INVEST 12 MINUTES OF YOUR TIME TO READ THIS

AND I GUARANTEE YOU WILL LEARN SOME GENUINE MARKETING
SECRETS THAT WILL INCREASE YOUR PROFITS THIS YEAR!

Including:

3 things you should never say in your advertising

How to create an effective website

Search engine optimisation

Video Production

Today when people speak of "marketing," they are usually talking about advertising mediums and not the message contained within those mediums. For example, when a business owner says to himself "I need to market my business" what he usually means is "I need to run some ads." He then looks for an advertising medium that he thinks is valuable to his industry like: radio, TV, internet, yellow pages, news papers, magazines etc. and runs the ads. To most people that's what marketing means.

Additionally, the sales people for all of these advertising mediums have now hijacked the term, "marketing Consultants."  It doesn't matter if they sell printed products, signage, radio ads, TV ads, social media fan pages, billboards or the ad space on the back of grocery receipts - they all call themselves "marketing consultants.

But here's the problem - none of these "consultants" actually do any consulting. Furthermore, none of these advertising mediums represent the core meaning of marketing. A true marketing consultant will consult your business on the content and message of your advertisement and not just the medium. That's what marketing really is - it's the message not the medium. Here's the point - the leverage that you have available in your advertising efforts is in the message or content of the ad - again, not the medium. By way of example, our customers at tipping point marketing can usually get 4 to 10 times more response from their advertising efforts by having us simply rewrite the content so it's actually effective.

You can learn about the Strategic Messaging Formula in this audio programme.
Give us a call on +64 (0) 22 653 9410 and we'll lend you a copy!

That's what a true marketing consultant does - they consult with businesses on what to say in their advertising. They develop messaging and marketing campaigns that generate more quantifiable results than anything else. (Sometimes in orders of magnitude).

At Tipping Point Marketing, we create marketing content using the Strategic Messaging Formula™ which was developed by the president of Power Marketing Consultants, Diego Rodriguez. The Strategic Messaging Formula™  is a scientifically based marketing formula based on human nature that, when properly executed, causes your clients and prospects to come to this conclusion, "I'd have to be completely insane to work with anyone but you- no matter the price." Our owner Mike Noone was personally trained by Diego and is a certified Power Marketing Consultant.

So here's your first test - think back to the last advertisement or marketing piece that you created for your company. What was it - a brochure, a website, a printed ad, a radio spot? Now here's the question - how much money did you pay to have the content of that advertisement strategically formulated to ensure maximum results? That's what I thought.- you paid nothing, right? 99.9% of the time, you only paid to have the advertisement produced or designed or you paid for the spots or "airtime." The content was usually thrown together by the designer, the production team or the salesperson!

Think about it - the most important part of your marketing material - that is, the content and message - was put together for free by people who usually have no idea how to create good messaging anyway. And have you ever heard the expression "you get what you pay for?" Well I hate to tell you this, but if you've never paid anybody to create the actual message or content for your advertising campaign then you got what you paid for.

So here's the point - when you think of marketing, you need to start thinking about your message. You need to think about what you're going to say and how you're going to say it. When you think of marketing - don't think of mediums anymore - think of messaging. Only once you have the right message should you start considering which mediums to run your marketing in.

3 THINGS YOU SHOULD
NEVER SAY IN YOUR ADVERTISING

(That I Can Guarantee You've Already Said)

Yes, it's true...there are certain phrases that, if used in your advertising, will guarantee that your advertising results will be terrible, and yes - I do guarantee that you are using them in your ads right now. As a quick peek into our Power Marketing Program™, I'm going to give you 3 evaluations to use on your marketing material so you can see for yourself if you're using one of these forbidden phrases.

But before I give you the evaluations, let me ask you a simple but important question. Do you always feel forced into a price competitive situation in your industry? Do you feel like your customers only care about price? Are you always cutting profits so that you can match a competitors price? If so, pay close attention to what I'm about to show you because I'm about to explain the biggest reason for that problem.

So here's the deal, the 3 forbidden phrases that you should never use in advertising are phrases or statements that include platitudes. Now, let me give you the definition of a platitude. A platitude is defined as "words or phrases that are dull, obvious or predictable that lack power to create interest because they are overused and unoriginal, that are nevertheless still commonly used as though they were unique or distinctive."

These are words and phrases like: highest quality, biggest selection, largest inventory, best service, been in business since 1776 BC, family owned, gets the job done right the first time, fast, residential and commercial, free estimates, locally owned and operated, #1 in satisfaction, we're better, why pay more, lowest prices, we care, conveniently located, professional, experienced, affordable, board certified, we're different, advanced techniques, call today, dependable, etc. Do you get the point yet?

I'm not saying that you shouldn't actually be these kinds of things but I am saying that they are all platitudes. Every one of those statements and phrases are drearily commonplace and predictable, they lack power to create interest through over use or repetition and they were nevertheless stated as though they were original or significant. They are all platitudes, my friend. and I am going to make you two guarantees about these platitudes right now.

1. I guarantee you are using platitudes just like these in all of your advertisements right now.
2. Using these platitudes in your advertisements has made your advertising results dismal for as long as you've used them. This means you've left an untold sum of money on the table - money that you could have had in your bank account already if you would have used a proven system like the Power Marketing Program™
   

Now I want you to get out a copy of the Yellow pages because this is the easiest place to demonstrate what I'm talking about. Now I realise that you probably don't advertise in the Yellow Pages, and we both know that the Yellow Pages is a dying medium. But remember what you learned earlier - you need to think about messaging not mediums because true and effective marketing works based on principles - so it doesn't matter what medium we're talking about right now.

Just grab a copy of your local Yellow Pages and check it out for yourself. You're going to see platitude filled ads everywhere! In fact, I would bet that there is not ONE, SINGLE SOLITARY ad in the whole book that is free from platitudes. And the bad news is that ALL of your advertisements and marketing material, whether it's a brochure, a TV ad, a website or anything else - is filled with platitudes also!

Now, I understand that you may have been running ads like this for 10, 20 or 30 years - even longer than that - and have been getting what most people would consider pretty good results that whole time. but what if I could show you that you could have got even better results? it's true - better results are possible and inevitable when you eliminate platitudes. And that's the first secret I want to share with you.

Eliminate platitudes from your ads forever and you will get substantially better results! Now, on with those evaluations...

Platitude Evaluation #1 - Well I would hope so
I want you to look at any claim you've made in your ad and ask yourself if a customer or prospect could or would automatically respond with the statement "Well, I would hope so." For example the ad on the left is for a plumber that says "Plumbing Service and Repair." Well I would hope so, you are a plumber right? The one on the right says they are "licensed bonded and insured" and that they "fix faucets and fixtures, water heaters, tubs and showers etc."

Well I would hope so. You're a plumber. What else would you do? I mean it's so painfully obvious that it's ridiculous.  Or how about this common statement that says "committed to honest ethical service."

Well I would hope so. What else would you expect them to say? Hey, we're lousy, we'll show up late, make your house dirty, expose our backsides to your wife and kids and make sure that the problem that we fixed will break again a few weeks after we fix it. Of course not! Everybody is going to say great things about themselves if they can get away with it.

So what about your ad? How did you do? Do you have any of these painfully obvious statements that would cause someone to say Well I would hope so? Be honest with yourself and check. Now onto the second evaluation.

Platitude Evaluation #2 - Who Else Can Say That?
Pay close attention to this one, because the question is not who else can do what you do, but who else can say what you say. The answer is usually anyone and everyone. Here's a painter who says that he's "Idahos best."  Who else can say that ? Now this guy might actually be the best in Idaho and the best in the entire Universe for all I know but do you actually believe it just because he said it? Who else can say that? Can't the guy (on the next page of the phone book where I got this ad) who says "where integrity and quality meet" also say that he's Idaho's best? Of course he can.

See these statements are drearily predictable and commonplace and they lack power to evoke interest. And you know what, they were nevertheless stated as though they were original or significant. Now look at your ad. read a few lines and then ask yourself this, "Who else can say that?" If one of your competitors can say it then you failed this evaluation.

One of the most common platitudes is to tell us how long you've been in business. Everybody thinks it matters, but I promise you it doesn't. Here's an illustration - I'm looking at an ad for a chiropractor who thinks you should visit his practice because he's been a chiropractor for over 29 years. Who else can say that? Well, how about his competitor in another ad in the same heading who has been "serving for over 30 years." See what I mean?

To take this one step further, let's move on to the last evaluation which might hurt most....

Platitude Evaluation #3 - The Cross Out Write-in Test

For this evaluation, I'm going to have you cross out the name of your company in your advertisement and then write in the name of your competitor. Now tell me this, is the ad still valid? If so, you just failed the test. Another way to illustrate this is to do it in reverse. Cross out your competitors name in their ad and replace it with your company's name. Now tell me, is the ad still valid? I mean really. I don't care if you absolutely know that you have higher quality than your competitor because your competitor can still say they have higher quality than you, even if it's not true.

I can give you hundreds of other examples for insurance companies who can give you "fast, easy quotes" or dentists who offer "complete dental care" or landscape contractors who "cut to perfection", but the bottom line is that none of these ads pass the cross out, write-in test, or the other platitude evaluations.

When we implement the Power Marketing Program™ into your business, one of the first things we do is remove all of the platitudes from your existing advertising. We innovate your company and create specific and strategic marketing headlines, messages and campaigns that absolutely seperate you from your competitors and cause your prospects and customers to draw this simple conclusion, "I'd have to be completely insane to work with anyone else but you - no matter the price."

We even have a specific marketing evaluation form that we use that guarantees that you'll never put out another dismal ad with platitudes that gets lack luster results. You see, platitudes cause your market to assume that you and your competitors are all the same. But, that's probably not true. You might have the best business of it's kind in your industry but since your ads and your competitors ads all use platitudes, then the marketplace can't tell who actually offers the best value, so they call you up and ask you the same question you're probably sick of hearing, which is, "how much do you charge?" My friend, it doesn't have to be that way.

By way of example, take a look at one of your company's brochures. What's on top of the front cover? More than likely, you've put your company name and/or logo there. Guess what? If you did, you just failed the exam. Let me explain why - nobody cares who you are until they know what you can do for them! Here's another secret - instead of putting your company name or logo on the front cover of your brochure, you should put a hot button loaded headline that emotionally connects with your prospects and makes them beg to read the content inside. Dozens of facts, evaluations and principles go into the execution of a Power Marketing based marketing piece.

THE POWER MARKETING PROGRAM™

Power Marketing Consultants are unique because of our proprietary Power Marketing Program™. It is a 5 tiered marketing system that is designed to make any local business the number one company in their industry within about a years time. Here's a brief overview of the program.

ONE- BUSINESS INNOVATION
The Power Marketing Program™ starts with innovating a company so that they can actively market the uniqueness of their business. Regardless of their industry the Power Marketing Program™ will introduce innovations into a business using time tested innovation formulas that will work for any business even if it's in a commodity based industry.

TWO- THE STRATEGIC MESSAGING FORMULA™
The Strategic Messaging Formula™ is an advanced, scientific formula for marketing success. This formula allows a company to build the most effective marketing message that actually taps into hot buttons that are important and relevant to the target market. Having an effective strategic message is the number one difference between effective marketing and under-leveraged marketing.

THREE- COMPREHENSIVE INTERNET MARKETING SUITE
The Power Marketing Program™ defines a comprehensive suite of advanced internet marketing techniques. In short, the system is designed to develop and automate an online marketing program that utilises online video; captures leads and delivers automatic follow ups through email, text messaging and direct to voicemail messages; drives visibility online for relevant searches, and incorporates a company's online presence into their overall marketing program.

FOUR- SYSTEMISED SALES PROCESS
The Power Marketing Program™ analyses a company's sales process and then creates a new sales approach that is systemised to ensure that every customer and prospect has a specific and proven sales experience

FIVE- PROFESSIONAL IMAGE
Finally it's important that you always look your best. It's virtually impossible to overstate how important it is for your business to always look like the most professional company in town. The Power Marketing Program™ calls for a complete branding package to be associated and incorporated with a company's marketing program.

Unfortunately there is not enough room in this short article to explain everything you need to know about the Power Marketing Program™. With the remaining space we have left, let's go over some secrets you should know about creating marketing content for each of the following marketing mediums.

HOW TO CREATE AN EFFECTIVE WEBSITE

Local businesses (and most businesses) should use their website as a marketing tool and not as an online brochure. This is a huge paradigm shift for most business owners but one that will pay you back handsomely if properly executed.  In short, your website needs to be an educational powerhouse that is used to facilitate your customers and prospects decision making process.

3 Problems with Most Web Companies that You want To Avoid

1. Poor Content - Web design companies typically do not create content for your website. And even if they did, they would more than likely create weak content filled with platitudes since they specialise in design and not in marketing consultation. This is the biggest problem with web design today - web design companies simply don't know how to develop a powerful marketing message to put on your website. They usually ask you (the business owner) to provide the content for the website for them! They'll ask you questions like "what colours do you like?" and "do you have any other web designs that you like?" etc. At Tipping Point Marketing we go through a comprehensive marketing consultation process for all of our clients in need of a website, meaning that we create the content for you!

2. Online Videos- Videos are the most powerful form of communication today. And online videos are the most effective tool for quickly sharing a powerful marketing message with your audience. A nice looking website without videos is like a sports car without fuel - it looks nice but won't get you where you need to go. The problem with most videos, however, is the same as with everything else - they're full of platitudes and they're usually not produced to effectively accomplish a marketing goal. At Tipping Point Marketing we include video production in all of our web design packages and the video scripts are professionally produced through a consultative process using the marketing equation. You can visit our other website for some examples. http://tippingpointmarketing.co/sample-video-productions/

3. Outdated Coding- Too many web designers today are still using outdated software like Flash which is no longer useful in modern web design. Websites today must be developed with multiple platforms in mind like iPads and iPhones and other mobile devices. Currently in "techno-jargon" this means that your website must be HTML5 compliant. At Tipping point Marketing all of our websites are HTML5 compliant and even all of our videos are encoded to ensure that they play back properly on mobile devices.

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION

Search Engine Optimisation (or SEO) is a "hot ticket" today and for good reason. More than ever, people are using Google to find companies to do business with. To capitalise on this market opportunity, you need to ensure that your company shows up near the top of a Google search for your most important keyword search phrases. SEO companies vary in pricing and effectiveness. We advise you to optimise for local search due to the endless algorithm changes that Google constantly carries out with out warning.

VIDEO PRODUCTION

Videos can and should be used in many different parts of an effective marketing campaign. marketing videos can take the form of: TV ads, online videos and DVD /Blue-Ray productions. There are many competent and qualified video production companies everywhere. However, before you produce your next marketing video, be sure to consider the following.

• It's all about the script - As you've already noticed in this brochure - content is KING! the most important part about any video is not the lighting, the picture quality, the sound track or any of the other production elements. The most important part of the video is the script and the marketing content contained within the script. I can guarantee you that a video with bad lighting and an effective message based on the Marketing Equation will trump a professional video that is full of platitudes even if it has perfect lighting, sound and acting.

• Integrate Video as a Tool in Your Marketing Campaign - Without going through a comprehensive marketing consultation, it will be very difficult to properly script and create your needed videos because many of the best videos are created as tools within an overall marketing campaign. This again is a different paradigm since most people think about TV commercials when considering making videos. You need to think about how a marketing video fits into the overall sales cycle instead of just thinking about running TV ads.

• More is More - Often times it's best to create many short videos (30-60 seconds long) as opposed to one long video. YouTube has taught us that people will easily watch 10 sixty second videos but will not watch one 10 minute long video. In this regard ask us about our "FAQs, SAQs and Testimonials" video production model that has proven its effectiveness in almost all industries.

• Use YouTube Effectively - Even if your video is being produced for television or for final output to DVDs, you should still post your videos online. It's free and useful advertising. However it's important to properly host and link your videos using the proper techniques.

For example, too many video production companies embed your YouTube videos on your website which is actually a bad idea. Why? Because it means that your website videos are just one click away from YouTube which could cause your visitors to actually use your website as a  portal to YouTube - and within minutes they are watching funny cat videos and they forgot all about you! At Tipping Point Marketing, we can show you how to use YouTube to send traffic to your website, instead of sending traffic from your website to YouTube

As I mentioned earlier, we have a $199 audio training program that I'd like to loan to you, but there is a catch.  The catch is this—I'll loan you the 3 CD audio training program and let you listen to it for free, only if you agree to actually listen to all of it. 

That's it.   

I am 100% confident that this audio training program will completely change the way you look at marketing and advertising.  I can also guarantee you've never heard anything like it, because it’s all proprietary information created by our company.  The 3 CD audio set gives you an overview of the Power Marketing Program which we have successfully used to help local businesses become the number one company in their industry in about one year.   

These are not gimmicks, trickery, or scams—it’s all real-life, legitimate, marketing strategies and techniques that are super OBVIOUS once you see them, but nobody (including you or your competitors) are using them right now.  

If you find that hard to believe, then go ahead and listen to the CDs and then you be the judge.  Will you be available tomorrow for me to drop them off to you? If so simply contact us by phoning or email me directly.

Mike Noone,
Tipping Point Marketing Consultants

022 653 9410
mike@tippingpointmarketing.co    

You Can Also CALL NOW to Schedule Your FREE "Marketing Leverage Analysis"

If you're sick and tired of "Free Consultations" that turn out to just be sales calls, then you're going to love our FREE Marketing Leverage Analysis. During this 35 minute analysis, an account executive from Tipping Point Marketing will review your existing marketing materials and strategies and learn what your marketing goals are. This information will go back to our main office where one of our Marketing Consultants willl analyse all the gaps and missed opportunities in your current marketing programme.

You will also be shown where opportunities with "Marketing Leverage" exist and how you can take advantage of them.