How To Weather A Twitterstorm

Twitter can be a scary place for marketers. Yes, we’re scared because we don’t quite understand the space but the real fear of Twitter lies in its ability to trigger and rally a tsunami of criticism about your brand. Just ask the people at Motrin, Amazon or Dominos. Discover why a Twitterstorm of criticism might not be as bad as it seems. No more nightmares.

Motrin Moms. "Dove Onslaught(er)." Thanks to Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, all sorts of new critics and activists are finding their voices amplified online. So what's a marketer to do when an online firestorm erupts?

The two most recent case studies are Amazon -- which spent the better part of Sunday and Monday as the target of a "Twitterstorm," as thousands of titles, many of them gay- and lesbian-themed, disappeared from its all-important sales-ranking system -- and Domino's, whose public-relations problem lies in a YouTube video showing two employees defacing a yet-to-be-delivered sandwich.

"Credibility is the currency of the 'new normal,'" said Steve Cody, managing partner and co-founder of Peppercom. "Tell me what happened yourself. Don't allow me to hear it from others. If I do, I'll lose my faith and trust in you. And, in an era when faith and trust has been tested to the breaking points, brands like Amazon and Domino's need to be a whole lot smarter and a whole lot swifter."

Here, six tips for if -- or when -- it happens to your brand.

1. Listen to the what -- and to the who. Sure, the usual advice about having a social-media-monitoring infrastructure is important, but not nearly as important as knowing exactly who's doing the talking and gauging where that might lead. Who's angry -- and how angry are they? Is the uproar isolated or widespread? Are these people your customers or not?

Recent surveys confirm that few women saw or heard about the Motrin ad that got a group of Twittering moms up in arms for portraying a baby as an accessory. When women did see it at a later date, more came away feeling better about the Motrin brand than feeling worse. Priority No. 1 has to be the people who make up the majority of your brand's customers. And that will be the question for Domino's as it plots the best plan of response: The pizza chain needs to know not only how many people saw the video but who those people are and how likely they are to be current customers.

2. It's OK to say, "We don't know." By far the biggest issue most of the angry Twitterers had was that Amazon didn't respond until late Sunday and, when it did, the vague answer it offered to CNet -- the problem was a "glitch in the system" that was being fixed -- didn't satisfy the masses who had already spent the better part of Easter getting fired up. The next response from Amazon came Monday night, when it issued a statement calling the incident an "embarrassing and ham-fisted cataloging error."

Now, it's likely Amazon didn't really know what was going on -- at one point a hacker even tried to take credit for the issue -- but most social-media experts say that wasn't the problem. "A lot of people have this idea that you can only respond when you have every I dotted and T crossed and have figured out what's going on," said Jeff Rutherford, founder of Jeff Rutherford Media Relations. "It's perfectly fine if you say, 'We're aware there's an issue; we're not ignoring it, and we're working hard to get to the bottom of it.'" Amazon has always been tight-lipped from a public-relations standpoint and, in this case, it cost them.

3. Address the crowd where it's gathered. Understandably, companies don't necessarily want to call attention to a crisis by making a big, flashy statement. After all, in many cases (and some would argue most) these firestorms don't leave the insular communities in which they start. While a small number of consumers had heard about the Motrin debacle, the brand called further attention to the issue when it issued a public apology on its website and confused consumers who ended up there for completely unrelated reasons.

Amazon would have gone a long way toward quelling the uproar by addressing it on Twitter, where it was largely taking place. And had it swallowed its pride and tagged the posts #amazonfail, it would have been rewarded with hundreds of retweets -- valuable earned media from the crowd it had previously angered.

"You don't have to bow to the Twitter torches and do everything they tell you to do," said Jackie Huba, co-author of the Church of the Customer blog . "But you can't stick your head in the sand and ignore this building, growing outrage about what you're doing." A little secret about human nature: Knowing someone is listening to you is often more important than getting exactly what you want.

4. Tone matters. In the case of Amazon, what grabbed several observers was the incongruity of its cold-sounding responses ("The problem is a glitch and it's being fixed") and the friendly, easy brand persona it has cultivated over the years.

"People don't expect companies -- even Amazon -- to be infallible," said Diane Hessan, CEO of Communispace. "They do expect those companies to want to learn, to want to engage with their customers, to want to listen hard, and to show genuine commitment to fixing the problems -- with the human voice that they've become known for."

5. Explain how you'll address the future. So Amazon's issue was a mistake, a cataloging error. Most people seem to be buying that. But what if it happens again? And how should Domino's assure customers its sandwiches are safe? Marketers must communicate how they will prevent future pitfalls.

"I'd rather be open and transparent about a problem such as the ones you describe, own up to it, explain why it happened, talk about what steps have been put in place to ensure it doesn't happen again and, critically, apologize for the mistake," said Peppercom's Mr. Cody.

6. Invest now to prepare for accidents later. Strong, emotional brands that have built up years of consumer goodwill seem to be more insulated from long-term hurt. Few consumers judged much-loved Whole Foods when its CEO was caught posting comments on financial sites under a fake name. Another consumer darling, JetBlue, has recovered valiantly from its Valentine's Day massacre, which left passengers stranded on board on a runway for eight hours.

Similarly, Amazon has built up a reputation for excellent inventory selection and customer service. While it's not clear whether the episode will have a lasting effect on Amazon's brand and, more important, sales, consider that at midnight last night the Twittersphere was abuzz with the Amazon news (the company had just released the mea culpa) but by morning it was no longer a trending topic on Twitter. Simply put, if people love your brand, you can sustain yourself through debacles.

Source - Ad Age

Twistori

Looking to burn five minutes? The Twistori application provides real time look at what people are loving, hating, thinking, believing, feeling and wishing. The platform works by pulling content from Twitter based on your choice of a particular key word. It’s a fun, visual way to see what’s on peoples’ minds.

Click HERE to go to the site.

Dissecting The Downturn Generation

A recent study highlights how consumers are changing behaviours to adapt to the unstable economy and it reveals the new habits they intend to continue even when the economy improves. The report reveals permanently changed approaches toward important rituals, including diet, self care and home maintenance and classifies three emerging categories. This is article is just the summary – the report is accessible via a link at the bottom of the page.

The current recession has created a new niche of consumers identified as the “Downturn Generation” by Information Resources, Inc. (IRI), the leading global provider of consumer, shopper, and market insights for the consumer packaged goods (CPG), retail, and healthcare industries. This new generation of Americans is adopting practices similar to Depression-era shoppers, implemented both to weather the recession and to keep a close eye on spending long after the recession ends.

The latest IRI Point of View, “Dissecting the Downturn Generation.

Recognizing and Leveraging Permanence in Today’s Transformational Economy,” highlights how shoppers are changing behaviors to adapt to the unstable economy and uncovers the new habits they intend to continue even if the economy improves. The report reveals permanently changed approaches toward important rituals, including diet, self care and home maintenance and classifies three emerging categories of shoppers, which are.

- Optimists - believe “things will get better during the next 12 months,” are spending wisely, cutting back selectively and making sacrifices as a last resort
- Maintainers - agree that, “the economy won’t get worse, but it won’t get better either” and are also spending wisely, but are more aggressive about making cutbacks
- Pessimists – identify with the direst predictions, believing “if you think times are hard now, next year will be worse” and are cutting back wherever possible and hunting tirelessly to find deals

“Optimists, maintainers and pessimists are each weathering the recession in unique ways, but all three groups have made obvious behavioral and attitudinal changes and many admit they intend to prolong the use of their new methods,” said IRI Consulting and Innovation President Thom Blischok. “We believe the Downturn Generation will continue their current behavior patterns until they have regained confidence in the U.S. economy. Interestingly, shoppers looked for a return of ‘stability’ as a signal that the economy is pulling out of the recession, in particular, ‘stability’ across gas, food and energy prices, as well as home values.”

Shoppers Still Dramatically Impacted by Weakened Financial Position

Shoppers remain significantly concerned about the “American Dream” as concurrent pressures on housing, energy, transportation and automotive markets affect their ability to own a home that rises in value, hold a job with security, build savings and gain access to credit sources.

Among the notable responses.

- Nearly 64 percent of shoppers characterize their financial condition as a little or a lot worse off than last year; approximately 30 percent believe their finances will be a little or a lot better one year from now.

- Seventy percent of shoppers note they have less savings than they used to, while an equally significant 71 percent agree they have less total wealth.

Even though gas prices have declined as much as 50 percent from the highs of fall 2008, 73 percent of surveyed shoppers state rising gas prices “Impacted” or “Strongly Impacted” their financial situation during the past six months. In addition, 75 percent note rising food prices “Impacted” or “Strongly Impacted” their financial situation, even though food prices have largely leveled off or declined since summer 2008.

Shoppers’ weakened financial conditions are profoundly affecting how they shop and what they buy.

- More than 69 percent say they are more likely to look through retailer ads for deals.

- Nearly 82 percent are more likely to look for sale prices once in the store.

- Just under two-thirds (65 percent) say price is becoming more important than convenience in brand purchases.

“Financial pressures are causing shoppers to give up favorite brands, buy smaller quantities of preferred items or postpone non-essential purchases for entertainment in order to save money for their most important needs,” adds Blischok. “Additionally, between 30-47 percent of consumers are buying less healthy products, and fewer fresh produce and organic items. This is a fundamental shift from the trends we noted before the economic downturn.”

New Consumer Purchasing Strategies for Diet, Home and Healthcare

Consumers are becoming more resourceful and strategic when planning their purchases for meals, wardrobe, home and automobile maintenance and personal care. New approaches identified include consumers turning to the plethora of information available on the Internet to help prepare for purchases, clip online coupons and research reviews, commentary and opinions on products and services before making a purchasing decision.

In fact, more than 44 percent of shoppers are using online resources to find coupons today, and 55 percent of them plan to continue this practice into the future.

Low prices and sale items continue to dominate shopper decisions at stores, and consumers are increasingly collaborating with friends, family and neighbors to share information, split membership costs and divide bulk goods purchased at a lower cost.

- Fifty-nine percent visit multiple stores for the lowest prices, and 42 percent of those shoppers will continue to do so into the future.

- Thirty percent are making bulk purchases with others not in their households to secure low unit prices, and 35 percent of those shoppers intend to continue doing so.

- More than 34 percent are collecting, sharing and trading coupons with others, with 40 percent of those shoppers planning to continue this behavior.

Consumers are also cutting back on their healthcare costs, opting to treat themselves at home versus visiting a doctor and increasing their use of over-the-counter (OTC) medications. Additionally, individuals are limiting spending on new clothes and foregoing home projects, vehicle upkeep and home cleaning rituals.

- Nearly 44 percent of surveyed consumers are trading their doctor for information on the Internet and half of those shoppers will use this strategy in the future.

- A significant 70 percent of shoppers are cutting back clothing purchases, with 56 percent of them noting they will do so in the future.

- Sixty percent of individuals are wearing clothing multiple times to reduce laundry costs, with half planning to continue to do so.

“We see that shoppers are altering their spending habits across all significant lifestyle categories. CPG retailers and manufacturers must plan for the continued practice of these new behaviors in order to meet consumer needs and continue to thrive in business,” Blischok continues.

“CPG innovators can inspire the Downturn Generation by providing promotion strategies that match their desires, speaking to them through online sources, and realizing that a product that is good enough is really good enough. These strategies can help brace us for the new conservative consumer.”

To download “Dissecting the Downturn Generation: Recognizing and Leveraging Permanence in Today’s Transformational Economy,” visit us.infores.com/Insights/Publications/IRIPointofView/tabid/197/ct .. : .

Source - PR Inside.com

Seven Ways Social Media Can Strengthen Your Brand

In marketing speak, social media has become synonymous with a philosophy of consumer empowerment and brand/consumer partnership. However, the concept of “social media” is too broad in itself to represent all of the opportunities available through this communication channel. The following article captures and conveys the many uses of social media for strengthening and developing brands. There is a long explanation available in a slideshow format and there is also a short summary for those with no time or limited attention spans.

Social media is perhaps the most misleading name for a marketing-related concept ever, given that it’s grown to represent a philosophy of consumer empowerment and brand/customer partnership - far beyond it’s humble roots of user-generated content.

As a result, social media has different meanings and connotations to different people, many of whom utilize social media to accomplish entirely disparate objectives.

That was the subject of two recent speaking engagements for me, one for the Flagstaff, AZ Chamber of Commerce, and another for the Black Hills Ad Federation in Rapid City, SD.

I wanted to capture and convey the many uses for social media for both businesses and personal growth. Thus, the presentation below, “7 Ways to Use Social Media to Build Stunning Business & Personal Brands.”

The version on SlideShare (shout out to Slideshare.net for often putting my presentations on their home page), is the longer version that I presented in Flagstaff. It’s a lot of material.

SLIDESHOW - HERE

Source - Convince & Convert

Avoid The Burn

Brands that take the leap of faith and carve themselves a space in the online world have guts. After all, you are subjecting your brand to an environment where the risks of unbridled consumer opinion broadcasted on a infinite scale are very real. But as the old saying goes, no risk, no reward. Here are a few tips for mediating and avoiding negative comments as you test the online waters.

One of the biggest fears that blogging companies have is critical comments on blogs. The idea of seeing a 'you suck!' conmment on a blog is enough to make most company bloggers break out in a cold sweat. But negative and critical comments from blog readers can actually benefit a company IF that company acts smartly, and has a plan in place for addressing them. Here's a plan of action:

1 - Reply quickly. Often, someone will leave a critical comment as soon as a post is published, and other commenters will 'pile on'. If the company doesn't respond to the points being raised, commenters will often continue to voice their displeasure. But if a company representative can quickly address the issues being raised by the blogger and/or commenters, the tone and structure of the feedback can change dramatically. Sure, there might still be some readers that lash out at the company, but at least now, by replying to the post, the company has gone from reacting to an existing conversation ABOUT them, to PARTICIPATING in that connversation. When their role is changed from passive to active, the conversation changes completely.

2 - Be respectful. Understand this; Every online conversation has three sides. Your side, my side, and everyone else's. If you are interacting with a critical commenter, everyone else is going to watch how BOTH of you handle yourselves. If you are respectful of the other person's point of view, and make an honest attempt to address and response to the issues they raise, that will make a POSITIVE impression on others. But if you lash back and start attacking the commenter, that's going to leave a very NEGATIVE impression on others, and it will probably encourage others to 'pile on' and start lashing back at you, and your company.

It could be that the commenter said something completely untrue, and acted like a complete ass. That does NOT give you the right to respond in kind. We will judge you on YOUR actions, not on what the commenter said and whether or not you were 'justified' in calling him a jerk cause he first said your company sucked.

3 - Be thankful. Let's say a major blog has published a post criticizing your latest campaign. What this blogger has just done is given you an open invitation to address her readers. Now you have a legitimate reason to respond to her post, and address her points. Be THANKFUL that you have an opportunity to talk to her readers. And when they respond with their opinions, be THANKFUL that they care enough to do so.

4 - Invite further feedback. Don't just reply once and leave. Invite readers to leave you additional comments. Offer to answer their questions, and offer to give the blogger that writes about your company more information about what you are trying to accomplish. Be accessible. This shows the readers that you VALUE their opinions, and have nothing to hide. That makes it easier for them to trust you, and instills confidence in your company, as a result.

The bottom line is don't see a critical comment as something to fear, or worry about. View it as an opportunity, a chance to connect with new people and make a positive impression on them, on behalf of your company.

Source - The Viral Garden

The Death Of Bigger, Better, Faster

The days of uninhibited consumer spending are done and marketers need to adapt their strategies or risk extinction. The consumer mindset is now characterized as the Post Consumer Era as people no longer seem consumed by the desire to consume. Those marketers who assault their consumers with a barrage of reasons why they should buy are going to find it hard to generate relevance. Highly recommended reading.

This write-up has been a long time coming and recent article in The Economist finally motivated me to kicking it out. But before I get into referencing that article, let me tell you about my dad. Several months ago I took a family vacation to Florida and got to talking to my dad about the economy. He agreed that it was in really bad shape. But then I got to thinking about how differently my dad's spending habits were from most people. My dad lived nearly his entire life in a "pre-consumer" mindset. Skeptical to marketing and advertising campaigns, he usually bought what he needed not what he wanted and held on to things to what seemed like forever. In fact, he only recently bought a flat screen television after nearly 30 YEARS of having the same TV play in the family room I grew up in. The house I grew up in has been paid off for just as many years because he didn't believe in debt and I watched as my parents held on to cars like they were family members, not putting them to rest until their time had come. This is how my parents lived.

Mass Consumption
Many of use live very differently than this. Credit lines have ensured that we can purchase beyond our means and advertising has had years to perfect it's craft making us believe that we don't want the latest and greatest product—but that we actually NEED it. In fact, if we can't have it our lives will be empty—we will be missing out we won't be living life as it was meant to be lived.

This of course is a lie.

But it's worked for years. Bigger, better, faster, newer. Get it and get it now before your neighbor does. It's a myth that's stood the test of time and fueled a global economy because it could. When it's old, throw it out or give it away. Then one day, the housing market collapsed, the stock market collapsed and we woke up scratching our heads as to why. And some of us are re-thinking the economics of mass consumption. From The Economist:

"The trend towards thrift will not disappear when the economy picks up. For one thing, those banks left standing after the bust will be far more parsimonious with consumer credit. For another, many people will still be intent on rebuilding their nest-eggs, which is reflected in sharply rising rates of saving. Sociologists also detect a distinct change in people’s behaviour. Until the downturn, folk had come to assume that “affluence” was the norm, even if they had to go deeply into debt to pay for gadgets and baubles. Now many people no longer seem consumed by the desire to consume; instead, they are planning to live within their means, and there has been a backlash against bling."



Marketing In An Era of Post-Consumerism
If the "backlash against bling" is real, then we really have to ask ourselves, what on earth is marketing going to look like to millions of people who don't want to buy like they used to—who are marketing weary? People just like my dad, only more digitally savvy. Not only that, but beyond marketing, what's the effect on companies who make their profits by continually producing new products? Bigger, better faster—guaranteed to make your life meaningful. Business and brands have a problem.

On the business side, corporations are going to have to figure out how to incorporate more services as part of their core offerings. Think about this, while new auto sales have taken a nose dive—repair shops have been profiting due to consumers opting to keep their cars longer vs. upgrading. What if Detroit could figure out a way to benefit from this? How about new car dealers? Most of them aren't known for the level of service they offer at the dealerships. The exceptions often get great word of mouth.

On the marketing front, there needs to be some recalibration. The holy grail of measuring a marketing initiative is being able to prove that more products have sold. But what if no one's buying? What if no one's listening for that matter? Do you stop marketing? Of course not. Marketing just needs to be more meaningful and relevant to a "consumer" who is looking for more relevance and meaning in their lives. They'll repay you with loyalty and positive word of mouth if you can offer them this—but here lies the rub.

Marketing Was Designed To Take, Not Give
Marketers are faced with a design problem. Marketing was invented to take, not give. It's meant to generate awareness and sell products not provide value. There's nothing wrong with selling products and the best marketing does this well. But bear with me—if the sociologists mentioned in The Economist are correct, than marketing may have to change it's stripes in order to be relevant to a consumer who is highly empowered, connected and asking themselves "do I really need more"? As far as I can tell, the most successful social initiatives look less like marketing and more like some type of service or value add. From Comcast providing customer service on Twitter, to Whole Foods engaging customers on Facebook to Hope Depot providing information during natural disasters, to Lego enlisting enthusiasts to help them develop products—"marketing" as we know it could already be evolving into something that it was not originally designed to be. Which would be a good thing becase as The Economist reports, the current economic climate may help fuel it's evolution:

"The downturn will also accelerate the use of social media, such as blogs and social-networking sites, by consumers looking for intelligence on firms and their products. As trust in brands is eroded, people will place more value on recommendations from friends. Social media make it harder for brands to pull the wool over consumers’ eyes, but they also offer canny companies a powerful new channel through which to promote their wares and test new products and pricing strategies."

Recommendations From Trusted Sources
As my diagram illustrates, marketing can not longer be a 360 degree "blitz" that assaults consumers with reasons to buy. The future of business will be simple. Providing better products, better experiences and providing indisputable value through things like services will get the right people saying the right things about you. This means there's going to be a Dawrinism effect at play here. Inferior brands, services and marketing strategies are going to fall on deaf ears and wither away while superior brands with more relevant and meaningful ways of connecting with their customers will prevail. We must remember that the social web DOES NOT create recommendations (or criticisms), it only amplifies them and accelerates the speed at which they spread.

These are a few thoughts I've had running around in my mind about what business might look like in a post-consumer era, and I'm fairly certain that we're already seeing the face of marketing gradually change in real time. As the Economist article suggests, I feel like the shift in consumer behavior may be more long term vs. a temporary blip, People really do seem to be re-thinking there lifestyles and asking themselves "do I really need more?". If that's the case, the way business works will need to adapt along with the new attitudes. What do you think?

Source - Logic + Emotion

Jedi Mind Tricks

Marketing is all about gentle persuasion. In addition to being fundamental to our industry, our ability to persuade others is important to our career and daily lives. Persuasion is generally an exercise in creating a win-win situation by which we present a case that others find beneficial to agree with. While the following was written with copywriting in mind, these ten timeless persuasive writing techniques are hold true for a wide range of scenarios.

Want to convince your readers to do something or agree with your point of view?

OK, that was a silly question. Of course you do.

Persuasion is generally an exercise in creating a win-win situation. You present a case that others find beneficial to agree with. You make them an offer they can’t refuse, but not in the manipulative Godfather sense.

It’s simply a good deal or a position that makes sense to that particular person.

But there are techniques that can make your job easier and your case more compelling. While this list is in no way comprehensive, these 10 strategies are used quite a bit because they work.

Repetition

Talk to anyone well versed in learning psychology, and they’ll tell you repetition is crucial. It’s also critical in persuasive writing, since a person can’t agree with you if they don’t truly get what you’re saying.

Of course, there’s good repetition and bad. To stay on the good side, make your point in several different ways, such as directly, using an example, in a story, via a quote from a famous person, and once more in your summary.

Reasons Why

Remember the power of the word because. Psychological studies have shown that people are more likely to comply with a request if you simply give them a reason why… even if that reason makes no sense.

The strategy itself does make sense if you think about it. We don’t like to be told things or asked to take action without a reasonable explanation. When you need people to be receptive to your line of thinking, always give reasons why.

Consistency

It’s been called the “hobgoblin of little minds,” but consistency in our thoughts and actions is a valued social trait. We don’t want to appear inconsistent, since, whether fair or not, that characteristic is associated with instability and flightiness, while consistency is associated with integrity and rational behavior.

Use this in your writing by getting the reader to agree with something up front that most people would have a hard time disagreeing with. Then rigorously make your case, with plenty of supporting evidence, all while relating your ultimate point back to the opening scenario that’s already been accepted.

Social Proof

Looking for guidance from others as to what to do and what to accept is one of the most powerful psychological forces in our lives. It can determine whether we deliver aid to a person in need, and it can determine whether we muster the courage to kill ourselves.

Obvious examples of social proof can be found in testimonials and outside referrals, and it’s the driving force behind social media. But you can also casually integrate elements of social proof in your writing, ranging from skillful alignment with outside authorities to blatant name dropping.

Comparisons

Metaphors, similes and analogies are the persuasive writer’s best friends. When you can relate your scenario to something that the reader already accepts as true, you’re well on your way to convincing someone to see things your way.

But comparisons work in other ways too. Sometimes you can be more persuasive by comparing apples to oranges (to use a tired but effective metaphor). Don’t compare the price of your home study course to the price of a similar course—compare it to the price of a live seminar or your hourly consulting rate.

Agitate and Solve

This is a persuasion theme that works as an overall approach to making your case. First, you identify the problem and qualify your audience. Then you agitate the reader’s pain before offering your solution as the answer that will make it all better.

The agitation phase is not about being sadistic; it’s about empathy. You want the reader to know unequivocally that you understand his problem because you’ve dealt with it and/or are experienced at eliminating it. The credibility of your solution goes way up if you demonstrate that you truly feel the prospect’s pain.

Prognosticate

Another persuasion theme involves providing your readers with a glimpse into the future. If you can convincingly present an extrapolation of current events into likely future outcomes, you may as well have a license to print money.

This entire strategy is built on credibility. If you have no idea what you’re talking about, you’ll end up looking foolish. But if you can back up your claims with your credentials or your obvious grasp of the subject matter, this is an extremely persuasive technique.

Go Tribal

Despite our attempts to be sophisticated, evolved beings, we humans are exclusionary by nature. Give someone a chance to be a part of a group that they want to be in—whether that be wealthy, or hip, or green, or even contrarian—and they’ll hop on board whatever train you’re driving.

This is the technique used in the greatest sales letter ever written. Find out what group people want to be in, and offer them an invitation to join while seemingly excluding others.

Address Objections

If you present your case and someone is left thinking “yeah, but…”, well, you’ve lost. This is why direct marketers use long copy—it’s not that they want you to read it all, it’s that they want you to read enough until you buy.

Addressing all the potential objections of at least the majority of your readers can be tough, but if you really know your subject the arguments against you should be fairly obvious. If you think there are no reasonable objections to your position, you’re in for a shock if you have comments enabled.

Storytelling

Storytelling is really a catch-all technique—you can and should use it in combination with any and all of the previous nine strategies. But the reason why storytelling works so well lies at the heart of what persuasion really is.

Stories allow people to persuade themselves, and that’s what it’s really all about. You might say that we never convince anyone of anything—we simply help others independently decide that we’re right. Do everything you can to tell better stories, and you’ll find that you are a terribly persuasive person.

As I mentioned, this is in no way a complete list. What other persuasive writing strategies work for you?

Source - CopyBlogger

The Marketing Archetype

If all marketing communication were to be identified as an archetype, which personality would it be? In the early years of advertising, marketing was characterized by the “Mythmaker” archetype. Today, consumers refute “Mythmaker” communication because it is perceived as skeptical and cynical. The following link is a fascinating look at the different personality roles marketing communication has assumed over the years and explores why future thinking marketers are taking a page out of a gardener’s hand book.

It's a slideshow - you can access it HERE.