The Blizzard Effect
• A blizzard of marketing and sales messages every day• Prospects defend themselves from advertising to avoid getting overwhelmed• They shake out the advertising inserts in the weekend papers, delete emails etc.
Chameleon Advertising
BIG IDEA: We need to make our marketing messages blend in with valuable content – so that it doesn’t look like advertising
Offer an Irresistible Carrott
• People are looking for something which is valuable to them at that moment•Give the promise of great content as an incentive in a format that looks valuable – video ‘presentation’, PDF report etc, book, magazine.
The Ultimate Chameleon – The Magalog
•Sales letter disguised as a magazine •A kitchen table keeper – not ‘trash can fodder’•Front page and whole design looks like a magazine•Big promises to the urgent problems and desires of the market
Editorial Note and Table of Contents
• Reinforces magazine style
• Provides powerful ‘benefits’ of reading further •Presells your offer
Build in Proof Early On
• Quantifiable proof is best• May be from known identities or ‘ordinary’ customers• Add more proof throughout the Magalog
Enter the Conversation in The Reader’s Mind…
•Speak to their biggest problems and desires• This is ‘must have’ information• Embed curiosity so readers feel they HAVE to read the unique content inside…
Content / Promotion Balance
• Balance should be approximately 50:50• Content should be relevant, useful, actionable information•The content is also selling the reader on the product(s)•Segué into what you’re offering
Use Research Based Proof Elements and Illustrations
Effectively
• Illustrations and diagrams attract attention and intrigue the reader.•A picture tells a thousand words –a graph or diagram can tell a million