The only 3 marketing ideas you need to sell. Ever. Part 1 — What’s the Problem?
Coming up with marketing campaigns is HARD.
You try to be unique. Come at things from a different angle…
You still want to be relevant. But you also don’t want to make zero sense whatsoever.
Maybe you try a few idea-making methods. Brainstorming. Reverse-brainstorming.
Or maybe you have checked out the competition. Or plan to use some “done-for-you” campaign.
You go in deep.
Yet when it comes down to it you still there looking at a blank piece of paper thinking what the hell is this…
And that feeling sucks. But putting all that time in and coming up with nada…
It can be frustrating. And it can make you wonder whether sitting down and trying so hard was worth it in the first place.
Look I want to be completely honest.
I’m not going to pretend I have all the answers. I don’t.
Coming up with a campaign that will blow away your competition is still going to be tough. It is still going to take a metric s-tonne of work.
But what I’m going to share with you can help make this process a lot clearer. And often that is half the battle.
Wading through all the insights, data and research…
This is something I use at it definitely has helped me. I hope it can save you from a huge headache the next time you plan out your marketing too.
So what is it?
Well it is a set 3 idea frameworks or “big ideas” you can utilize to gain clarity on your marketing. To help shape your entire campaign.
They help declutter what your whole campaign should be about. And can even help you come up with brand new ideas (sort of like categories you can brainstorm off of).
They are super simple. And with a few examples, you will pick it up in no time (which I’ll show below in a second)…
But I would be amiss if I did not say where I got this from.
We can all thank Roy Furr for this.
(He’s an awesome direct response marketer and copywriter and a general wizard when it comes to everything selling.
Roy tells us that there are, in total, only 3 “big ideas” your marketing will ever fall under.
Your marketing message should only focus on one of these ideas. And you should never try to mix them.
It gets too confusing for the reader. Too much to deal with and digest.
That aside, whichever big idea you chose, you should use that big idea as a cornerstone. Or an anchor. Your stake in the ground. Whatever you want to call it.
Your big idea is something you come back to. That you tie everything to. That everything should build towards.
It’s the central theme that runs throughout your ad, landing page, webinar, sales page etc. And it’s something you do not want stray too far from.
You may have heard about this. You may not. Either way, I’m pretty sure you will find this useful.
So here they are…
The 3 big ideas you need to frame your marketing around to keep your message clear, your audience engaged, and your sales’a plenty
So as I mentioned, your big idea is your central theme that runs throughout your selling message.
The central spine of your sales efforts.
What it is not is a headline. A lead. A type of close. Or a webinar script. It influences them all. But it does not dictate what they have to be.
That may sound a little contradictory at first.
Let ya boi explain.
Think of your big idea as a washing line. From left to right, it is a clear, single idea that you tie everything to.
The marketing elements you want to use? They are your damp washing in this example(freshly washed of course.)
Your pegs — the rational, clear link you use to tie your marketing elements back to your big idea.
Anyhoo, back to our analogy –
So you can peg anything you want on your line…
A news style advertorial to get attention. A VSL to lead capture. A nurture sequence. A launch sequence. A fixed deadline and limited spaces. A webinar. A sales page. An upsell and downsell.
Whatever you want.
But experience tells us that if you fail to peg a piece of clothing to the washing line…then that piece of clothing will fall down.
Same goes for your marketing.
If you fail to link your marketing elements back to your big idea, then that piece of marketing will fall down.
Why?
Because it seems out of context. It does not make sense. The prospect asks “What?” and “Why?”. They struggle to piece things together in their head.
And with of that going on, an age-old saying stands true…
“A confused mind never buys.”
Take this as an example. You work at a desk most of the time. Over time you notice your back is sore and you persistently feel uncomfortable. You struggle to find positions where you can genuinely relax.
With work piling up, the fact you can’t easily unwind at the end of the day plays havoc with your mind.
It all gets too much. So you look for a solution.
You find an ad. The ad guides you towards a flexibility program. A unique set of exercises used by Iranian spelunkers. Who work day in day out. In weird and awkward positions as they survey deep and complex cave structures.
Their work has them in strained and stressed positions all day. Their neck and head feel weak and uncomfortable after a long day’s work.
If they didn’t have these exercises they too would struggle to find comfort. They are far too familiar with the effects of poor posture.
An inability to just feel comfortable in any position. The sluggish feeling in the morning because their aches meant they couldn’t get a decent night’s sleep.
But through necessity to work and keep food on the table they discovered a unique set of exercises that wash away any neck and upper back pain whatsoever.
Now they can go for months, if not years without stopping. And it they have no problems getting fully rested and ready to contend with what tomorrow brings.
Intrigued, you click to learn more…
But then things get confusing.
The sales page continues talking about neck pain. Painting pictures of relief and a happier life. And how raspberry seed extract can help melt away your neck and back pain.
And when you subscribe to a pain relief supplement for just 1 month, you can get the Iranian Spelunker’s Back Stretch system, absolutely free!
After scratching your head, you sit there and think…
“What? Where did that come from? I mean I get the idea…but this all seems a bit off.”
You deliberate. Wonder even if you clicked on something incorrectly in the previous page. You don’t buy and continue to look elsewhere.
—
This is what happens when marketing tries to stray from its big idea.
Here the big idea is that neck pain can be solved through a unique system of stretches used by Iranian spelunkers.
But instead of maintaining that focus on the sales message…the page tried to direct you down a different path. That the supplements were the solution…
And that throws you off. And likely makes you think twice about buying.
Now the supplements could still work. As an upsell or cross-sell. But the sale should be of the big idea.
Provided they acted as a complementary element to the big idea. Not to overshadow it.
Does that make sense? The big idea was the core theme. One the ad should keep coming back to. Not move away from.
I know this might still be a little confusing but I promise it will all become clearer after an example.
I will get to that in a second, but before I do…
It helps to understand the three primary big ideas.
These are the categories your big ideas fall into (or that help you generate big ideas)
Here they are:
- Solving an Urgent Problem in a preeminent way
- Presenting a 10X opportunity (it must be perceived as 10 times better!)
- Presenting a life-changing, imminent prediction (that is set to rock the prospects world)
All powerful and capable of making a ton of money.
But to avoid info overload, I am going to propose a simple system (not like you have any say in it anyway…).
One big idea per article.
That way this does not become a behemoth (give my fingers and eyes a break) and you actually get something out of it.
As I present each big idea, I’ll include an example too. So you can familiarize yourself with how these ideas might work in real life.
Sound good?
I am glad you agree.
Alright.
Let us start from the top…
Solving an urgent problem…
The “Urgent problem” is as it sounds. Somebody has a “screaming their head off, hole in their chest” problem that they want gone.
Pronto.
Your marketing should be based around the idea of solving this person’s problem. In a way that is preeminent and sets you apart from your competition.
Your big idea would read out like “I solve PROBLEM by doing XYZ (which is far complete compelling than all of my competition and goes above and beyond to satisfy the customer)”
Your marketing would be structured in a way that addresses the prospects problem and details your solution. How it is better. How you could guarantee results for the reader. The extra mile you go.
It all comes back to your preeminent solution and how it solves the problem.
In fact, approaching it any other way would make you invisible to your prospect?
Why?
Picture this.
Your water pipe has burst and your basement is flooding.
When it comes to looking for a solution I doubt you would pay too much attention to a fantastic piping opportunity could be yours, that could save you almost 30% on your water bill…
Or an imminent prediction about how the plumbing in all households produced after the 1940s is like a ticking time bomb!
And that if you don’t replace it now you’re going to face a mahoosive repair and replacement bill when your plumbing eventually explodes and destroys your water systems and structures…(you likely would not make that far in to read and learn that this is the case!)
No.
You want to hear how someone can solve your water leak. Right now.
And how they’ll assist in any cleanup and excess water removal.
How they will also use their in-house team to repair and replace any water damaged structure. And they will take away any and all items that are beyond recovery free of charge.
They can also do this at the fraction of the cost of hiring multiple services to do the work and they can be round in under 20 minutes.
All so you can get your home back to what it was and forget the whole thing ever happened.
See now why the other two would seem invisible?
They would not even register. The problem is just too urgent front of mind that nothing else would matter.
Let us look at an example that will hopefully tie everything together for you.
So let’s look at an example.
I promise things will be clearer after we’ve taken a look.
A pretty intriguing headline, right?!
First thing that jumps out at me is the contract. Between Amish and invention. I mean what are they doing anywhere near technology? It stops and makes me say “What?”. And that’s all you need.
The sub-head presents the offer nearly straight away. If you’re interested, you’ll read on.
Now, this ad has been running since 2008 till now. Making sales for 11 years — an absurd amount of sales. In fact, in 2009, Heat Surge (the company behind the ad) spent $44.2 million on advertising.
You’re not going to spend that kind of money if you don’t make sales right? (i mean where would the money come from if you weren’t?) So it’s safe to say they are making over $42 million. From a fireplace.
Now Heat Source (the company behind the ad) probably didn’t spend all that cash on this ad alone.
But the big idea behind their entire campaign will be the same.
Something along the lines of “How you can greatly reduce your home heating bills by using this new invention combined with a real Amish fireplace!”
Let’s break that down a bit.
What’s the urgent problem?
Someone who is sick of the cold winters cannot afford to keep the heating on.
The preeminent solution?
A unique combination of an Amish mantle and a miracle invention that promises to reduce heat bills.
The entire copy is based around that idea. You can check out the full piece here, including the modern day updates.
It talks about how the mantles are made. The technology behind the invention. But it never strays from the idea of solving the problem. And how the solution benefits the reader.
Now at this point, I know what you are saying
“Ok, James. Well yeah makes sense. But there are so many other ads out there that try to solve people’s problems… the market is laden with competition. How does this help!?”
And I totally agree. A lot of people are doing just that. It’s probably the most common type of advertisement going.
And that’s cool. Let them do them.
We’ll stick with something different. Something better.
See in my opinion all these other folk (your competition) are missing something. They think that as long as they stay “in their prospects world” then the sales will just keep walking through the door.
And yes. It’s important to stay in your prospect's world.
But that is not enough these days.
I guess when it comes down to it…they are not deep enough in their prospects world.
If they did they would know…
Their prospects are crying out for a better solution.
Something new. Something different.
Yet when it comes down to it. They seem to offer more of the same. And they end up fighting over the same scraps of a market. The new blood that is not yet aware of all the BS out there.
That is a small crowd among the larger audience.
And whoever can afford to spend more to acquire a customer wins the hearts of that tiny bunch.
or anyone but the market leader, that is bad news.
So what can we do?
We position ourselves differently
Instead of telling the prospect, “yes I can solve your problem”, we say “I can solve your problem in this new way that gets you the results better/faster/easier/for free”
That new way can take many forms. It can be a new way that avoids all the pains of the old way of doing things. Done faster. Get better results…many different ways.
Your “new way” is your unique mechanism. ( “What’s a unique mechanism? Bare with me. I’ll get to that in a minute.)
And your unique mechanism is the preeminent way you solve your prospect's problem.
The best way is to learn is to go back and take a look at our example.
Fortunately for us, the unique mechanism in this ad is fortunately presented straight away.
It’s the miracle invention combined with an Amish mantle. That’s the unique way this ad presents a solution to the reader’s problem.
They can save more money on their bills by using this unique and novel solution.
Straightforward, right?
….
Wait. What’s that I hear?
“That’s an incredibly obvious example, Jimmy lad. What about something a little less brain dead?”
Alright mate. I’ll get to it!
Kleenex — remember them?
One of their advertising claims was something along the lines of:
“Kleenex 40% more absorbent as it’s double layered” (probably far from correct, but it’s a good enough example!)
Can you spot the unique mechanism? How are Kleenex solving the problem differently to all their competition?
It’s not very exciting.
Their unique mechanism (in this example) is “double layered”. They are stating that they can solve the problem better than the competition because they have more layers.
Two layers.
In a world of single layer tissues, the double layer would be something new and novel.
Imagine if someone found a completely new format for smartphones. Like nothing you’d seen before.
A bracelet that projected your phone onto your wrist.
Would you not be intrigued?
I know I would.
Maybe I’m getting lost in my own nerd-fantasy here, but I hope it illustrates the point of what your unique mechanism is.
Your unique mechanism is the method by which you are solving the problem or delivering the benefit someone desires.
Uber did it for taxis. Exactly the same service. A car goes from A to B. You pay.
They just made it easier and faster by cutting out the middleman with software.
People did not like calling up. The time it took. Back and forth. No guarantees the company you called would have a free car. No indication of where your taxi was.
They solved all of that.
And they took over the taxi service market in a few years.
Your unique mechanism is what makes you different. It’s not easy to find one so compelling but when you do, it can allow you to completely dominate a market.
Summing it all up
OK.
We have covered a lot.
From defining your big idea…the central theme that your marketing is based upon that you keep coming back to (remember the washing line example!?)
To define the 3 big ideas that all top-selling big ideas fall under:
- Urgent problem solved preeminently
- A 10x Opportunity
- An imminent, life-changing prediction
After giving a nod to these, we introduced how the Urgent problem big idea works. Giving and an example.
We then went over how you can get over the fact that a ton of your competition are likely to use this ad. By introducing your unique mechanism. Giving some examples of what these are.
—
Now whilst this is the most commonly used big idea (usually because it’s the most simple), it also has its drawbacks.
The people that respond to this type of marketing must self-identify they have this problem…
And that is not everyone in your market.
That’s where the imminent prediction and 10x opportunity big ideas come in.
They allow you to tap into the part of your market that does not self-identify with a problem. This can potentially be a big portion…
But it also lets you attract the skeptic. The person that’s heard a hundred problem-solution narratives and is sick of the same old.
The thought of a seizing an opportunity that may actually fulfill on their deepest desires…
or the chance of a cashing in on an imminent prediction that can lead to a success windfall.
That gets their attention. And that gives you and edge in your market.
More on that in the next article.
Stay tuned.
If this article helped you in any way, then give it 50 claps and share the love (or don’t…it’s up to you)
Originally published at jamesjmelling.com on February 16, 2019.
