Ben Settle

Ready for “Tightwad Marketing Secret” #3?

Okay then, let’s hit it:

This 3rd one is something a lot of people may have heard of… but almost nobody understands.

And while it mostly applies to local businesses, it’s an extremely cheap (literally the cost of a cup of coffee) way to market.

What am I talking about?

I first heard about this back in my netwerk marketing days.

It was a brilliant idea then, and it’s even MORE brilliant now.

Especially since with the tanking economy, more people may be open to it.

Here’s how it works:

Basically, you contact 5 or 10 (or however many you want) other local businesses in your area — all non-competing, with no two the same kind of business — and ask them to join your business breakfast club.

So, for example, you can have the copywriter, the web designer, the bankruptcy lawyer, the accountant, the mechanic, the roofer, the printer, the bizopp guy etc.

And maybe once per week you meet at the local coffee shop, cafe, bagel place, whatever…

… and just exchange leads.

For instance:

You have Mike the mechanic at the table with Bubba the bizopp guy, and Mike’s friend is afraid of getting laid off and is looking for a way to make moolah in his spare time. So Mike gives his buddy’s contact info to Bubba.

Or, Chester the copywriter might know someone who needs their books done and gives that person’s contact info to Al the accountant.

Or, Luke the lawyer knows someone looking for a good roofer, and gives that person’s contact info to Roland the Roofer.

Or, Paul the printer has clients desperate to start marketing online but don’t know how (there are LOTS of businesses like this in your hometown), and gives Ike the Internet marketing consultant all these clients’ info.

And so on, and so forth.

Anyway, so instead of y’all selling each other… you’re simply exchanging leads.

And when you get a lead, you just contact that person and say:

“You don’t know me, but we have a mutual friend. His name is Al Accountant and he suggested I contact you…”

See how that works?

Not only do you get hot leads ALREADY LOOKING for a business just like yours…

… but they come with a juicy endorsement from someone those leads know.

Very powerful stuff for prospecting and selling.

And works for almost anything you can sell locally.

Ben Settle

P.S. Since yesterday’s post about publicity, a few people have asked if I write press releases, what my fees are, my availability, etc.

If you want the inside scoop on this, simply go to:

No time for dilly-dally today.

Let’s jump right into Tightwad Marketing Secret #2:

PR is, IMHO, the ultimate marketing strategy.

Nothing else even comes close.

Why?

Because media publicity (when done right) will inoculate you — like a vaccine — against the rising tide of consumer skepticism and competing advertising.

And literally make you a “celebrity” overnight.

It’s true.

Once you get on the radio, on the TV or in the newspapers, you automatically become an instant celebrity — with the implied endorsement of the media.

And like it or not… in today’s “celebrity-obsessed” culture, people shower celebrities with WAY more attention, respect and money than they do “experts.”

Plus, here’s another biggie:

Media publicity gives you some extremely powerful “ready made” marketing pieces prepared for you — free.

These take the form of newspaper (or magazine) articles, radio interviews and TV interviews.

And make no mistake about it:

Copies of these articles and interviews are FAR more effective than any “advertising” you can write yourself or hire some hotshot copywriter to do for ya.

Instead of being easily-ignored “sales pitches” — they are informational articles (which happen to sell your products and services if you know how the “game” is played when you talk to reporters).

Plus, think of the power your ad will have when you put media quotes in it.

It’s one thing to read a testimonial from Joe Blow in Jerkwater Heights, IL.

It’s quite another to read a quote from a New York Times reporter.

More:

When you know how to use them, these media pieces are “timeless.”

You can use them forever — and for ANYTHING you sell.

Frankly, it doesn’t even matter if what you’re selling is directly related to your media stories.

Just saying you’ve been featured in USA Today or been on dozens of talk shows gives you an air of credibility and “star power” your competition can’t touch with a 10 foot pole.

Finally… media publicity is cheap.

It only costs a “whopping” 6 cents per fax if you use a service like JBlast.com.

You can send 1,000 press releases for $60!

All it takes is ONE of those 1,000 to give you that coveted “celebrity positioning” in your market.

And (of course) you’ll get lots of sales, traffic and leads, too.

Happens all the time.

And hey, if you’re REALLY a tightwad, and 6 cents is too much, you can use a website like RadioGuestList.com to find online talk shows and contact them by email.

I just did this recently for my dog book, and will soon be on an Internet talk show heard by some 10,000 people.

Think I’ll be able to sell a few books to an audience that big?

Anyway, so that’s Tightwad Marketing Secret #2: Media publicity.

I can’t recommend it enough.

Ben Settle

P.S. There is one little “snag” about publicity:

In order to use it, you MUST know how to write a press release. Trying to get the media to interview you without a press release is like trying to get a job interview without a resume.

It just ain’t gonna happen.

In Appendix 11 of my upcoming Copywriting Grab Bag book, I walk you step by step through writing a press release using an extremely successful press release I wrote as an example — complete with the actual press release itself for you to model.

Anyway, it should be ready within the next 30 days (hopefully).

If you want to be notified when it’s released, go to:

Yesterday I said I’d send you 7 gifts over the next week.

Each “gift” being a way to market your business cheaply and effectively during ’09 and beyond.

Or, what I call “Tightwad Marketing Secrets”.

Here’s numero uno:

Now hold on a second there, partner.

If the mere thought of public speaking gives you the “heebie-jeebies”, I totally understand.

Apparently, more people are afraid of speaking than dying.

Yikes.

Whatever the case, it’s an extremely powerful (and dirt cheap) way to market.

And there are 3 reasons why you should at least **consider** it:

1. The Podium Effect

What’s the podium effect?

The podium effect is a phenomenon where people instantly and automatically respect, trust and believe people who talk at seminars or small workshops.

In other words… you can be a complete “nobody” in your market now but, the second you start speaking, you are suddenly the top dawg.

Almost anything you say is taken as “gospel.”

And (believe it or not) refunds of product you sell during your talk are practically non-existent.

Pretty cool, eh?

2. Instant Product Creation

This is another powerful benefit of speaking:

When you’re done, you got a product.

But, not just any old product.

This is a product with “built-in” proof and credibility.

A product with some TEETH.

It’s true.

When you sell a recorded talk, and you say in your ad copy, “This is a speech I gave at…” all the sudden it has some “oomph!”

It’s not a slapped-together eBook or MP3 made in the safety of some kid’s basement.

No, your product has some friggin’ sex appeal.

It’s different and sexy and unique.

Something everyone is looking for more of.

3. Nobody Else Is Doing It

Let’s face it:

Hardly anyone gives public talks.

Hey, I admit, I’ve yet to do it myself (it’s one of my ’09 goals.)

All of which means, if YOU give a talk… you can be 99% sure none of your competition is reaching your market the same way.

It’s like getting an exclusive full-page ad on page 1 of a high-selling publication.

You get all the prestige and positioning and selling power your “non-speaking” competition can only dream of hiding behind their computers.

And do you know what the real beauty of this is?

It doesn’t have to be hard.

You don’t have to speak in front of thousands of strangers.

You can do it at your local library or bookstore or anywhere comfortable for you.

It can even be as laid back as doing “Q&A” sitting on a stool.

That’s easy, isn’t it?

OK, so that’s Tightwad Marketing Secret #1: Public Speaking

It’s cheap (free in many cases).

And can bring you some truly eazy money.

You can learn more about public speaking in the interview I did with JP Maroney.

JP is a serial business builder, author and public speaker who routinely earns tens of thousands of dollars per speech using a unique method he’s developed over the past several years.

This is (by FAR) the most “underrated” interview on my site.

And in some ways the most valuable, too.

JP shows you things like: Tips for banishing your fear of public speaking… Selling on stage without coming off as a “salesman”… Creating products with your talks… Using public speaking to launch new products or services…

… and a whole lot more.

Anyway, you can grab it (it’s free) today at:

Ben Settle

Well, here we are — on the doorstep of 2009.

But before you open that door, I want to give some advice.

I know you did not ask for this advice.

And so, I certainly won’t be offended if you ignore it.

BUT… I highly encourage you to at least consider it.

Doing so can make you stick out head and shoulders from the crowd in ’09 — especially when the “band aids” on the economy peel off and reveal the gooey, puss-infected wounds underneath.

Anyway, here’s my advice:

Focus on getting customers instead buyers.

I first learned this in a short, $20 book called “The System Letters” by Ken McCarthy.

And it’s one of the single most important business lessons I have ever heard — that radically changed the way I do business.

Why?

What’s the big deal?

Well, think about it this way:

A BUYER is someone who buys ONE time.

He MIGHT buy again some day.

But usually, he buys one time and then moves on to the next bigger and better thing.

A CUSTOMER, on the other hand… makes it a “custom” to buy from you over and over and over.

So instead of a one-time sale, he buys from you multiple times — years into the future.

Plus, many of these extra sales are practically handed to you on a silver platter because of all the trust, and respect and loyalty they have for you.

I call it “selling in advance.”

And it’s by FAR the easiest and most reliable way to sell.

Because even if your sales pitch sucks or you break all the “rules” of copywriting, selling and marketing, it won’t matter.

They aren’t buying the “thing.”

They are buying YOU.

The mere fact YOU are offering it is good enough for them.

It’s the ultimate form of positioning.

And it lets even total “newbies” take market share quickly.

Anyway, I’m no prophet.

Heck, I’m not even a “Miss Cleo.”

But I stand behind this prediction for 2009 and beyond:

The few (and there aren’t many) marketers who go after “customers”… instead of “buyers”… will prosper BIG TIME.

They will have FAR more peace of mind and financial security as the economy explodes and most businesses start running around like be-headed chickens.

And when the dust settles, they’ll still be standing.

So here ya have it.

I’ll see ya in ’09.

Ben Settle

As a comic book geek, my “fanboy” hairs stood up with this news:

Zack Snyder — who directed the brilliant “300” and upcoming “Watchmen” movies — wants to direct the movie version of “The Dark Knight Returns”.

This story is about an older, out-of-shape Batman who comes out of retirement due to rising crime and violence.

It’s psychologically dark, “gritty” and unlike anything at the time.

In fact, it changed the entire comic book industry forever…

… and even saved “Batman” from cancellation.

(Bats wasn’t always as popular as he is today.)

What does this have to do with your copywriting?

This:

In one “scene”, Batman lugs an unconscious gang-banger to a building top — and holds him there face down, looking at the street.

And when the sociopathic killer regains consciousness, all he sees is blackness — as Batman’s hand covers his eyes.

After asking this killer a few questions (and getting nothing back but mindless drivel about his “rights”)…

… Batman removes one finger from the guy’s eyes at a time — until he sees where he’s at (hanging by a thread by Batman’s “weak arm”) and starts telling Batman what he wants to hear.

As Batman says:

“It was tough work carrying 220 pounds of sociopath to the top of Gotham Towers — the highest spot in the city. The scream alone is worth it.”

Anyway, what’s the point?

How in the world can this help you write better ads?

The answer is simple:

Ol’ Bats made the gang-banger an “offer he couldn’t refuse.”

In other words:

Batman would not drop sociopath from 300 feet in the air, if sociopath told Batman what he wanted to hear.

And guess what?

In a way, that’s EXACTLY what great ads do, too.

No… not with threat of violence, you silly.

But by making your offers so “in harmony” with what your customer wants… whether it be to eliminate a pain or gain something they desperately desire (or both)… he almost can’t HELP buying from you.

Even if he didn’t originally want the product you’re selling.

And even if your ad is poorly “written.”

Frankly, if you get your offer right, your customer has no choice but buy.

Which is why more sales are made NOT with brilliant writing…

… but with brilliant OFFERS.

What’s the moral of the story?

Put time — LOTS of time — into your offers.

In fact, if you’re going to swipe something, swipe the kind of dramatic, “ballsy” offers your loudmouth competition is scared to match.

It’s like having a 40 meter head-start in a 100 meter race.

And let’s you “win” without needing to be the best “copywriter.”

Ben Settle

P.S. You can learn 3 powerful ways of creating “can’t refuse” offers (that go WAY beyond lame-o 30 or 90 day guarantees) in chapter 32 of “The Copywriting Grab Bag”:

One of them in particular is especially good, that I learned while while writing ads for a martial arts guru a few years back.

You can get it at a special discount if you’re on the “VIP” notification list at the above link.

Got a funny swipe file story to share with you.

At least, I think it’s funny.

Some people reading this — especially anyone who mindlessly swipes online sales letters — probably won’t find it funny.

Anyway, here’s what happened:

Recently, a copywriter emailed me an ad he insisted I just “had to put in my swipe file” from some marketing dude (I’d never even heard of) who makes tens of zillions of dollars or whatever.

So, being a sucker for stuff like this, I immediately read it.

Holy shnikes this ad was amusing.

It was packed top to bottom with one over-hyped claim after another — complete with exclamation points and all-cap letters.

Paragraphs were interrupted by “speed bumps” — like empty, “Gee, I think you’re neat” testimonials and photo-shopped bank statements. (They looked fake, but what do I know?)

And there was no story, or logical flow of information, or even any respect for the reader.

It actually kinda hurt my head (and probably my IQ) to read it.

And yet, this is (I guess) considered “good copy.”

And what makes it “good copy” is (I guess) the fact the guy running it is a “guru” who’s supposedly rolls in the dough.

Listen, I’m not “guru bashing” here (whatever that means).

But there are people out there who really want — and NEED — to learn copywriting. People who don’t have a lot of time to mess around. People who are maybe a paycheck away from starving or who desperately want to become a full time copywriter.

And if that’s you, then here’s some advice:

Don’t be so quick to sip the swipe file “kool aid.”

Just because an ad “raked in a millyun dollars” (on the Internet) doesn’t mean you should swipe it.

In fact, 9 times out 10, not only would I NOT swipe most “million dollar” online sales letters…

… I’d ignore them, delete them and probably even BURN them.

The wrong ones could literally set you back years.

And, in many cases, their success has FAR more to do with being mailed to lists of people who will buy anything the marketer sells (some of these guys could put their grocery lists with an order button up and people’d buy from it), than the strength of the “copy.”

So what (or who) should you study, then?

Personally, I dig the copywriting masters.

Like Claude Hopkins, John Caples, Gary Bencivenga, Gary Halbert, David Deutsch, Doug D’Anna, Jim Rutz… and anyone whose copy competes (and wins) against other extremely talented copywriters head-to-head.

It’s easy to spot ads from these copywriters.

They have a certain eloquence, charm and “depth” to them.

There are no dorky sales tricks or “mind control tactics.”

And they talk to you intelligently — like you’re a rational thinking person — instead of like they think you belong on the “short bus” to school.

But hey… don’t take my word for it.

Check ’em out for yourself.

Last year I compiled a ton of ads like this (and websites where you can find them) in a swipe file report at:

You won’t find many Internet sales letters in there.

But you will find ads from some truly great copywriters.

The kind of stuff (IMHO) you SHOULD study.

Check it out today, it’s free.

Ben Settle

Been getting a LOT of emails from people asking more or less the same question about my opinion of sales letters used in recent product launches. So I should definitely clarify something:

I think some of them are actually extremely good. (For example, unlike a lot of copywriters, I actually liked the Traffic Secrets 2.0 letter). And I know of some that were originally good, but then mangled by some committee (happened to a copywriter friend of mine last year, very frustrating). The point is not what “not” to study, but what “to” study.

And if you can’t tell the difference, you should probably just stick with studying the “tried and true” copywriting masters until you can tell the difference.

It’ll save you a lot of time, and keep you out of a lot of trouble.

Since it’s Christmas Eve, I want to tell you about a present.

A present that can make a HUGE impact on your business next year.

You can grab it now at:

This is an extremely valuable video Terry Dean made about the internal workings of his business.

In fact, there is so much pure content and “for real” useful information in this video, it makes most of the other guru “free content” out there look almost silly.

I hope you get at LEAST as much out of it as I did.

Have a great Christmas, my friend, and I’ll see ya soon.

Ben Settle

P.S. One thing you will notice in Terry’s video is his emphasis on using email — how that’s where the real “gold” is online.

And if you want to learn his unique way of using email, I HIGHLY recommend his “Email Mastery” course:

If you buy from this link, send me your receipt and I’ll give you an exclusive interview I did with Jay White (the “go to” email copywriter for guys like Alex Mandossian, Stephen Pierce, Rich Schefren and Jeff Walker) about email copywriting that is part of my “Affiliate Trump Card” system.

Ever watch that movie “Bonnie & Clyde”?

Pretty gruesome movie.

Especially the end — when ol’ B&C get sprayed with bullets.

And while it may be gruesome…

… it’s a perfect “metaphor” for copywriting.

Because, you see, many of the best ads are almost ALL bullets.

They “spray” their customers with lots and lots and lots of bullets — bam! bam! bam! — one irresistible benefit and unique “twist” after another…

… until — sweet Moses! — they GOTTA have the “thing” sold.

This is why I consider bullets to be numero uno.

More important than your body copy.

More important than your leads and hooks.

And even more important than the all-sacred headline.

Blasphemy, you say?

Well, think about it:

What is your headline and subheads and leads and guarantee copy and PS’s other than your best bullets?

Maybe not in “bullet” form…

… but the super-dramatic tension and drama and power is there.

And you can easily “shape” them into whatever you want.

So bullets are big time important.

And some extremely expensive products have sold on the power of just one, itty-bitty bullet point.

But here’s the thing:

Most people simply don’t know how to write a decent bullet.

In fact, most bullets you see (especially online) are limp and lifeless.

There’s no “energy” in them.

No drama.

No twisting or turning or tension.

As Ken McCarthy (the best bullet point teacher I’ve ever seen) told me when I interviewed him for my Copywriting Grab Bag book — most bullets are not really bullets.

They’re more life wuffle balls — easily avoided & ignored.

And it’s the few people who know how to write bullets — and really understand how they work — that seem to have the least amount of problem writing ads.

It comes so easily and naturally once you get bullets down.

Bottom line?

Nobody spends enough time on their bullets.

Which means, if YOU spend a lot of time on YOUR bullets, and really work on getting them right, you will give yourself a gigantic advantage over your competition.

Simple?

Oh yeah.

And that’s the beauty of it.

Ben Settle

P.S. One of the unique bonuses I give away when you buy John Angel’s swipe file course from my affiliate link at www.SwipefileSecrets.com

is a cool bullet point “cheat sheet.”

Just take these bullet point “templates”, insert your own claims and ideas, and — BAM! instant bullets ready to fire away.

But you can ONLY get this cheat sheet when you buy John’s swipe file course from my affiliate link at:

And then email me your receipt at: ben [at] bensettle.com.

(Also, when you go to the order page, make sure you see my affiliate name “vantagenet” at the bottom. Otherwise you won’t get credit for buying it and I can’t send you the bullet point cheat sheet.)

P.P.S. And speaking of bullet points…

I’ve been kicking around doing a tele-seminar about bullets.

Is that something you’d be interested in?

If there’s enough interest, I’ll do one in early ’09.

Let me know, k?

A while back, I wrote a strange blog post about Twitter.

It listed 10 “tweets” I wrote that generated more feedback, direct messages and emails than the others.

I actually wrote the post for my own amusement, and didn’t think anyone would think anything of it either way.

Well, I was wrong.

Because soon after, I got an email from a UK social marketing consultant named Glen Crosier.

Glen wanted to interview me about why those tweets were more popular than the others.

The result was a 34 minute interview analyzing all 10 of those tweets — one at a time — and the “psychology” behind them.

However, before you listen, take the info with a grain of salt.

I am NOT a twitter expert by any means.

In fact, I don’t think I can trace any moolah from Twitter.

But I have had a lot of fun with it.

And if a guy like Glen found value in it, then maybe you will, too.

Whatever the case, here ya go:

www.facebook.com/people/Glen-Crosier/1364781200
www.twitter.com/glencrosier