Interruption marketing no longer works, yet many women are still investing in
old-school marketing methods--then complaining how hard it is to get new
clients. When you look at the tactics used by "marketing gurus" or online heavy
hitters, anyone with common sense can see why their conversion rates are
plummeting. Their mindset is to think of people as a herd.
Most valid persuasion triggers have been abused, overused and perverted
online into subversive tactics that are haphazardly tossed around like pixie
dust. Until you think of potential customers as your friends, you'll fall prey
to using these strategies that no longer work. Quite frankly, the less you know
about old-school marketing the better. That's because marketing with new media
is, in many ways, the reverse of traditional marketing. Take, for example, the
normal "relationship building" sequence of the typical online marketer. They
"capture" your attention and get you to subscribe to a free offer. Then week
after week, they subject you to a constant barrage of self-serving, contextually
disconnected sales pitches. What follows next is a bunch of ticked-off
subscribers who report the old-school marketer to the spam police and get the
URL banned from being effective, forcing the marketer to register a new URL and
begin the entire process over from scratch.
Don't worry, there's a better way. And it doesn't involve tricks, gimmicks or
lies. The first thing you must do as an active new-media marketer is to reverse
your mind-set. Your secret? CHARM.
- Captivate attention.
- Hook people emotionally.
- Acquire and advance trust.
- Reinforce the relationship.
- Motivate people to action.
The first thing you'll want to do is ask your new clients to join your
subscriber list. But don't just offer a newsletter like everyone else. Think
differently. Think of offering something physical you send them in the mail.
Think of giving them a "Godfather Offer"--one they can't refuse because it's so
irresistible that they can't live without it.
CHARM is the opposite of the way most marketers think and it can yield a
great response. To start changing your mind-set, establish a web presence
instead of a website. What's the difference? A website sits on the internet and
you work for it. You drive the traffic, the content is only seen by people who
come to it, and it's a one-way channel. A web presence, on the other hand, is a
living, breathing entity online--and it lives and works for you.
Add content to different new media channels and each channel bring people
from targeted communities to you. You can use individual channels like blogs,
podcasts, online video and social networks, combining them on your own with
list-building and conversion sites.
If you want to win the undying devotion of your customers, you've got to stop
listening to all the marketers that tell you "it's a numbers game," and that the
more you hammer your list, the more money you'll make.
Perhaps, in the short run, you might see some quick results by employing
their tactics. But what these marketers don't reveal is the damage done after
they hammer their lists. They don't tell you how they've destroyed trust and how
hard they have to work to rebuild their list year after year.
The best marketing gurus will tell you straight up: It's much easier and far
less expensive to serve your current clients than it is to procure new ones.
Common sense dictates that we need to treat our customers like we want to be
treated and cherish them as friends.
By repeatedly applying CHARM throughout your podcasts, videos, blogs and
other communications, you'll be nurturing relationships to turn visitors into
friends and friends into family (see "Get People to
Love Your Biz"). And all things being equal, people will always buy from
friends and family.
Instead of feeling like you're at a disadvantage when compared to more
experienced marketers who've been in business for decades, know that you
actually have an edge. Simply use your natural, seductive charms to attract
friends. You'll easily turn them into lifelong clients who'll buy from you again
and again.