We got this in the mail – which is similar to what many other chains do, but they did it even better.

My husband got this in the mail, opened it, and it was full of coupons that were EXACTLY the products we buy. Not things they thought we *might* be interested in, but actually stuff we buy and things that go along with the stuff we buy regularly.

He grabbed it and ran it in to my office.

“Nik, look at this. I can just take this right to the store and it's like a shopping list for me.”

And that's exactly what he did, which is why I can't scan and show you the inside. It's completely empty.

What do you think?

• Do you think this would be effective or not?
• Would you have noticed this?
• Would you have used it?
• What would you do to make this piece more effective?

Relate it to your business… 

• Is your lead and customer followup extremely targeted or is it all over the place? For instance, I signed up to learn about natural pet care and what I really wanted was just tips about dogs, since that's what I have. But they've been sending me tips about everything from birds to ferrets to horses.. and I've stopped opening their emails.
• Are you offering very highly targeted opportunities for your peeps?

Recommended Resource:

Business Training: Sticky List Profits

We’ve all been told, “The Money is in the List” but often when we try to get that money from the list, we find that’s it’s just a bit more complicated than that. It would be nice if we could just put a sign-up box onto our website and the money could started rolling in. Of course, it doesn’t work that way.

I used to bust my butt and send out elaborate emails that took FOREVER to put together. And, I was too scared to actually SELL anything  which makes it pretty hard to make money.

If that sounds like you, our new training program “Sticky List Profits” can help you earn more with your email list, too.

Click Here to Learn More

Talk to me.

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

PS. Missed previous Marketing posts like this one? Here are a few more.

It's pretty freaking hilarious, and has gotten over  17 million views at the time of this post.

Viral is good, right? Well, yes and no. But we'll discuss that in a minute.  Before we do, if you haven't yet, enjoy the video.

After you've watched it, scroll down…

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.

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ok. Now let's talk.

I had watched this video and did not notice the company name at the end. Well, I did, but it went right out of my head and didn't mean anything to me.  Did you?

I'd just assumed it was an ad for one of the bigger feminine product companies and didn't even make the connection – until my 12 year old daughter was watching it with a friend and laughing.

They walked into my office and I said “Oh the moon party video. That was funny. What company did that video anyway?”

They both shrugged and said “I don't know.”

That's when I realized that i didn't know either.   That's not the best marketing. ESPECIALLY since I'm their target market – mom with pre-teen girl.

By the way, so you don't have to rewatch it, the end of the video says “Hello Flo, the gift before the gift”.

No URL, no explanation, no nothing. I don't get it.

What do you think?

• Effective or not?
• If not, what would you do to make this piece more effective?

Talk to me.

By the way, if you're interested in learning more about this company and aren't freaked out by talk of “Lady bits” then check out the scoop on https://helloflo.com – Oh wait. I guess they did get some marketing out of the video after all.

Warmly,

Nicole Dean

PS. Missed previous Marketing posts like this one? Here are a few more.

We were walking in downtown Pensacola, and I saw this awesome sign outside of Meadows' Jewelers on Palafox Avenue.

It says “Free Head Exam” in big letters. It certainly got my attention.

If you read closely, you can see it says…

“We'd like to examine your head very closely. We look for certain ‘weak points' that can cause your diamond to pop out of your ring.”

It continues…  and the copy gets even better. I've underlined some words that stood out to me as being highly effective.

“The head of your ring is your diamond's security system. If it weakens or wears away… if your prongs corrode, become brittle or snap off… you can lose your diamond.

So let us take a close look at your ring. It's free. And it could very well save you the cost and heartbreak of having to replace a diamond that you cherish.”

Here's each word above that I underlined and why I liked it.

• “Wears away” – not saying your ring isn't high quality. Just that, over the years, all rings can become susceptible to wear and tear.
• “Close look” – implies that these weak points are not visible to your own eyes – so you should come in to let them use their special equipment.
• “Free” – nothing to lose.
• “Heartbreak” – this isn't just about a diamond. It's your wedding ring.
• “Cherish” – this drives home that your diamond is not replaceable.

What do you think?

• Effective or not?
• Would you have noticed this?
• What would you do to make this piece more effective?

Talk to me.

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

PS. Missed previous Marketing posts like this one? Here are a few more.

These posts, unlike Expert Briefs, are short, quick reads and are mainly photos of fun things that I've found.

I'm going to start with this advertisement that I saw while waiting for a bus in Ireland.

It certainly got my attention.

“Drop your Trousers” vs. “Drop off your clothes with us to be cleaned“.

Which grabs your attention more?

What do you think?

Does it make you suddenly want to get your clothes cleaned?

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

PS. You can see past Marketing Monday moments here: Clever & Unique Marketing

I was talking with my mom this weekend and she was absolutely bursting out with excitement because WisconsinMade.com tweeted her on Follow Friday.

See?

Mom is now a totally loyal affiliate of theirs for life. (Also referred to as a Raving Fan.)

How did this all happen?

1. Mom applied to become an affiliate and started promoting Wisconsin Made – which you can see on her blog sidebar here:

See it live here: RemarkableWrinklies.com

2. She then blogged about their “Fight Breast Cancer” promo this month:

You can see that one here:
Raising Money through Food Gifts

So why 3 Cheers for WisconsinMade.com?

1. At some point in this process, the PR and Social Media Specialist for Wisconsinmade.com, Amanda Maurer, reached out to mom about doing cross blogging between RemarkableWrinklies.com and Edible Antics. (Bravo #1!)
2. Also, during this process,  Tiffany Strey Kloss, their Affiliate Manager, personally communicated with mom to see if there was anything mom needed help with. (Bravo #2). As a former affiliate manager for 4 years, I can tell you this makes a HUGE difference in loyalty.
3. Then, on Friday, mom saw the Tweet that I posted above. I'm not sure who posted it, but whoever did – that's Bravo #3.

And, of course the Packers won yesterday so… lol. oops. Got distracted there for a minute.

So, what can we learn from today's Marketing Monday?

1. Mass communication is important, but it's the personal communication that can impact on an individual level.

2. It doesn't take much to make people feel special. When's the last time you've retweeted something nice that someone has said about you? Are you socially bookmarking blog posts that people write about you? (Do you have Google Alerts set in order to KNOW when people are talking about you?)

3. Offering something unique makes you the only game in town. WisconsinMade.com speaks to loyalty amongst cheeseheads like us – and makes me want to do some Christmas shopping!

I hope you've enjoyed this!

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

PS. If you want to know how NOT to motivate affiliates… see below. UG.

• How NOT to Motivate Affiliates, Pt. 1
• How NOT to Motivate Affiliates, Pt. 2
• How NOT to Motivate Affiliates, Pt. 3

Kudos again for WisconsinMade.com for showing us how TO do it the right way!

This week, a similar phrase caught my eye on the back of a four-pack of Crest Complete.

The box says: “Fights cavities + whiter teeth in one tube.”

All I could think was “Why would you fight whiter teeth?”

It reminds me of all the promos I've seen this month to “Raise Money for Breast Cancer”. Uhhh… I may be weird, but I'd rather raise money to fight and eliminate it.

What do you think?

• Effective or not?
• Would you have noticed this?
• What would you do to make this piece more effective?

Talk to me.

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

1. How to use humor in marketing.
2. Knowing your audience.
3. Showing the benefits of your product. (No wedgies!)

Warning – wedgie below.

Obviously my husband didn't not appreciate this marketing as much as I did. But I think I was more their target audience than he is. (Women's underwear — you think?)

What do you think?

• Effective or not?
• Would it make you buy?
• What would you do to make this piece more effective?
• Do you use humor in your marketing? Why or why not?

Talk to me.

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

So, I promised you that I'd share clever and unique marketing that catches my eye.

This is the one for this week.

We bought some Cheez-Its. This was on the back of the box. I love it!

Also, notice they have their Facebook page on the bottom.Prettty smart.

So, what do you think?

• Does the make you want to try other Cheez-Its?
• Are you utilizing all of your “virtual real estate” to tell people what ELSE they can buy from you? Or are you leaving them to guess?
• What else does this picture make you think about?
• Any way you think it could be improved?

Talk to me…

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

I was shopping at PetSmart the other day (one of my favorite places to spend money in the entire world) — and I was grabbing some dog food. My two big boys eat like horses.

Anyway, I saw these bags of dog food and there is one word on there that stopped me in my tracks. See it?

“LONGEVITY”

As someone who has recently lost a very beloved pet – this marketing hit me in the gut.

I looked at the other bags for “Healthy Coat” or “Weight Management” or “Smart Puppy” or “Large Breed” or “Toy Breed” and it was interesting to me what the manufacturers and marketers deemed important on each bag. I could have studied those things for hours.

But, I do have to say that “Longevity” is a benefit that most pet owners – at least of adult dogs – all think about. And, there's actually guilt involved in buying a food that isn't longevity. Talk about emotion-based marketing. I guess the inevitable question they want you to ask yourself is “If I don't buy longevity food, then … what?”

Thoughts? Let me know what you think!
N

ok. This is my  morning so far. Not off to a great start, but I want to show you that I don't sit in my swivel chair for 12 hours/ day. I have a real life, too.

1. Got up.  Gathered up my daughter so she and hubby could head off to school. Hubby reminded me that his car was in the shop so I'd have to drive them. I reminded hubby that our son had a doctor's appointment at 8:30 and it would have been nice to have been reminded before we needed to leave. Threw son in the shower, headed out to drop off daughter and hubby. Of course we were late dropping of my daughter so I had to go into the school to sign her in. And, also of course, I hadn't planned on being seen by the general public so my attire was not exactly appropriate, nor fetching in any way, shape, or form. ((SIGH))

2. Swung by the house, grabbed my son and drove him across town to his doctor's appt. Got that handled. Made sure to get a Doctor's note so I wouldn't get chastised again by the Deans at the school.

3. Drove son back to school, jumped through hoops to get him checked in…

4. Headed home. Made eggs with smoked salmon and watched one episode of a show on Netflix while eating and decompressing.

5. Sat my butt down in this chair.

6. Sent out the mailing for FreeAffiliateArticles.com for the week.

7. Chatted on IM with Susanne for a few to brainstorm.

8. Got sent a sexy picture on IM from my friend, Tracy Roberts. It's from an awesome movie called “Lost in Austen”. She sends me fun stuff during the day to keep up my spirits.

9. It is now 11am. Time for real work to begin.

My priorities for the day are…

1.  Quickly post a pic on here for Marketing Monday. Hopefully it will spur on some conversation.

2. Plan my mailings for this week around the promos that I have scheduled.

3. Finish last 3 lessons for BlogCPR.com so that I can write this month's lesson for IncomeCPR.com

4. Be done by the time my daughter gets off the bus.

5. Run daughter to after school activities.

6. Hopefully do some form of exercise and get in a shower at some point today.

How about you? How's your day going? What's on your agenda?

Please post your to-do list for today as well as your progress. Looking forward to it!

Hugs and high fives,
N