio program? You’ll have access to that person’s audience for FREE! Make the most of that opportunity by creating a Lead Magnet that coordinates with the episode’s focus. This free resource encourages their audience members to become your audience members, too. This is marketing at its finest!

I’ll be the guest on an upcoming episode of the podcast, Your Best Writing Life, hosted by Linda Goldfarb. She invited me to present a two-part workshop on how email works and how to make it work for you. I’ve created a coordinating Lead Magnet to offer her listeners.

What Is a Lead Magnet?

At its most basic, a Lead Magnet is a 3–10 page document, typically in PDF format, that answers a single question or solves a single problem your audience is asking or struggling with right now. New and established subscribers who need the content your Lead Magnet offers are the most likely candidates to opt-in (sometimes called “sign-up”) for it.

The purpose is to offer a valuable, free resource with a title that includes a promised result they can’t resist, then to deliver content so useful that they’re eager to open your future emails, too. Both parties benefit. New subscribers receive what they’ve been searching for, and you have another reader on your email list who wants to hear more from you. Sweet!

The 3 Most Important Questions

I’ll answer the three questions below based upon my hot-off-the-presses Lead Magnet as an example, then I’ll cease referencing it.

Substitute the word “interview” for “training” where necessary; the principles below fit both.

Q #1: What’s the main topic of my training?

A: Understanding how email works and how to make it work for you.

Q #2: What free resource can I offer (that ties directly into my training’s topic), designed to help readers conquer the challenge they’ll run into AFTER they’ve applied my training?

A: Email topics that will be interesting to their readers.

Q #3: What title / subtitle combination will catch their attention without being smarmy?             A: Write Emails Your Readers Will Actually Read! / 35 email prompts to write great emails every time.

Design Elements Needed for Your Lead Magnet’s Cover

#1: Your logo

#2: Your chosen title and sub-title

#3: Your footer text (your name, your Lead Magnet’s title, your website, and the copyright symbol (©)). They should be at the bottom of each page, small but obvious.

#4: A visual, photo, or graphic for your cover graphic that’s interesting but doesn’t draw attention away from your text

#5: Your Lead Magnet’s color palette…3 colors pulled from your Lead Magnet’s visual

Pages to Include in Your Lead Magnet

#1: Cover graphic (of course) ��

#2: About the Author page

#3: Your content: 1-10 pages

#4: A CTA (call-to-action) on your last page

About the Author Page

This may be the first time readers have encountered you, so help them get to know you a bit. Show your personality without getting off track, and how your great content will apply to their situation.

Why Limit Your Lead Magnet to 10 Pages?

It’s not necessary to limit it, but it’s wise, because you’re not writing an e-book. The goal is to give your reader a “quick win.” That’s short, helpful content that moves them from where they are to the next step. A 37-page e-book can’t do that.

Get in, get the job done, and get out. They signed up to get the results your promised. Give them that and they’ll be pleased. Don’t give them that—or bury it amongst 4,000 other words—and they won’t be.

If you ramble now, they’ll assume you’ll ramble in the future, too, so they’ll be more likely to just grab your Lead Magnet content and then unsubscribe immediately.

What Should Your Call-to-Action Be?

That depends…what’s the next action you want your readers to take? Buy a low-cost offer? Sign up for a Wait List because your product or service isn’t available yet, but you want to capture their info for the future? Join your FB group? What? Decide that and prepare for it ahead of time.

NOTE: Your Lead Magnet doesn’t have to include a call-to-action. In that case, remove the Call-to-Action page (your lead magnet’s last page as discussed above), and you’re finished! Upload it to the landing page you’ve created for it on your website and you’re ready to rock’n roll. ��

Once Your Lead Magnet is Prepared, How Do You Make It Available?

Let’s talk about that next month.

Patricia Durgin

Patricia Durgin is an Online Marketing Coach and Facebook Live Expert. She trains Christian writers and speakers exclusively, helping them develop their messaging, marketing funnels, conversational emails, and Facebook Live programs. Patricia hosted 505 (60-minute) Facebook Live programs from 2018-2020. That program is on indefinite hiatus. She’s also a regular faculty member at Christian writers and speakers conferences around the country.

Website: marketersonamission.com
Facebook: MarketersOnAMission

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Marketing Sense

Evolution of a Lead Magnet Title (with example)

Marketing sense

What Is a Lead Magnet and Why Is the Title Such a Big Deal?

Lead Magnets are the overlooked heroes of online marketing. Unassuming, they stand like sentries on your Home page and social media accounts, ready to serve at a moment’s notice.

We want ours to be so obviously helpful that readers can’t resist signing up to read it (trading their name and email to have access to it).

In their most basic format, Lead Magnets are 3-10 pages long and in PDF format. They include a great cover image, an enticing title (bonus points for an equally interesting sub-title), with images, graphics, or infographics to support the content.

They also include lots of “white space,” a designer term meaning empty space with no words or images. White space breaks up content and gives the reader a chance to pause and absorb your content.

Few people read page after page text with nothing to separate them—that’s like reading a clinical report—and who wants to do that?

The goal of a Lead Magnet is to answer a single question or solve a single problem the reader is dealing with now. It’s not about what you know they need; it’s about what they’re searching for today.

Titling your Lead Magnet is everything. Potential readers sign-up for it, or not, based entirely upon that single piece of information. Does your title promise it can help your readers in the specific way they want to be helped? If not, keep working on it. It’s that important.

The Process in Action

I helped a friend develop her Lead Magnet title recently. Her ministry serves Christian women dedicated to praying for their children. Here’s how our conversation went (I changed her name for privacy).

Becca: I’m working on a new Lead Magnet.

Me: Great! What’s your working title?

Becca: 10 Truths About Prayer

Me: Now add a promise…

Becca: 10 Truths About Prayer That Will Change Your Prayer Life

Me: Are your readers praying for themselves or their children?

Becca: 10 Truths About Prayer That Will Transform Your Prayers for Your Child

Me: A bit wordy. Make it tighter (reducing the number of words while keeping the primary idea = stronger title).

Becca: Prayer Can Transform Your Child’s Life

Me: Better but informational. What’s the end result your readers desire for their children?

Becca: Transform Your Child’s Life Through Prayer

*** YESSSS!!! ***

See how that title “plants a flag”? Do “this” and you’ll get “that.”

Your readers (and mine) don’t want more information. They want to experience a change. They’re looking for someone who’ll stand up in the crowd and proclaim, “Do this (our message) and you’ll experience that (the change they want).”

Your CONTENT may be phenomenal, but if your TITLE is not clear, action-oriented, reader-focused, with a promised result that readers want, your Lead Magnet will not help as many people as it could. What. A. Shame.

Sound marketing connects you to your audience and grows your platform, but it’s not intuitive.

Fortunately, it’s not a gift you inherit (or don’t). It’s a skill. And skills can be learned. 

Hallelujah! 

Shape Your Content to Fit Your Title

Becca had specific content in mind to match her former title, 10 Truths About Prayer.

As we continued chatting, I mentioned that if she’d add a number that fits her content (or if she adjusts her content to coordinate with a number), her title could be:

10 Prayers to Transform Your Child’s Life.

I suggested a content plan for the title above:

  • 5 Traits to Pray “In” + 5 Traits to Pray “Out”
  • 10 Scriptures with Promises in Those Areas and
  • 10 Prayer Prompts with Suggested Words

Compare her first title (10 Truths About Prayer) to this one. See how this last one is action-oriented, it makes a promise (IF readers apply her message), and it tells readers what info they’ll receive?

There is no “magic title.” Work the process. Refine. Tighten. Focus on the result your title promises. Make it clear. More readers will sign up and their lives will change (in this case) as they pray for their children, which is the goal of Becca’s ministry! BOOM!

Patricia Durgin

Patricia Durgin is an Online Marketing Coach and Facebook Live Expert. She trains Christian writers and speakers exclusively, helping them develop their messaging, marketing funnels, conversational emails, and Facebook Live programs. Patricia hosted 505 (60-minute) Facebook Live programs from 2018-2020. That program is on indefinite hiatus. She’s also a regular faculty member at Christian writers and speakers conferences around the country.

Website: marketersonamission.com
Facebook: MarketersOnAMission

Categories
Marketing Sense

Why Your Podcast Pitch Isn’t Working and What to Do Instead

Marketing sense

No matter how dignified we are, holding our just-published book in our hands for the first time makes us squeal with glee, and rightly so.

We’ve heard that the fastest way to “get the word out” is via interviews, so we visit social media groups and share our availability. Here’s where our momentum often stops cold.

Our approach is, shall we say…lacking? Isn’t it enough to reveal that we’re ready to be interviewed? Uh, no.

Recently I read a Facebook post by Max, “My book is hot off the presses! I’m ready to be interviewed. My topic is XYZ. I look forward to hearing from you.” That was his entire ‘pitch.’

Experienced podcasters won’t reach out to Max, and he’ll never know why.

Though he didn’t realize it, Max practiced passive marketing…an announcement to the world at large that he was available for interviews, expecting that same world to run to his door, eager to help him reach his goals. This is an easy trap to fall into for anyone.

The world isn’t trying to help us reach our goals. They’re busy trying to reach their own goals. They’re on the lookout for guests who will help them.

It helps to remember that hosts who interview us give us a GIFT…access to their audience. They’ve built that audience by serving them well, developing deep relationships and thus earning their listeners’ trust. Wise hosts do not take that trust lightly.

We must help potential podcast hosts see how we can help them serve their audience.

3 Steps to Significantly Increase Your Pitch’s Odds

Make a list of 10-20 podcasts: Research podcasts that serve the same / similar audience as yours OR who discuss the same / similar topic as yours. Do they host guests? Who have they recently interviewed? How might you be able to add to that discussion by offering a deeper perspective, an opposing view, or different (yet still helpful) information?

Analyze the podcast: Listen to 3-8 full episodes. More if necessary. Is the host well-prepared, or do they work best off-the-cuff? Is their program live or recorded (and which fits your communication style best)? Does the audience participate, and if so, is the feedback live?

How long is the program, and do guests stay on the entire time, or only for a segment? You want to be knowledgeable about the program, who’s in their audience, and the host’s goals for the program.

Write your pitch: Keep it short and on point. If you’re pitching via email, be clear. Podcast Guest Pitch is a wise title. Bonus points for adding a short value phrase or keywords.

Don’t be vague. Tie your message into the program’s main topic. What can you add to the conversation, and how will your contribution benefit the audience? You’re there to help the podcast host serve his or her audience. How can you do that, specifically?

Add your website link. If you’ve been interviewed before, add those links (within reason). This helps the podcaster know what to expect if they invite you.

 Above All, Keep Pitching!

Repeat the steps above often. As potential hosts respond (not all will), make a note of their questions or comments.

Questions can mean you’ve left out information they want before deciding, or they’re intrigued and want to confirm you’ll be a good fit. Respond professionally, don’t over-promise, and if you’re not sure about something, simply say so.

If their answer is “no,” decide whether to keep them on your list. Today’s “no” might mean “never,” but it could also be tomorrow’s “yes.” BIG difference.

And if you sense you’re a natural fit but the host doesn’t see it yet, follow up without harassing them. They may have a bad day when you originally contacted them.

Podcasters are human, too, or so I’m told. 🙂

Patricia Durgin

Patricia Durgin is an Online Marketing Coach and Facebook Live Expert. She trains Christian writers and speakers exclusively, helping them develop their messaging, marketing funnels, conversational emails, and Facebook Live programs. Patricia hosted 505 (60-minute) Facebook Live programs from 2018-2020. That program is on indefinite hiatus. She’s also a regular faculty member at Christian writers and speakers conferences around the country.

Website: marketersonamission.com
Facebook: MarketersOnAMission

Categories
Marketing Sense

A Vague Marketing Message Stunts Your Growth

Marketing sense

Consider the following answer to “What do you do?“:

“We’re a women empowerment company. We facilitate courses and events to expand entrepreneurs and corporate leaders through education.”

This marketing message is so vague that it’s useless.

Let’s Dissect This Answer Phrase-By-Phrase, Shall We, Not to Ridicule the Writer, But to Learn from Their Example

What is a “women empowerment company”? Could the writer mean, “We empower women?” That’s more direct, it’s result-oriented, and it tells us who they serve without requiring us to stop and decipher the unfamiliar phrase used in the original.

“We facilitate courses and events.” The definition for facilitate is to, “make [something] easier,” or, “to assist the process of (a person).” Making a blind leap from “assisting” to “teaching” here, do they create and present their own courses, invite teachers outside their company to present to their clients, or something else? And do they plan and host events, or present their own?

We don’t know because the mysterious description doesn’t tell us.

“…to expand entrepreneurs and corporate leaders…” Hmmm…most of the professionals I know don’t want to “expand” themselves. Do you?

Entrepreneurs and corporate leaders want to learn how to do XYZ so they can keep more profits, hire better qualified employees, create and grow a YouTube channel, improve their marketing message, or any of a billion possibilities, but they don’t want to expand the way the writer uses the word.

“…through education.” Aha! Now we’re getting somewhere! But we still don’t know what topics they teach (or, as mentioned above, whether they do the teaching, or an outside company does). Sigh.

Let’s Look at the Description Again and Give the Company a Fictitious Name: Women, Inc.

“Women, Inc., is a women empowerment company. We facilitate courses and events to expand entrepreneurs and corporate leaders through education.”

How Can We Untangle This Mess and Turn It into an Effective Marketing Message?

Since we’re not given many concrete concepts, we’ll have to fill in the blanks ourselves, by guessing. The one thing Women, Inc. clearly communicates: they serve female entrepreneurs and corporate leaders. Gotcha.

But wait. That could be misinterpreted. Some might not realize that ALL of Women, Inc.’s clients are female, so let’s change that phrase to, “female business leaders and owners,” since the word, “business” is commonly understood to apply to both “leaders” and “owners.”

What problem(s) does Women, Inc. help their audience solve? Since we’re not given a single hint, we must concoct one: stagnant profits due to a lack of company focus.

What’s their process? Education via courses and events.

What result does Women, Inc. promise? Development of mission, vision, and values statements. Ideally, these will become each company’s blueprint for future growth, investing, hiring, and marketing, all of which result in higher profits.

Turn that around to put the juiciest benefit at the beginning and we get…

Women, Inc. allows female business leaders and owners to enjoy higher profits by developing their company’s three most powerful guiding principles.

Notice that this doesn’t answer every potential question. It’s supposed to attract the audience Women, Inc. was created to serve—to start a two-way conversation—if it does that, it’s done its job.

There’s more than one way to communicate this same concept, and each may be perfect. The fun—and frustration—of marketing is that you get to choose what to say and how to say it.

Though this example focused on a fictional company, the process is the same for every marketer.

Do YOUR Readers Have to Guess How Your Writing or Speaking Will Improve Their Lives?

The burden is on you to succinctly explain what your book or presentation is about, and the practical benefits it offers those who apply it.

I’ve been a marketing coach for over 20 years, and no one, including me, gets it right the first time. Give yourself permission to develop an uber-clear marketing message that includes 1) who you serve (specifically!), 2) their problem (as it relates to your expertise). 3) your process (the method used to solve their problem), and 4) their practical result (if they apply your message).

Tinker with it, set it aside, and come back to it as often as necessary. It takes a bit of persistence and brain power, but it’s oh, so worth it. Ask Christ to help you, for He is the perfect marketer and after all, He knows exactly how He wants you to communicate with your audience.

Your target market will now know—at a glance—that you’re the one who can help them. Adjust anything in your content, on your website, or your social media that needs to match your new, focused marketing message, and your business or ministry will finally begin to grow!

Patricia Durgin is an Online Marketing Coach and Facebook Live Expert. She trains Christian writers and speakers exclusively, helping them develop their messaging, marketing funnels, conversational emails, and Facebook Live programs. Patricia hosted 505 (60-minute) Facebook Live programs from 2018-2020. That program is on indefinite hiatus. She’s also a regular faculty member at Christian writers and speakers conferences around the country.

Categories
Marketing Sense

How to Reactivate A Dormant Email List

Marketing sense

You never thought it would happen to you. One minute, you were ecstatic to hear that special “bing!” when a new reader signed up for your email list. Hooray! The next minute, it’s been months since you sent them an email, so that “list” has gone silent. Dormant. Almost dead.

What to do? Should you delete all those names and email addresses and begin from scratch again? Heavens, no!

Instead, reactivate that list. (An e-mail “list” is a collection of names and email addresses of readers interested in a specific topic within your message.)

When sending their first email after being silent for a while, some people fall on their sword, crying, “Mea culpa!” repeatedly. Multiple apologies are unnecessary and make readers uncomfortable.

Others simply begin sending emails again, without acknowledging they’ve been gone for weeks or months. Readers find that insulting, suggesting, perhaps, that they’ve been taken for granted.

Find a balance between the two extremes above. Acknowledge your absence, assure your readers you value them, and move on, offering them great resources or content in that “reactivation” email. (Of course, don’t use that marketing term in your email.)

Won’t It Feel A Bit Awkward to Reach Out After All That Time?

Highly likely. But it must be done. Email readers are too hard to get, and keep, to simply let them go. Prove yourself worthy of their time. You did it before. Now do it again.

Approach the conversation just as you would with any friend with whom you’ve lost touch. Be yourself. Be honest about your absence without sharing too many details. Apologize once. Don’t ramble on.

Then dive right into the good part…what’s in it for them. Serve them well, sharing content they’ll find irresistible. What did they sign up to learn? Choose a great teaching point and share that. Simple. Easy. Done!

What to Say Before Segueing Into “Regular” Email Content

Like other difficult tasks, getting started is the hard part. Here are three idea prompts to spur your imagination as you consider the title and first paragraph of your reactivation email. Write with your voice, your personality, and your words.

Option #1

Title: The rumors aren’t true!

First paragraph: I have not enrolled in the Witness Protection Program. It just felt like it, due to (identify the issue in a short phrase). Has your world turned upside down, too? Let’s start over…together.

Then move directly into your teaching content.

Option #2

Title: I’m baaaack! or I apologize (choose one of those two-word phrases).

First paragraph: You haven’t heard from me in a while. I apologize. Life interrupted my regular schedule. That issue has passed. I’m able—and eager—to serve you again. Let’s get busy…

Then move directly into your teaching content.

Option #3

Title: Still want to learn about (fill-in-the-blank)?

First paragraph: I took an unscheduled break, had a slight meltdown (not really!) and now I’m back, rarin’ to go! I’m sorry it’s been a while since you heard from me. Let’s dive into (topic) again, shall we?

Then move directly into your teaching content.

What Response Should You Expect?

Some readers will undoubtedly unsubscribe, depending upon how long you were silent or how valuable your content was before you went missing-in-action.

Others will be glad to see your name in their Inbox again. That’s what we work toward.

Remember to include fantastic content in your reconnection email. That will help readers remember why they subscribed in the first place.

They took a chance on you when they signed up. Take a chance on them by sending this reactivation email. You’ll be glad you did!

Patricia Durgin is an Online Marketing Coach and Facebook Live Expert. She trains Christian writers and speakers exclusively, helping them develop their messaging, marketing funnels, conversational emails, and Facebook Live programs. Patricia hosted 505 (60-minute) Facebook Live programs from 2018-2020. That program is on indefinite hiatus. She’s also a regular faculty member at Christian writers and speakers conferences around the country.

Website: https://marketersonamission.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarketersOnAMission

Categories
Marketing Sense

How to Grow a Loyal Facebook Live Audience: Focus On Your Audience and Content

Marketing sense

Growing a loyal Facebook Live audience—whether you’re a beginner or established writer—doesn’t happen overnight. You have to earn it. And it is, oh, so worth the effort!

Every program is a new opportunity to prove you’re a valuable resource to your audience. They’ll know, like, and trust you faster because of your consistent interaction with them. Relationships will spring up between you and your viewers. They’ll connect with each other as well. You’ll build an online community, all for free.

The #1 way to grow your audience is to offer them the content they want while also delivering the content they need. This two-pronged approach will help them discover you in the crowded online marketplace.

Your programs can become a springboard for products, services, and events, all while continuing to provide new messages via your Facebook Live program.

Two foundational elements need to be consistently marketed: your program’s audience and its content.

Who Will Your Program Serve?

If you’re like me, you’ve been serving your audience for years, perhaps decades. So you already know how to describe them.

If not, consider these questions: Who responds to your message at work, church, in your community, and on social media?

What are their common traits? Are they mostly female? Male? What’s their age range and ethnicity? Important as those elements are, they’re external.

Their internal commonalities are more valuable to you as a content creator. What problems or pains do they share? What words do they use to express those issues?

Or are they striving to reach a goal instead? If so, what challenges do they face? What’s keeping them from moving forward? And how do they articulate those obstacles?

These are the people who will be drawn to you online, just like they’ve been drawn to you in real life for years. Market to them. Serve them, and they’ll reward you with their loyalty.

What Content Do They Want?

Review the questions listed above again. When you know the pains, challenges, obstacles, and problems your ideal target market has, you can create content just for them. This is no time to be generic! They want content that applies directly to them, and well they should. And you’re just the one to offer it…because you know them so well.

When they describe their problems, what words do they use…exactly? How do they explain their struggles…specifically? The answers to those questions lead directly to your content. Themed programs hold a myriad of additional topics. Unpack them and share one point or principle per Facebook Live program.

Let Your Audience Be Your Content Partner

Without realizing it, your audience will suggest new content ideas as they engage during your live programs.

The single biggest advantage of hosting a regular Facebook Live program is that your viewers will tell you when your content is on target. And…they’ll tell you in real time. How? By asking follow-up questions. When they ask how to apply your message to their unique situation, you’ll know you’re “hitting the mark.”

Allowing them (inviting them!) to participate in the conversation isn’t an interruption. Their input broadens your message, making it richer, fuller, and more helpful.

The more you talk about what your audience wants to talk about—while still focusing on your message—the longer they’ll watch, which will strengthen your connection with them. You want them to connect with both you and with each other. A regular Facebook Live program is designed specifically for that type of interaction.

As writers, we might go weeks or months without any feedback from our audience. But when we serve them via Facebook Live, we hear their questions, comments, and gratitude immediately. This is a sweet reward!

Patricia Durgin is an Online Marketing Coach and Facebook Live Expert. She trains Christian writers and speakers exclusively, helping them develop their messaging, marketing funnels, conversational emails, and Facebook Live programs. Patricia hosted 505 (60-minute) Facebook Live programs from 2018-2020. That program is on indefinite hiatus. She’s also a regular faculty member at Christian writers and speakers conferences around the country.

Website: https://marketersonamission.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarketersOnAMission

Categories
Marketing Sense

Email Marketing: Your Most Powerful Promotional Tool

Marketing sense

As a professional writer you aren’t satisfied writing grocery lists. You long to deliver God’s message and see lives turned around. That will never happen until you have an audience, a group of people interested in your message. This includes people you haven’t met yet. They’re not looking for you; they don’t yet know how your message can help them. You must regularly reach beyond your family and friends to help new people discover you.

Once connected with them, you want to build a relationship, serving them consistently, becoming a valued resource. This is best done through email, not through social media. Why?

Imagine moving to Texas during the summer, into a neighborhood filled with walkers. Eager to make new friends, you sit on your front porch, offering first this and then that person a cool drink.

Some wave and thank you but move on. You might see them every day for years, but they rarely if ever accept your offer to chat one-on-one. These people represent your social media followers. Friendly from a distance but no solid connection.

Other walkers slow their pace and join you. As you visit, a seed of friendship is planted. Some will become dear friends. Even if they move away, the connection will remain strong because it’s deep. These people represent your email subscribers, those who have said by their actions, “I want to hear more from you. Please stay in touch via email.”

Years ago, a potential client said she didn’t have an email list and saw no reason to bother, because she had over 10,000 Twitter followers. I asked how many of those followers she could contact directly by email, to share her message or promote her book. “None,” she replied. Oh.

She used the “spray and pray” marketing approach, sharing her message with as many (in her case) Twitter followers as possible, praying that somewhere, somehow, some of those random people would purchase her book. Oy!

If you only invest in one marketing outreach, develop your email list. It’s the foundation of your platform. Social media followers are the whipped cream on top of your sundae.

What is an “email list”?

It’s a collection of names and email addresses. Ideally, each represents a human being interested in 1) you, 2) your topic, or 3) both. By “signing up” (voluntarily sharing their name and email address with you), they’re giving you permission to serve them AND promote your message, book, or event to them anytime you want (within reason).

Doesn’t an email list cost money?

Yes. You’ll need an account with an email marketing service, which is a company that stores or houses the names and email addresses of those who sign-up or “opt-in” to receive—by email—your newsletter, devotions, book launch promotions, podcast replay links…whatever you promised to share with them when they signed up.

It’s not possible to send out separate emails to each individual on your list from your personal computer, so companies such as Aweber, Active Campaign, MailChimp, and others do that for you. Many offer a low or no cost offer to start. As your list grows, they charge on a sliding scale, based upon the number of names in your account.

Myth: You don’t need an email service if you use WordPress.com.

When readers sign up to receive your latest blog post, WordPress.com stores their name and email address. You never have access to that information. So, you might have 5,000 readers (hooray!) but no way to contact them directly (boo!).

In that case, bypass WordPress.com’s sign-up box and share a link to one on your email provider’s site. Contact them to find out how.

Email marketing is targeted marketing.

If your email list is a hodgepodge of email addresses from old college roommates, people you met at a conference five years ago, and your second cousin twice-removed, it’s of no value. (Sorry, but somebody’s gotta tell you.)

But if the majority of your readers are people who’ve read your content elsewhere or heard you on a podcast interview and then digitally raised their hands to say, “I want to hear more from you!” you’re on your way.

Create content exclusively for your ideal audience and your email list will grow. These are the people God has gifted you to serve. Focus your content on them. Offer solutions to their problems. Answer their questions. Engage with them everywhere you can, always inviting them (never badgering them!) to sign up for whatever free resource you’re offering at that moment.

It takes time to build an email list (add more names to it). It takes more time to maintain it (stay connected to your readers). You’ll always be glad you did, for this is how your email list can be your most powerful promotional tool.

Patricia Durgin is an Online Marketing Coach and Facebook Live Expert. She trains Christian writers and speakers exclusively, helping them develop their messaging, marketing funnels, conversational emails, and Facebook Live programs. Patricia hosted 505 (60-minute) Facebook Live programs from 2018-2020. That program is on indefinite hiatus. She’s also a regular faculty member at Christian writers and speakers conferences around the country.

Website: https://marketersonamission.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarketersOnAMission