Tag: weeklystory

In 1925, John Caples was a rookie copywriter working on an ad for home-study piano courses.

He drafted several headlines that he shared with his boss.

Here are a few:

• “Can you play the piano? Neither could I three months ago?”
• “They laughed when I sat down at the piano. But when I started to play…”
• “I never saw my music teacher. But he taught me to play just the same.” 
• “Give me 10 minutes, and I’ll prove you can learn music without a teacher.” 

Which headline did Caples’ boss choose?

In his great book, “Making Ads Pay: Timeless Tips for Successful Copywriting,” Caples tells the story:

“(My boss) spent a minute or two looking at the headlines and then he checked with a pencil the…one that begins with the words ‘They laughed.’ ‘Write copy to go with that headline,’ he said.”

Caples wrote four-pages of single-spaced copy below that headline.

That copy sold mountains of home-study courses for the U.S. School of Music. And it became one of the most celebrated — and copied — ads ever written.

Here’s a 1927 version of the ad:
https://swiped.co/file/they-laughed-when-i-sat-down-at-the-piano-by-john-caples/

And here’s why it worked…

Unlike the other headlines, the winning headline launches a story.

In fact, it’s a story all by itself.

Close your eyes and imagine that guy sitting at the piano. The dinner party guests snickering.

But then… What?

You know it’s something good.

You know he’s about to show ‘em.

You know he’s going to stop the laughter.

You don’t have to read four pages of copy to imagine the basic idea.

But if saw that ad in 1925, you WANT to read that copy because the headline has drawn you in.

The headline attracts you and keeps you tuned in. 

It’s made you curious. It’s promised a compelling story…

…And, most importantly, it’s a story you can relate to.

You can relate to wanting the last laugh, rather than being the butt of the joke.

You can relate to wanting to be the life of the party.

You can relate to wanting to wow your friends with your talents.

Caples hints at all of that stuff in a 15-word headline. He delivers the entire story in the copy that follows. And he closes the copy with a call-to-action: “Send For Our Free Booklet and Demonstration Lesson.” 

In the book where he breaks down the ad, Caples shares a few tips that reflected his process and can be part of yours.

Here are two:  

• Start by writing headlines.
• In addition to facts, get EMOTION into your copy. 

I can help you write better headlines, subject lines, and copy. I can show you how to get emotion into your copy to create stories that attract readers and keep them tuned in. 

That can start to happen if you sign up for a  free, 30-minute story assessment. 

I’ll review your business story. I will meet with you via Zoom and review how you’re telling your business story — on your website, social media, and other channels. Then, I’ll recommend how to make it work better during these strange days.  

I have a limited number of slots open on my calendar for these sessions. Please visit my calendar to book a time that works for you.

Thanks!

Tom Ruwitch

Here’s a TV recommendation:

Watch “Grant,” the new three-part documentary on the History Channel (here’s the trailer). 

Ulysses S. Grant was a complicated man.

Some historians have painted him as a drunk, a villain, a reckless general who got lucky, a corrupt politician.

This documentary rewrites that history.

It exposes some of the warts. But generally, it portrays Grant as a military genius — a great tactician and strategist — who won the Civil War for the Union.

And it portrays him as a visionary and brave politician who believed in the idea that “all men are created equal.” He tried to reconstruct America to live up to that ideal.

Here’s the thing I found most interesting about Grant, the thing that inspires me to write about him here:

He was relentless. He always chose to act, rather than react. He believed that you win when you take the initiative. You lose if you wait for the action to come to you.

So it goes in business.

That’s especially true this year.

I see so many business leaders who press pause, stop moving, lose initiative, wait for the action to come to them.

I see others who recognize these dark days but still move forward, inch by inch. They’re relentless. They choose to act, rather than react. They take the initiative. They don’t sit still, praying for good outcomes, while bad outcomes approach.

Those are the leaders looking for ways to improve their operations, improve their sales, improve their marketing…

…improve their stories so their business can move forward now and thrive later. 

Here’s a way to improve your business story…

I’m offering free, 30-minute web conferences to review your business story. I will meet with you via Zoom and review how you’re telling your business story — on your website, social media, and other channels. Then, I’ll recommend how to make it work better during these strange days.  

I have a limited number of slots open on my calendar for these sessions. Please visit my calendar to book a time that works for you.

Thanks!

Tom Ruwitch

I read about a hotel that promises a “fun, colorful and flavorful” and magical experience.

Set to open in August, the hotel began taking reservations online in June.

It sold out in two minutes.

Introducing The Bell: A Taco Bell Hotel and Resort in Palm Springs, California.

The Bell is just a temporary rebranding of the V Palm Springs Hotel. From August 8-12, the hotel will be all about Taco Bell.

A gift shop with Taco Bell apparel. A salon with Taco Bell-inspired nail art, fades and a braid bar. New menu items exclusively for hotel guests. A “happier hour” with “saucier snacks.”

Taco Bell promises the hotel will be an “extra serving of Taco Bell magic” that “is going to be hot. (Literally.)”

The hotel has 70 rooms. Rates start at $169/night. That’s 70 rooms for five nights in August (350 rooms overall) that sold out in two minutes.

Impressive.

This begs a question… What does Taco Bell sell?

If you answered, “Tacos,” you’ve missed the point.

If you answered, “Tacos and hotel rooms,” you’ve missed the point.

When announcing the hotel, Taco Bell’s Chief Global Brand Officer Marisa Thalberg said, “The Bell stands to be the biggest expression of the Taco Bell lifestyle to date.”

I like that quote because, you see, Taco Bell sells a lifestyle.

Taco Bell sells fun. Taco Bell sells colorful. Taco Bell sells happiness. Taco Bell sells saucy-ness.

Forget about the hotel for a minute and think about Taco Bell ads. Visit their website. Think about the image they promote, the customer they attract.

Sure, they’ve built their business dishing out tasty(?), Mexican-inspired fast-food.

But they’re selling a feeling. They’re selling a vibe. They’re selling “magic.” And they’re selling it well.

Think I’m crazy?

Then explain to me why 350 $169+ hotel rooms sold out in 120 seconds. It’s not because the Cheesy Gordita Crunch tastes good.

What do you sell?

Tom
MarketVolt

p.s. We help businesses figure out what they sell. Then we help them identify and connect with their target markets so people will listen to what you’re saying. If you want to discuss how to make it happen for your business, email me at tom@marketvolt.com. For no charge and no strings attached, we’ll discuss with you how you’re building email lists, generating new leads and generally finding and connecting with prospects.

p.p.s. If you like these emails, please do me this favor: Forward this to someone who might also enjoy it and encourage them to sign up for future emails on our website at MarketVolt.com.

I saw something on the TV news this morning that annoyed me.

(What else is new?)

I’m sharing this with you not to spread the annoyance, but rather to deliver a business lesson.

The news headline: The number of asylum-seekers reaching the Mexico-US border has decreased over the last few months.

The analysis: Supporters of President Trump say the decrease is due to his immigration policies. Opponents counter that the flow of migrants always slows during the summer due to the sweltering heat.

End of news story.

Ugh!

So which is it? President Trump’s policies or a predictable, weather-related decrease?

We’re all left guessing.

Reminds me of too many business meetings I’ve witnessed.

Something meaningful happens in the business — good or bad.

One person or group offers an explanation. Another person or group counters with a different explanation.

No supporting data. We’re all left guessing.

With just a little bit of digging, the media could have provided evidence to support one explanation or another.

Show me migrant flow statistics for years past (especially years prior to President Trump’s rule). Do migrant populations truly decrease in the summer months?

Interview people in Guatemala or El Salvador who have considered migrating but have not yet done so. Are they hesitating because of U.S. policy, or are they planning to go once the weather cools?

Just don’t leave me guessing.

Same goes for business.

We’re constantly explaining things in our businesses — revenue trends, the success or failure of a marketing campaign, changes in customer retention rates.

Are the explanations guesses. Or are we backing are explanations with valid data?

Tom
MarketVolt

p.s. We help businesses identify and connect with their target markets so people will listen to what you’re saying. If you want to discuss how to make it happen for your business, email me at tom@marketvolt.com. For no charge and no strings attached, we’ll discuss with you how you’re building email lists, generating new leads and generally finding and connecting with prospects.

p.p.s. If you like these emails, please do me this favor: Forward this to someone who might also enjoy it and encourage them to sign up for future emails on our website at MarketVolt.com.

Yesterday was the 10th anniversary of Michael Jackson’s death.

So the TV talking heads spent a bunch of airtime debating whether it’s OK to enjoy the King of Pop’s music.

The debate goes like this…

On one side are those who cite allegations that Jackson molested children. You can’t separate the art from the artist, they argue. If the artist is a criminally perverted creep, you should reject his art.

On the other side are those who say the art should stand on its own. Michael Jackson created beautiful music that made/makes people happy. Sure, he might be a creep. But that doesn’t mean you should deprive yourself of his art.

Interesting debate.

For some, the quality of the product trumps all other concerns.

For others, the qualities of the creator/vendor cause people to shun an otherwise appealing product.

So it goes in mass entertainment.

So it goes in business.

You’ve created a great product or service. Better than others. Perhaps the best.

Some prospects will weigh your product against other options and choose yours…

…no matter what…

…because it’s better.

But like it or not, others will judge your product or service not just on its merits. They’ll also judge you and your people.

They’ll consider: Were they nice when I spoke to them? Did they make me feel comfortable? Do they care about me or do they take me for granted? Do they value me when I purchase, or am I just another transaction, an anonymous noone with a customer ID number? Are they likeable?

All of that stuff matters.

Not to everyone. But to enough people that it will affect your business.

Marketing is not just about attracting a prospect and closing the sale. It’s about building a community of prospects and customers who know, like and trust you.

That’s why it matters…

…What you say and how you say it when you pick up the phone…

…How you say thank you when the deal gets done…

…What you do to deliver value to prospects and customers before and after the sale…

…How you demonstrate that you care and don’t take customers for granted.

Sure, you can ignore all that stuff and just let the product or service stand on its own merits. You’ll sell some.

But those who believe you can’t separate the art from the artist (and there are plenty of those people) — They’ll turn elsewhere even if that means depriving themselves of your great offering.

Tom
MarketVolt

p.s. We help businesses identify and connect with their target markets so people will listen to what you’re saying. If you want to discuss how to make it happen for your business, email me at tom@marketvolt.com. For no charge and no strings attached, we’ll discuss with you how you’re building email lists, generating new leads and generally finding and connecting with prospects.

p.p.s. If you like these emails, please do me this favor: Forward this to someone who might also enjoy it and encourage them to sign up for future emails on our website at MarketVolt.com.

Before publishing his first best-seller, Tim Ferriss tested options.

He came up with six potential titles. Then he purchased Google Adwords ads — one version for each title — targeting search terms related to the book’s topics.

Each ad used the potential book title as the headline and used the book’s tagline for the ad’s body (same in each ad).

He spent less than $200 to discover that the ad with the headline “The 4-Hour Workweek” was generating the most clicks, by far.

So that’s what he called his book.

Published in 2007, “The 4-Hour Workweek — Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich” spent more than four years on the New York Times Bestseller List and has sold more than 2.1 million copies.

That’s pretty good for a book that cost less than $200 to name.

I love this story because it reveals several important lessons that apply to all of us in business…

Testing works.

Guessing doesn’t (unless you’re lucky, and luck runs out).

It’s often easier and less expensive to test a business idea than you might imagine.

By the way, an interviewer once asked Ferriss about the book’s title.

He replied, “I wanted to name it ‘The 3-Hour Workweek,’ but my publisher didn’t think that was realistic. So we settled on ‘The 4-Hour Workweek.’”

Ha! Ha! As if….

Tom
MarketVolt

p.s. We help businesses identify and connect with their target markets so people will listen to what you’re saying. If you want to discuss how to make it happen for your business, email me at tom@marketvolt.com. For no charge and no strings attached, we’ll discuss with you how you’re building email lists, generating new leads and generally finding and connecting with prospects.

p.p.s. If you like these emails, please do me this favor: Forward this to someone who might also enjoy it and encourage them to sign up for future emails on our website at MarketVolt.com.

A marketing novice wondered whether a direct mail ad he received from a restaurant was any good. He described the ad in an online discussion board and waited for responses.

Dozens of people replied with all sorts of marketing advice.

Lots of them said they liked the ad.

Some asked to see the advertisement so they could analyze it more carefully.

Others said there was no way to know if the ad was good without assessing “a variety of factors.”

One wise person replied, “Is the restaurant busy?”

Pretty good question. The bottom line.

Sure, some businesses do well…

…despite bad advertising.

And some businesses do poorly…

…despite good advertising.

But more often than not, good marketing leads to a better, busier business.

Tom
MarketVolt

p.s. We help businesses identify and connect with their target markets so people will listen to what you’re saying. If you want to discuss how to make it happen for your business, email me at tom@marketvolt.com. For no charge and no strings attached, we’ll discuss with you how you’re building email lists, generating new leads and generally finding and connecting with prospects.

p.p.s. If you like these emails, please do me this favor: Forward this to someone who might also enjoy it and encourage them to sign up for future emails on our website at MarketVolt.com.

A few months ago, I went to a St. Louis Blues hockey game with my son.

He ordered a chicken sandwich from a concession stand run by a local restaurant.

The chicken was raw. When we returned the food to the stand and asked for a refund, the woman at the cash register apologized and gave us our money back.

But when she handed the sandwich back to the guy cooking the food and explained to him what happened, he glanced at the sandwich, shook his head, rolled his eyes and looked at Jacob and me as if we were criminals.

I’m not a lip-reader, but the guy seemed to say, “F-ing, B-S” (or something like that) as he flung the sandwich into the trash.

The next day, I sent a direct, but polite email to the restaurant. I noted that food prep errors happen, and I can forgive those.

But, I said, it didn’t feel great to have the cook act as if we were wrong for returning the raw chicken he dished out.

The reply from the restaurant: Nada. Zero. Crickets.

What a missed opportunity!

Someone at the restaurant could have replied. Someone could have apologized. Someone could have owned up to a mistake.

Had someone done that, I would have felt much better about the restaurant. I most likely would have overlooked this one-time hiccup. I probably would have gone back to that concession stand or the restaurant to give them another chance.

If they had gone the extra mile and, for example, offered me a gift card, told me how they followed-up with the concession stand cook, or something like that, I would have become a fan of the restaurant. I would have been telling people about their great customer service.

Instead, I’m telling you about their lousy customer service. It’s unlikely I’ll visit that concession stand or restaurant again.

When you own up to your mistakes, good things usually happen.

When you ignore customers who contact you with valid concerns, your business will suffer.

Tom
MarketVolt

p.s. We help businesses identify and connect with their target markets so people will listen to what you’re saying. If you want to discuss how to make it happen for your business, email me at tom@marketvolt.com. For no charge and no strings attached, we’ll discuss with you how you’re building email lists, generating new leads and generally finding and connecting with prospects.

p.p.s. If you like these emails, please do me this favor: Forward this to someone who might also enjoy it and encourage them to sign up for future emails on our website at MarketVolt.com.

Last month, a networking group that I help manage contacted 18 former members to learn why they quit.

Three of the 18 said they quit for no particular reason. They just let their commitment lag.

Prompted by the phone call, they committed to resubscribe.

Three out of 18. That’s 17 percent. That’s pretty good.

Many of the 18 offered great feedback about why they quit. Leaders will use that feedback to improve the group.

One of the 18 expressed some frustration. She said she left the group six months ago. She asked, “Why did it take you so long to call me?”

We’ll take that feedback to heart.

All of the above adds up to one simple lesson: When you reach out to former customers, good things happen.

Some of them may return. In most cases, it’s much less expensive to win business back from a lapsed customer than to capture, nurture and convert a new lead.

Your business will grow stronger. Former customers will give you great feedback. Some of it may be invalid. Usually some of it is right on target

You’ll diffuse bitterness and back-biting. Customers (current or former) don’t like to be taken for granted.

That former group member who asked, “Why did it take you so long to call me,” felt neglected.

When you reach out to customers — even those who have left — you show you care. Those former customers may not come back, but they’re far less likely to harbor (or share) negative feelings about you. That’s especially important in the social media age.

Tom
MarketVolt

p.s. We help businesses identify and connect with their target markets so people will listen to what you’re saying. If you want to discuss how to make it happen for your business, email me at tom@marketvolt.com. For no charge and no strings attached, we’ll discuss with you how you’re building email lists, generating new leads and generally finding and connecting with prospects.

p.p.s. If you like these emails, please do me this favor: Forward this to someone who might also enjoy it and encourage them to sign up for future emails on our website at MarketVolt.com.

In early January, when the St. Louis Blues were in the National Hockey League cellar with the fewest points of any team, Interim Head Coach Craig Berube tore the standings from the locker room wall.

Yesterday, hours before the Blues clinched the Western Conference championship and punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final, a reporter asked Berube why he removed those standings.

“Because it didn’t look very good at the time. Where we were at and to get where we had to get to, it’s a long process. To see that every day, it doesn’t change quick enough, and it’s just a negative effect.”

I like that…

…and not just because I’m a Blues fan.

There’s a lesson in that for all of us who work for a living, all of us who set goals and strive for something.

We all face long processes.

Maybe we’re planning and launching an email marketing program.

Maybe we’re redesigning a website.

Maybe we’re building a sales team and striving to grow revenue.

And maybe we’re stuck.

We begin at the foot of the mountain. Progress — positive change — doesn’t come quick enough. We stare up from the bottom and see the summit far in the distance. So far that it’s discouraging. As Coach Berube says, “It’s a negative effect.”

But if we stop staring at the summit…

…if we stop reminding ourselves how far we have to climb…

…if we just focus on one task at a time…

…we move forward, step-by-step…

…until the summit is within reach.

Athletes say it all the time: “We’re taking it just one game at a time.”

We dismiss such comments as meaningless cliches.

But I think “one game at a time” is a smart approach. 

After their coach ripped the standings off the wall, after he dared the team to quit focusing on the distance from the base to the summit, after he encouraged the team to worry just about the next step, the team began to climb.

And now they’re four wins away from the summit.

Remember that the next time you’re stuck in a long process.

Tom
MarketVolt

p.s. We help businesses identify and connect with their target markets so people will listen to what you’re saying. If you want to discuss how to make it happen for your business, email me at tom@marketvolt.com. For no charge and no strings attached, we’ll discuss with you how you’re building email lists, generating new leads and generally finding and connecting with prospects.

p.p.s. If you like these emails, please do me this favor: Forward this to someone who might also enjoy it and encourage them to sign up for future emails on our website at MarketVolt.com.