Have you watched any videos on social media lately? You know the one where you get about 1 minute in and the Facebook decides it’s a good time to let you watch a commercial. Doesn’t this piss you off? Aren’t you sick of commercials which is why you and billions of other avoid TV every single day and move to the internet.
What are the odds you would purchase something from a company who rudely interrupted your cat doing a high 5 video?
I can picture it now, some geek in a cubical comes to the board room and says, “here’s what we’ll do. We will interrupt their favorite videos and put the ad right in the middle of what they’re watching so they have to watch the add. Right????” And then some bonehead executive agreed that this was a good idea and now these idiots are screwing up the internet. That’s why I call them idiots in advertising. By the way, if you are in a cubicle it doesn’t necessarily mean you are a geek. I’m not in a cubicle and I’m kind of a geek.
I don’t know about you but for me when an ad pops up when I’m searching for something or I’ve clicked on a link from another site, I feel extorted. They didn’t earn the right to ask me for money or their time.
You know the website that says you can’t read their content unless you pay their subscription fee. Go the USA Today, a million pop ups and push notifications, ugh. They think that that is going to entice me to pay them. Or https://www.mirror.co.uk/ they won’t even let you read theirs unless you allow cookies and ads on their page. Stop already, there are so many other ways to monetize your content without having to extort your prospects into reading.
You have to earn that right.
I have a great idea, how about you provide me great content and in that content you find a way to sell your product. This is the way it’s done in the 21st century.
It even worked back in 1994. In the movie Pulp Fiction, Vincent, played by John Travolta, and Jules, played by Samuel L. Jackson, are in the bathroom washing their hands. They have blood all over their hands and arms because they had to clean up a car after Vincent accidentally killed someone in the back seat. When Vincent is done he grabs a white towel and begins to dry his hands. It’s at that moment when Jules begins to chastise Vincent for getting blood over the towel. I’ll paraphrase because the movie is laced with profanity and my blog is rated G.
Jules, dude look what you did to that towel. Vincent, I was just drying my hands. Jules, you’re supposed to wash them first. Vincent, you saw me wash them. Jules, I saw you get them wet. Vincent, I was washing them but this stuff’s hard to get off, maybe if they had Lava I could have done a better job.
And that my friends is marketing that brought a smile to my face. You don’t think Lava soap ended up in the movie without paying to be there do you? The fact of the matter is the scene earned the right to talk about soap without having to go to commercial. Vincent associated good soap with Lava so if you were on Vincent’s side in the movie you would be inclined to think Lava was a good soap and you needed it to get tough stains off your hands. It also made you kind of laugh which is a great emotion which is always important to bring in to your marketing.
*Disclaimer, as of this writing, Lava soap is not paying me to mention them in this blog (maybe one day).
Today’s marketing needs to be very different. I refer to it “Checkbook Marketing”. Checkbook marketing is marketing that requires a deposit before you can make a withdraw.
- You have to give before you have the right to ask for more.
- You can’t take more than you give.
- If you stop making deposits your account will become empty.
Checkbook marketing is why so many media companies and businesses are struggling to reach their audience today. People buy products because the want them not because they need them. They want them for one of two reasons, because it will solve a problem or make their life better which will ultimately elevate their status or prevent their status from going down.
If you’re struggling to get new customers it’s because your failing at checkbook marketing.
Make deposits before you take a withdraw. Everyone wants to buy, but no one wants to be sold. People purchase when they like you and trust that you can solve their problem or make their life better. You have to take your buyer on that journey before you can ask for anything in return. The only people buying are those who want to buy. You can’t ram your products or services down our throat.
We might need your products but you have to make us want them. Sell me what I want, give me what I need.
If you need help getting your message to your ideal prospect I can to help but I only work with those who I am compatible with. No whiners, no complainers and zero excuses. I am very selective but we can have a discussion about it to find out if we’re compatible because if we are your marketing won’t cost you any money it will make you money. Below is a link to set up a 15 minute call where we can discuss your goals and what you can do to reach your target audience.
To your lifelong prosperity,
David Mulvaney
P.S. To schedule a 15 minute discussion about your marketing click here.
P.P.S If you would like me to make a larger deposit first, before we talk, you can get my newly released free 5 day course, The One Week Time Miracle which will help you be more productive and get more done in less time. Click here to enroll. I usually leave a course like this up for a short period of time so get it now.