15 Second Marketing (Blog)

[Kirk Hoffman]

I enjoyed the post. It's also very interesting to find so many reactions to the format of the piece instead of the topic. Guess we've all had our share.

One book I'd recommend (though I'm extremely biased since it's the basis of my work) is Book Yourself Solid, by Michael Port. I'll share a few components that really resonate.

First, one basic premise is that there are some people in the world that we're meant to work with and others that we are not. This foundational principle really relieves the pressure to make everyone a customer and allows conversations to happen.

Second is the idea that we should define and work with our ideal clients as much as possible. When we do this, we end up energized and inspired instead of worn out. We also can do our best work with such clients, which will lead to our clients sharing their experiences with others.

Third, figure out why people buy what you sell. That covers items such as target market, needs/desires, results, investible opportunities and deep-rooted benefits.

Fourth, define a personal brand. Do this by identifying who you serve and what you do for them. Then come up with why you do it, the reason you get out of bed in the morning, what you stand for in the world.

That 'why' is a key component. This often becomes a motivating component as well as a statement about your work.

Then you can figure out how to talk about what you do. At Step Five. After all that other work.

It's only after identifying the preceeding attributes of your work that you can really communicate with people about you and your work.

"Elevator pitches" should be jettisoned. Pitches tend to be memorized statements instead of a natural back-and-forth between people.

And when you know the other elements well it allows you to change up your conversation based on interest and time allowed.

I might say "I free people."

If they're curious and want to know more, I can talk about the constraints of bad marketing (for Book Yourself Solid business coaching) or the chains of limited perception (for life coaching).

All that said, there seem to be similar elements in the course Steve is recommending. And Steve doesn't seem like any dummy to me, so I'd guess it's a good way to go.

[Arboretor]

So, has anyone got the book and found that it is worthwhile to read even after Steve explained what it is all about? Is there something we can't learn from Steve's description?

[RichC]

Good post Holistic Star. I love the Bloke in the pub analogy. KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) applies here methinks.

[Developer]

If you click the "PS click here if you DON'T want to buy" link at the bottom of the page, you get a $20 discount.

Classy.

[Fullcrum]

I've never heard of that, Developer. Actually, I have, but not in that form. Usually it's employed during verbal selling, giving a high price, seeing if they bite, and then lowering it. But never online. Ah well.

[Bruce Achterberg]

I'd like your feedback.

I'm busy working on my 15-second marketing message (read: procrastinating on doing something that's scary... but at least it's productive procrastination ).

This is the marketing message Steve was trying:

I'm a human alarm clock. I awaken people who are sleeping through life. Then I duck.

He explains why he chose that message here and here.

My old marketing message was:

I enliven people by illuminating their strengths and encouraging them to harness their most fulfilling, energising strengths so that we're all stronger.

Alas, I don't seem to do that at all, heh (well, I do... but it's not what people get out of me. To paraphrase Slade Roberson, your purpose is something that people pull out of you--it's what they get from you. You don't have to "do" anything to get it out there because it comes out naturally, although some lines of work allow it to flow out more naturally and purely than others).

Instead, I seem to be some sort of compassionate truth detector that cuts through the BS around me. There are a variety of ways I can do this, but helping people come back to the truth--or perhaps their truth--is what I seem to do.

Here's the new marketing message I'm testing:

I'm a mirror. I help people see what's true.

I find this fairly accurate (but not that exciting), since all I do is see truth (and have various ways of finding and detecting it) and express it to others. I'm just reflecting back what I see. I like the "I'm a mirror" part because it helps explain that it's people who empower or heal themselves, not me. I'm just a tool to facilitate that.

I figure most people will respond with "ok... so how do you do that?", to which I can reply with something like "most people believe in lots of things they've heard and those beliefs disempower them and stop them from creating a truly fulfilling life. I help people to see past those beliefs to what's true and give them space to connect with their power and their true desires" (or something like that. I'd need to practice that part, but at least, it's nice and authentic and skips the "... you're psychic?!" response.

I haven't tested it out in actual conversation yet (but I will!), and I don't find it as fun and exciting as Steve's (I'm not sure if I'm quite there yet in terms of a marketing message, but I'm getting better), but I figure it's a heck of a lot better than saying:

• "I'm an intuitive counselor" or
• "I'm an Akashic record reader" or
• "I can read your energy and, judging by how good you feel using clairsentience, I can tell you whether you feel good about what you're saying or not; whether what you're saying is true for you or not."

The reason I even care about a marketing message is because I get asked very often what I do. I don't have any business cards or a website I refer people to, but eventually I will, and I'd like to get better at expressing what I do so (A) my conversations flow more smoothly, (B) I can express the value I provide so people who actually might benefit from it can go check out my website, (C) like-minded people can recognise me as "one of them" and we can connect further as desired from there.

Basically, I'd like to not miss opportunities.

* * *

If we were talking and you asked "so… what do you do?" and I replied "I'm a mirror. I help people see what's true," what would you say (or ask)?

I'm trying to avoid those awkward blank stares, pauses, and "oh... that's... interesting" moments I get from other answers I use since responses like that mean I'm running into people's resistance or expressing myself in a way they don't understand (neither of which are productive).

Ideally, I'd at people to hear my message before they get caught up on the "mediums" (i.e. psychic ability, and other such strengths, skills, and talents that I find equally hard to describe) I use to deliver it.

[Anna Conlan]

I don't know if you're supposed to include it in a 15 second marketing message, but I'd put something about benefits of what you do and in what context you do it.

E.g. Using my intuitive abilities, I reflect back to people how they really feel about the options and choices in front of them, so that they can choose the paths in life which provide the most fulfillment for them.

Or something like that.

[Bruce Achterberg]

Originally Posted by Anna Conlan

E.g. Using my intuitive abilities, I reflect back to people how they really feel about the options and choices in front of them, so that they can choose the paths in life which provide the most fulfillment for them.

Or something like that.

Nice work--like that one. It has a clarity to it that's very down-to-earth and easy to reply to.

(You're much better at this than me, it seems, but I think that's because you can spot the essence of things a little faster than I can.)

Thanks for the feedback, Anna.

Originally Posted by Anna Conlan

I don't know if you're supposed to include it in a 15 second marketing message, but I'd put something about benefits of what you do and in what context you do it.

Benefit and context are important, but might be a bit challenging to include that in the initial marketing message--i.e. the response to "so, what do you do?"

A nice, shortened version of your suggestion:

I reflect back to people how they really feel about the options and choices in front of them so that they can choose the paths which fulfill them.

I really like that one, but it's missing one vital ingredient (at least for me): I don't feel strong when I say it.

I've realised that a good marketing message not only covers what you do for people, but engages your strengths--i.e. makes you feel strong and energised; excited to talk about it.

A good marketing message seems to be a balance between brevity (something around 10 to 12 words; about the size of a short reply), meeting a need (i.e. they have to be able to associate a real-world issue, need, or desire with what you say you do), and alignment with fuels you (i.e. when you tell people what you do, you want your passion to come through. This will happen if you choose something that truly touches on what drives you; something that's married to what energises you).

So that gives us a criteria of:

1. Brevity
2. Meets a real world need
3. I feel alive and energised when I talk about what I do

I'm trying to avoid any mention of the abilities I use, mostly because I find it just distracts people and I have to go into explaining mode. Having to teach people about my beliefs or justify my beliefs is very draining to me (specifically, it's frustrating--frustration is a sign of a weakness). In other words, it doesn't strengthen me and when I have to do it I suddenly become less competent.

I did a bit of a 180 and brought my marketing message down to earth a lot more.

Here's one of my newer, better messages:

I help people to connect to their strengths and be true to themselves.

Looking at the criteria:

1. Brevity (yes)
2. Meets a real world need (sort of)
3. I feel alive and energised when I talk about what I do (yes)

I find it's hard to balance criteria 2 and 3.

* * *

I've been considering why I'm suddenly obsessed with my marketing message, and it occurs to me that I'm trying to become clear about what it is I do.

I realised that while part of what I do is about reflecting back how people feel about things, that's not really why I do it. I do it to see people empowered and strong; to see them being true to themselves and putting their potential to use. I like to bring people back to a point of empowerment because I can feel (empathy) whether or not they're empowered, or, as Abraham would put it, tuned in, tapped in, turned on.

If I had my way, when asked what I do I'd launch into something like:

I help people align with their natural birthright, to sift through the contrast of their situation, identify their desires, and align with their inner being so they're in a state of pure positive energy and become powerful creators of their life.



I feel that's the core of my message, beyond the specifics of how I accomplish that. It's seeing people brim with alignment that strengthens me.

Now if I could just fit that into a marketing message in a way that won't produce vacant looks.

But that's what this process is for: it helps you become clear about what you're actually trying to express.

I'm probably better off just taking lots of action for now (rather than work on a marketing message), although it would be nice to experience the interesting conversations and connections that could result from a good marketing message. I also like the focus it brings (it's sort of like a purpose statement in that sense).

[Brutha]

I've been considering why I'm suddenly obsessed with my marketing message, and it occurs to me that I'm trying to become clear about what it is I do.

Then what do you actually do these days?
How do you earn your money?

I'm trying to avoid any mention of the abilities I use, mostly because I find it just distracts people and I have to go into explaining mode.

I do think that people will want to know something specfic about yourself.
The specific thing doesn't have to be in the initial statement but without something specific it's hard to get a mental picture of the thing that another person actually does.

I probably should also work on a message. My problem is that I have way to much different interests.
At the moment my line is: I'm studying bioinformatics
with isn't that great In two weeks a will visit a barcamp and have to tell lot's of people what I'm doing.
Going to some event where a lot of people will ask you "hat do you do?" is probably an effective way to test your new message.

Put yourself into a situation where you have to use your new message and see whether it's good.

[Angela]

Hey, Bruce. How about:

"I'm a talking mirror. I help people see their inner truth."

[Bruce Achterberg]

Originally Posted by Brutha

Then what do you actually do these days?
How do you earn your money?

The retail job I have to pay the bills doesn't define me.

While I have no other income stream at the moment, I might have one soon, but even then, I wouldn't just want to describe what I do there... I'd want to focus more on my message, kind of like Steve does.

If I wanted to describe something specifically from there, then I could.

Originally Posted by Brutha

I do think that people will want to know something specfic about yourself.
The specific thing doesn't have to be in the initial statement but without something specific it's hard to get a mental picture of the thing that another person actually does.

It's a good point.

Part of me feels it might be best just to flat out say "I'm psychic" or "I use my psychic ability to gather soul-level information, etc" (if people ask for specifics).

I could try to avoid saying that to avoid people's reactions, but I guess people's reactions aren't that bad. I dunno. I'll experiment.

Originally Posted by Brutha

I probably should also work on a message. My problem is that I have way to much different interests.

At the moment my line is: I'm studying bioinformatics
with isn't that great In two weeks a will visit a barcamp and have to tell lot's of people what I'm doing.
Going to some event where a lot of people will ask you "hat do you do?" is probably an effective way to test your new message.

Put yourself into a situation where you have to use your new message and see whether it's good.

Yeah, having a message is handy. I got asked what I do today, and told someone.

I find most people ask "what do you do?" not to actually learn what you do. It seems more about "polite" conversation.

Some people are genuinely interested, though, and I'd like to be able to have a decent answer for them.

As you say, though, it's just about going out and testing. You can sit at your desk and do it all you want, but that isn't an effective strategy. You have to work it!

Thanks for your feedback, Brutha.

By the way, if you said "I'm studying bioinformatics" I'd probably respond with "so what's bioinformatics?" or "what does bioinformatics involve?" (just to give you an idea). I'll be honest and say that "I'm studying bioinformatics" doesn't really make me feel super-keen to ask you questions about bioinformatics and what you do, since it sounds quite abstract and non-specific. It's not a bad marketing message--I don't think any are really bad; some just produce different results.

[Bruce Achterberg]

Thanks to everyone who gave me feedback on my marketing message. It was helpful and led me to a solution (not actually a marketing message--although I did get a bit closer in that sense, I think--but a solution none-the-less).

I much appreciate the care and speedy feedback.

Originally Posted by Angela

Hey, Bruce. How about:

"I'm a talking mirror. I help people see their inner truth."

Not bad.

I think the mirror analogy is kind of inherantly confusing, though. It seems to confuse people, so I'm not sure if tweaking it helps make it more clear.

E.g. I asked my Twitter followers how they would respond to "I'm a mirror. I help people see what's true." They said:

"I wouldn't know what to say to that!"

"if you said "I'm a mirror. I help people see what's true" I'd reply "True for whom?""

(Thanks to BigChat and Anna Conlan for responding to my Twitter question.)

So, basically, in response to that marketing message I'd get one awkward pause, and one "I want to challenge your beliefs about reality" (or something). Not quite the "oh, so tell me more!" I had in mind.

I've decided to shelve looking for a marketing message for the moment. I like "I help people to connect to their strengths and be true to themselves," so I can use that in the meantime.

When I feel I have a genuine need for a better message than that one (or when I feel a hankering to come up with a better message), I'll explore further.

This was a helpful exercise, because it helped me realise (1) I'm not even very clear on what I do(!), and (2) things like crafting a marking message can too easily become forms of procrastination. Fun procrastination, but at least in my case, not the best use of my time.

Thanks for the suggestion, Angela.

[magic1]

I struggle with anything that slightly looks mainstream business plugging...Ive just got a twitter account and to be honest I feel like a twit! follow me just does my head in....I am a coach teaching universe magic, deeply and I really am struggling to fit my true essence into a business look! I feel out of place and loose flow....what does one do? if they feel like they are loosing themselves in this network marketing arena when really they are all about helping another tap in and create...I have intended lotto so I can do it for free! I love my work I hate the look!

[abcZen]

The reason the long sales page works is a mystery to some. We don't read them, but buyers do