A three-stage marketing framework: be different to grab attention, be authentic to compel action, and include a clear call-to-action. A Renewal by Andersen mailer nails the unusual format but fails at authenticity with a feminine script on a mass-mail piece, though it succeeds with a strong deadline and phone number.
The shortest lesson in marketing is this: be different. When you're different, you get noticed. There's more to it. In fact, there's 3 distinct stages. First, you must be different. Once you master that in your marketing, you must then be attractive, meaning the right audience is compelled by it. And then you must have a trigger, something for them to do to take the next step in that relationship. I got this piece, this mailer that passed the first test but sadly failed the second. And I want to share it with you because I think there's something to learn here. The company that mailed this is called Renewal by Andersen. Apparently they do window replacement and doors. They install doors. Well, I got this in the mail, and if you've received as much junk mail as I do, and I'm sure you do, in the past, it always comes in, you know, postcards or these flat envelopes. And you instantly know it's someone soliciting you and you throw it out because it's the standard fare. Well, this came in this heavy stock piece of paper, flat like this, already exposing the handwritten note. Very, very different, unexpected, so I noticed this. So what happens is when you're different, you will get the attention of the customer. Now this happens in milliseconds. So for a very brief moment in time, they have my attention. And they instantly go to the next stage, the attractor factor. And in this case, this is where they failed. So this letter, it says, "Hi, my name is Larry Lands." And right there, by the time I read Larry's last name, I was out. The reason is, I strongly suspect that Larry Lands does not have feminine handwriting. Which this is, I believe, to be a much more feminine type of handwriting. Most handwriting I get from men is more block handwriting as opposed to this version of script. Therefore, his— this person's name, in my conclusion, this is not Larry Lands. So it starts off by being manipulative. It's effectively a lie. You're not Larry Lands, you're someone else writing this. And therefore, I don't find it compelling. It's actually repelling. So I'm out and I'm done and I won't follow this marketing material any further. Now I did go through the entire letter because I wanted to share some lessons with you. But remember this critical thing: you have to be different to stand out. Once you're different, is it attractive? And the essence to being attractive is simply be authentic. Now there's another component on the back here and you can see it was mailed to my residence, to my house, through a mass mailing, postage prepaid. There's a disclaimer here at the bottom, all about the information on the front, the offer, and so forth. So, and oh, it's also from a town that's not near me. Even though he's the local owner, it's in a town that's a good hour and a half away from me. So clearly this is inconsistent. This is not a personalized letter. This is a mass mailer. So all those attractor factors components have failed and I'm out. So much so that I have a mental subconscious note that I don't know if I want to do business with this company because they're not truthful. Now that may fade over time and they may do something in the future and be very compelling and I'm motivated to do something with them. But in this moment, I'm out and I see them as being manipulative. They did do something in the third stage which is very effective, which is a trigger. A trigger is something that you want your customer to do, the one simple step for them to do to move the relationship forward. It's the call to action. And here they do, at the end of this paragraph it says, "Call before July 31st." I received this on July 15th. "To receive the special offer," and there's a number to call. So it's very clear what I need to do to act upon this. They just failed the attractor factor. Here's the great irony, I'm actually shopping for new windows. So, uh, that one's out, but there is great lessons to be learned here. Maybe Larry himself is watching. So Larry, now you have an opportunity to make some changes. First of all, be different. This passed the test. What can you do to be different? And it's real simple. Look at your existing market you're selling to. How have you been selling to them up to this point, marketing I should say, how have you been marketing to them up to this point? Stop doing that because that's probably the established method. If you're doing what the industry's doing, it's more blur. Do something that's different. It will get noticed for milliseconds. Then you must do something that's attractive, rooted in authenticity. Just be real and truthful. And then the final element is have a trigger. A trigger is a clear call to action. What's the next step you want this prospect to take? Use that as your marketing method. Always start off by being different. For more tips like this, go to mikemotorbike.com.
