I don’t know about you, but I’m not familiar with too many “offers” that get 50% conversion.
From any company.
Paid or free.
And then there’s Spotify Wrapped.
Fine, maybe it’s more of a feature than an “offer.”
But they package it up, offer it for a limited time and promote the heck out of it.
I haven’t seen this year’s numbers, but 51% of users checked out their Wrapped in 2022. About 14% of them also shared their results on social media.
The whole thing works pretty well. So well that YouTube and Apple have borrowed the idea. (Duolingo, too!)
What makes Wrapped so enticing?
It’s focused on the #1 most interesting topic on the planet: YOU.
We’re all the center of our own universes. So we’re incalculably interested in ourselves. How could we not be?
As an extension to that idea, we’re also fascinated by anything we believe can tell us more about ourselves. Help us understand ourselves better.
With Wrapped, we already know we listened to music all year. Spotify uncovers hidden patterns and tell you what your listening habits really say about you.
Over the years, they’ve diagnosed your music “personality” and assigned you to a city based on your music selection.
All ways of giving you ways to think about and categorize yourself in your own mind… share your (favorable) findings with the world… and compare/contrast/connect yourself with other people.
Genius.
People can get really attached to their categories. Myers-Briggs. Political parties. Astrological signs.
Even a simple dichotomy like entrepreneur vs. 9-5er.
And once they put themselves in a category, they can easily begin using it as the lens they see the world through.
This reality can produce profound influence.
Think about ways you can show your prospects and clients more about themselves. Help them understand themselves in a helpful new way.
And if you put them in categories you define – or give them a way to self-assess themselves into one…
You have an opportunity to shape how they see themselves, their optimal next steps, and more.
It’s a powerful position to be in. Use you power wisely.
P.S. Once people accept their categories, they see things differently. And they see different things.
There are certain ways to “trigger” those individuals with email subject lines.
I share more details about this in the Secret Handshake chapter of Subject Line Science, now available on Amazon Kindle and paperback.
This is one of the concepts David Garfinkel and I discussed on my recent appearance on The Copywriter Podcast. Enjoy!
I want to point out a few things about this copy device, which I call an identity preframe.
You see them at the beginning of sales pages/VSLs, webinars and occasionally on a website homepage.
Maybe you’ve even used something like this before.
Here’s the thing…
The identity preframe is set up to look like a filter.
A few seconds or centimeters of copy to make sure you’re only talking to ideal clients (and everyone else knows not to waste their time).
The example above even had a STOP hand and explicitly tells the reader to leave if he doesn’t meet the criteria.
It’s not a filter.
When done right it:
makes you identify a characteristic you possess (or think you possess) but wish was more pronounced
gives you a sense of empowerment
heightens the desire for the transformation.
Despite its construction, the copy isn’t designed to make anyone stop and leave. Rather, the idea is to make most readers stay and read more. To think “this presentation/pitch is all about the me I want to be.“
The example above goes a step further.
Bullet point #3 adds guilt into the mix. You’re going to fail your loved ones if you don’t step fully into this identity.
This kind of copy frames the rest of the copy in the perspective of “the me I want to be.”
I promised this post would explore a kind of urgency that goes deeper than deadlines and emergency situations and cuts to the emotional core of your ideal customer.
Let’s go back to Jonah.
His attitudes and actions are also fascinating illustrations of urgency’s other side.
As you remember, your boy did NOT want to go to Ninevah.
He was happy about its coming destruction. And he knew if he did his job as a prophet, the LORD might spare the city.
You know the story. Jonah hopped on a boat to get as far away from Ninevah as possible… but he couldn’t avoid delivering the warning forever.
And his fear came to pass. The people repented and God was merciful.
Throughout this story, there’s an intense battle of urgency going on in Jonah’s mind.
On one hand, he was convinced if he did what he was put on earth to do… the outcome would be transformational.
He even complained to God after the fact: “I knew this was going to happen. That’s why I got on that boat in the first place!”
On the other hand, Jonah’s actions were driven by his (cultural and spiritual) identity and his attachment to it.
Why didn’t he want the people of Ninevah to “turn from their evil ways”?
As he saw it, God was on his side, not theirs. Mercy for them was a threat to his identity.
So when God spared the city, Jonah expressed it’d better for him to die than to accept a different perspective.
Like Jonah, we’re all attached to our identities.
We’ll go to extreme lengths to protect ourselves from threats and to take actions that line up with how we perceive ourselves (or a future version of ourselves we desperately want).
It’s an urgent need.
Here’s the lesson:
1. When you pursue your purpose so intently… when you become so convinced of the transformation that’s possible when you share your message, product or service…
The urgency of who you are and why you do what you do comes through in your communications in a way that’s impossible to fake.
Every interaction and all your communications resonate with it. Your Ninevah, the people you’re here to help, will feel that urgency and respond.
2. Get familiar with your ideal customer so that you have a solid understanding of how he sees himself and his place in the world.
That identity is a key driver of many of decisions, including the content he consumes, the products and services he buys, and how he connects with experts like you.
What’s the future version he urgently wants to grow into? What role can you play in helping him get there?
That’s a different, deeper way to leverage urgency in your sales copy and marketing.
P.S. If your business is related to the reason you were put on this planet, don’t run away from your “Ninevah.”
Believe in the transformation that you can help create and move boldly forward.
So an irresistible offer should be driven by “desire stacking.”
Which brings me back the offer I mentioned at the beginning of this email.
One of the most attractive, no-brainer offers I’ve ever seen.
A chance to rent out the mansion from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
You may have seen this. Airbnb posted the link about a week ago, and Will Smith gave a video tour on YouTube on Monday.
When you see this, what’s your instant reaction?
For me — and countless people like me — the response is…
1st: WHERE DO I SIGN UP?
2nd: Please, God. Let me get a spot before they’re sold out.
I did not wonder how much it costs (and I definitely didn’t try to compare price vs. other lodging in the area).
Flying cross-country in a pandemic didn’t dampen my excitement.
If I could have grabbed a spot, nothing would have stopped me from booking a night.
Of course, different people have different responses. But for the right people, this offer is totally irresistible.
And the core reasons the Fresh Prince mansion is a no-brainer… are the same reasons behind most offers that are too sweet to ignore.
Let’s quickly break down 4 of them.
1. Status
Your offer should raise your prospect’s status — in his own eyes or the eyes of others.
When he says “yes,” what does he get that instantly makes him feel better about himself… like he’s just jumped to the next level (or at least finally discovered the elevator)?
How will he look to his (future) wife? His kids? His golf buddies. His competitors?
What will he have that others WISH they had?
A few bonus ebooks ain’t gonna get it.
2. Story Factor
Does buying from you give the customer an exciting, envy-inducing story to share at his next dinner party or networking event?
Does it change the story he tells himself about himself?
Or the story his parents tell to brag to their friends about their son?
Does it give him content that will get tons of likes on social media?
You might be shocked how much people will spend or suffer through to have a good story to share.
Think of all the great stories you could tell after staying at the Bel-Air mansion! And unlike a lot of business stories, you can share this one with just about everyone.
3. (Aspirational) Identity
Every conscious decision we make is influenced by the way they see ourselves and our place in the world.
If your offer connects to your should-be buyer’s identity in a unique way…
Helps him express externally how he sees himself internally…
Or moves him closer to being the person he wishes he was, letting Clark Kent be Superman, as it were…
It taps the deep-rooted desire.
How can your offer link your buyer to that identity?
4. Exclusivity
You don’t have to convince anyone there’s a limited amount of nights to book a stay in a mansion.
And you don’t have to convince anyone there’s high demand for the available slots.
But only about 365 people will have the privilege of securing one in the next year — if Airbnb keeps it open that long.
That kind of exclusivity and scarcity amplifies desire that’s hard to replicate in any other way — as long as you’re offering something people want in the first place.
It multiplies the status and story factor. Being part of such a small group boosts the impact to identity.
Leveraging exclusivity makes your offer significantly harder to resist. Use it to your advantage.
So there you have it.
When you’re thinking about how to make your offer as compelling as possible, remember…
Put value on the back burner. It’s all about stacking desire.
***UPDATE***
When I sent this article out as an
I sent my broadcast email newsletter earlier this week, I tested two very different subject lines.
One promises a valuable lesson about a topic I hear a lot of questions about…
The other seems to offer a voyeuristic peek into the lifestyles of the rich and famous.
I have to admit, the split test results surprised me:
If you’ve read my emails before, you may assume the mansion I promise a tour of is my own home.
(That’s kinda deceptive, but not maliciously so).
After the first hour, the voyeuristic subject line was opened TWICE as many times as the benefit subject line. Honestly, I thought the “Anatomy” subject line would win.And I definitely didn’t think either version would double the open rate of the other. There are a few takeaways here:
TEST. You really never know what will work until you get it out to the market
I’ve said it a thousand times, but must have forgot when I sent this test..
Sometimes entertainment is the most valuable benefit you can provide. That subject line brought MTV Cribs to my readers’ inbox.
If you want to keep your open rates from dropping over time, entertainment value is practically nonnegotiable.
People really do want to go behind-the-scenes, especially if your business has a personality component. They’re curious about the non-business stuff going on with you and others in your industry.
One of the top copy rules is that the copy must be about the reader. And while the “mansion” subject line doesn’t seem to be about the reader, it really is. It’s providing something they want: entertainment… escape… scratching the curiosity itch… aspiration… connection.
If you want to be an effective marketer and an influential force in the lives of your ideal customers, it will be well worth your time to understand what I’m about to tell you.
And incredibly costly if you don’t.
Let’s start with a few facts:
1) Your readers can get information on your topic from a million sources. Maybe more.
Chances are, they’re already overwhelmed by the amount of information they already have (and are continually bombarded with).
Neither is being “better.” (Most potential buyers can’t tell whose info is better anyway.)
2) You readers can get entertainment from a million sources.
And let’s face it. Netflix and ESPN are hard to beat.
For these reasons, “infotainment” based marketing is on shaky footing.
It is useful to be informative and entertaining. In fact, I believe entertainment, in one form or another, is non-negotiable for entrepreneurs and marketers today.
But, again, it’s not enough.
The most powerful marketing I see are the messages that connect your would-be buyers with MEANING.
Last summer I wrote a promotion that transformed my client’s entire business.
The heart of the promotion was a long-form video sales letter that sold a low-priced front-end product. Up until that point, the client struggled a little to get front-end buyers, and those buyers generally took a long time to convert to one of the back-end products.
The sales video, along with the emails and ads that drove traffic to it, connected the viewer to meaning in two ways:
he would stop being a victim of the big Wall Street firms (we showed him 6 barely-legal ways they were already emptying his pocket), and
he’d become the hero his family needs to make it successfully through difficult times.
Note the emotional impetus isn’t what he’s going to get. It’s who he’s going to become.
A victor instead of a victim. A giant-slayer. A provider and protector his family respects and admires.
My video destroyed the previous version in terms of front-end sales. The number of buyers who took the upsell skyrocketed, too (without changing the upsell copy at all).
Suddenly, my client could buy traffic and be profitable in days… where it used to take months to break even.
The company’s revenue tripled in 12 months.
You don’t have to be a professional copywriter to use this principle to become an ever-more influential figure in the lives of your audience.
Regularly help your should-be buyers see themselves becoming the heroic version of themselves they dream of being… because they work with you.
No matter what you sell, there are deeper meanings at the foundation. That’s where the strongest, most enduring emotions are rooted.
Connect your customers to those deeper meanings, and even Netflix will have a hard time competing with you.
Robb Report’s December issue shared a study I found utterly fascinating and a little surprising.
You will find it instructive…as long as you don’t let a few caveats distract you.
Every other year, the U.S. Trust does a survey of high-net worth households to learn about their charitable giving.
In addition to how much they donate and what organizations are raking in the biggest piles of cash — which is also both surprising and instructive — the survey tried to uncover the motivations behind it all.
The results shines a unique light on what drives people to make the decisions they do.
Here’s a quick summary of key findings that give us insight we can apply to our emails and other persuasion efforts:
1) By far, the top reason cited for making donations is the alignment of the cause/organization with their personal values — more than 12 times more than a good sales pitch. **
2) In fact, a compelling pitch is the least influential cause mentioned in this survey.
3) The top 3 reasons are all about the giver, not the organization, cause or even the perception of need.
(Which is part of the reason Stanford University’s endowment receives more funds than St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital by a wide margin).
Takeaway: It is extremely important for you to gain an intimate understanding of what really matters to your audience. Self-identity is the core from which decisions are made…and the lens through which we all see the world.
4) Association with another institution (affinity, endorsements, joint ventures) is an open door to influence.
5) Giving your would-be donor/buyer first-hand experience of what you’re doing and why you’re doing it is a powerful way to shift his perspective in a favorable way toward your business, organization or cause.
Caveats (for those who’d like to quibble):
a. Donations and purchases aren’t the same. And the motivations for giving huge gifts may be different than for small ones.
b. Millionaires may be different than non-millionaires in many ways. So these takeaways may not transfer directly.
c. Surveys are flawed because responses may not be entirely honest. People answer in ways that are flattering to themselves and supportive of their self-image.
d. Compelling sales pitches are definitely more persuasive than this survey indicates. Or at least they can be.
How do I know? Because a good sales pitch communicate the alignment with personal values, makes the donor aware of affiliations and paints the picture of need.
** In my experience, people often underestimate the impact of a well-structured sales pitch. When they make their emotional decision and justify it with logic, they’re often hesitant to admit they were won over by a pitch. They’d prefer to imagine they discovered something that lines up with what they were already thinking of doing (which, of course, is what a good pitch does).
— — —
TD;LR…
People make decisions based on their personal values and their self-image more than any other factor. As an entrepreneur and marketer, you must discover those values you share with ideal clients and align your offer with those values.
Boiling 12 months of brain activity down into a few hundred words is an intimidating task. But rather than giving a full-on commencement speech as you “graduate” from this year and move into the next, we might as well get straight to the point.
If I was forced to share the 3 ideas that had the biggest impact on my thinking in 2014, it would be these:
The Immense Importance of Identity in Decision Making
One morning in January 2011, I was standing in a cell phone store when there was breaking news story came on the radio. A mysterious 13th zodiac sign had been discovered — and with Ophiuchus (as the new sign was called) squeezing itself into the calendar, every other sign was shifted. Scorpios became Libras and the world was all out of wack.
Half the people in the store freaked. The man playing with the laptop display searched to find out the new dates, and a small crowd gathered around him, wondering who they were supposed to be now…
(Do you remember that day?)
I share that anecdote to illustrate a point. Astrology falls into the fairy tale category, but people’s reactions were very real. Some people think about their identity largely through the lens of their zodiac signs. They had seen themselves in their horoscopes for years. What happens with that is called into question?
The way we perceive ourselves affects almost everything we do. As a marketer, copywriter or salesperson, you MUST understand the way your ideal customers see themselves. It goes deeper than just features and benefits…even deeper than problems and desires.
This incident happened 4 years ago, but I am coming to understand the power of identity more fully as time goes by and experience mounts.
We’re going to spend a good deal of time fleshing out this idea and applying this concept in my upcoming training/coaching program. In the meantime, you can read about this incident in greater detail in The Ophiuchus Effect.
The Gargantuan Difference Between Prospects and Buyers
There is a world of difference between someone who reads your free material but hasn’t sent you any money. I advise you to check out the link to the article, because I’m going to be brief here.
Interestingly, when someone becomes a paying customer, their identity is altered a little bit. As they become accustomed to being a customer, they may come to think of themselves in terms of your product or service. There are Pepsi people. There are Apple people. There are Chicago Bears fans (we’re a depressed bunch these days).
Some of us are as loyal to our preferred products as to our political affiliations.
Do what you can to convert your prospects into buyers. The relationship you build with your buyers is arguably the most valuable asset you have.
The Enormity of Leadership
If this sounds familiar to you, it’s probably because leadership has been one of the Big Ideas that Impacted me in 2012 and 2013. The topic is both important and compelling.
I do not speak of leadership in the superior-subordinate sense. I’m talking about something closer to “I’m taking my flashlight in this direction; who’s headed this way?”
Even if you’re not giving orders, you are a leader if you have an audience. And as a leader, you have a responsibility for the well-being and progress of those walking with you. You have to
Teach them. Help them develop a worldview that will serve them well
Warn them. You see danger they can’t see yet. You’re aware of pitfalls they need to know about. Have the guts to stand up and protect them to the best of your ability
Encourage them.
Inspire them. Share your successes and the successes of other members of the group. Never miss out on a chance to give them good news.
Exemplify the philosophy you espouse. Walk the walk.
Happy New Year. May this be your best year yet. Let me know how I can help you achieve that.
P.S. Have you registered to get your copy of Creating Business Growth yet? It’s going to be available for free on Amazon Kindle from January 1-5.
Weighing in at more than 300 pages, this book shares expert insights on
– Google Adwords
– Getting Referrals
– Neurolinguistic Programming
– Networking
– Search Engine Optimization
– Email Marketing
– Public Relations
– Unique Value Propositions
and plenty more.
This will very likely be the most useful book you read all year. What’s more, you’ll get to know nearly 2 dozen of the smartest marketers I know…men and women who have earned my admiration and trust over the past couple years.
Facebook and Twitter were abuzz this week with rumors that a mysterious 13th sign called Ophiuchus has been added to the zodiac. As the “news” went viral, emotions ran high. You’d have thought that World War III had been declared by the way some people reacted.
Now, I’m not into astrology, but all the commotion surrounding this ordeal can give us some valuable business insight.
Peter Drucker said that “The purpose of business is to create a customer.” No matter what industry you’re in, your product or service is all about people. The dynamic that generated such a strong emotional reaction with so many people can also have a profound impact on your customers and prospects.
What’s Your Sign?
The primary reason for the stir surrounding this topic is that it strikes directly at the way in which many people identify themselves.
The mind automatically moves into self-defense mode when confronted with any perceived threat to one’s view of the world and his place in it. If you’ve ever had a disagreement with someone about religion, politics, or even sports teams, you know this is true.
Many people take their zodiac signs seriously. Their identification comprises a major part of how they think about themselves and the world around them.
Millions check their horoscopes as part of their daily ritual. Important decisions are often made based on what they read. Every newspaper has an astrology section. And there are countless places to check horoscopes online and even on cell phones.
The idea of changing this way of thinking has proven to be earth-shaking.
Every interested individual is forced to ask the question, “Am I what I have always considered myself to be?”
It’s the same reaction that people have when they find out that they were adopted. Everything they think they know about themselves is challenged.
Putting the ‘Ophiuchus Effect’ to Work
What are the key lessons you can take away from this phenomenon and apply immediately to your business?
1. One’s perception of who he is forms the very foundation of every choice he makes, including purchasing decisions. No one buys from you because of who you are. They buy what they buy because of who they are.
2. The main reason people form connections to certain products, services and brands is because they tie into how they think of themselves.
Apple shines in this area. Their products and services appeal strongly to those who consider themselves to be creative, intelligent, free-spirited and cutting-edge. Apple has created a cult-like following by participating in customers’ self expression.
How do your customers think about themselves? How can you fit your business into these parts of their lives?
3. People are firmly attached to their own personal categories. You need to know how your customers and potential customers categorize themselves. If you don’t know, find out immediately. Think about the way Democrats and Republicans “brand” themselves. The concepts of “liberalism” and “conservatism” carry powerful emotional ties and fierce (often blind) loyalty. You can use the same strategy to build bonds with your audience.
4. It may be possible to create a category for your business, but it is much easier to become associated with what your customers and prospects already love. Tommy Bahama is a good example. The lifestyle of perpetual tropical vacation is one that certain individuals aspire to. Those people will naturally relate to products like the ones that Tommy Bahama offers.
Make a bold statement of who you are as a company. You will attract the kind of customers you want to do business with. Lukewarm relationships will decrease proportionally to the strength and specificity of the stand you take. Instead, you’ll form passionate, long-term relationships.
5. Affirming the worldview of your customers and connecting with their categories they identify with will help build instant rapport and trust. You are “one of them!” As such, they will feel that they can trust you and relate with you. They believe that you understand them and their needs.
Take time to get to know how your customers view the world. Find ways to affirm their way of thinking. You’ll discover your interactions with them will be more beneficial both for your business and them.
The addition of Ophiuchus to the zodiac may be the latest tall tale, but the emotional reactions are no myth. The psychology is real and powerful. Apply the lessons this event has taught you; your business may never be the same.
