My favorite quote of all time has been attributed to Abraham Lincoln who said;
"If I had 8 hours to chop down a tree.... I'd spend the first seven hours sharpening my axe". What does this mean? It means putting yourself in the optimal position to get the results you desire as efficiently as possible.
It means doing your home work, knowing your Niche, and knowing your audience, intimately. In particular their key emotional drivers. Why is that important? Because in every case, a purchase comes down to an emotional driver. No if's and's or but's.
Basically you have to convince your ideal customer that the value of what you have to offer is greater than the cost of acquiring it. To do that, you must be persuasive.
Perhaps you've heard the following anecdotes;
Don't sell the mop, sell the shiny floor. (So I can feel proud of my home)
Don't sell the car, sell the roar of the engine. (So I can impress girls)
Don't sell the mattress, sell a good nights sleep. (So I can feel more energetic)
Do you see the difference? Nobody wants a drill, what they really want is a hole. Think like this and you're well on your way.
Throughout my career as a "Googologist", I've read countless books on every facet of online marketing. One of my all time favorites is "Influence, the psychology of persuasion by Robert Cialdini".
https://www.amazon.com/…/0…/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_CFyOzbG7NQB2V (non aff link)
If you're serious about making a living online or promoting your physical storefront online, you will be well rewarded for learning everything you can about persuasion marketing and psychology. And you have to be damn good
at it. After all, there is no friendly salesperson helping your customers on your site. Answering their questions, pointing them to the cash register etc. You have to anticipate your audiences fears, desires and motivations.
Here's a simple example;
How many of you get spam? Everyone? I'm shocked. Lol. We all probably have our own ritual of "The Daily Purge" where we go through our email and purge the emails for Viagra, the prince from Africa who needs your help transferring $50M dollars, The endless multitude of "Buy My Sh!t" offers. You all know what I mean. You and your customers know that it will only get worse every time you give up your email.
So when you - or your customers- are hovering over the Submit button, what are you/they thinking about? Most likely it's one or several of the following fears:
Problem 1....Eeesh, if I give them my email will they sell it to every spammer on the planet?
Problem 2.....Do I even know if this has value for me before I give up my email? Are they going to email me every day? (Very common mistake).
Problem 3.....If it turns out I don't like what I get, is it going to be a major pain to unsubscribe?
By thinking through user psychology, you can allay their fears. Here's a few simple and mostly common sense tips.
First, make SURE your customer knows what you want them to do, as in "CLICK HERE DUMMY!" Use a BAB (Big A$$ Button - if you can't see it clearly from 5 feet away, it's too small. You've probably seen a "Squeeze Page", they are purposefully designed for this.
Second, make sure you have text right near the submit button that states something like "we respect your privacy" or "we hate spam too!" Along with the link to your privacy policy. Use a pop up for the PP so you keep them
in the funnel. Don't give them an excuse to jump the fence. They close the pop up (which hardly any one reads) and they're right back at the BAB. Pop ups aren't just for the cool factor, there are times to use them and times not to. Again, purposeful design.
You thought the Privacy Policy page was just legal gibberish? It's not, it's a persuasion technique. That's why every site should have one. Take it further and let them know how often they will receive communications from you and keep your promise. Problem 1 Solved.
Problem 2... Prove Value FIRST! How about a link to a few of your previous emails or information you've previously sent before they subscribe so they can see it's worth their time. That and a well designed intro video will increase your CTR. Problem 2 Solved.
Problem 3.. Is it going to be a pain to unsubscribe if I don't want to receive correspondence from you? Let them know that if they do decide to unsubscribe, that you've made it super simple such as having a graphic or text
to the effect of "1 Click Unsubscribe". Purposeful design. I shouldn't even have to visit a web page, and enter my email address then choose to opt out of your 12 different newsletters. (Another common mistake). 1 Click.. that's it. Be smart.
Oh, and lastly, don't ask for more than the minimum of information you need to continue to warm up the customer and move them towards a future purpose. I typically only ask for their first name and email.
I really only need the name so I can customize my emails, I.e. Dear [FIRSTNAME], yadda yadda...
Remember, this is a first date, they need to get to know you before giving out too much personal info, don't you feel that way? How would you feel if your on your first outing your date asks:
So, approximately how much are you pulling down per year? Did you do well in college? Is your family wealthy? Have you had lots of previous girl/boy friends? You get the idea.
As a marketer, I don't even need a name, just an email. If I can get the name and other info great. but don't ask me to give that up until I know you're worth my time. Remember that unsubscribe button is just a click away. Don't give me a reason to use it.
As you prove value, they get to know you and trust you. Today's marketing automation does a great job of building out the customer profile with future communications, surveys, etc.
Since I suffer from "IDKWIDKY", I would love to hear about other books you all feel have been invaluable to you.
So give it up people! Tell me where to learn what I Don't Know... yet
(Pronounced "IdkeeWidekee" - IDKWIDKY = I Don't Know What I Don't Know Yet).