Another month, another Book Brief! This time, we’ve read Magnetic Marketing: How to Attract a Flood of New Customers That Pay, Stay, and Refer, written by Dan S. Kennedy. This read had such an abundance of value that it may be our longest Book Brief yet! From general rules to rules of copy and creating your offers, we’ve picked our top takeaways and share them with you below.

Magnetic Marketing Key Points

1. Know your customers’ psychographics. What are their habits and hobbies? What is causing them pain right now as it relates to your service? What do they secretly and privately desire the most? The last question is the deeper reason that a client chooses your service – touch on that to really speak to their deepest desires.
2. Match your target market to your budget. Trying to market to every single adult in Detroit could cost $300k when our budget is only $600. Shrink your target market to the resources you can commit to and be repetitive with.
3. What do your customers really want? An auto shop repairs cars but customers don’t want auto repair – they want to not have to be at the auto shop. When they have to, they don’t want it to disrupt their lives. As a lawyer, the number one thing you sell is an advocate. You may be the only person showing up in court that believes in them and is willing to advocate for them. No matter your niche, they want to know you’re on their side!
4. Create an irresistible offer. When the Stratosphere in Las Vegas was equivalent to a Motel 6, they had an ad for a 2-night, 3-day stay in a deluxe suite + a bottle of champagne, unlimited drinks, and $600 to gamble with – all for $396.

Rules to Follow

1. There must always be an offer.
2. There must be a reason to respond right now.
3. Instructions must be clear.
4. There must be tracking and memorability. For every dollar spent, you must be able to clearly identify how much comes back as a result.
5. Brand building should not cost a penny. Ever.
6. Follow up. No excuses.

Creating Strong Copy

1. Strong copy is written backward. Start with customer interests, desires, frustrations, fears, thoughts, feelings, and experiences – then journey forward to reveal a solution tied to your business.
2. Write to your audience like you are sitting across the table talking to a friend. Use the same passion and speak from your heart with emotional appeals.
3. Be bold in your claims and promises. Zig Ziglar says, “Timid salesmen have skinny kids.”
4. Split test the same copy with different headlines. Test, monitor, adjust. Gradually achieve the best possible results.

Always Have an Offer

1. Every piece of content should have an offer attached.
2. A 10-year-old should be able to understand it.
3. Every offer should be an irresistible value.
4. You must include a discount or premium.
5. Always explain your offer: “My team thinks that I am crazy to extend this promotion but I want to build our portfolio of mobile websites. After December 10th, the price goes up by $500 so take action today!”
6. Your offer should give a sense of urgency. An offer isn’t an offer without a deadline!
7. Include a call to action – Fill out this form, click below, etc.
8. Assume all of the risk and offer a guarantee.

Whew! That was a lot of great information and we are really excited to start implementing some of it into our marketing.

What’s the most valuable takeaway you’ve gained from this book? Clearly, we couldn’t narrow it down so we would love to hear your thoughts! Leave us a comment on this post or on Facebook.