Marketing Experts Exposed

Thanks for being patient with me. I haven’t posted in a while because of something that happened last week.

You see, my blog was hacked (not by a person but with malicious code that creeped into my blog), and as a result I was blocked by Google. I’m sure you’ve heard about it, as people talked about the news.

How did it get blocked?

Whenever my site(s) came up in Google, there was a “this site may harm your computer” warning. And when people clicked on my link, it lead them to a Google error page preventing people from accessing my site.

Apparently, Google checks its indexed pages against a database of “known offenders” (at StopBadware.org, which is similar to many IP blacklists for spam), and turned all my listings on Google to unreachable.

So my site wasn’t banned. But the worse part was, Google not only blocked my site but also displayed a dire warning that my site was malicious! (You can only imagine what kind of damage this can cause to someone’s reputation.)

But that’s not all…

To fix this, I had to jump through several hoops. Of course, the first of which was to remove the hacked or “malicious” code.

But this wasn’t an easy task.

The problem was, since I used a plugin called “Bad Behavior” with my WordPress blog, the plugin, which identified it on IP blacklists as well, prevented me from accessing my own site — including my admin control panel!

So, not only I couldn’t make the changes I had to make to get reinstated, but also I couldn’t disable the bad behavior plugin to allow myself access to my own admin panel.

It’s all straightened out now, thank goodness! But it took me and my staff several days, and a lot of back and forth with the powers that be, to get unlisted from IP blacklists and such.

(Thanks for waiting for me.)

Here’s how I resolved it.

First of all, I had to disable the plugins using phpMyAdmin, which gave me direct access to my database. Then, I had to manually upload via FTP the files that were “cleaned” of the malicious code.

After that, I had to upgrade my blog to the latest version of WordPress (i.e., version 2.3.1), and update and reactivate all my plugins, too. (I also had to re-customize a lot of the code that was tailored for my blog.)

Next, I had to submit a manual review request to StopBadware.org. Problem is, it doesn’t block entire domains like Google does. I had to manually submit a review request for each and every page that was blacklisted!

(Since the code appeared on my sidebar, well, you can do the math.)

Then, I went to Google’s Webmaster Tools.

Webmaster Tools is a fantastic service, which allows you to manually submit sitemaps to be crawled. What’s neat, though, is the fact that this service comes with tutorials, and, of course, displays any warnings about your site.

In fact, there’s a feature that allows webmasters to request manual reviews by Google. In my case, I used it to ask Google to verify that my site was clean, to unblock it from its search engine results, and to remove the warnings.

In about 48 hours, everything went back to normal. Whew!

Now, some people have told me there’s quite some controversy about this, including talk on a blog by Google’s own Matt Cutts, where a lot of people are complaining of false positives.

Personally, I think this is a great feature because I hate visiting blackhat sites that cause havoc on my computer. Problem is, it’s still relatively new (about a year now).

Perhaps my site was a false positive, too. I don’t know. Your guess is as good as mine.

But here’s what seems weird in all this…

The code that had any semblance of being malicious (according to some examples on Matt Cutt’s blog) was javascript code for displaying ads with links.

(I wasn’t selling links. The links were from a non-PPC ad network, which I’m told did not violate Google’s guidelines.)

What I’m not sure about is, was the code itself the culprit or frowned upon by Google? Or was the code used to hack the blog and ended up being truly malicious after all?

I’ll probably never know.

But since the code was from an ad vendor, which displayed paid links on my blog, the question is, was the violation based on the presumption that I was selling links?

Here’s why I ask myself this question.

When I checked with StopBadware.org, the blacklist site against which Google made its determination, the manual review process asked that you enter a statement, which said something to the effect of…

“I have removed the code, and links to other sites, that violate StopBadware’s guidelines. I believe that my site no longer hosts malware or links to sites that violate these guidelines.”

What caught me by surprise was the statement, “links to other sites.”

What surprised me even more was that I received a warning about my site being blocked, directly from Google, only 24 hours later. Funny though, because once I could access my site, and while I was still being blocked by Google, my blog was still displaying Google AdSense ads.

(Again, I don’t know. Perhaps my friend blog expert Andy Beard may have some clues or something to say about this.)

For now, here’s my suggestion to you…

If you’re running any older versions of WordPress, upgrade to 2.3.1 as soon as possible. Second, if you’re going to use javascript in your blog, try to make it pull from an external file — like a .js file — instead of actual script code.

And don’t use Bad Behavior. Stick with Akismet or SpamKarma plugins. According to my host engineer, the Bad Behavior script is still very buggy.

To be candid, this disappointed me, because I loved Bad Behavior. It stopped spam and hack attempts from bots. And I virtually had any comment spam or spammers trying to register as blog users.

But apparently, the script has its flaws, too.

Finally, do have a Google Webmaster Tools account to submit your sitemaps. Sure, you don’t really need it. But it’s good to have, even if it’s just to know when errors are preventing the Googlebot from crawling your site.

Above all, don’t be shy to ask for a manual review when you need to.

By the way, a HUGE “thank you!” to all the people who notified me about this, helped me with screenshots and such, and given me some of the pointers and steps I listed above. You know who you are.

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The other day, I was asked the following question:

“Why should the author of a product be included in their sales copy? Specifically, why do my readers need to know who I am or what I bring to the table? How does telling them my qualifications (or lack thereof) increase the strength of my copy?”

The author of the question then went on to say:

“My product solves a medical condition. But I am not a doctor and I have never had this condition myself. I’ve spent a year researching the best method to cure this condition. I have a list of 20,000 people with this condition and converse with them a lot. I know pretty much everything there is to know about this condition and have made it into an ebook.”

The answer is quite simple actually. In fact, in defending himself (i.e., that he’s not a doctor) the questioner answered his own question. Let me explain…

Why should people buy from you?

This is not some new concept. John E. Kennedy was the person who coined the term “Reasons Why Advertising,” if not the one who was credited as the creator of the concept back in 1905.

I’m a big fan of “reasons why” advertising. I always try to add as many reasons as possible why the offer is made, why the author is making it, and why it’s important to the reader.

Good, successful copy tells the reader why right upfront because they always ask. And if you don’t tell them, they’re left wondering why you left it out. It is almost always a direct advantage to tell your prospects why they should buy from you.

Additionally, you want to tell them the five major reasons why, which I talked about before:

1. Why you (the reader)
2. Why me (the author)
3. Why this (the offer)
4. Why now (the urgency)
5. Why this price (the value)

1. Why You?

As part of the qualification process, your copy should address why the reader is targeted for this copy — and not just for the offer.

Why should they read your copy? And why is this important to them? Why is this product and this offer perfect for them? If not, who is it not for?

2. Why Me?

Credentialization is an important element in copy. You tell your readers why they should listen to you (or read what you have to say).

Expert or not, the more reasons you give, the more credible you are, the more believable your copy is, and the more apt people are to buy.

3. Why This?

Are you selling this product just to make money? Perhaps. But directly or indirectly, your product exists and your offer is made for specific reasons. So why not put them in your copy?

Don’t assume your reader knows or doesn’t care about them, no matter how trivial you may think they are. If you don’t include them in your copy, your readers will be the ones making assumptions. (And they won’t all be positive.)

4. Why Now?

Jim Rohn said, “Without a sense of urgency, desire loses its value.” Whether it’s direct (such as a deadline or limitation) or implied (such as missing out on something important), adding scarcity and urgency is important.

But by itself, urgency is almost always suspect. So back it up with reasons why your readers should act now. Don’t be shy in explaining why they must take advantage of the offer immediately, or what the consequences are if they don’t.

5. Why This Price?

Your price is based on industry averages. Or you’re doing a clearance sale to make way for new stock. Perhaps your product is new and you’re offering an introductory price.

But do your readers know? Really?

Don’t be afraid to tell your readers why they should pay what you’re asking for. At least compare your price to the ultimate cost of either not buying your product or buying an alternative (perhaps even competing) product instead.

The bottom-line?

Remember, the most important word in persuasion, according to Dr. Robert Cialdini, author of “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion,” is not “you” or “free.”

It’s “because.”

Now, let me go back to the original question…

In this particular case, this person has quite a distinct selling point. They are what in marketing is referred to as the “anti-authority.”

The fact that they are NOT a doctor, which means they are more like their readers. Non-expert “lay people.” And therefore, they did all this research from a layperson’s perspective.

In other words, they did all the legwork for their readers, which not only saves them time but also is perceived as unbiased.

They did all the searching for them. They analyzed all the data (from an outsider’s vantage point) and cherrypicked the best answers. And they condensed and distilled their findings into one, easy-to-read, easy-to-find place.

Add to that the fact that they conversed with over 20,000 people afflicted with this condition and know almost everything about it, makes them a lot more credible than some general practitioner who may have come across just a few hundred cases in their practice.

So, why you? Because you are the expert on this subject. Use your credibility and experience as a selling point, don’t hide from it.

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Scarcity is a tactic often used in copywriting to create a sense of urgency and convince the “on-the-fence” customer to make a purchase decision. Above all, the goal is to prevent prospects from procrastinating.

As online consumers become wise to these direct-response copywriting tactics, one question often arises:

“What about digital products and electronic downloads, like ebooks and software? How can you create a sense of urgency for something that, in itself, is limitless (or perceived as such)?”

Here’s how to use scarcity selling effectively with digital products:

Limit The Offer

Many people use this strategy ineffectively. They say the offer will only last until midnight, however when a visitor returns to the website the next day, the offer is still up.

Another bad example is to follow through on the promise and the offer is no longer available on that particular website, however it is available on another website, through affiliates, or via another internet marketer.

Consumers are more sophisticated than ever before, and they tend to not appreciate this tactic. It lessens your credibility as a business person, and makes any other offer you promote suspect.

However, one of the ways to add scarcity to a digital download is not by actually limiting the quantity or the time, which can be seen as irrelevant for a seemingly “unlimited” product, but rather by limiting the offer, its many components, or the promise of its availability.

For example, rather than placing a limit on the quantity or putting a deadline on the offer, you say that the package, the price, the premiums, the guarantee, or any additional services (such as support, upgrades, consulting, etc) is only guaranteed through a specific date.

You continue by stating that if they wait and come back after that date, the offer may change or may no longer be available. If they don’t buy now, they run the risk of losing out.

(Of course, give a believable, logical reason to justify your sense of urgency. I’ll come back to this with some examples.)

Now, here’s how this tactic is different and you don’t lose credibility:

Even if your product is still available after that date, you’re not contradicting yourself because you only guaranteed that it would be available until then.

You didn’t promise that it wouldn’t be available after that limit or deadline is reached. You only raised the potential risk of losing out on the offer, at least as it currently stands, if they ever procrastinated.

For example, you can tell potential customers that the price is limited to the first 1,000. After 1,000 copies are sold, you may change the offer by raising the price or removing the premiums, or even stop offering it altogether…

… At any time, without warning or notice.

Update The Product

Take advantage of the features of digital products.

Digital products have something in common: they are constantly being updated. It’s the nature of technology. Software keeps updating with new versions all the time, and ebooks can operate in exactly the same manner.

So don’t be afraid to put a version number on your digital product, just like you would on a piece of software. When a new version comes out, the older one no longer becomes available or becomes obsolete by default.

The good thing is that updating a book is as easy as editing or adding a few paragraphs, inserting an interview, attaching an updated chapter, including a guest contribution, or upgrading the resource list — especially websites.

(We all know how websites and bookmarks change all the time. Some URLs can change, move, or become unreachable. By upgrading the resource list, your list stays fresh and your links accessible.)

Let’s not forget the ubiquitous “alpha” and “beta” stages most software products go through. These can be applicable to ebooks and digital information products just as well.

Plus, they don’t have to be applied to an entire product. They can be used with specific chapters, add-ons, premiums, tools, or even membership sites.

Additionally, they don’t have to be called “alpha” and “beta.” Use your imagination. For example, you can call it a “pre-release version,” “launch edition,” “introductory version,” “2007 format,” “early bird deliverable,” “advanced copy,” “pre-market issue,” etc.

If you sell an ebook with “free updates,” then THAT is the element that’s scarce. To add more scarcity to the offer, you limit the bonuses or the free updates for a specified quantity and/or time, and not the actual product itself.

Make It Time-Sensitive

The third tactic is to add a chapter or a bonus that’s time-sensitive. I’m talking about content that’s timely and more valuable based on its freshness rather than content that is released with a deadline.

This can be done practically with every information product out there.

For example, if you’re selling a principled or theory-based ebook (like one on success or general marketing strategies), add a few extra pages, like a list of resources or specific tactics that are relevant at the time of writing the product.

The best way to do this is to include information that, by its implication, makes it scarce. For example, it can also be something tied to a specific event, activity, or news item. (If not, you specify it in the copy.)

Say you sell a book on how to grow bigger, redder tomatoes. Your book can have a chapter that talks about how to enter a certain, well-recognized, and very popular “tomato-growing contest,” which has a set date.

This information is extremely time-sensitive because, if they buy the book after the contest, then the product holds little or no value.

Another way to make it time-sensitive is if it relates to a season or period of the year, such as a book on how to coach youth basketball. The book will have a time-sensitive element a few months before basketball season starts, and little or no value once the season is over.

Ultimately, think of how you can add scarcity to the product itself by adding either content or add-ons (like premiums or bonuses) that are time-sensitive in themselves — without having to limit the offer directly.

For instance, can the value or perceived value of the product depreciate over time or after a certain number of downloads? If not, how can you incorporate this element (whether it’s through extra content, premiums, or add-ons)?

Use your creativity, here.

In my experience, practically every digital product, no matter how timeless or evergreen it may seem, can be made scarce or urgent in some way that’s independent of any limits you otherwise impose.

Time Or Size Limits

This is a very compelling and clever use of scarcity. Why? Because you are using technology or time against itself.

For example, you can tell prospects that the item is limited because you need to conserve bandwidth. Many hosts limit accounts by filesizes or allocate a certain number of bytes transferred per week, month, or year.

As a result, you may need to revise the offer or raise the price to cover your costs at a certain point in the future, as greater resources are consumed. Not only that, but there are maintenance and support costs, too.

“Of course,” you might say, “everyone knows that.” True. But they don’t necessarily realize this may directly affect the offer, the price, or the availability of the product altogether.

So the idea is to specify it in your copy. Tell your readers that, as more and more people buy and download your product, the costlier it becomes to maintain.

Price increases are inevitable, and therefore they must act now to take advantage of such a “low price.” (Either that or the product may be taken off the market to conserve resources.)

And you can even specify a certain date or quantity sold where you will revise your offer to appropriately reflect and cover your costs.

Now, while that might seem logical for software, sometimes this tactic might not be as convincing in the case of digital products. (Especially in the case of a very short ebook.)

In this case, try to make your digital book dynamic.

Again, this doesn’t have to apply to an entire product or to the product itself. Certain parts, chapters, or bonus add-ons only can be made dynamic.

For example, some PDFs now have forms and flash video. Some ebooks contain streaming audio and video, too. Others are compiled as standalone executables but pull dynamic content from the Internet.

(And let’s not forget membership or password-protected websites that are included with some digital products as well.)

Nevertheless, dynamic content obviously uses more resources than simple one-time downloads. The goal is to communicate this to your prospects.

But aside from the products themselves, the most obvious and scarcest resource of all, of course, is time. There are only so many hours in the day or so many clients you can serve at any given time, right?

Therefore, if your product comes with, say, free consulting or coaching, such as critiques, reviews, email consultations, etc, you could then say:

“Due to growing demand, I can only accept a certain number of individuals. So I can only guarantee that the next 10 clients who buy this product will get [add-on service].”

Bottom line, and pardon the pun, but don’t just limit yourself to the digital product proper. Look at the features or parts of your product, the delivery method, the add-ons, the offer, or the service-based components.

Digital scarcity works quite well, even when the product may seem to be limitless. Because the possibilities are only as finite as your creativity.

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A member once asked a question about the legality of using an alias or pseudonym in copy.

That is, is it legal to write the copy in the voice of a fictitious character, or telling the story of a fictitious character enjoying the benefits of your offer?

Using an alias in business is a common practice. However, if you’re considering using an alias or already are using an alias, there are a few things to know to keep your head above water with the law.

Using an alias or pseudonym is generally fine, as long as within the intrinsic nature of the alias there’s no false or misleading information meant to induce the consumer to buy.

If the alias is used to misrepresent the facts, or indirectly does so by its mere existence, you’re breaking the law.

It’s like the difference between making a promise versus making a claim.

If your story implies what your clients will get, then you’re making a promise. And a promise made by a fictitious character is fine since the character represents the business making it.

(Keeping promises is a different ball of wax.)

But if it states what your past clients have done, then it’s a claim. Because the fictitious character represents a client, or presents information as fact. Therein lies the difference.

So ask yourself, does your alias make a promise? Or a claim? If the latter, is the alias a part of that claim?

Here are two examples to clarify.

1. Alias as Narrator

You tell an non-obvious, perhaps dramatized story of a fictitious person who benefits from your product or service.

The story shows your prospects what they should do, and what kind of results they should expect, by watching the story play out. The teller of the story, or the person in the story, is completely fictitious.

This is fine as long as what is promised is true, and you deliver on your promises.

For example, John Doe gets into an accident. He picks up the phone and says, “Uh oh, better get Maaco!” And then the screen fades to a scene with John, with his now repaired car in the background, shaking hands with a Maaco mechanic and a huge smile across his face.

How many times have you seen commercials like that?

Now, here’s the exception…

The fine line is when the story doesn’t imply what one should do but what one has actually done, which represents and implies, precisely, what the person will get based on what was represented as fact.

In other words, it’s no longer a promise.

It’s a claim.

Stated differently, when the advertisement states or even just implies that John is an actual client, a real person who got that exact service, in that exact way, with those exact results, you are misleading the public.

The story implies people will get the same. Specifically, it is no longer a story but a testimonial. And testimonials, by law, must be true.

The subsequent sale, should any occur, is therefore acquired fraudulently, because people believe that John is a true client and offering a real testimonial for Maaco. The story is presented as fact when it is not true.

And that’s illegal.

Remember the story of the Wal-Mart couple who drove their trailer across the United-States, going from Wal-Mart to Wal-Mart, and blogging about their (seemingly only) positive experiences?

The backlash was massive. And merciless.

Legality aside, it became a PR nightmare. Some argue that the stunt would have been safe — and even that’s arguable, too — if the blog had a proper disclosure informing readers that the characters were fake.

(In fact, the massive backlash inspired the popularity of the terms “flog” and “flogging,” which means “fake blogging.”)

2. Alias as Provider

If you call yourself a pen name to tell the story in your copy, and this pen name doesn’t mislead, you’re OK — as long as it is clear that people are not buying from your fictitious character but from the business it represents.

They are buying from a real business with a real business name. For example, you don’t buy burgers from Ronald McDonald himself, right? You buy it from McDonald’s restaurants, the business Ronald represents.

Here’s a scenario.

When a sales letter is signed by “Mr. X,” if Mr. X is telling the story and plays the role of a narrator (not a business entity), then you’re fine.

Mr. X (or any other alias) is telling the story, or even making the promise, on behalf of the commercial entity you’re doing business with.

The fine line, in this case, is when you state that Mr. X is a real person, and that person makes claims or presents information as fact on behalf of the commercial entity, such as past experiences, clients, or results.

Generally, this is OK too, as long as the facts are true, and the alias is not the provider with whom you’re doing business.

But if you do this, you not only need to include real facts in your story (as always), but also be fully prepared to prove them when asked by either the public or the government.

If the FTC ever comes knocking at your door, you better have proper documentation and real proof to back up your claims and save your anatomy!

What about a business name?

Having a business with a fictitious name is definitely legal, provided that you have filed the proper documentation (such as registering your business, incorporating, or filing a “doing business as” statement), and carried out the proper trademark searches.

This is a normal part of doing business, even vital for branding purposes.

The issue is not with the name but when the existence of the business, its actual clients, or any results achieved are works of fiction.

Ultimately, the question to ask is, does it tell a story to make a point? Or does it mislead and deceive to make a sale? Whether intentionally or not, the latter is outright fraud.

To sum it all up, using an alias is fine as long as you are not making claims as that alias.

You, using your real name (or your real business name), can make claims until the sun goes down. You own them and people know who to turn to if the claims are false.

And if you use an alias to tell a story, whether dramatized or written in a sales letter, you’re generally safe. However, if you make claims under an assumed name, then it is illegal when the assumed name is presented as fact.

Of course, before you ultimately decide to use an alias, particularly if you’re concerned about whether or not you’re crossing a line, consult with an attorney.

I’m not a lawyer and the above should not be construed as legal advice. Plus, this article should be viewed only as a partial or general opinion and commentary, as every individual case is unique.

It is based on my years of experience, especially working with doctors and lawyers in my early career when I first established my company, The Success Doctor, Inc., which used to focus strictly on doctors and service professionals.

(Hence, the name “The Success Doctor.”)

Finally, props go out to my friend Mike Young, Esquire, an Internet marketing lawyer who reviewed my response. I highly recommend his new book, “Internet Marketing Legal Secrets Revealed.” (And yes, that’s my affiliate link.)

Update: Please read some of my comments below. Some great questions were asked, along with my answers.

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Since the new year is right around the corner, bloggers and marketers alike are posting their predictions as if a psychics convention has come to town.

So in keeping with that tradition, I’d like to post a few of my own. But unlike those who post their predictions in point form, I won’t make a specific list but rather share with you some of my thoughts.

(Near the end, however, this post will culminate in what I believe will be three major trends to watch out for and dive into, if you want to make some serious money in 2008 and beyond.)

First off, let me state that you may or may not agree with me on these. But something is definitely going on right now that points to these three trends. All the clues are pretty evident, and you’ve probably seen some of these yourself.

What I’m talking about is…

… Internet marketing is correcting itself.

When the stock market tumbles, short of a full-on crash, they call it a “correction.” Sometimes it happens precipitously. Other times, it takes place over a period of time.

Likewise, I believe that Internet marketing, right now, is going through a similar correction. It may not be as precipitous as the stock market, but it’s indeed quite significant.

To explain what I mean, let me back up a bit.

If you’ve read Geoffrey Moore’s “Crossing The Chasm,” then you understand the product adoption curve. (In marketing and academic circles, they call it the “Diffusion Process.”)

In plain English, it means that new markets go through a certain adoption process that looks very much like a bell curve.

At first, new products are consumed by the innovators and early adopters (i.e., niche and early markets). They’re the type of people who buy new things the moment they come out.

Then, they are consumed by the majority (i.e., mainstream markets, at the top of the bell curve, where products get widely adopted by the majority of people).

Finally, the laggards make up the late markets. They usually wait until everyone else has tried the products, which are no longer new.

According to Moore, between the niches and the mainstream, there’s a gap. A chasm, as he calls it, especially with technology. It’s where things seem to slow down once a product has saturated the early markets.

But then, after a while, something happens.

The product, if and when it crosses the chasm, enters the mainstream (often called the “middle” or just the “majority”), and becomes widespread.

This is where the bulk of the market lies (about 68% of the market pie, according to studies). And often, it happens fast. Very fast. (For example, Moore’s follow-up book, “Inside the Tornado,” explains this in detail.)

What does this mean in terms of Internet marketing?

It means that the geeks (e.g., the risk-takers, innovators, Internet enthusiasts, and the like) are the first ones to penetrate the Internet market. They set many precedents that shape the way we do business online, whether it’s through a new method, software, business model, or teaching.

(That’s why we often call them “gurus.”)

We’ve seen this happen. Top marketers have entered the market, sold many a product, and made massive amounts of money. But now, things are starting to change. We’re hitting — if not crossing — the chasm.

One obvious piece of evidence is the recent flurry of “death of” reports. Whether they’re meant to promote something or not is a moot point.

Clayton Makepeace listed his own predictions recently, and I not only agree with them wholeheartedly but also view them as part of this crossing of the chasm. To me, the most salient point is that only 18% of the world’s population is online — but it’s growing at a rapid rate, particularly in Asia.

If you don’t believe me (or even Clayton), watch this amazing video.

It’s a presentation by a statistical researcher about income distribution around the world, and how quickly some countries are growing in terms of wealth and gross national product, once the Internet enters them.

In short, the video shows that the Internet, while still in its infancy, is growing at a rapid rate, and that there is hyper-growth occurring right now in Asian and middle-Pacific countries, such as Singapore, India, and of course, China.

Let me put that aside for just a moment, and share with you a few observations. (I will tie all of this together very shortly, I promise.)

Here’s a question:

Haven’t you noticed lately how Internet marketing seminars are changing?

I mean, for many years seminars were not only filled to the rim but also filled with the usual suspects who seem to congregate there all the time.

I remember going to seminar after seminar, and seeing the same faces over and over again. The same million-dollar marketers. The same “big names.” The same expert speakers. And very few newbies or unknowns.

But in 2007, a shift started to happen. Some of those faces are not showing up at seminars anymore. The number of old-timers seems to be shrinking, while new faces are making their appearances for the first time.

With each passing seminar, it seems, the audience is slowly being replaced with new marketers and total newbies — people who are completely new to Internet marketing and even to the Internet in general.

More and more veteran marketers are retiring. Some are leaving the Internet marketing field altogether. Many are no longer attending seminars, speaking at them, or teaching Internet marketing at all.

Is it because the Internet marketing industry is dying or jumping the shark?

Not at all. Quite the contrary, in fact. While some Internet marketers have moved on, many of them have simply refocused their businesses on those three major markets I was referring to earlier.

To give you a hint, let me tell you a true story…

At the last seminar my wife and I attended, I was surprised to see that the vast majority of attendees was completely new. The event was still packed to the rim (and even bigger than before). But many of them admitted to us that this was the first seminar they’ve ever attended.

In fact, they were so new that, at a previous seminar where my wife and I spoke, we were both surprised by the kinds of questions they asked us.

After speaking on stage and walking towards the back of the room, Sylvie and I were asked questions like, “What is an autoresponder?” Or, “How do you create a text file?” (No joke!)

And it didn’t just happen once or twice. It happened many, many times. And it happened at almost every single seminar we’ve attended or spoke at in 2007.

Now, what does all this mean?

It means several things: Internet marketing is shifting. We are seeing more and more people entering it for the first time. We are seeing less of the successful, seasoned marketers who have made their wealth and moved on.

In other words, what we’re seeing is a shift to people who are completely green, entering the world of Internet marketing, and launching a business online for the very first time — with very limited knowledge about it to boot.

And many of the existing, top marketers we have learned from in the last few years have either retired or decided to go after… well… the “majority!” That is, they are going offline.

Yes, offline.

And that, my friends, is the golden key.

More importantly, we’re seeing — and we’ll see more of — the Asian market, too, entering the Internet marketing sphere.

The more Asian citizens gain access to the web, the more Internet marketing will change, too, to reflect this shift. China, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and others are definitely going to be forces to be reckoned with.

We’re seeing this already.

(Sylvie and I are speaking in Singapore next spring, by the way. Some of these events pack as many as 3,000 people.)

Bottom line, these shifts represent not only a major correction affecting the world of Internet marketing, but also show the three major markets to watch out for in the coming year:

1. The newbie market;
2. The offline market;
3. The Asian market.

And that’s my prediction for the new year and beyond. Watch out for these markets. Enter them. Serve them. Or get out of the way.

That said, I do have a few technology-related predictions. (A blog post on new year’s predictions wouldn’t be complete without them, eh?)

Some of the ones I made last year did come true — and we’ll see more and more of them in 2008 as well.

For example, online video will become ubiquitous. The web will become increasingly “widgetized.” People will demand for more samplification. And interactivity will become vastly more popular and sophisticated.

But what about some of the major technology companies?

Well, I hate to make those kinds of predictions because Internet marketing is as volatile as the stock market. But I agree that some major acquisitions are in store for the coming year. My guess? Any one of the following…

• AOL by Yahoo!;
• Yahoo! by Microsoft;
• Technorati or SixApart (makers of MovableType and TypePad) by Microsoft or Yahoo! (likely to compete in the blogging space against none other than giants WordPress and Google’s Blogger);
• Or Facebook — maybe by Microsoft, Yahoo!, or someone else.

Speaking of Facebook, whether or not it does get acquired, it’s going to see the same kind of decline in popularity in 2008 that MySpace saw in 2007.

In fact, when my kids got me onto Facebook earlier this year, and I refused at first because I told them I already had a MySpace account, in a pretentious tone they replied, “But Dad, MySpace is soooo last year!”

I think Facebook will face the same fate, I fear.

Anyway, there you have it.

Until next time, thank you for your support this year. I appreciate you and wish you a peaceful, healthy, profitable, happy, and prosperous new year!

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With spam incessantly inundating our inboxes and people’s attention spans constantly shrinking, some have claimed that email marketing is on the way out.

I say “nonsense.”

In fact, it’s because of those very reasons that email marketing is now stronger than ever before. I personally know of some marketers who have made literally millions of dollars with email marketing alone in recent weeks.

I’m talking about legitimate, law-compliant, optin email.

Remember, the most common use of the Internet is still email — not instant messenging, social networking, or browsing websites. It’s often the very first thing people do when they log onto the web.

Granted, the biggest stumbling block is to increase your “open rate” (i.e., the percentage of people who actually open your emails). And to do so you first need to get your emails delivered and overcome overzealous spam filters.

But once they do reach your readers’ inboxes, the most important step in getting your messages through to your audience is with good copy. And like a good headline in sales copy, it all starts with the subject line.

One thing you may have noticed, particularly of late, are clever headlines spammers use.

Spam subject lines are often a lazy tactic to improve open rates. How many times have you seen a headline in your inbox, only to realize that the email is trying to sell you some sleazy, snake-oil aphrodisiac?

In other words, you get emails with headlines that may seem legitimate, but the moment you open them your “Delete” button gets the brunt of your index finger.

Sure, curiosity may get you to open the email. But they usually end up in the trash if they’re not in your spam folder already.

That said, however, spammy headlines do have something to teach us.

You can improve your open rates using some of the same tactics spammers use, but in legitimate, confidence-inspiring ways that will increase readership and, of course, response.

Here are three of my favorite and easiest tactics I use to increase my open rates.

1. Urgency

Urgency says it all. It’s when your subject line communicates something time-sensitive or quantity-bound, which simply can’t be ignored.

Some of the most profitable email campaigns have subject lines that have some element of scarcity. You see this with subject lines like, “It ends tonight at midnight!”, “There are only 4 left”, “One spot just opened up”, etc.

While the above are examples of direct scarcity (i.e., the limit is directly stated in the subject line), indirect scarcity works well, too — such as an upcoming event, holiday, sale, launch, contest, season, news item, etc.

But don’t just limit yourself to an event. You can also use situations to communicate fear of loss, which inherently creates tension. For example:

• “When she learned my secrets…”
• “Unless you do this, you are lost!”
• “The sneaky mind trick they use on you”
• “You are losing money right now!”
• “Are you aware of these 5 danger signs?”
• “Avoid these 7 mistakes at all costs!”

Fear of loss is one of our biggest motivators as human beings. While the urgency may be indirectly stated, it’s compounded: there’s urgency in the topic itself, as well as urgency in missing out or failing to at least know about it.

Speaking of “need to know,” this leads me to my second point…

2. Curiosity

Curiosity pulls them in. And the easiest way — it’s not the best way but it’s effective nonetheless — to use this winning tactic is to start a sentence, add an ellipse, and continue the rest of the sentence in your email.

These teasers can often drive response rates through the roof. Based on the Zeirgarnik effect, people are intrinsically curious, and an unfinished idea will create a certain tension that will force readers to seek closure.

For example, the subject line starts with “It all started when…” and in the body of the email, it goes on with “… She told me about this website!” The subject says “I’ve never had a chance to…” followed in the email by “… tell you about this amazing secret!” Or the subject says “Don’t leave me…” continued with “… hanging by not responding to this offer.” You get the picture.

However, an important caveat.

Subject-line teasers need to be handled very carefully. It’s easy to lose credibility. They can come off too spammy and, if your email doesn’t follow through on the subject line, then you’ve lost credibility.

That’s why the best curiosity subject lines are those that really tease not by omission but by implication. In fact, one curiosity-building tactic that works quite well is to tempt an open by implying that the answer to a question is within your email.

To help you, take a look at the headlines on the covers of tabloids and grocery-rack magazines, such as Vanity Fair, Cosmo, National Enquirer, etc. Here’s one from Women’s World magazine, sitting right now on my wife’s desk: “I lost 19 pounds eating chocolate!” Other examples include:

• “The real reason people gain weight”
• “No joke! Shocking study proves laughter is dangerous”
• “Is he cheating? Find out with these 6 tell-tale tips”
• “7 medical myths even doctors believe“

That last example uses the third common tactic…

3. Controversy

Controversy is another powerful tactic. The word “controversial,” by definition, means “of a diverging viewpoint,” “opinionated,” “disputed,” “arguable,” “contentious,” etc. Being controversial simply means to be different.

While your subject line may raise eyebrows and convey surprise, dismay, even anger, it doesn’t need to, and probably shouldn’t offend. Instead, tie your subject line to a current event, news item, or hot topic.

You don’t have to limit yourself to your industry. You can use controversial topics outside of it, as long as you link them to something relevant to your readers and provide compelling reasons why in your email to justify its use.

One of my email coaching students, John Ritskowitz, in an email about the power of headlines, used “Dead Man Wakes Up Under Autopsy Knife.”

This was pulled from an actual, recent news story. And John used that headline to show the power of headlines in a small video tutorial for a new copywriting tool he was promoting.

(If you want to know more about it, check out John’s product, “The Copywriters Toolkit.” I highly recommend it. You’ll have access to the above tool as well as many others.)

Take a look at some of the headlines I’ve used over the years on this very blog…

• The Death of The Salesletter
• Ordering Offline Boosts Online Sales?
• Forget Benefits And You Will Sell More
• Stop Setting Goals to Achieve Success
• Marketer Exposes Herself For Charity
• Want a Sticky Site? Forget Content!

Speaking of being controversial, another successful tactic I’ve seen — and contrary to common knowledge — is to NOT include the email recipient’s name in the subject line.

There are many benefits to personalizing emails, and I still recommend it with email body copy — or any copy, for that matter.

But like with any marketing tactic, once a winning strategy is overused we tend to become desensitized to it.

I suspect that the recipient’s name in the subject line is often an indication that it is a sales message, and the email will likely hit the trash can faster than you can say “spam!”

By the way, Larry Chase’s “Web Digest For Marketers,” an ezine I’ve been subscribed to for many years, has an interesting article on 13 tips for crafting subject lines.

Bottom line, observe what spammers are doing, and apply some of the same tactics to your email marketing efforts. But don’t be clever or misleading.

In the long run, you’re better off to spend a little time using what we can learn from spam and creating a subject line that will really work. The key is to be relevant — to your email message, and more importantly, to your readers.

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It seems there’s a flurry these days of Internet marketers releasing “free reports.” (Admittedly, I’m just as guilty.)

But there’s one report I highly recommend you read right now. My good friend, Armand Morin, has just released his free report. In his no-nonsense, no-B.S. style, Armand explains how he made millions online.

When I read the first draft, the first thing that came out of my mouth was, “It’s about time!”

(When you read it, you’ll understand what I mean.)

Forget the fluff and the purported “secrets” some marketers spout. Unlike so many of the “death of” manifestos of late, in this 50-page report nothing is sugarcoated. Nothing is secret. And more importantly, nothing “died.”

Warning! This report contains strong language, obvious truths, and moneymaking strategies some might find irritating. Even offensive.

If you want to learn how Armand built his multi-million dollar business online, or how we quadrupled our business using the same strategies Armand offers, then you need to download this free report and read it.

Click here to grab your free copy of “An Obvious Truth.”

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Tuesday, 10:27 pm
Reno, NV

Howdy…

That was a great, healthy, raucous sharing of ideas to the question I posted Sunday. Essentially: What to do, when the act of creating a formal ad is too daunting, but you need to do something to create sales.

The Usual Suspects posted really good comments, and it was cool to see a bunch of new folks putting on their Thinking Caps to tackle the problem.

As I said — I hate questions like this, myself. Cuz it hurts to confront puzzles, mysteries, dilemnas, and problems.

Yet, it’s been the best way to learn for around 3,000 years. It’s the Socratic method — essentially Q&A, but the answers are expected to be well-thought-out. (For a great example of this method in action, see the 1973 flick “The Paper Chase”, on the hot action inside a freshman year at Harvard Law School.) (I still get shudders watching it today.)

So, for my entire career, I’ve been practicing it whenever possible. John Caples, in “Tested Advertising Methods”, offers up hundreds of little mini-tests… asking the reader to choose which headline or USP worked the best. I was stunned to learn that most of my colleagues who had bothered to pick up that amazing book had also NOT considered each question carefully, chose definitively, and only then look at the answer.

Nope. Most glanced at the question, then quickly went to find the answer. “Oh, yeah,” they’d say. “I probably would’ve chosen correctly, if I’d had to.”

Bullshit. That’s cheating.

Your brain is a muscle. It craves good workouts, even though puzzles can make the old cranium cranky. The ONLY way to retain knowledge is to cement it into your noggin. Passive, lazy glances at the important stuff doesn’t cut it.

So kudo’s to everyone who ventured an answer.

It was gratifying to see so many writers come so close to the answer, too. (In truth, many would have technically passed the test, even though their answer wasn’t quite as complete as what I was getting at.)

Before I reveal my own answer, let’s address a few of the suggestions offered.

First, swiping is not gonna cut it. All writers swipe to one degree or another (though some of the new breed do it to excess, and rob themselves of finding their own “voice” and style).

However, even if you find an ad to swipe that is in your market, close to your USP, and even selling something similar… you’re still gonna have to slog through the very necessary tasks of re-molding the headline, all subheads, and especially bullets to your own situation.

This can work… but remember that part of the question was “…and you find the formal process of creating an ad daunting…”. For a veteran professinal copywriter, this particular problem won’t come up much. But for an entrepreneur or small biz owner selling your own crap, this is THE most common problem you face.

What’s more — as I posted among the comments last night — while using the “Lazy Businessman’s 3-Step Shortcut To Creating A World-Class Ad” (the record-yourself-at-fever-pitch-and-transcribe technique pushed by Halbert and me for decades) will actually get you to a good point in creating a killer sales message… in all the years I’ve taught it to people, few have ever actually done it.

Still, the process you would go through to get your head ready for such a recording… IS a big part of the answer to this problem.

Here is my solution:

First, and foremost… keep it all very simple.

What you want to do is create a sleek, greased slide leading straight to a single action.

No tangents. No long stories that require cognitive effort by the reader.

The key is that single action you will request: What, with a gun your head and wolves at the door, is the ONE action you would love to see your reader take? Could be a full-on sale… could be just to get into the sales funnel… could be a phone call. Or a hundred other actions.

Choose the one that you need him to do. Concentrate your salesmanship on getting him to that point — quickly, efficiently and without fuss.

Second: Get clear on WHO your reader is.

Remember — even jaded, long-time marketers have little clue who actually populates their list. Many entrpreneurs get an idea in their head of who they THINK they’re writing to… but are often wildly wrong.

So calm down (yes, even with that snarling and scratching at the door), and use whatever resources you have to nail your prime target. This could include asking your staff for input, calling up some actual customers to see who they are, or even doing a little “Google Stalking” to see if any of your intended readers show up in a search for demographic info.

If you’re writing to a cold list… you’ve still got to create that “avatar” character you’re writing to. If you gotta guess, you gotta guess. But you still have to make a final decision.

A sales pitch written to no one in particular will die a gruesome death.

Third: As so many posters commented… the next step is to create a super-condensed list of your reader’s needs and wants. You want to get as close to a psychological profile as you can. At this point — desperate and under urgent circumstances — you are in no position to offer him what you think he needs or should have.

Nope. You want to discern what he wants… and give it to him. This is not the time for long discourses on new ideas, or education on what-if situations.

Try, as much as you can with the resources you have, to figure out what parade your reader is marching in… and then hop out in front of it. Where’s he’s going, hey, that’s where YOU’RE going.

What a coincidence.

Fourth: As many of you guessed… you’re going to write a personal letter.

However — and this is critical — you are not going to write AT him… but TO him.

As much as your dire situation feels personal… this ain’t about YOU.

It’s about HIM. All you are is the conduit of good tidings — the bearer of great news, the gateway to something wonderful, the dude writing the one thing he’s gonna read today that really gets his blood moving. (Though, if your situation really does lend itself to a fire-sale offer, then by all means USE that tactic.)

You write — in a conversational voice — a very personal letter from you to him, getting right to the point, and outlining what you have for him in the following manner:

Here’s who I am…

Here’s what I have for you…

Here’s why you’ll like it…

And here’s what you need to do right now.

Yes, you need to write your opening line (or subject line, if you’re using email) in a compelling way… because it’s doing the job of a headline. And yes, you need to think in bullet form (even if you don’t use the formal, indented bullet set up). And yes, your close needs to cover all the essentials of classic salesmanship.

However, if you know who you’re writing to… and you’re dead honest about what you have, and how it fits into his life… then all this should come naturally.

Many of you know the story behind the big damn Stompernet launch. Frank Kern graciously has told this tale many times, and I’ll repeat it here: With just days left before the launch, the guys doing the writing were nowhere near having a final “buy now” sales pitch ready.

It was panic time. They were trying to hire me — at ridiculous rates — but I didn’t have the time (or, honestly, the inclination — I’ve had my share of emergency jobs, and they’re never any fun).

So, during a break at the seminar in San Diego we were all attending, I sat down with Frank and Mike and promised to do what I could to help them get back on track.

The copy they had was, to my mind, hopelessly overwritten and a muddle.

And completely unnecessary, I told them.

At this point, they knew WHO they were writing to… and even had a fair idea of their prospect’s state of mind. (Teased to a froth, from an extended launch process.)

So, I said, here’s all you need…

And I quoted to them pretty much what I just laid out here in this post.

For Frank, it was an epiphany. And he was able to blast out the letter that sealed the deal in record time. (It was a beauty, too. I am NOT taking any credit for what Frank wrote at all. I’m just pleased to have helped part the fog, and point out the yellow-brick road.)

The thing to do when your body is telling you to PANIC… is to settle down, get your breathing deep and relaxed… and set to work mapping out a simple, direct, no-frills path for your very real reader to arrive at a simple request for action.

Movement will save you. And movement in a definite direction, knowing that you only have to create a very simple pitch with a simple request for action, can bring stunning results.

All great ads are, at heart, just killer letters that touch your reader’s heart. Or greed gland. Or desire for vengance, or whatever it is that he wants enough to open his wallet to attain.

It’s fair to ask: If this is such a good tactic, why not write ALL ads like this?

And the professional answer is: Because, once you have the core of your pitch nailed in this format… you can increase readership, desire, and response by fleshing more of the classic “formal” parts. Big headline, bold and centered subheads, ranks of tidy indented bullets, some graphics, audio, video and all that other cool stuff.

Nevertheless… cornered by a crisis, without the time or resources to “perfect” your ad… a very simple sales letter, aimed at the tender emotional sweet spot of need in your reader, leading to a single action… can save your life.

That was fun, wasn’t it?

You guys are scary-good, and I feel better about the state of the copywriter field after seeing the sense, the will to think hard, and the skill set so many of you offer.

Stay frosty…

John Carlton
www.carltoncoaching.com

Carlton, copywriting, entrepreneur, freelance copywriters, Gary Halbert, long copy websites, marketing, salesmanship

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A member once asked a question about the legality of using an alias or pseudonym in copy.

That is, is it legal to write the copy in the voice of a fictitious character, or telling the story of a fictitious character enjoying the benefits of your offer?

Using an alias in business is a common practice. However, if you’re considering using an alias or already are using an alias, there are a few things to know to keep your head above water with the law.

Using an alias or pseudonym is generally fine, as long as within the intrinsic nature of the alias there’s no false or misleading information meant to induce the consumer to buy.

If the alias is used to misrepresent the facts, or indirectly does so by its mere existence, you’re breaking the law.

It’s like the difference between making a promise versus making a claim.

If your story implies what your clients will get, then you’re making a promise. And a promise made by a fictitious character is fine since the character represents the business making it.

(Keeping promises is a different ball of wax.)

But if it states what your past clients have done, then it’s a claim. Because the fictitious character represents a client, or presents information as fact. Therein lies the difference.

So ask yourself, does your alias make a promise? Or a claim? If the latter, is the alias a part of that claim?

Here are two examples to clarify.

1. Alias as Narrator

You tell an non-obvious, perhaps dramatized story of a fictitious person who benefits from your product or service.

The story shows your prospects what they should do, and what kind of results they should expect, by watching the story play out. The teller of the story, or the person in the story, is completely fictitious.

This is fine as long as what is promised is true, and you deliver on your promises.

For example, John Doe gets into an accident. He picks up the phone and says, “Uh oh, better get Maaco!” And then the screen fades to a scene with John, with his now repaired car in the background, shaking hands with a Maaco mechanic and a huge smile across his face.

How many times have you seen commercials like that?

Now, here’s the exception…

The fine line is when the story doesn’t imply what one should do but what one has actually done, which represents and implies, precisely, what the person will get based on what was represented as fact.

In other words, it’s no longer a promise.

It’s a claim.

Stated differently, when the advertisement states or even just implies that John is an actual client, a real person who got that exact service, in that exact way, with those exact results, you are misleading the public.

The story implies people will get the same. Specifically, it is no longer a story but a testimonial. And testimonials, by law, must be true.

The subsequent sale, should any occur, is therefore acquired fraudulently, because people believe that John is a true client and offering a real testimonial for Maaco. The story is presented as fact when it is not true.

And that’s illegal.

Remember the story of the Wal-Mart couple who drove their trailer across the United-States, going from Wal-Mart to Wal-Mart, and blogging about their (seemingly only) positive experiences?

The backlash was massive. And merciless.

Legality aside, it became a PR nightmare. Some argue that the stunt would have been safe — and even that’s arguable, too — if the blog had a proper disclosure informing readers that the characters were fake.

(In fact, the massive backlash inspired the popularity of the terms “flog” and “flogging,” which means “fake blogging.”)

2. Alias as Provider

If you call yourself a pen name to tell the story in your copy, and this pen name doesn’t mislead, you’re OK — as long as it is clear that people are not buying from your fictitious character but from the business it represents.

They are buying from a real business with a real business name. For example, you don’t buy burgers from Ronald McDonald himself, right? You buy it from McDonald’s restaurants, the business Ronald represents.

Here’s a scenario.

When a sales letter is signed by “Mr. X,” if Mr. X is telling the story and plays the role of a narrator (not a business entity), then you’re fine.

Mr. X (or any other alias) is telling the story, or even making the promise, on behalf of the commercial entity you’re doing business with.

The fine line, in this case, is when you state that Mr. X is a real person, and that person makes claims or presents information as fact on behalf of the commercial entity, such as past experiences, clients, or results.

Generally, this is OK too, as long as the facts are true, and the alias is not the provider with whom you’re doing business.

But if you do this, you not only need to include real facts in your story (as always), but also be fully prepared to prove them when asked by either the public or the government.

If the FTC ever comes knocking at your door, you better have proper documentation and real proof to back up your claims and save your anatomy!

What about a business name?

Having a business with a fictitious name is definitely legal, provided that you have filed the proper documentation (such as registering your business, incorporating, or filing a “doing business as” statement), and carried out the proper trademark searches.

This is a normal part of doing business, even vital for branding purposes.

The issue is not with the name but when the existence of the business, its actual clients, or any results achieved are works of fiction.

Ultimately, the question to ask is, does it tell a story to make a point? Or does it mislead and deceive to make a sale? Whether intentionally or not, the latter is outright fraud.

To sum it all up, using an alias is fine as long as you are not making claims as that alias.

You, using your real name (or your real business name), can make claims until the sun goes down. You own them and people know who to turn to if the claims are false.

And if you use an alias to tell a story, whether dramatized or written in a sales letter, you’re generally safe. However, if you make claims under an assumed name, then it is illegal when the assumed name is presented as fact.

Of course, before you ultimately decide to use an alias, particularly if you’re concerned about whether or not you’re crossing a line, consult with an attorney.

I’m not a lawyer and the above should not be construed as legal advice. Plus, this article should be viewed only as a partial or general opinion and commentary, as every individual case is unique.

It is based on my years of experience, especially working with doctors and lawyers in my early career when I first established my company, The Success Doctor, Inc., which used to focus strictly on doctors and service professionals.

(Hence, the name “The Success Doctor.”)

Finally, props go out to my friend Mike Young, Esquire, an Internet marketing lawyer who reviewed my response. I highly recommend his new book, “Internet Marketing Legal Secrets Revealed.” (And yes, that’s my affiliate link.)

Update: Please read some of my comments below. Some great questions were asked, along with my answers.

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Fox News is hosting a Republican presidential debate tomorrow.  Ron Paul is not invited.

Is it because Ron Paul is just too unimportant to include?

Let’s see …

Ron Paul polls higher in New Hampshire than some of the other candidates Fox News has invited to its debate.  (source)

And now even the New Hampshire Republican Party is crying foul over Fox’s exclusion of Paul.

Is this gross abuse of mass media power or does Fox have the right to exclude candidates from their debate as they see fit?

Right before the New Hampshire primary this does take a significant opportunity away from Paul.  Make no mistake - not giving Paul this opportunity affects his campaign.

The Republican Party is no longer affiliating itself with it, but it’s still going ahead. 

Should Fox be yanked of its privilege to host the debate? 

Should the other candidates pull themselves out on principle?

Is this a matter of letting Fox have the freedom to include who they want, or a matter of giving Paul the freedom to have equal access to voters?