Goldmine Marketing

Here’s what I’m up to…

  • Beware this VSL health scam

    2:09pm
    Saint Paul

    My uncle’s memory is slipping.

    It’s not as bad as it could be. Yet.

    But it adds a lot of stress to the family, especially for my mom (his sister).

    So when my mom and dad were recently sent a Video Sales Letter (VSL) about a miracle cure for Alzheimer’s , they were interested in what it had to say.

    They watched the full hour or so.

    And then they sent it to other family members before one wrote back with a warning:

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  • What Won’t THEY Tell You?

    9:33am
    Oct 31
    Saint Paul

    You’re on the operating table, and they’ve opened you up. Guess who calmly walks out of the room?

    This copy comes from the late Mel Martin’s copy for Boardroom’s Bottom Line Yearbook, 1992.

    Talk about opening a loop!

    And to get the resolution to this –– “and lots more that hospitals don’t tell you” –– you had to buy the book and turn to page 262.

    (See this and more of Mel’s incredible bullets in the image below.)

    Today is Halloween.

    And while FEAR may be all around you tonight…

    FEAR is a standard technique used in Direct Response Marketing.

    Not in a jump-scare sort of way…

    But as a spychological technique, tapping into:

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  • Halloween Creeps!

    12:01pm
    Saint Paul

    Last night, Extra Eclectic––my favorite classical music radio program––aired two hours of Halloween-ish music.

    And while the recorded radio program will be available to stream in a week or so, I wanted those tunes to play on Friday, Oct 31…

    Halloween itself!

    So I just compiled the tracks from last night, plus previous Halloween-themed evenings, into a long Spotify playlist.

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  • Is 66¢ a good CPC?

    2:54pm
    Saint Paul

    Cold ads can be hard.

    People don’t know your brand.

    They don’t know your offer.

    And on Reddit? They’d rather be left alone.

    Which makes me happy to report…

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  • If it ain’t about the munney, hunny…

    9:32am
    Saint Paul

    Last week we discussed a few ways money isn’t real.

    It was prompted by a quote I heard at a marketing conference:

    “People don’t respond to discounts any more.

    “Especially if Corporate is paying the bill.

    “And remember: money isn’t real anyway.”

    Today we’re going to look at the first part of the quote.

    And a few ways YOU can overcome price resistance.

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  • “Remember,” she said, “money isn’t real.” And the screen lit with hearts.

    9:10am
    Saint Paul

    “People don’t respond to discounts any more.

    “Especially if Corporate is paying the bill.

    “And remember: money isn’t real anyway.”

    Lots to unpack from this quote (from memory) I heard at an online marketing conference earlier this year, which caused a lot of people to react with heart emojis.

    Let’s start at the end:

    Is money “real?”

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  • Mental health programs in schools: Working or Nah?

    2:52pm
    Saint Paul

    It’s mental health month in the Catholic church.

    Well, officially it’s “National Catholic Mental Health Campaign” month.

    Anyway, it brought to mind this article in the Guardian that schools that offer mental health and wellness programs for all children aren’t very effective.

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  • Your #2 Job in Business… (and a P/T Job Opportunity)

    12:20pm
    Saint Paul

    Customer service is Job #2.

    (Job #1, Dan Kennedy reminds us, is marketing.)

    So when the fence company put in our new fence posts…

    While we were in California…

    Unable to approve the installation location…

    And now the posts are in the wrong spot…

    With an unexpected HOLE in our new driveway…

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  • Breakthrough Social Media

    2:16pm
    Saint Paul

    Today I started Brian Kurtz and Chris Mason’s Breakthrough Advertising Bootcamp.

    Written by Eugene Schwartz in 1966, Breakthrough Advertising is a dense book focused on marketing psychology so that your message speaks to readers on a level deeper than just “lose weight” or “make money.”

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  • Don’t think of a King

    7:23pm
    Saint Paul

    The classic “don’t think of an elephant” idea.

    Where you can’t tell someone to NOT do something… because the very command puts the idea in his head.

    Parents know and use this one.

    “Don’t eat that” can (and should) be rephrased “Keep that out of your mouth.”

    “Don’t hit your sister” can be rephrased “Hands to yourself.” (Used this one today even!)

    And on and on.

    Point is, you don’t often want to say what NOT to do, because…

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