Tag: Copywriting

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The Secret To Understanding Why People Buy

The secret to “knowing why” is powerful. In fact, for the most part, sales and engagement are strongly driven by knowing the “why”.

Scientific Marketing

The Secret To Scientific Marketing

We’re creatures of habit and studies of human nature strongly suggests that some people still replace unknowns with what they “feel” sounds right to them, rather than accept that it is just unknown. The anxiety of the unknown drives our feelings-centre in our brains and this is why some people say, “I feel [whatever].” when looking to make a decision about what the choose to believe. It is well-known amongst the scientific community that in human nature, we replace info, logic and reason (a.k.a. research and facts) with the info that may not be correct.

I mention all this as this is not psychological, but biological. Our brain has regions that do certain & specific things. One region, the NeoCortex, only understands info, logic and reason; it has zero emotional capacity. Another region, the AlloCortex (a part of the brain’s limbic system) has zero capacity for info, logic and reason and only understand emotions; this is why we use the verbiage “feel” when describing why we did something. “…I felt it was right…”, “…this purchase feels right…”, “…no thanks, that does not feel right…”, etc.

And while our NeoCortex can influence our actions, 100% of all decisions are from the limbic system or predominantly, the AlloCortex region.

I have covered this before but in this post-factual world — whether you are dealing with the politics of a debate on social media or a marketing campaign — it is important to know the secret of what will influence and eventually convert a person to engage you.

The Secret Of Target-Awareness In Marketing

Funnel Timing ThumbA place to start (always) is understanding the awareness of your target audience. Awareness is key to producing the right message at the right time, as without your target knowing that they have a problem, your solution holds zero value. This holds true for every stage of the awareness funnel.

In that awareness-funnel, there are five stages, the last being that your target is ready to buy from you. Those stages are:

  1. Not Aware
  2. Problem-Aware
  3. Solution-Aware
  4. Provider Aware
  5. Fully Aware

If you want to learn more about how to create conversion-driven copy for your marketing collateral or website, sign up for my limited-time complimentary one-on-one “Start Your 2019 Marketing Off Right Master Class”. This offering is only being offered in January this year, so hurry as there is less than 30-days to go!  Reserve your time slot here!

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Claude C. Hopkins’ Quotes — Thoughts For 2018

“A salesman’s mistake may cost little. An advertiser’s mistake may cost a thousand times that much. Be more cautious, more exacting, therefore. A mediocre salesman may affect a small part of your trade. Mediocre advertising affects all of your trade.” ~ Claude C. Hopkins in Scientific Advertising

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Top 5 Ways Marketing Professionals Help Your Business

Here Is Another Top 5 List To Help Your Business Grow!

Marketing ProfessionalsOkay, this will be a bold statement: “Marketing professionals are the unsung heroes of the business world.” There I said it. There is no glory, no fanfare, and no one — for the most part — understands what we do to help their business.

I am hoping to change some of that with this post!

So, Why Do Marketing Professionals So Often Get Ignored?

Marketing Professionals Know No Customers Equals No BusinessIn today’s world, the act of marketing often gets confused with sales, and while the act of sales is important and ultimately the end result, they are two very different methodologies.

Many businesses operate based on “sales-out-the-door” — and they should — as, without sales, there would be no business. However, what is driving the lead conversions to the sales team is the creative methodologies of your marketing team.

That all said, here in the information age — as it has been for hundreds of years before — the way business marketing is done can be the difference between success and failure in bringing in quality prospects to whom to sell your service or widget.

Marketing Professionals Feeling Ignored

Marketing Professionals Know That It Has Always Been This Way!

In fact, today’s funnel has been completely flipped on its head, finally giving validity to the power of not only the deliverance of leads but the deliverance of good, qualified leads that allow you to close the sales process faster.

That said, the biggest fault has also fallen upon the shoulders of your marketing team.

“A salesman’s mistake may cost little. An advertiser’s mistake may cost a thousand times that much. Be more cautious, more exacting, therefore. A mediocre salesman may affect a small part of your trade. Mediocre advertising affects all of your trade.” ~ Claude Hopkins in Scientific Marketing

Marketing Professionals - New Marketing Funnel
Click For Larger Image

Today’s purchasing funnel is now 75% marketing and 25% sales, whereas even as recent as 15 years ago — circa 2002 — ‘sales’ was the dominant focus to drive business at 60% sales and 40% marketing.

Here is my Top-5 list for how we marketing professionals can help your business.

#1 – We Know Why People Make Decisions…

Trendsetters like Claude Hopkins or Simon Sinek know that when you market to the “emotional-why”, you are marketing directly to the part of the brain that makes a decision. This ‘direct response marketing’ methodology is used by 100% of today’s successful businesses such as Apple, Inc..

#2 – We Focus On The Perspective Of The Buyer…

There have been many times when I have seen marketing that is all about the features. Unfortunately, it is little about the benefit. You have the best widget or service, or you claim to have a low price, you may even claim to have all the right colours & all the right sizes — and within your message, it was forgotten that all the prospective buyer wants to know is how you will solve their problem or fix their need. Remember, benefits sell; features don’t!

#3 – We Deliver Better, More Qualified Leads…

The shorter the cycle, the faster you can grow. Good marketers deliver leads to your business. The ones that are qualified can then be given an offer from the sales team. Quite often businesses have their sales teams out there trying to market, but they do it like salespeople. Some will be successful, but the majority will falter. Today’s discerning customer has more direct access to your competition, and the bigger the impact, the deeper the relationship must be! Simply, driving better/more qualified leads to your sales team will bring in your profits faster.

#4 – Brand Continuity…

All us marketers say that consistency is important, but “why” is it important? Brand continuity affects what people think about your company. People are emotionally driven to buy and as such, an inconsistent brand will not drive confidence. The more consistent your messaging, the more consistent your branding — whether via words, design, offerings or perspective. That’s why it’s so important to develop standards for brand consistency in your business.

#5 – We Are Professionals At Showing Value…

Price is often pitched as value and just as often, they are not related. There are two aspects to the definition of value: ‘desired value’ and ‘perceived value’. Desired value refers to what customers desire in a product or service. Perceived value is the benefit that a customer believes he or she received from a product after it was purchased. One-hundred percent of all generated value is delivered by your marketing team before they even talk to a salesperson.

And there you have it.  If you found value in this post, please share it.

Are you looking for some quick insight and/or need some help? Phone calls are always free. Call Toll-Free throughout North America 1-888-502-3523

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Other Services – In Case You Were Not Aware

There are many “other services” that come up in daily conversations, yet do not get discussed in depth until your challenges are fully discovered.

These “other services” encompass the solving of those challenges — looking at the bigger picture — of doing business in the digital age. Things such as site & transaction security, domain routing, and system & process development (systems that make your business run smoother), are just a few of the ‘bigger picture’ challenges that Cortex Marketing is adept is providing a solution for.

Things such as site & transaction security, domain routing, and system & process development (systems that make your business run smoother), are just a few of the ‘bigger picture’ challenges that Cortex Marketing is adept is providing a solution for.

That said, the lack of discussion for “other services” is almost always because many of our clients already have the foundation established for their business — their branding components, a basic online presence, and a general plan of what their business is all about — and they simply need help establishing specific marketing strategies, plans, and components needed to deliver a better return on their investment.

You Have Choices

“You do other services? I did not know that!”

Of the many “other services” we provide, only a general few are entered into the mix until we know your goals and progress through the discovery process. I did not know thatThat pathway is rarely pre-determined as there are too many variables to solidify those needed components until a plan is being put together.

We provide you with a strategy, designed to achieve the goals you lay out to us, At that time we develop a plan that puts in place the mix you need to get the result you want.

Our 360º Success Team

While delivering a full-service solution — part of the way Cortex Marketing has always brought solutions to the business world — this year we created the 360º Success Team to solve our clients’ issues regarding bigger IT & system solution needs.

The key to our team’s success is how we emphasize creating a solution-based environment where people actually want to be. We believe our corporate culture is a crucial component to achieving success for our clients.

Together Everyone Achieves MoreWhen you engage with Cortex Marketing, we have the strategists, copywriters, designers, programmers and IT specialists, all to ensure that your goals are always maintained and looked at with the latest fresh eyes. This gives us a unique perspective and provides you with what we believe is one of the best customer-service experiences in the entire marketing industry.

The bottom line is that you deserve the results you desire.

If we have fallen short and not delivered the best service on the market, we have failed in our goal. As such we offer this guarantee:

“While we cannot guarantee advertising results, we do guarantee our services. It is as simple as this: “If you are not satisfied, we are not satisfied. — We will do whatever possible to correct any issue, then attempt to exceed your future expectations. 

5-Star ServiceWe know the value of our clients and recognize that without them, we would not exist. We offer a service with integrity,  a culture where we LOVE what we do, and unparrallelled five-star customer service — and for these reasons, we make our bold guarantee: “If you are not satisfied, we are not satisfied!”

So if at anytime you are not satisfied with any part of your experience with us, please give us an opportunity to correct any issues and exceed your expectations in the future — we will make it right even if you are asking for your money back!” ~ William S. Dickinson, President and CEO Dickinson Enterprises, Inc.

‘Our other services can wait’ is our philosophy — your primary goals are our top priority.

Other ServicesHave you ever worked with a company that is always trying to upsell you? Everyone on our 360º team has, and that is what drives us crazy too! Within our culture, we simply want to fit you into the best long-term solution first and foremost. And if we can provide you with advice, coaching, and/or development of other services, we want you to know that you can also trust us with the following business solutions:

  • Website Development (WYSIWYG platforms, WordPress, Custom Programming in Python and HTML5)
  • Landing-Page Development
  • Social Media Development
  • Conversion Marketing Copywriting
  • Website and Marketing-Campaign Analytics
  • Simple and Complex Marketing Campaigns
  • User-Based Technology Guidance (MS Office, Adobe Creative Cloud, G-Suite)
  • Custom Programming and Technology-Based Process Development (systems to make your business run smoother)
  • System Administration (email, network admin, system hosting)
  • Server set-up and Management (database, SQL, JavaScript, etc.)
  • Business Graphics / Graphic Design (logo development/design, business cards/envelopes/letterhead, etc.)
  • e-Commerce Solutions
  • And more… basically, anything to do with marketing and selling yourself online!
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The Power Of Why Marketing Methodology

“People Don’t Buy What You Do, They Buy Why You Do It” ~ Simon Sinek — that’s the power of why!

The Power Of Why

My Inspiration For The Power Of Why

To understanding the Power Of Why, let’s talk about biology… yes “biology”. We are all inspired — at the top level — by our experiences. From there our feelings take over; and while we are always gathering information, that ‘information’ influences our feelings… which in turn influences our decision, and ultimately, we buy based on what we feel, not what we know.

The Power Of Why“When we are confronted with a decision, emotions from previous, related experiences affix values to the options we are considering. These emotions create preferences which lead to our decision.” ~ Peter Noel Murray Ph.D.

Read His Entire Article Here

So how does this tie into biology you ask?

When you look at the information and “decision-making regions” of the brain — top down, like the image above — the”Neo-Cortex” is the ‘WHAT’ ring, and the “Limbic Brain” (or “Allocortex” region) are the center two, ‘HOW’ & ‘WHY’ regions respectively. When we buy, our final decisions are most often attributed to the ‘why’. In other words,  does it make us feel good, or special, or sexy, or smart, or [whatever].

So more often than not, your marketing message must seek to tap into that Allocortex response region, eliciting an emotion, putting the buyer on a path to make a decision in your favor.

This is only century-old knowledge, and the ‘message delivering methodology’ within this knowledge is at the core of why DRM (Direct Response Marketing) works so well. In fact, one of the most successful companies in the world uses this methodology all the time. That company? Apple.

So, Gimme Some Examples Of DRM and The Power Of Why

Okay, we are just scratching the surface here, here are a few ‘slogans’… see if you can name the brand:

  • “Think Different” (we all want to be unique)
  • “Melts in your mouth but not in your hands!” (still true)
  • “Fly the friendly skies!” (well not so much anymore)
  • “Snickers really satisfies!” (okay that one is a give away)
Apple Think Different Logo
Copyright © Apple Inc.

Well, how’d you do? My guess is, most will — while maybe more in a sub-conscience way — easily relate to the emotional experience we have had with each brand. The first one, by the way, was Apple. “Think different.” was an advertising slogan for Apple, Inc. (then Apple Computer, Inc.) in 1997 created by the Los Angeles office of advertising agency TBWA\Chiat\Day. The slogan has been widely taken as a response to IBM’s slogan “Think”.

The Golden Circle — Explaining The Power Of Why

Simon Sinek codified this whole concept in the creation of “The Golden Circle”, and with 32.6+ million total views, you can be guaranteed that more than a few have been inspired. Here is that video:

I hope you left inspired today about “The Power Of Why”!

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