Caution: Don’t Copy Hollywood’s Hype-Marketing, but…

 

 

 

…copy what it does so masterfully!

We surely see how Hollywood is doing it.  You can’t escape it.  Every time you go to the movies, you are exposed to amazing trailers put together in this seemingly perfect fashion of fast-flashing images, emotional music and well-selected conversation clips.  

We get drawn into the story, we love the sense of anticipation for what is to come, we long to see the movie NOW…and as marketers we also wonder how we could create that same sense of anticipation in our audience, for our products and services.  

And we can and we should look for Hollywood’s teaching but with caution.  

 As entrepreneurs committed to doing business in a way that delivers honest value to our clients, we often struggle with the perceived need to “hype” our products up in order to stand out.  We’d rather under-promise than over-hype.  And here is where we can be cautious but alert students of Hollywood:  Some facts:

1. Storytelling works.  In Hollywood and on YOUR website.  

2. Triggering Emotions works.  In Hollywood and in YOUR sales copy.

3. Enticing video clips work.  In Hollywood and in YOUR video blog.

4. Over-promising DOESN’T work.  Not in Hollywood and not in YOUR business.

Here is where Hollywood gets it wrong.  

You all have experienced what I am talking about.  A great movie trailer, full of funny dialogue, great stories and beautiful music.  You wait for the day of release, you make time to stand in line and then… you get two hours of disappointment.  The dialogue you saw in the trailer was the best words uttered in the whole entire movie.  The story line was so lame, you could have come up with a better one.  The special effects were overdone and used as a crutch rather than an amazing tool…

Long story short, you leave disappointed and determined to never fall for it again…

And that is the GREATEST mistake Hollywood makes.  

By disappointing you, their customer, they now have to hype up the next movie even more in order for you to believe in their product.  They now got themselves into a vicious cycle of hype, to “uber”-hype, to… an industry that is extinguishing itself slowly but surely.  The hyped-up sales model is not a sustainable model…and you can see that by the fact that movies have to now make their money back on that first opening weekend or they lose money!

But, back to you, the entrepreneur with integrity.  What’s there to do?  

Let’s look at the word “hype” a little closer.  To me, “hype” describes an excessive claim or promise that is not justified by the product.  That’s all. So, if your product or service is amazing, is top quality, then letting others know about it with great storytelling, by triggering emotions and by creating anticipation is perfectly ok.  
But so many honest and purpose-driven entrepreneurs “throw the baby out with the  bathwater” because they are afraid of appearing to hype their product up.  Result: A boring headline on their website, timid copy describing their services, benefits that are understated..you know what I mean.

 

Action plan: Take out your promotional material today!  See where you can:

• create some more emotions
• involve your audience
• create excitement
• stir up some feelings
• get people to anticipate a release of your newest product 
• AND watch movie trailers as marketing lessons BUT make sure you deliver on your promise! (which I have no doubt you will).

Until next time for more “anti-obscurity” tips,

Christiane

P.S. Share how you feel about Hollywood trailers.  What do you like or not like about them below in the comment section.

How to Create Instant Business Momentum (a survey)

 

 

Here is a way for you to get involved and reserve priority “seating” in our of our new courses starting Sept 10th.

 As many of you know by now, I am becoming one of 40 “Product Launch Formula Consultants” under the mentorship of Jeff Walker, the guru of product launches. For further casestudies of “ordinary people” creating 6-figure online launches (in areas of dressage, organic gardening, boardgames etc.) go to http://productlaunchformula.com/blog/

 

Even though I will offer an exclusive “done for you” service (managing large Joint Venture launches) starting in Fall, I realized that I also want to continue offering Coaching and Implementation courses.

So, here are the courses as I am designing them right now.  I would love for you to let me know which (if any are of interest to you):

1. Coaching course “Finding your Voice, Creating your Magnetic Brand” (a course that has been very popular).  Length: 60 days, participants: 12

 

2. Implementation Lab “Creating your Irresistible Core Product” ( a new service that seems to be of much demand but I would like to hear from you on how imporant it would be for you to have access to a step-by-step course that takes you from idea to complete core curriculum and product of your brand). Length: 90 days, participants: 12

 

3. Implementation Lab “Launching With Impact” (a new course that will give a small, pre-selected group for those who have developed their brand and their product to catapult their business out of obscurity with a powerful online launch of their core product as an instant strategy to position themselves and their business as leaders in their industry).  Length: 60 days, participants: 6

 

In addition, I am creating homestudy courses of the first two courses. 

If you have a minute, would you let me know what speaks to you most by leaving a .  Any response from you will be archived and you will receive a 20% discount on any course offered in Fall.  

 

Thanks so much for your time,

Christiane

Do You Deserve My Attention?

Today I carved four hours out to study all there is about “Product Launches”.  FOUR hours!  I closed down email, turned off the phone and cleaned up my desk. 
AND YET…

My mind, not used to focusing for four long hours on ONE thing, went crazy! 1000’s of to-do-items popped into my head as I was trying to focus.  The temptation to open my email back up, to quickly check my facebook page, to twitter just for a second about what I had learned, to check if I had phone messages.  AHHHH, I felt so distracted (thank goodness I have the subject of product launches and resisted but still, ohhhh, the temptations…).

Now, what does that have to do with you?  Well, your messages, your emails, your promotions, your websites enter my life during the times that I don’t even TRY to block out distractions.  No, your attempts to communicate with me come when I am actually trying to get those 1000’s of things off my to-do list.
What does that mean to you?  

It means that you not only have your competition to worry about but my attention!

My very short, stretched and maxed-out ATTENTION.  

No wonder, it is harder and harder to emerge from obscurity, to be noticed for your great gifts, for your amazing work, for your great offers…but there is a solution.

Actually, it’s series of solutions that need to be tied together to make the impact you so desire.

1. You need to amplify your entrepreneurial spirit.  Start thinking bigger, start thinking leader.  Start thinking movement.

2. You need to create an electrifying brand.  Your value proposition needs to be supported by powerful values.

3. You have to have irresistible products and services that really (really) work…and you have to customize them to meet your different clients’ needs and budgets

4. You have to create momentum.  The slow selling of your products and service doesn’t work any more.  You need to catapult your name and offer into orbit so that others will take the time to see and hear you.  Not once but many times!

Once you do that, you will in effect deserve my attention and believe me, you’ll have it!  Because you just made it easier for me to focus, to find a solution, to hear you and to learn from you.

Please, please, please, for the sake of the world, follow those 4 steps, do whatever it takes to learn them and then you get to do what you came to do, heal, help and make the planet a more beautiful place for all of us!

One way to get my attention is to leave your comments below. Share your gifts right now.  Make us stop and listen!

Christiane 

P.S. I just finished a report on exactly those 4 steps, I am having it formatted right now and it will be available in a couple days.