Saturday, July 15, 2006
No Longer a Virgin
Yep, I'm no longer a virgin. That is, I'm no longer a virgin according to the colorful terminology that IKEA home decorating stores use for those who have never visited them. I made my first trip to IKEA today.
Their decorating tastes may not be a perfect match with mine. But I was thoroughly impressed with their customer-centric shopping experience. In fact, I feel that the way they laid out the entire shopping experience is a lesson from which marketers both online and offline can learn.
For those of you who have never been to IKEA, shopping there is different than you're used to. Although it's possible to go directly to the department you want, the store is set up to lead you on a winding path through every department to get from entrance to checkout.
Aware that most newcomers won't be used to this, the entrance is set up with lots of maps, directions, and explanations. And, in case all that isn't enough to get you past wondering whether this place really is for you, you see their humorous display of reasons why it's "OK to be an IKEA virgin."
Their humor is disarming. Their attitude is infectuous. Combined with the complete instructions to help you navigate this new experience, the humor turns any skepticism into a feeling of adventure.
The overall impression you get from the entrance is that you have stumbled into some great and fun secret that non-IKEA shoppers don't know. You feel like you've joined a community of adventurous souls.
The way they take you from skeptical visitor to member of a special community is a great lesson in how powerful personality can be in building credibility. They imbue their store with a kicky, fun-loving personality that disarms your skepticism. And, in doing so, they essentially convince you to set your expectations aside and let them guide your where THEY want you to go.
This is way different from the persona that most new business owners strive for. Most new business owners try to give their business a cold, sterile, professional voice that holds customers at arm's length. IKEA's ability to win trust with personality should remind us that our most powerful weapon in winning our customers' trust is in letting our own personalities shine through.
A word of warning, though. The success of their personality is not in them being fun-loving and irreverent. It's in being genuine. You don't want to copy them and think that that personality will ensure that you will connect with customers. The best personality to use is your own.
And even that will not guarantee that you connect with everyone. My wife, for example, never bought into the IKEA experience and has no interest in going back. IKEA's personality didn't connect with her.
Similarly, your personality will not connect with every visitor to your business. That's OK. Connecting with some is better than copying someone else's style badly and connecting with no one. The ones that your personality connects with are the ones you want to connect with. They're the ones who are worth more than just one sale to you. They're the ones who have the potential to become loyal customers who come back to you again and again.
IKEA's unique style can teach us business owners a lot about value of giving our businesses personality. There were other lessons, as well, but I'll get into them next time I write.
Jeff
Yep, I'm no longer a virgin. That is, I'm no longer a virgin according to the colorful terminology that IKEA home decorating stores use for those who have never visited them. I made my first trip to IKEA today.
Their decorating tastes may not be a perfect match with mine. But I was thoroughly impressed with their customer-centric shopping experience. In fact, I feel that the way they laid out the entire shopping experience is a lesson from which marketers both online and offline can learn.
For those of you who have never been to IKEA, shopping there is different than you're used to. Although it's possible to go directly to the department you want, the store is set up to lead you on a winding path through every department to get from entrance to checkout.
Aware that most newcomers won't be used to this, the entrance is set up with lots of maps, directions, and explanations. And, in case all that isn't enough to get you past wondering whether this place really is for you, you see their humorous display of reasons why it's "OK to be an IKEA virgin."
Their humor is disarming. Their attitude is infectuous. Combined with the complete instructions to help you navigate this new experience, the humor turns any skepticism into a feeling of adventure.
The overall impression you get from the entrance is that you have stumbled into some great and fun secret that non-IKEA shoppers don't know. You feel like you've joined a community of adventurous souls.
The way they take you from skeptical visitor to member of a special community is a great lesson in how powerful personality can be in building credibility. They imbue their store with a kicky, fun-loving personality that disarms your skepticism. And, in doing so, they essentially convince you to set your expectations aside and let them guide your where THEY want you to go.
This is way different from the persona that most new business owners strive for. Most new business owners try to give their business a cold, sterile, professional voice that holds customers at arm's length. IKEA's ability to win trust with personality should remind us that our most powerful weapon in winning our customers' trust is in letting our own personalities shine through.
A word of warning, though. The success of their personality is not in them being fun-loving and irreverent. It's in being genuine. You don't want to copy them and think that that personality will ensure that you will connect with customers. The best personality to use is your own.
And even that will not guarantee that you connect with everyone. My wife, for example, never bought into the IKEA experience and has no interest in going back. IKEA's personality didn't connect with her.
Similarly, your personality will not connect with every visitor to your business. That's OK. Connecting with some is better than copying someone else's style badly and connecting with no one. The ones that your personality connects with are the ones you want to connect with. They're the ones who are worth more than just one sale to you. They're the ones who have the potential to become loyal customers who come back to you again and again.
IKEA's unique style can teach us business owners a lot about value of giving our businesses personality. There were other lessons, as well, but I'll get into them next time I write.
Jeff
Friday, July 14, 2006
Why Most Syndicated Articles Suck and Why Yours Don't Have To
I get a bunch of articles everyday from article distribution services I submit to. Most of the articles I receive are awful. But I saw one today that was so bad I had to describe it to you as an example of why most articles that people syndicate don't do anything but waste space on the article directories' servers.
This one was called "Some Ideas on How to Have a Happy Marriage." Wow, that title really grabs you, doesn't it? Absolutely arouses your curiosity so much. (Yawn) It's boringly generic. If you're desperate for info on improving your marriage and you've found absolutely nothing else out there on the subject, the title MIGHT persuade you to give this one a whirl.
How much better, though, if it had something in the title to arouse your curiosity. What about if it had one of these titles:
One thing about the titles I suggested, though. If you imply you have secret inside information, you'd better deliver it. Common knowledge platitudes just won't do.
Unfortunately with the writer's article, common knowedge platitudes are all the writer delivers. The text of the article basically rambles around, using a lot of words to make the following points:
Oh, wait, though. I forgot the writer's fourth point. He also writes that, along with being nice to each other, wives should buy lots of sexy lingere to please their husbands. And the husbands? They should buy lots of sexy lingere for their wives to show how much they care.
Then we get to the kicker. The resource box basically says, "Joe Writer lives in Anytown, USA. Find out more about sexy lingere at (affiliate link)."
A few platitudes, a quick, and seemingly unrelated, plug to buy lots of sexy lingere, and an affiliate link. Totally ineffective.
So what would have made it work? I've already described the need for an attention-grabbing title. Secondly, the article needs have some actual meat to it. It needs to give useful information and not just recite facts that everyone already knows.
And the article needs to focus on the product being promoted, not just throw it in as an afterthought at the end. What if, instead of simply rehashing common cliches, the writer had written an article about how sexy lingere can enhance a marriage? What if the writer wrote the whole article about the benefits of sexy lingere?
And what if the writer had then described how a certain lingere company was uniquely successful at providing exactly the kind of lingere described in the article? Then the resource box becomes more than just a bare link that the writer hopes someone, anyone, will click. It becomes a bridge that takes readers to a continuation of the information provided in the article.
I'm constantly saddened by how many article I find out there that fail to follow this simple article writing pattern. It's a powerful way to use articles to direct traffic wherever you want it to go. If you're serious about writing articles to promote your website, or your ebook, or some affiliate products, you really need to know how to write so that people slide right into the action you want them to take instead of leaving it to chance.
I've just scratched the surface in this critique. If you want to slide into the driver's seat when it comes to syndicating your articles instead of sitting in the back seat hoping your articles will somehow get your readers where you want them to go, check out Article Announcer.
It not only provides a streamlined way to submit your articles to hundreds of article distribution sources, but it provides extensive training in writing exactly the kind of articles that move people through them to the actions you want them to take. I've found it an essential tool in my marketing arsenal.
Jeff
I get a bunch of articles everyday from article distribution services I submit to. Most of the articles I receive are awful. But I saw one today that was so bad I had to describe it to you as an example of why most articles that people syndicate don't do anything but waste space on the article directories' servers.
This one was called "Some Ideas on How to Have a Happy Marriage." Wow, that title really grabs you, doesn't it? Absolutely arouses your curiosity so much. (Yawn) It's boringly generic. If you're desperate for info on improving your marriage and you've found absolutely nothing else out there on the subject, the title MIGHT persuade you to give this one a whirl.
How much better, though, if it had something in the title to arouse your curiosity. What about if it had one of these titles:
- What Successful Couples Know About Marriage That YOU Don't
- Five Secrets to Supercharge Your Marriage
- Revealed: How to Keep Your Marriage Healthier and Happier
One thing about the titles I suggested, though. If you imply you have secret inside information, you'd better deliver it. Common knowledge platitudes just won't do.
Unfortunately with the writer's article, common knowedge platitudes are all the writer delivers. The text of the article basically rambles around, using a lot of words to make the following points:
- Both people have to work at the marriage
- Both people have to be willing to sacrifice for the other
- Both people need to have some interests of their own
Oh, wait, though. I forgot the writer's fourth point. He also writes that, along with being nice to each other, wives should buy lots of sexy lingere to please their husbands. And the husbands? They should buy lots of sexy lingere for their wives to show how much they care.
Then we get to the kicker. The resource box basically says, "Joe Writer lives in Anytown, USA. Find out more about sexy lingere at (affiliate link)."
A few platitudes, a quick, and seemingly unrelated, plug to buy lots of sexy lingere, and an affiliate link. Totally ineffective.
So what would have made it work? I've already described the need for an attention-grabbing title. Secondly, the article needs have some actual meat to it. It needs to give useful information and not just recite facts that everyone already knows.
And the article needs to focus on the product being promoted, not just throw it in as an afterthought at the end. What if, instead of simply rehashing common cliches, the writer had written an article about how sexy lingere can enhance a marriage? What if the writer wrote the whole article about the benefits of sexy lingere?
And what if the writer had then described how a certain lingere company was uniquely successful at providing exactly the kind of lingere described in the article? Then the resource box becomes more than just a bare link that the writer hopes someone, anyone, will click. It becomes a bridge that takes readers to a continuation of the information provided in the article.
I'm constantly saddened by how many article I find out there that fail to follow this simple article writing pattern. It's a powerful way to use articles to direct traffic wherever you want it to go. If you're serious about writing articles to promote your website, or your ebook, or some affiliate products, you really need to know how to write so that people slide right into the action you want them to take instead of leaving it to chance.
I've just scratched the surface in this critique. If you want to slide into the driver's seat when it comes to syndicating your articles instead of sitting in the back seat hoping your articles will somehow get your readers where you want them to go, check out Article Announcer.
It not only provides a streamlined way to submit your articles to hundreds of article distribution sources, but it provides extensive training in writing exactly the kind of articles that move people through them to the actions you want them to take. I've found it an essential tool in my marketing arsenal.
Jeff
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Two Free Must Read Reports for Any Business Owner
I've talked about this before, but I just want to draw your attention to Rich Shefren's Internet Business Manifesto once again. It's a free report of over 30 pages and I consider it a must read for anyone serious about starting or running an Internet business.
In it, he clearly defines one of the biggest problems that hold most marketers back, the failure to set a strategy for their business and make their decisions based on that strategy. He points out how this costs them loads of money and almost ensures that their business will never develop the way it could.
The way he describes this (and the other problems he covers in the Manifesto) will make you slap your head that you've never put the pieces together as clearly as he has.
He also has a second part to the Manifesto that I think is even more valuable. His Missing Chapter to the Internet Business Manifesto came from the questions he received after writing his first one. As he looked at over a thousand questions, he realized that they were all rooted in another problem that he had completely overlooked in his first report: the problem of not knowing how to choose the right business.
In the 30+ pages of the Missing Chapter, Rich lays out the way that he chooses a business so that he is guaranteed always to have a decided advantage over his competitors. It's great reading for any business person, online or offline.
Pick up the Internet Business Manifesto and you'll also get information on where to download the Missing Chapter. Both are free, so there's no excuse not to read them.
Jeff
I've talked about this before, but I just want to draw your attention to Rich Shefren's Internet Business Manifesto once again. It's a free report of over 30 pages and I consider it a must read for anyone serious about starting or running an Internet business.
In it, he clearly defines one of the biggest problems that hold most marketers back, the failure to set a strategy for their business and make their decisions based on that strategy. He points out how this costs them loads of money and almost ensures that their business will never develop the way it could.
The way he describes this (and the other problems he covers in the Manifesto) will make you slap your head that you've never put the pieces together as clearly as he has.
He also has a second part to the Manifesto that I think is even more valuable. His Missing Chapter to the Internet Business Manifesto came from the questions he received after writing his first one. As he looked at over a thousand questions, he realized that they were all rooted in another problem that he had completely overlooked in his first report: the problem of not knowing how to choose the right business.
In the 30+ pages of the Missing Chapter, Rich lays out the way that he chooses a business so that he is guaranteed always to have a decided advantage over his competitors. It's great reading for any business person, online or offline.
Pick up the Internet Business Manifesto and you'll also get information on where to download the Missing Chapter. Both are free, so there's no excuse not to read them.
Jeff
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Go the Whole Way
Many times in business, there comes a choice between the risky way and the safe way. The temptation is to choose the safe way.
It's easy to think that we're better off by playing it safe. But that's almost always the way that leads to business failure.
Who are your customers more willing to trust? Someone who plays it safe, or someone who goes above and beyond and takes a risk to please them? Are they more drawn to someone who looks for ways to simply get by, or someone does things with passion and commitment?
Pleasing people always involves risk. They might not like what we do and reject us. But when we simply sit back and wait for them to take the first step, they'll take that step—right past us and on to the next business owner who shows a willingness to extend themselves to them.
Half measures don't work. Neither do safe ways out. Be willing to let people take you or leave you on the basis of what you are, not on the basis of trying to play it safe. Granted, it feels a lot safer to craft a carefully controlled, manufactured image out there.
But playing it safe and failing to trust yourself or your product doesn’t inspire confidence in visitors. And if we can’t inspire their confidence, they won’t buy.
Jeff
Many times in business, there comes a choice between the risky way and the safe way. The temptation is to choose the safe way.
It's easy to think that we're better off by playing it safe. But that's almost always the way that leads to business failure.
Who are your customers more willing to trust? Someone who plays it safe, or someone who goes above and beyond and takes a risk to please them? Are they more drawn to someone who looks for ways to simply get by, or someone does things with passion and commitment?
Pleasing people always involves risk. They might not like what we do and reject us. But when we simply sit back and wait for them to take the first step, they'll take that step—right past us and on to the next business owner who shows a willingness to extend themselves to them.
Half measures don't work. Neither do safe ways out. Be willing to let people take you or leave you on the basis of what you are, not on the basis of trying to play it safe. Granted, it feels a lot safer to craft a carefully controlled, manufactured image out there.
But playing it safe and failing to trust yourself or your product doesn’t inspire confidence in visitors. And if we can’t inspire their confidence, they won’t buy.
Jeff
© 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 Jeff Baas, One Stop Web Support
