Tails up:

To more or less “launch” himself into the consulting/coaching/do-it-for-you arena, the dude who’s handling all my paid Facebook advertising (easily one of the best on the planet at Facebook advertising) is offering a “do-it-for-you” Facebook advertising service that is ridiculously generous, and accessible by anyone who has at least some kind of budget.

And before you even ask…

I get no commission or kickback for telling you about it. I just think everyone on my list should at least know this exists.

(Call it a “public service announcement”)

Anyway, here’s the offer he posted today:

For the next 24 hours, I’m offering a very special, business-transforming package.

• Design, coding, copy and setup of your lead generating website
• A 1 hour walkthrough to make sure you understand ‘how it works’, ‘why it works’, and ‘why I do it like this’.
• A 1 hour walkthrough of ‘what to do next’ and how to split test your site to increase your conversions.
• I will setup your first traffic / PPC campaign (includes ads, and copy)
• A 1 hour walkthrough of your traffic / PPC campaign. (who, what, where, when, why, hows)
• A 1 hour walkthrough of ‘what to do next’ and how to measure, track, test and improve your ad / traffic / PPC campaigns.
• Typically I charge a minimum of $500 / hour for my consulting. $1,000 / hour for my ‘done for you’ services.

That means – with this package containing 5 hours of done for you site and ad campaign setup, and 4 hours of consultations – that normally you would be paying at LEAST $7,000 for this offer.

For the next 24 hours, and only for 2 more people – I am offering this to my friends, family and followers for only $2,000.

I have additional marketing services that I offer as well. Need something done? Let me know. There’s not much I can’t get done at an excellent level. We’ll work out a special deal – but ONLY for the next 24 hours.

Shoot me an email to shane (at) shanehunter (dot) org or private message me here on Facebook if you’re ready to get started.

If the price is hard to swallow, we can make out a payment arrangement so this’ll work for you.

Please feel free to share this status to help me get the word out and these spots filled.

If I wasn’t already hiring him, I’d be on this like white on rice.

Again, I get no kickback for telling you about this. I just know Shane is friggin’ surgeon when it comes to Facebook advertising

(And other kinds of traffic).

But he’s only offering this for 24 hours.

So if you’re interested, best hop to it.

Ben Settle

P.S. Another thing Shane is the best I’ve ever seen at doing is what’s called a “pattern interrupt” which makes it almost impossible for people to NOT at least look at your ads. Learning *just* that is worth the price in my humble (but accurate) opinion.

I’ve watched him create ads live, on the spot, for others.

Ain’t nobody I know better.

Check out these mangoes:

If you want to see lots of cool ways to market and sell (as well as some really dumb ways, but that’s another email) your products and services study the billion dollar comic book industry.

They have ways of boosting sales down pat.

Example:

One of the most popular Marvel Comics characters is Wolverine. In fact, for the past 40 years he’s been so popular, that for a long time it seemed as if every. single. month. he would “guest star” in another comic book to increase its sales.

Sales low on Fantastic Four?

Do a Wolverine guest appearance.

Want to boost interest in a brand spanking new title?

Toss Wolverine in.

Want to make the stockholders happy with short term sales cash surges even if it annoys the readers?

Throw in Wolvie “fast ball special” style.

And so on.

Easy peasy.

Anyway, how can you use this in your business?

Well, one of the best ways to get sales for products is to make the premium/bonus so hot and desirable that people buy the product more for the premium than for the product. And, one of the best ways to create a premium with perceived value that trumps even your main product is to include interviews and/or content with gurus in your market.

Of course, that then begs the question:

How do you get gurus to agree to doing that?

Especially if you are unknown to them?

The answer:

Become known to them.

It’s a LOT easier than you think.

And, the February “Email Players” issue contains a bonus training with a JV specialist who manages JV’s for John Reese and a bunch of other guys with big lists, influence and, yes, celebrity-guru appeal.

He shows you how to contact gurus.

How the game works.

And, how to profit like gangbusters from it all.

Very valuable stuff.

But, only for “Email Players” subscribers.

And, only if you subscribe before it mails.

Subscription info here:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

Last year I got a testimonial from one of my copywriting “heroes”:

Richard Armstrong.

(Yes, I am a Richard Armstrong fanboy.)

Richard is one of the scant few “A list” copywriters on the planet who has spent the last 40+ years slugging it out in the hyper competitive direct mail world. His clients have included everyone from Rodale, Boardroom and Phillips Publishing… to Reader’s Digest, Men’s Health and Newsweek… to Prevention Health Magazine, the ASCPA and, even, The Limbaugh Letter.

Anyway, here’s what he said:

“I start my day with reading from the Holy Bible and Ben Settle’s email, not necessarily in that order.”

Oh boy…

As if my ego wasn’t bloated enough.

Yikes.

Anyway, on to bid’niz:

You’ve got just 4 days to get in on the next “Email Players” issue before it goes to the printer.

What’s it about this time?

Women.

And money.

And, getting more of *both*.

(If you’re a woman or married, you can disregard the getting chicks part, and just reap the bounty of making more of the green stuff part…)

But time is short my little droogie.

Go here next:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

Today’s “Ben Settle Show” doesn’t contain even a shred of “content” or value. It’s simply a discussion about my political views on:

• Abortion (ooh)

• Guns

• Economics

• Taxes

• Big government

• Voting

• Law-making

• The poor

• Obama

A merry time will be had by all.

Download this fatty here:

www.BenSettleShow.com/itunes

Ben Settle

Sometimes I get questions from people asking me about if it’s “okay” to talk about politics, religion, etc in emails.

Should they play it safe?

Or, go balls out ranting on whatever they want?

I can’t speak for anyone else on this.

But, I have no problem doing it if it makes sense. Especially, to purge people off my list who either don’t belong in my world, or who aren’t emotionally capable of separating business from someone’s politics.

Case in point:

Tomorrow’s “Ben Settle Show” podcast.

It’s ALL about my “taboo” political views.

My goal is for it to anger some, amuse others, and enlighten the rest. If someone is “offended” by my views to the point they can’t stand me, then they should go read “Mother Jones”, watch MSNBC, or faint to Obama’s latest speech instead of reading my newsletter, products, or daily emails.

All right.

’nuff said.

It’ll be posted on iTunes tomorrow.

Check out our other podcast episodes here:

www.BenSettleShow.com/itunes

Ben Settle

So here’s the problem.

My ex-copywriting apprentice is going to the big Traffic & Conversion Summit in San Diego next month (which is good)… but, she’s going to be surrounded by homeless cats (which is bad).

Here’s what I mean:

She’s a generous, giving soul with her time and knowledge.

(The opposite of me.)

And, thus, when she first discovered her newfound copywriting and marketing “powers” she wanted to be a do-gooder and help people — even people she did not know — with free advice, tips, ideas, and, yes, giving away her time freely, without asking for anything in return. She primarily did this via hanging out in various Facebook groups networking and contributing to discussions. In one case, some bloke (who had never met her, or had seen any of her work) even asked her to JV with him in his new business, and they’d split the profits.

At first, she was flattered.

Then, I explained why she should ignore him.

The dude was a poser with nothing to offer and, even if he did, why would he offer her half his business if he doesn’t know her, had never met her, has never seen any of her work, or even knew she existed 24 hours earlier?

Doesn’t that seem a bit… oh, I dunno… suspect?

But, she felt bad for the guy.

(Again, she is a much nicer person than I am.)

So, she declined his invite, gave him some good advice instead, and then (figuratively) swatted him on the butt, gave him a cookie, and sent him on his merry way, thinking that was done and on to the next adventure.

But alas, it wasn’t so.

Like a homeless cat will do if you feed it just one time — he came back looking for MORE free advice, ideas, time from her, etc. (Specifically he wanted to know if she knew of a pirate site to download a $5k product for free.)

Shocking, no?

So once again, she dispensed free advice.

(Sending him to the sales letter so he could BUY it.)

And, once again, she thought this was it and he’d leave her alone. Of course, he didn’t leave her alone. He came back to burgle even more of her time and knowledge and ideas…

(She now ignores the hoser finally.)

The point?

To stroke my ego with “I told you so’s”?

No.

(Well, maybe…)

All I want to say is… don’t feed homeless cats.

Not just the ones who show up on your doorstep each night expecting a saucer of milk… but also the ones online who will come back again and again for more “food” (free time, ideas, products, etc) from you… and sometimes even getting hostile if you don’t give it.

Make them learn how to hunt on their own, instead.

It’s the only way to save them.

Here’s where to go next:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

Let me tell you a story.

A few months ago, my ex-copywriting apprentice (why do I like using that term so much? heh), accused me of being manipulative. Not maliciously manipulative, though. More like selfishly manipulative.

And, when she said why she thought that, I had to agree.

For example:

We were hanging out with some friends (a married couple) and they said they had to get going early. Now, I’m not Mr. Social by any means. But, I do like to venture forth from the elBenbo Lair once per week for a little… social interaction.

And, when I do, I expect everyone else to follow suit.

(It’s just how I be.)

Thus, I decided I wasn’t going to let them go home.

So I simply asked:

“Why do you have to go? It’s only 5:00.”

“We told our son we’d be home by 6.”

Now, their son is 25 but autistic, so you can’t necessarily blame them for wanting to go home. But, being the selfish little bastard I am, I pressed on…

“What happens if you don’t go home?”

“…”

There really was no answer.

Fact is, their son would be fine.

And they knew it.

I simply used a question to give them a vision of what would happen (i.e. nothing, he’d probably be watching TV). And thus, I gave them another option for the evening, which they were free to accept or reject of their own free will.

All with one question.

A question, apparently, I use a lot.

(Without realizing I’m doing this.)

In fact, my ex-copywriting apprentice says I do the same thing to her and everyone else when I want to hang out with people — despite them having more (so-called) important things to do. I say something like, “What happens if you don’t go now?” or “What happens if you reschedule your appointment for tomorrow instead, and we go wine tasting today?” or “What happens if you go with me to get some tasty buffalo wings instead of working on that job right now?”

And so on, and so forth.

The answer is always the same:

Nothing.

Life will go on.

I simply show them another option. (An option they prefer to the alternative, which my question gives them an excuse to do.)

The point?

I don’t know what the point is.

Except, when you want to manipu– er, I mean persuade someone to do something, take a page out of the world’s most feared negotiator’s (Jim Camp) book and ask questions that show them another option.

Don’t beg.

Or con.

Or lecture.

Or plead.

Ask.

Speaking of which…

The February “Email Players” issue is full of tips and advice for being more persuasive (not just in emails, but in your personal life) that are just as effective and, I suppose, unconventional as the tip above.

Where do you subscribe?

I’m glad you asked.

Go here:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

Recently, a friend asked:

“In the ___ space, for daily/regular emails – what would be a good open rate and click through rate?”

My answer:

There’s no standard good or bad open or click rate.

What matters is ROI.

Did it make a profit or not, and how much? After all, when you go to the bank to deposit your profits, the teller doesn’t ask “Sir, how many clicks and opens did you get?”

More:

I further told him if he’s pressed on this question again by a would-be client, to tell the person asking it depends on their list (are they buyers or freebie seekers?)… their relationship with that list (does the list hear from the client daily with useful and entertaining info or once per month with boring info or just blatant pitches?)… the client’s marketplace positioning (are they a household name in their niche or a start up?)… their personal brand (does the client have rockstar appeal or mere expert appeal?)… the deliverability of the auto-responder company (is it a reputable company or a start up with no relationships with the various blacklisting sites?)… and a bunch more things outside your control.

That’s just how it be, my little droogie.

All right.

End of sermon.

While there are a lot of things outside your control (the above are just a few), the one thing that IS in your control is how you write your emails.

Are they dull and boring, people ignore?

Or exciting and fascinating people look forward to?

To learn how to write the latter kind, go here:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

Q&A time…

“Ben, why are you doing podcasts?”

This seemed an odd question considering how much I’ve talked about this, and that I’ve had one going for nigh on a year now.

But mayhaps he’s new around here.

Anyway, here are just a few reasons why:

1. Audience building/bonding

2. Therapy (I get to let all my thoughts, ideas, rants, and brain farts out like air from a balloon)

3. Sales

Over the past 12 months several paying customers have told me they either found me first via my podcast, or that it was the combo of my daily emails and weekly podcasts that turned them to the Ben side of the Force.

Moral of the story?

“Why are you doing podcasts” is the wrong question.

The real question is:

“Why AREN’T you doing one?”

Hm?

Next:

“Ben, have you ever thought about offering a $1 trial into your email players continuity?”

For about .0007 seconds I considered it.

First, you already get a free trial.

When you opt in to my list, you get the first issue (in pdf, of course, not print). So a $1 trial is kinda irrelevant at that point. Especially since I pretty much only pitch “Email Players” 95% of the time to my list anyway.

Secondly:

I don’t like the price shopper mentality $1 trials attract.

It’s a great offer for software, etc.

But not something like “Email Players”.

I’m no interested in offering a $1 trial to my elite, high quality content than Rolls Royce is in offering its high end, players-with-money (as the late great Gary Halbert called ‘em) customers a $1 trial. Like with Rolls Royce, you get a test drive (i.e. the opt in issue I give away). And while on that drive, you can go ye forth and use my test drive to make all the sales you want with.

(And many people do.)

Bottom line?

I want value shoppers not price shoppers.

Value shoppers play to win.

Price shoppers play to not lose — dipping their pinky toes in the water so they can decide if they want to stick with it vs chasing after some other BSO that catches their eye.

Nah boo.

All right, that’s it for today.

“Email Players” subscription info here:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle