Before I type another word… a disclaimer:
I’m probably the very last person anyone should listen to about social media. This is especially true since I am not on any social media, and haven’t been in over 9 months. But, even so, I believe the two tips below can significantly increase the sales, brand power, and influence of anyone who is on social media who isn’t foolish enough to think the unbending laws of direct response don’t apply as much (if not more) to social media as they do any other kind of media.
Here goes:
1. Likes don’t keep on the lights
Arguably the dumbest marketing consultant idea ever invented is advertising:
“Like us on Facebook!”
Think about what that means:
Sending potential leads, opt-ins, customers, clients, etc to a platform you don’t control, that can de-platform you on a whim or hide your posts, that you can’t export your audience to (like you can an email or direct mail list), run by people that cheerfully sell & abuse your personal data, in hopes that you’ll get a bunch of people to like and share said page, and stick around to hear more about you and then maybe, just maybe, going to your site and opting in or buying something.
It’s as amusing as it is pointless.
And, it’s another reason why there isn’t any so-called “competition” anymore.
2. My second favorite direct response marketing “law”:
“Sell one thing at a time”
Putting up a post and tagging 34 people you want your audience to follow, or suggesting your audience follow a list of multiple people in a single tweet is honorable, I guess. But if you really want to promote someone as someone to follow, talk about one person at a time.
For one thing, your audience is far more likely to take action.
And for another thing, you’ll be doing that person a much bigger favor than lumping them in with several others so you will have more room to talk about (i.e. sell) them.
All right, I’ve already said more than I know.
Speaking of “laws”:
I mentioned the “sell one thing at a time” law being my second favorite. And the reason that’s my second favorite is because my #1 favorite is so powerful, it can work to make a business a lot of sales even if it ignorantly ignores the sell only one thing at a time law.
I write about it extensively in the September “Email Players” issue.
The deadline to get it is in a couple days.
Here’s the link:
Ben Settle
