You might be surprised to know this skill is obtainable. In fact, triggering a buying trace with your written words isn’t as complicated as you might think.

Success comes down to your ability to attract targeted prospects. Because once you have these people’s interest, you can shape their mental imagery and lead them down a path to your desired outcome.

Unfortunately, you face a dominant obstacle — the mind’s natural defense mechanism.

You see, your mind doesn’t welcome change. As a result, instant rejection is much more common than acceptance. This decision process occurs instantly and often without conscious control.

The moment your marketing message contains an idea your prospects’ minds can’t accept, any thought of making a purchase is rejected and your opportunity is lost forever. But when you can switch off the brain’s critical component, you give your marketing message a fighting chance of getting evaluated.

One way to temporarily disable your prospects’ inner critic is by calling attention to specific problems. After all, problems are “messages” your mind can relate to because you’re actively thinking about them.

Here’s an example …

When promoting my new special report, Marketing Materials Made Easy: 8 Secrets for Attracting Attention, Creating Customers and Building Your Business, I target certain prospects with the following phrase:

For business owners and professionals fed up by the lack of leads generated by their company’s marketing materials — and can’t figure out what’s wrong …

Notice how I don’t just target “business owners” or “professionals.” What good would it do me to pursue such a general group?

Instead, I want business owners and professionals who are concerned about their marketing materials … frustrated because their promotional efforts are failing … and confused about what can be done to generate leads. Once I have the attention of these targeted prospects, I can then pile on the reasons for needing my special report.

You can use this same approach in any industry.

Let’s say you’re a criminal defense lawyer in Chicago. Here’s a possible statement:

For Chicago residents accused of a violent crime who feel overwhelmed with decisions, confused about legal options and scared about their future — and can’t figure out where to turn for honest advice …

Pretty simple strategy, isn’t it?

The advertising writer had just landed a campaign with a struggling company. But the fact that the company had trouble attracting the customers they wanted was only a minor issue.

The primary problem was the product — it was anything but unique. Several companies shared what essentially was an identical product. In fact, the product was so common that it was already in homes and taverns throughout the United States.

The new client was Schlitz and the product was beer.

At the time, Schlitz held fifth place in its industry. The strategy you’re about to read propelled the Milwaukee brewer into a tie for first after only a few months.

Schlitz’s rise to prominence has been called the greatest success in beer advertising. Not only do you see beer’s biggest brands using the same strategy today, but it’s also something you can apply to any business.

When Hopkins began studying other beer companies, he noticed they all announced the same claim in their advertising — “pure.” In his book, “My Life in Advertising,” Hopkins explained how brewers would publicize the word in big letters. Some would even buy double-page ads so “pure” was displayed as large as possible.

Hopkins recognized the claim had little effect on prospects. So he went to a Schlitz brewery in search of a solution …

Once there, he saw plate-glass rooms filled with filtered air where beer dripped over pipes. The process allowed the beer to cool in purity.

Next, he saw large filters packed with white-wood pulp, and then watched how every pump and pipe was cleaned twice daily to avoid contamination. Even the bottles were washed four times by machinery.

Although the brewery sat on the shores of Lake Michigan, Hopkins saw how Schlitz tapped artesian wells to collect pure water from 4,000 feet below the ground. He was also shown vats where beer aged for six months before it went to users.

A stop in the laboratory revealed how the yeast used in Schlitz beer was developed from an original cell that required 1,200 experiments before the finest taste was discovered.

Once back at the office, Hopkins asked, “Why don’t you tell people these things? Why do you merely try to cry louder than others that your beer is pure? Why don’t you tell the reasons?”

“Why?” was the response. “The processes we use are just the same as others use. No one can make good beer without them.”

Hopkins had a hunch people would respond to reading how Schlitz achieved “pure” beer. So he used print ads to tell stories that gave purity meaning.

Here are a couple of those ads:

Notice how Hopkins supported his claims with specific facts and didn’t assume prospects knew information his client believed was common knowledge. Too often, we’re so close to our companies that it’s difficult to realize what prospects truly understand.

Also, Hopkins was a master at educating his readers. When you walk away from reading one of his ads, you feel a little wiser.

And, finally, Hopkins wasn’t hesitant about using long copy. He understood prospects crave as much information as possible before making a purchase. After all, who would ever handicap a salesman by only allowing him to speak a certain number of words?

If you’re actively advertising your business, make certain you also avoid the two common mistakes described in the following video:

So many advertisers focus their marketing messages on their own goals as opposed to the goals of the customer. Why is this? How can someone avoid this mistake?

Since I often address this common communication error in my articles, I sent a reply to the media contact who submitted the inquiry. My answer is posted below.

There are two primary reasons why advertisers focus their marketing efforts on their own goals as opposed to the goals of their customers:

It’s easy … and it’s familiar.

Trying to figure out what your target audience wants is a big challenge that takes time. But determining what you (as the advertiser) want is simple. As a result, the focus on far too many companies’ advertising and marketing materials is on making a sale, instead of developing a relationship, building trust, establishing credibility, etc.

Worse yet is when advertisers copy their competition. I recently tackled this issue in a blog post titled, “What’s the Purpose of Your Marketing?”

The easiest way to avoid these mistakes is by educating your prospects. Also, the information in your marketing piece or ad should be so valuable that prospects can’t ignore or throw it away. When you apply this suggestion, there’s little chance your advertising/marketing efforts won’t improve.

In effect, you’re no different than an artist who starts with a blank canvas. Your words are the “paint” that determines what prospects are willing to pay for your product or service. You have the power to create unlimited value for your prospects.

When you consider thousands of messages contend for your prospects’ attention each day, you can understand why communication focused on a company’s goals is so easy to ignore. After all, why would prospects care about your objectives when they want to achieve their own?

Another major issue with self-centered copy is it doesn’t offer prospects an emotional tie-in because the topic isn’t relevant to their needs. This problem is especially critical when you understand all buying decisions are based on emotions. So it stands to reason the likelihood of getting a sale with your ad or marketing piece is minimal if your text doesn’t have an emotional appeal.

These days, getting your prospects’ attention requires presenting information that’s relevant, useful and immediate. The most effective communication targets your prospects’ needs and desires - and is delivered in a way that requires them to put forth as little effort as possible.

Remember, you don’t have the luxury of time. Your prospects are so besieged by messages that your communication must cut through the clutter and offer something more compelling than your competition.

Here’s a video where I explain two methods you can use to cut through the clutter and write your way into prospects’ minds: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6NMZ0lU6DQ.

In fact, you may want to print and post the following tips near your computer so you can review them next time you write copy for a website, advertisement, sales page, brochure, letter, special report, newsletter, flyer or any other marketing material for your business.

When you use the following checklist, you don’t need to be a strong writer to create marketing materials that generate leads.

1.    Do you have a headline? Immediately grab your prospects’ attention by addressing their needs and making your product or service’s big benefit impossible to ignore.

2.    Have you provided prospects with a reason to continue reading? Incorporate curiosity and demonstrate an understanding of your prospects’ problems, feelings and desires.

3.    Do you have an emotional appeal? All buying decisions are driven by emotions and justified with logic.

4.    Are your claims supported with proof? You must satisfy those inner critics mingling in your prospects’ minds.

5.    Have you educated your prospects? Make the information you share in your marketing piece so valuable that prospects can’t throw it away.

6.    Is your company name prominently featured (it shouldn’t be)? Your company name is irrelevant to your prospects when compared to the end result your product or service provides.

7.    Have you established yourself as the expert? Reference articles, awards, books, case studies or media coverage to help demonstrate your position as an industry authority.

8.    Is your unique selling point incorporated? If you don’t explain why you’re different than your competition, then your marketing message becomes as noticeable as a whisper in a crowded bar.

9.    Do you have testimonials? Anything you say about your product or service is never as powerful as your customers’ comments.

10.    Are long paragraphs broken up? Lengthy blocks of text are easier to comprehend when divided into 1- to 3-sentence chunks and topped with benefit-laden subheads.

11.    Are your facts specific? A statement such as “14,154 traffic tickets dismissed since 2002” is more believable than “thousands of traffic tickets dismissed during the last few years.”

12.    Who does your text speak to? Your copy should read as if you’re having a one-on-one conversation with a friend (i.e., involve your prospects and use easy-to-understand words with short sentences).

13.    Have you made it easy to capture your prospects’ information? Your prospects will instantly qualify themselves when you offer them an opportunity to exchange their e-mail or mailing addresses for free information.

14.    How many times do you use “you”? The words “you” and “your” should appear at least three times as much in your copy as “we,” “our” and your company name.

15.    Does your text portray enthusiasm about your product or service? You can’t expect prospects to want your product or service if you’re not excited about it.

16.    Do you have a call to action? Tell your readers exactly what you want them to do next — or risk them doing nothing.

17.    Is it simple for your prospect to act on your offer? As you add more steps, you decrease the likelihood of getting your desired response.

18.    Do you have a deadline? The longer you allow people to wait, the less likely they will take action — so provide compelling reasons to act now.

19.    “What’s in it for me?” Your prospects want to know, so frequently tell them by building on the big benefit stated in your headline.

20.    Have you reversed your prospects’ risk of taking action? A guarantee or free trial demonstrates to prospects your confidence in your product or service.

21.    Did you address every common question prospects might have about your offer? Your prospects will reward you with action when you acknowledge their resistance.

One type of marketing material I’ve mentioned several times in recent articles is special reports. If you’d like to see how I re-packaged some of my recent articles to create a 21-page special report, check out http://www.marketingmaterialsmadeeasy.com.

That’s exciting because it shows me people are anxious to take action on this simple strategy. (If you missed Tuesday’s post, you can view it here.

In addition to addressing questions, I’m about to give you several insider secrets on how to write and use your special reports to get more customers.

First, don’t over-think the writing process — just provide useful ideas about your product or service as if you were talking to a customer face-to-face. Ask yourself, “What information would my ideal prospect find helpful when considering my product/service?”

For example, let’s say you sell office furniture. You might title your report “7 Critical Mistakes to Avoid When Buying Office Furniture.” You could then explain why you shouldn’t buy without first having a master plan … why basing your purchase on price could come back to haunt you … or why focusing too much on style instead of function could decrease employee productivity.

Get the idea?

If you don’t feel comfortable writing, record your tips and then have them transcribed. Of course, you can also call me. I’ll ask you questions and write your special report (and get everything set up for your website) based on the responses you gave over the phone.

The key to your special report’s success is value. Give information so valuable your prospects would gladly pay you for it.

Once your report is ready, the easiest way to make it available on your website is a service such as AWeber. You can use AWeber to create your web form, collect/store e-mail addresses and deliver your report the instant your prospects request it.

If you’re concerned about cluttering up your website’s design, consider a lightbox. This type of web form allows you to display an opt-in box separate from your actual website. (For an example of how a lightbox works, click the link at the bottom of this e-mail to see one on my blog.)

In addition to offering the special report on your website and other targeted areas online, don’t forget about your offline options. Mailers, advertisements and even your business card are great places to promote your special report.

A small classified ad for your special report might read something like:

———

WARNING … Need New Office Furniture?

Get these facts before you open another catalog

or walk into one more showroom. Your FREE

report, 7 Critical  Mistakes to Avoid When

Buying Office Furniture, is available now at

http://www.freeofficefurniturereport.com.

———

Notice how there’s no mention of a company name or a sales pitch. Instead, you’re offering education — and qualifying your prospects.

Another easy and cost-effective idea is to distribute your special report as a flyer. Basically, you can print your special report on the front and back of a single sheet of paper and distribute it to targeted prospects at homes or businesses. You can also use the flyer as a handout at events where you’re in contact with prospects.

I’m using the “flyer” strategy right now. One of my special reports is currently being delivered to 1,000 targeted business owners here in Phoenix. My total cost for printing and delivery was $147.

Do some searching and you’re certain to find a flyer delivery company in your area. You can even cut your costs completely by printing and delivering your special report yourself.

A few other tips for your special reports:

• Include testimonials. Anything you say about your product/service is never as powerful as your customers’ comments.

• Weave in stories. Explain how people have successfully used your product/service.

• Don’t forget a call to action. Tell your prospects exactly what you want them to do after reading your special report.

• Encourage sharing. Prospects will give your special report to other people, especially if you include a sentence telling them to do so.

Keep your questions coming! I can promise you special reports offer the easiest way — in any industry — to establish your position as an expert, separate yourself from the competition, and eliminate price shoppers.

According to their new “User View Wave VII” report, nearly all consumers use online media for shopping decisions. More specifically, 97% of consumers research products and services online. And of these Internet users, a whopping 90% use search engines first when researching nearby businesses.

If you target local consumers, these figures prove the importance of having an effective online presence. But they also bring up a crucial question …

What are you currently doing on your website to target your local market?

If you’re serious about attracting a local audience online, then your website must make it easy for your prospects to find you using search engines such as Google.

That means having keywords your prospects use in search engines incorporated into your website’s content. These keywords must be in your title tags (the area displayed in the blue bar at the top of your browser), your headers (the larger text that breaks up your content and explains the big benefit of doing business with you) and your anchor text (clickable content that links to other pages on your site).

Keywords in your URL will also help your cause.

If you need help determining which keywords people use to find businesses like yours, try Google AdWords’ Keyword Tool.

And don’t forget about building your incoming links. You want as many relevant and reputable websites as possible linking to your online home. This will help drive traffic to your website and give you virtual “votes” from Google.

Article marketing using EzineArticles.com is one way to start building your backlinks.

Once your website begins getting local search engine traffic, the absolute easiest way to collect targeted prospects (and I will write this advice until my fingers can no longer type on a keyword) is to give away a special report/guide and saturate it with valuable content. Of course, you want to collect any prospect’s e-mail address before you deliver your free report/guide.

This simple step allows you to begin creating your own list of targeted prospects. Because here’s the honest truth:

Unless your website is building your customer list right now, it’s totally useless to you as a marketing tool.

The above statement might sound harsh, but I promise you it’s the truth.

Of course, you may not know what to include in your free report to attract prospects. If that’s the case, here are two easy topics:

(Insert Number) Critical Mistakes to Avoid When Buying (Your Product or Service)

(Insert Number) Critical Questions to Ask When Hiring (Your Type of Company)

All you have to do is reveal the mistakes or question your prospects need to know when shopping for your product or service. Of course, your information can tie right into your company’s strengths.

The added bonus is you instantly become an industry expert — regardless of how long you’ve been in business. As well, you now have a lead-generating marketing piece you can promote online and offline.

If you’ve read this far, then you know these prospect-gathering tips will make a major difference in the number of leads you collect off your website. The only mistake you can make now is waiting to incorporate them.

• 4 online resources you can use to uncover your prospects’ strongest desires about your product or service — and how these discoveries can help you quickly write irresistible copy.

• An often-ignored persuasion trick you can use on complete strangers to convince them to surrender their e-mail addresses so you can send them messages that promote your products or services.

• A surprisingly simple, low-cost way to capture buying customers fast using any website (beginning today) … even if it’s not attracting a lot of traffic.

• The 2 most powerful words you can use in your marketing copy during a recession. (You’re making a major mistake if you think “free” is one of the words.)

• How you can use e-mail to average at least $45 for every marketing dollar you spend.

• And much more, including answers to your questions.

DATE: Saturday, Feb. 27, from 10 - 11:30 a.m.

LOCATION: Burton Barr Central Library, Pulliam Auditorium (1^st Floor), 1221 N. Central Ave., Phoenix

Reserve your spot today at http://www.tomtrush.com.

*** All registered attendees will receive Tom’s newest audio program, The Anatomy of a Profitable E-mail Campaign: How to Quickly Write Irresistible Marketing Messages. ***

You may remember, earlier this month, I offered to explain my unique “momentum marketing” strategy in a one-on-one conversation with anyone on my lists. Requests for the 15-minute conferences spanned three continents, giving me an opportunity to speak with business owners from around the globe.

As you might expect, I saw a lot of marketing copy during the conferences. And, in some cases, I gave quick critiques because the same mistakes came up again and again.

Today I’m sharing with you one of those common mistakes that you can quickly correct.

First, think back to the last time you read a newspaper or magazine. Did you quickly scan the publication to find something that piqued your interest? Or did you start in the upper-left corner of the first page and force yourself to read every word until you finished all the articles?

If your habits are similar to most readers, you skimmed until you saw a collection of words that grabbed your eyeballs. In most cases, the “eyeball-grabber” was a headline or title.

Your prospects perform the same evaluation when reading your marketing materials. The only difference it they scan at a much quicker pace.

The mistake I continuously see is marketing materials with headlines or titles that only state a company name, a product/service name or some type of unoriginal “welcome” message. Worst yet is a marketing piece without anything that resembles a headline or title.

Your marketing piece must clearly explain the biggest benefit your prospects will receive when using your product/service.

If you make this information the first item your prospects see on your website, direct-mail letters, brochures or even e-mails, I promise you will get more responses.

When you don’t display the biggest benefit(s) of your product/service, the rest of your marketing copy becomes invisible because your prospects won’t read anything that doesn’t immediately attract their attention.

Don’t worry, though. There’s still time to get your front-row seat because the show is ongoing — and you don’t even have to pay admission.

Just head over to Amazon.com and create a free account. That way you can get an up-close look at how an online marketing machine is crushing the competition this shopping season.

According to Experian Hitwise, Amazon.com was the most visited retail website on Black Friday (for the second year in a row), with 13.55% of top retail traffic in the United States. The only other company with comparable numbers was Wal-Mart, with 11.18% of top retail traffic.

Even if you don’t run a retail operation, you can learn a lot from watching Amazon.com’s approach for pulling in prospects and creating customers. From the copy and design to the buy buttons and ordering process, Amazon.com is a finely tuned promotional vehicle.

Although I’m a long-time customer, I only recently started paying attention to how effectively Amazon.com’s marketing team uses “weapons of influence” — a term coined by renowned social psychologist Robert Cialdini to describe the psychological principles that influence our tendencies to comply with a request.

I’ve mentioned Cialdini several times in previous articles because of his outstanding insight into human behavior. If you want a thorough analysis of his “weapons” and how you can use them in your marketing efforts, then I urge you to grab a copy of his best-seller, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion.

Below is a brief explanation of Cialdini’s six psychological principles. When you apply these to your marketing efforts, you can shorten the time it takes your prospects to say “yes” to your offers.

Weapon #1: Reciprocation. We try to repay, in kind, what another person has provided us. So focus on delivering value to your prospects before worrying about pitching your product or service.

Weapon #2: Commitment and Consistency. When we commit — orally or in writing — to an idea or goal, we are more likely to keep that commitment. So encourage your prospects to communicate with you and get involved with your marketing efforts.

Weapon #3: Social Proof. We often act in a similar manner to people we view as being like us. So make sure your prospects see what your customers say about your product or service.

Weapon #4: Liking. We’re easily persuaded by people we like. So let your personality come out in your marketing materials.

Weapon #5: Authority. We obey people we view as having authority, even when they perform questionable acts. So show your prospects why you’re a credible source who can be trusted.

Weapon #6: Scarcity. We view opportunities as being more valuable when their availability is limited. So give your prospects legitimate reasons to respond to your offers quickly.

If this year started like most, you probably had high hopes for your marketing efforts.

Maybe you wanted to revamp your website … get a blog up and running … dive into social media … start a direct-mail campaign … organize a customer reactivation plan … or just maintain better contact with your current customers.

Regardless of your initial plan, now is when you should evaluate your efforts because you can still make adjustments. If changes are in order, here’s a strategy to help you replace lost time:

This approach involves attracting and engaging your target audience by delivering knowledge. Instead of pitching your product or service, you’re about to get a step-by-step approach to delivering high-quality, valuable content your prospects crave.

Your first step is to determine a common problem your prospects have related to your product or service. This can be done by compiling the questions people frequently ask you.

For example, let’s say you sell gardening supplies. Now I know nothing about gardening, but I realize certain vegetables grow better during specific seasons (especially here in Arizona where the sun can practically boil the soil).

I’m sure others share my confusion. In fact, a Google search for “growing seasons for vegetables” reveals 1.2 million results. That tells me there’s demand for this information.

So now that we have a topic, we can create content by simply compiling tips.

7 Tips for Selecting the Best Vegetables to Grow in Any Season … How to Get More Vegetables from Your Garden … 5 Gardening Tips for Growing Vegetables Year-Round … 11 Planting Tips for Growing Vegetables in Cold Weather …

Someone knowledgeable in gardening could provide information that fits any of these titles. You could do the same thing if you brainstormed titles about topics you’re an expert in.

Once your content is written, the hard part is done. Now you make your tips article available to as many prospects as possible.

The Internet makes this task easy and cost-effective.

Start by putting your tips article on your website and blog (yes, you should have a blog). This step is a no-brainer because you want your information available to prospects who visit your website directly or use the search engines.

(IMPORTANT: As you post more tips articles on your website or blog, prospects will want more information. So feed that hunger for knowledge by delivering insight in exchange for a name and e-mail address. That way you can maintain contact with your visitors using e-mail.)

Next, submit your tips article to free directories such as EzineArticles.com. Not only does EzineArticles.com get tremendous traffic (which results in more eyeballs on your information), but posting your tips article here makes it available for others to use in their newsletters, websites, e-mails, etc.

When you create quality content, your tips article will get picked up by information publishers. This is a big benefit because your knowledge gets shared with new audiences without you spending additional time, money or resources. And, because there’s always a link to your website at the bottom of your tips article, you’ll drive more traffic to your online home.

After this step, consider people who prefer viewing video — rather than reading text. Since YouTube is now the #2 search engine in the world, there’s a good chance your prospects use it.

You can read your tips article as a video script. But if you don’t feel comfortable in front of a camera, use Camtasia or Screenflow (for a Mac) to make a video from content you record off your computer screen.

Once you have your video, you can post it on YouTube. Or, for an even greater reach, use a free service such as TubeMogul to post on numerous video sites at the same time. Of course, include a link to your website at the beginning of your video description.

Now that your information is available online in several places, it’s time to use social media. My two favorite tools are Twitter and Facebook. After spending some time building followers/friends and developing relationships on these social networks, post a link to your tips article.

This simple step will result in instant traffic to your website — and you can do it repeatedly for the same article.

By now, you can understand how just one tips article can get you extensive exposure. But the best part is the knowledge you share acts as an online sales force that works 24 hours a day, 7 days week.

You can only imagine what happens when you duplicate this marketing strategy.

And these steps are just a small sample of what you can do with tips articles. You can also use them in your newsletters … autoresponder series (one of my personal favorites) … direct-mail campaigns … eBooks … podcasts … e-courses … brochures … press releases … webinars … teleseminars … and more.