In this month’s issue of Johnson Direct’s eTips newsletter, readers will discover nine simple, effective ways to maximize their media coverage. Harnessing the incredible, and measurable, power of PR takes a proactive, persistent approach. But the effort is well worth it! Read more.

Here’s an excerpt: You put together a news release to tout the benefits of your company’s innovative new product and sent it out. As a result, you received a few mentions in the trade magazines that cover your industry. But you were hoping for better coverage…a cover story or at least a more prominent feature. At the same time, your competitors seem to get more than their share of coverage. How can you elevate your position with the media and increase the value associated with your efforts?

A well-planned, strategic public relations program can help you boost your company’s image so the next time your prospects are considering a purchase, you’ll be top of mind. It also can be used to generate leads and sell products, educate prospective customers, support your brand or influence opinion. Public relations is one of the most cost-effective tools for educating and influencing customers and potential customers. And, when measured and integrated with other tactics, it can be even more powerful.

So what is public relations anyway? Is it a news release announcing a new product? Is it a press conference or special event for customers at a trade show? Is it an interview on the evening news? Or is it your company video on YouTube? It can be all of these things and much more.

Employ these nine simple techniques and take control of your PR efforts. Read more.

IS PRICE YOUR PRODUCT’S BEST SELLING POINT?

For all the obvious reasons, we hope not.

A far more compelling argument for buying your product is its “unique selling proposition.” The “USP” is sometimes misunderstood. Although ideally your product possesses an essential feature that is truly unique, chances are it does not. The next best thing is for the customer to think it does.

This customer perception is created by advertising aggressively an important product feature(s). By doing so (in the absence of competitors’ claims) you establish ownership of these important features. The competitor is placed in a weak, “me too” position when he trys to overcome your advantage. The message here is that the first advertiser to describe his features or processes can be perceived as a leader and producer of a superior product. The customer thinks of this product less as a commodity and more as a better choice.

A case study regarding this that we like to relate involves Schlitz beer. Despite the fact that all beer at the time was made essentially the same way, Schlitz described their brewing process in great detail. They were perceived as unique and their sales went from 15th place to 1st place in six months. It’s an old story but it’s true! As the beer was just re-launched nationally, we’ll see how they position it.

Speaking of where your company/products stand in the eyes of your customers, and how that perception compares to how they feel about your competitors …

A GROWING, CHANGING MARKET MAY REQUIRE NEW STRATEGIES

Now that the economy is on the fence, you may be facing different marketing challenges. Many companies in order to survive deviated from their ideal strategies.

With the economy hurting, it could be time to get back on track by asking these three questions:

1. Has your competitive situation changed?

Don’t formulate a marketing plan without first determining who’s survived, who’s disappeared, and who has emerged as a new major player and what you think the next six months hold in regard to these questions.

2. Is your key customer group unchanged?

When leads were hard to come by, some companies tried to be everything to everyone to win business. Customers acquired under these circumstances may not be the most profitable. While evaluating your customer base for potential profitability you will also learn who buys your products and who influences purchases.

3. Is your positioning still on target?

Check this by creating 25, 50, and 100 word statements that best describe who you are, the benefits you provide, and to whom you provide them.

Grant A. Johnson

Johnson Direct LLC

1-800-710-2750

Kids and direct response writers have something in common: they both understand the power of clear and simple communication. Getting their point across loud and clear is a definite skill that kids possess when they want something “right now!” For a more effective message, apply some of these same principles to your next project.

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On a recent family vacation in Florida, I listened as my two eldest children were bickering. My oldest child, Morgan, kept telling my second oldest child, Mason, “Stop copying everything I say!” (You know how kids play this “game” to annoy each other.)

Mason chimed back, “Stop mimicking everything I say.”

Morgan responded back, “Huh, mimicking is not the same as copying.”

I interrupted, “Yes, in this case it is.”

Upon which Mason said, “See Morgan, it IS the same. ‘Mimicking’ is just an adult word that they say instead of ‘copying.’”

Selecting Just the Right Words
Which brings me to the subject at hand, the power of words, specifically, the right words and how they can profoundly impact your direct marketing success.

For instance, in direct response copy there is a big difference in the following phrases:

Learn how to become wealthy beyond your dreams.

Or…

Discover how to become wealthy beyond your dreams.

Learning implies work and a degree of difficulty. To discover is to come upon something by accident, to be lucky, and implies ease and no work at all.

And that’s just a single word. Direct response writers understand and know that even changing one word can strengthen your direct response prose dramatically, impacting results positively. They understand the power of compelling, benefit driven headlines and how to craft copy that stops you and gets you to read on and, more importantly, respond and act quickly.

A direct response writer understands that you sell the offer, not the product or service while simultaneously building credibility and asking for the order. They understand that their job is to sell and understand the psychology of human behavior.

Consider the following newspaper headlines:

Protect your family for $25 yearly.
(This is not a misprint, read on to find out how.)

Or…

Protect your family for $25 yearly.

While both are compelling, the first headline addresses the question in our prospects mind “This sounds too good to be true,” eliminating doubt and reinforcing that it is indeed true, establishing credibility and subconsciously getting the reader to read on further for more information.

More readers will want to know “how can I protect my family for such a small amount of money.” In this case, adding a simple phrase makes a big difference.

A true direct response writer knows the power of clear and simple communication.

They do not tire of words like “free”, “new”, “now” or “you”. They wield this clout in each piece of mail they write to grab new leads…every site they help build to get hits on the Web…each print ad they run to pull in new sales. Read these words over, and you should know what we mean when we say that we like to put their skill to the test.

In fact, the paragraph you just read is created from single syllable words. (Is that cool or what?). Clear communication should not be complex.

Direct response copywriters know that we need to tell the readers what to do:

Respond by June 13th
by completing the enclosed reply card
or dialing, toll-free, 1-800-YOU-RULE
to receive your 10% discount.

Direct response writers also know the power of testing and analyzing results. Make no mistake, you can be a great writer, but that does not make you a direct response writer. By combining the right offer, with the right words, adding some psychological principles, and understanding selling and the sales process, you can help your clients and companies succeed.

So, the next time you’re out and about town, listen to the kids as they talk to each other.

We’d be wise to copy – that is, mimic the way they interact from time to time.

Grant A. Johnson

Johnson Direct LLC

1-800-710-2750

If you’re looking to improve your marketing results I’d like to help…for Free!

Simply click here and I’ll send you my book on how to make your marketing more measurable. Why? Because it’s important to your bottom line and this book also lands me business because people like you read it and refer me to others who need professional measurable marketing counsel.

It’s a classic win-win.

Grant A. Johnson

Johnson Direct LLC

1-800-710-2750

The pressure is on for marketing measurement and it often lands square on the jaw of advertising agencies. So what do clients need from their strategic marketing partners? Adrants did a nice (and fun) job of  synthesizing what’s expected today as tallied by Sapient.

Are you delivering for your clients? Note #10, which should be #1!

Grant A. Johnson

Johnson Direct LLC

1-800-710-2750

In my monthly piece for Chief Marketer’s e-Centric newsletter I write about new media testing and why it’s so vital today to not only test, but to begin by really understanding your market segments and then to start testing aggressively.

Grant A. Johnson

Johnson Direct LLC

1-800-710-2750