On-line
publishing: How
today’s top website marketers work; The art
of diversion
How to
engage your prospect’s attention and make a sale; Great
advertising -there is
still some around! Effective
but not efficient - why the
internet is the most efficient but least effective medium; Blocked email
messages? Prevent those
Internet Service Providers blocking your messages; Get your
messages opened -an
introduction to improve your message opening rate; Selling
seminars and DVDs - we
examine the highly successful Gary Halbert method
Dear
colleague,
If you
want to learn how to convince an audience, watch a magician.
A
magician convinces an audience he has made something disappear or appear from
no-where. If he is good at his craft we have no idea how he does it. And here’s
the interesting part – most of us do not want to know. We suspend belief because
we want to be entertained.
Being a
member of the Magic Circle famously means not being allowed to explain how a
trick is done. You may think therefore the magician’s greatest secret is his
knowledge. But you would be wrong. The art of magic lies in misdirection – the
ability to entertain. The audience’s attention is diverted as the all-important
sleight-of-hand takes place.
A good
subscription promotion follows a similar pattern. Readers are drawn in by the arresting
headline. As they read, their attention is diverted from other things. All they
can think of is what the product can do for them. Disbelief suspended, they
place their order. The main difference is payment is made after the show, not
before.
In this
issue of Subscriptions Strategy, we look at two well-crafted promotions: one an
advertisement, the other a website. They show how to engage, divert and
convince your readers to place an order.
Why no advertisements?
Why don’t
we see more subscription advertisements in newstrade newspapers and magazines?
Around ten years ago the press was full of ads for financial and current affair
publications.
The lack
of publishers advertisements could be put down to increases in the cost of
space, but as it’s still possible to negotiate huge discounts with newspapers,
this doesn’t really wash. The real reason is that most publishers:
Don’t
know how to produce effective creative work Haven’t
worked out what an acceptable financial return is, so limit the promotional
budget Prefer to
stick with what they know (mostly in-house ads) Are
pre-occupied with website marketing We revisit website marketing later in this
issue, in our Online Publishing Review section.
Peter Hobday
Members-only section Subscriptions Strategy issue 57 >>>