I always get inspired by Eugene Schwartz’s principle of channeling desire:
“Let’s get to the heart of the matter. The power, the force, the overwhelming urge to own that makes advertising work, comes from the market itself, and not from the copy.
Copy cannot create desire for a product.
It can only take the hopes, dreams, fears and desires that already exist in the hearts of millions of people, and focus those already existing desires onto a particular product. This is the copy writer’s task: not to create this mass desire – but to channel and direct it.
Actually, it would be impossible for any one advertiser to spend enough money to actually create this mass desire. He can only exploit it. And he dies when he tried to run against it.”
Channeling desire sounds cool, and the insight is brilliant, but how do you do that?
How do you channel desire–especially online?
That’s what I want to talk about today.
There are so many more speed bumps to getting them to buy.
People are infinitely more skeptical, not of the product, but of the vendor.
They want to buy from someone they trust.
But even before that, they first have to like you. Not like as in an FB like, but actually liking what you have to say.
And even before that, they have to know you.
In other words, if you splash a direct response page in front of prospects without warning… even if they’re rabid prospects in the market… even if they’re actively searching for it in Google…
… odds are they’ll run away.
So it starts with having people get to know you and what you stand for. What you’re committed to.
Now the truth is I didn’t think any of this up.
It’s a marketing model.
I’m not sure what others call it but I call it the know-like-trust-buy funnel.
It was actually developed 50 years ago. About the time Eugene Schwartz was writing Breakthrough Advertising.
Beautiful things happen when you combine Eugene’s direct response principles with know-like-trust-buy marketing.
This is what I’ve spent probably the last five years doing.
Gurus will often say direct response is dead.
But when integrated with know-like-trust-buy, you have a geometrically more powerful marketing machine mashup.
One that builds businesses, as well as one-hit-wonder offers.
Admittedly, in some cases it may take more time, but you’re still channelling desire.
Your focus is on creating relationships, not just sales.
Talk soon,
Matt
