Managing a launch from my iPhone in the rain on the way to a meeting!
In another blog post I wrote about online launches and why they are a great strategy to start or grow your business. I also pointed out that an online launch isn’t just a matter of having the latest ‘launch’ software or platform for running a launch. There are a bunch of other things that are essential to have in place before a ‘launch’. I delved into market research and discussed getting traffic and now it’s time to discuss conversion – that is, how to get the people to do the thing that you want them to do.
Conversion – or being able to close the sale – is a very valuable skill. In a launch, you have multiple ’shots’ at closing the sale and this is one reason why a launch is a great idea. Instead of putting all your hopes on the success of one sales letter or one video, you’re increasing your chances by spreading out your conversion opportunities – something we call your “conversion spread“.
The other thing about a launch is that the first or even second conversion opportunities aren’t the ’selling for money’ part – they’re not where you close the sale in terms of a money exchange. The first conversion opportunities are all about getting people to interact with you – your content – your product – and that is an easier sell.
“Oh – but there’s no money in that” you say. “It doesn’t count if there’s no money.”
Well – yes it does count. And here’s why. One of the most important assets of any business, online or offline, is the list. The database of clients or potential clients. After speaking to thousands of people who are starting or running their own online business, one of the most common issues they face is “how do I get a list“?
Why is the list an asset? Because whether or not they buy from you today, you may still be able to help them out with something later down the track. I know this is a long play – but it’s a long play that will pay off.
So, during a launch you first want to convert people onto your list. Then you want to engage them in conversation and you want them to try out your stuff. Only after you’ve done this do you then try to convert them into a paying client or customer.
So, how to you get people to join your list, engage with your stuff, and then buy from you?
This is so simple it’s scary and it’s become a cliche.
Give people what they want.
Think about this. Even an extremely nervous animal will come to you if it’s hungry and you’re offering food. It’s the same with people.
So, if we work backwards, the next question is, “what do people want?“
To find out what people want we need to listen to them. Deep stuff I know. Really rocking your world with these deep insights aren’t I?
Working backwards, “how can we listen to them?“ Now you’re getting to something useful – something practical that you can do.
You can listen to the people in your market in person – just by speaking with people. You can listen to people in your market using social media – and this is the easy part. What are people in your market saying on facebook? What are they saying on twitter? What are they saying on blogs and discussion forums?
To find this stuff out, simply go to Google and search for
- <your search term> + blogs, or
- <your search term> + discussion forums, or
- <your search term> + updates.
Heck, there is much more you can do with other tools, but just start here to start listening.
Once you’ve started listening, you can start asking intelligent questions. You can ask those questions on your blog. On facebook or twitter or youtube or linkedin or discussion forums. You can ask them more formally using a free online survey tool, like survey monkey. That’s how you find out what people want. Now you just need to give it to them.
This doesn’t have to be hard or mysterious. It could be quite simple and you could achieve this in a day or two. In fact, if you already know your market, then you probably already have a good idea about what the people in it want – because you can put yourself in their shoes.
(Funny – my Mother didn’t like the sales process – but almost everything she taught me about how to treat people well is the basis of all modern sales and marketing)
Use this knowledge to create trial products or services that give people what they want – because if you do that, you’ll find it easy to convert.
Isn’t conversion all about the Offer?
No. It’s not all about the offer. It’s about making the right offer to the right people. And this is worth thinking about. One of the marketers I’ve learned some stuff from is Brett McFall. I’ve seen him sell a bottle of half drunk water from the stage to a seminar attendee – and he did it by sweetening the deal with additional items that the person wanted. So, I tried this the other day with my son. I tried to sell him left over scraps on his very own dinner plate for $5. He wouldn’t buy. I then said that if he bought his very own dinner scraps for $5 that I’d throw in my iPhone. Even that didn’t sway him – although you could see that he was tempted. To this ridiculous offer I then added a new Nintendo Wii game every month for the next 12 months. Even then he was reluctant, but he did go ahead with the sale.
I then reneged on the deal but let him play with my iPhone. He knew I was kidding around anyway …
So, I then tried to sell him his dessert scraps. No sale. I included a years worth of new Cinderella dolls. No sale. I included Cinderella videos. Barbie books. No sale. By the time I was done, I had an amazing offer – but it was to the wrong person. If I’d been selling to my daughter I’d have have closed the sale just on the new dolls.
So, when you’re thinking about what you might want to give people to help them optin to your list and sample your stuff – and eventually buy from you – then think carefully about who they are and what you could offer that would meet their wants or needs. And then make that offer irresistible.
Let’s just put me in the spotlight for a moment. I’m giving something away for free on this blog. The words you are reading right now are yours to read for free. I’m giving them to you. Then, up above, you can optin to receive my Guide (which, by the way is under renovation – but optin anyway to get hold of it when it’s finished – it’s good stuff).
I created a guide instead of a newsletter, because the people I spoke to didn’t want a newsletter. To them, a newsletter implied that I was going to regularly send them more stuff to read – along with all the other stuff they have to read.
A guide, on the other hand, is a one off commitment. They can handle it. It’s not going to keep coming and hassling them each and every month. In the end, they may want to hear from me every month, or more regularly – but at the beginning, why scare them off. Give them something they can digest. This is what they want.
Effective Communication for Action
None of this will work very well if you don’t communicate effectively with people. Online, you communicate with people by text, audio or video. Your aim is to convert them – to get them to do the thing you want them to do. So, how do you communicate effectively? I learned this simple script from John Carlton.
- Tell them what you have and why it matters
- Tell them how what you have will help them
- Tell them what to do next
These three simple steps are a great place to start when you’re wondering what on earth you should write on a sales page, or on a squeeze page, or in an email, or in a video. Of course, you can build this out with other content, but these are the basics. I wont turn this post into a ‘how to’ copywriting course – I wouldn’t be so presumptuous. But you don’t need to get overwhelmed by fancy copy writing. You just need to start. Get a pass first, and then worry about getting a high distinction by improving what you write or say.
In terms of a launch, you’re going to need to write quite a bit of ’stuff’. There are emails to write. Squeeze pages to write. Videos to script. Thank you pages to write. Instructions. Proof. And all of this needs to be structured and
Reference: http://ping.fm/EMQvg
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