Hi, folks...
Yes, that email yesterday really was from me. I got a few
comments about it, but the most fun was this one, from Wendy:
"Wait a minute - an email from Paul that only has 43
words, not counting the greeting and signature? My
computer must be broken!! :-)
"(Kidding ya Paul, it's a powerful insight and size
don't matter! LOL)"
She wasn't subscribed when I sent the shortest issue ever.
Leaving out the (similarly brief) greeting and signature, it
was all of 16 words. And equally useful.
Huh? Yes, I'll tell you what that was, right after I tell you
this...
"Say WHAT?"
=========
The world just keeps getting weirder.
I went hunting for some pet supplies the other day. The first
two pet stores I went to didn't have the main thing I was after
- de-worming liquid for cats. I figured I'd check one of the
department stores. They had it, so I grabbed that and some dog
treats, and headed for the register. Picked up some lighters
along the way. When she was finished ringing them up, the
cashier asked to see my driver's license. As I reached for it,
I asked, "For which."
She pointed to the lighters. And then said she'd have to scan
my license.
I put my wallet away and said something like, "I know this
isn't your doing, so please don't take this personally, but I
won't be taking this stuff. I'm 54 years old. You don't sell
anything the state has any business tracking my purchases of.
Thank you, though, ma'am."
(I'm kind of weird that way. I also
don't use "shopper's cards.")
As I walked out the door, all I could think was, "They'll sell
me a potentially lethal toxin and not even blink, but they want
to *scan* a state-issued ID for a pack of Bics?"
Whoever came up with that idea has been exposed to too many
Internet rays...
"An Interesting Idea"
===================
That story actually does relate to marketing, but in an odd
way. Mostly how we come up with ideas to test.
As I was driving home from that store, a picture popped into my
head. A small graphic with a box of D-Con (rat poison) and a
Bic lighter, with bar codes below each. Arrows from the bar
codes, pointing to text balloons. The one coming off the rat
poison said, "Sell as groceries." The one from the lighter
said, "Age Restricted: Scan ID!"
I could see people sharing that. How about you?
....
That got me thinking of a way to turn a minor skill into a
potentially significant promotional system.
Despite my long-windedness in the newsletters, I'm pretty good
at creating the occasional pithy aphorism or quotable quote.
(Dr Mani calls them "Myersisms.") The image that occurred to me
the other day prompted me to wonder if those short bits and
bytes might not be useful in graphic form.
That prompted some questions:
* Can they drive traffic?
* Which kind will drive the most?
* Will the traffic be targeted enough to subscribe?
and what factors might affect that?
* What platforms might this be most effective on?
* Will it be worth the time investment?
* Can it be leveraged?
* Would the really popular graphics sell on specialty
items through Cafe Press?
* What else have I not considered?
I have no idea what the answer to those questions is. It could
be a mega hit or a massive waste of time. But, you never know
until you test it, so that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to
take my small and highly specialized knack and see if I can
turn it into a reproducible technique for promoting a product
or service, without spamming or any of that other garbage.
I'll keep you informed.
....
I'll probably add the full details to the "Content Cash
System" or "Creating Killer Content." It could fit either of
them, with appropriate extra notes.
By the way... If you've looked at those and not grabbed a copy
yet, you should. At least you should if you sell anything
online.
"Killer Content" is useful for anyone who promotes products or
services online. Check that out at:
http://talkbiz.com/killercontent/?e=1
"Content Cash" is primarily for people who already know how to
create useful, entertaining, or interesting material and are
looking to leverage that for a lot more traffic per article or
video.
http://talkbiz.com/contentcash/?e=1
That's the good stuff, folks.
....
The shortest issue of the newsletter ever? From January 11,
2005. Yes, it was that long ago:
"Myers' Marketing Maxim"
Benefits exist in the head and the heart.
Everything else is a feature.
I could give that a different title and turn it into a useful
graphic. I don't know how many people would "get" it quickly
enough to share it, but that's part of the fun, yes?
People will surprise you.
....
We all have little talents like that. All of us. Things we do
without being able to explain. Sometimes things we don't even
realize are talents, but people keep commenting on anyway.
Look at yours. How can you tweak them to fit the systems
already in place online? Can you leverage them into solutions
or entertainment or education for some group?
Or maybe it's a way of looking at things that other people
"get" intuitively when you share your perspective, but would
not have "gotten" without that point of view.
Figure it out, and think about how you can make it fit and make
it pay.
It's there. I guarantee you it is. You just need to keep
asking questions until you find it. Or them, which is more
likely...
Paul
PS: Here are those links again, in case you want a little help
with the search...
"Creating Killer Content"
http://talkbiz.com/killercontent/?e=1
"The Content Cash System"
http://talkbiz.com/contentcash/?e=1
-----===(*)===-----
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http://www.buy-paul-a-beer.com
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