Let’s check out some pet marketing that have been used on television in the past (this might help you get some winning advertisement ideas for your own business)…

Who doesn’t remember seeing and falling in love with Mr. Ed or Lassie? Many companies are STILL using talking pets (like Mr. Ed) or Lassie in their marketing.

Just the other night I easily though of some great advertisement ideas simply by watching commercials on TV – pets are used everywhere! Even big companies are using pets and animals.

So why am I telling you that you need to get advertisement ideas from those in the industry who are using pets and animals?

Because the biggest challenge we face is getting the attention of our target market! Using pets in your marketing as one of your many advertisement ideas, is a very effective way to overcome this challenge.

Here are some different advertisement ideas on how you can use pets in your marketing:

• Newsletter stories
• Direct Mail packages
• Facebook
• Blogs, websites, email
• Web TV shows

How can you use pets (and animals) in your marketing to create an emotional connection? Check out some advertisement ideas from smart marketers who are currently using pets to gain attention!

As for the advertisement ideas I got the other night while watching TV, my dog Zoe joined me in the set for a recent episode of Mike Capuzzi’s 3 in 3!

To check out more advertisement ideas using pets, watch my recent episode of CopyDoodles TV full of real life examples from business owners and marketers!

And for those of you who are current members of the CopyDoodles Access Club, we recent added 46 new CopyComics dedicated to pet marketing. All of these comics are sure to give you hundreds (if not more) of advertisement ideas for your business!

Today, unfortunately, many marketers thumb their noses at the timeless and proven strategies used by the legends of direct response marketing like John Caples, David Ogilvy and others in favor of the shiny-object-du-jour.

And while technology and improvements in marketing and advertising a business are always welcome, it should not come at the expense of studying, understanding and applying the strategies that have worked in the past.

One such marketing strategy, often used in the 20^th century, was the use of comics and cartoons to grab attention and increase marketing response.  Many of the most successful brands relied on the attention-grabbing power of cartoons when promoting their products, though it is one of the best ways to advertise.

In his classic book “How to Make Your Advertising Make Money,” the famous copywriter and marketer, John Caples said,

“For more than 50 years readership studies have shown that comic strips are among the best read features in publications.  Making an ad look like a comic strip can greatly increase readership.”

So why aren’t more marketers and those advertising a business using cartoons and comics today?

Is it because they no longer work?

Or, we’ve become too sophisticated?

ABSOLUTELY NOT!

I believe there are several reasons, but one of the biggest is that with all the technology advancements we have, we all tend to forget the more basic and fundamental strategies for boosting response (this is the reason all smart marketers and copywriters use CopyDoodles®).

Tapping into the emotional connection of cartoons is an example of this oversight and it leaves the smart marketer with a huge advantage.

Advertising Age magazine had a huge advantage with the success it created with their personalized cartoon campaign back in the early 1990’s.   By using a cartoon with a personalized caption on the envelope, letter and response form, Advertising Age created a super successful marketing campaign.

Now you too can tap into the power of personalized cartoons and I show you exactly how to do it in the 12 minute video on Mike Capuzzi TV.  The techniques I show on this video could be worth thousands of dollars to you when you’re advertising a business, and best of all, anybody can use them to create attention-grabbing marketing.

I have used these strategies successfully and so have many of my students and I believe so much in the power of cartoons and comics, I have created almost 500 (and the number is still growing) customizable CopyComics, which can be found on our CopyDoodles Access Club site.

CopyComics are copyright-free cartoons that you can quickly and easily personalize.  You can use them either for print marketing or Internet marketing and in both cases, when used correctly, they will boost the attention-grabbing power of your marketing when advertising a business!
Want a more in-depth lesson so you can discover how to effectively increase the attention-grabbing power of your copy with comics and cartoons? Check out my Home Study Course and Cd-Rom: How to Boost Response with Cartoons

These days few things stand out on many business web sites and it's as if many sites come from the same cookie-cutter mold.  Business owners and entrepreneurs are missing out on relationship-building and income-producing opportunities, simply because their web sites fail to grab the attention of viewers.

Smart marketers use a collection of proven response-boosting web strategies to grab the attention of these potentially valuable eyeballs and while there is no one, single "killer" strategy, adding the uniqueness of handwriting and hand drawn doodles to your web site is a proven response booster.

I suppose it's the jolt of seeing something so personal and hand-made on something that is computer-generated that shocks the eyes and brain to take a pause and try to register what in fact you're seeing.  Regardless it works and done right, can yield big bumps in response.

As a matter of fact, copywriter Mike Humphreys constantly split-tests elements on his various web sites and found that by adding a single CopyDoodle next to an optin box, he received a 297% bump in the number of people who opted in versus without the CopyDoodle.  Click here to read Mike's own article on his split test results.

Unfortunately, unless you were an HTML guru, adding CopyDoodles to web sites was limited to placing them around and next to things and being able to "write on top" of your web pages was next to impossible.

UNTIL NOW!

With the release of my CopyDoodles® Access Club, members will be able to quickly and easily "drag and drop" CopyDoodles, CopyFlash and CopyStamps ON TOP of their web pages to create a super realistic effect of literally handwriting on your site.

Check out videos where I show you how simple we've made this under "Demos" on the site:

http://www.copydoodles.com

Now just about anybody who can drag and drop and cut and paste code can add these proven response-boosting CopyDoodles and more to their web pages.  One beta tester called it a "game changer."

See for yourself and watch my CopyDoodles Access Club demo videos at:

http://www.copydoodles.com

With this in mind, I am launching a series of free, LIVE CopyDoodles® Success Strategies webinars where I will interview some of the best and most relevant marketers I know, who are creating extraordinary marketing with extraordinary results.

These are not going to be the typical “interview the guru” type webinars you are familiar with. Instead, my goal is to showcase everyday entrepreneurs who are getting big results with their marketing.

Each webinar will be jam-packed with useful content you can take to the bank!

The first webinar is on August 12, 2010 at 8:00 PM EDT and my special guest is Renegade Marketer, Michael McLean.

Click here to reserve your seat at the next CopyDoodles® Success Strategies webinar.

Michael is a former professional hockey coach and now runs a super-successful insurance agency in Canada. He is also the founder of Renegade Insurance Marketing where he helps hundreds of other insurance agency owners create more profitable marketing in their businesses with his Renegade Insurance Marketing program.

In 2009, Michael was awarded the 2009 Glazer-Kennedy Insider's Circle Marketer of the Year Award for his phenomenal marketing strategies and results.

Over the years, Michael has created some of the most attention-grabbing, outside-the-box marketing techniques I've ever seen and because of his impressive results and unique use of CopyDoodles, I've asked Michael to share some of his biggest tips and strategies for you.

Click here to reserve your seat at the next CopyDoodles® Success Strategies webinar.

You’re guaranteed to get some big, BOLD ideas from Michael and discover what's working now! On this webinar, Michael will be sharing:

• How he's used CopyDoodles to create BIG bumps in his direct mailings
• His unique techniques for using CopyDoodles to create personality in his printed newsletters
• How and why he uses CopyDoodles in his emails, web sites and squeeze pages
• H ow he "CopyDoodled" his recent television commercial campaign with a big bump in response!
• His philosophy on how to market with success in 2010 and beyond!

This webinar will be 100% content and one you won’t want to miss. Join Michael and me on Thursday, August 12, 2010.

Click here to reserve your seat at the next CopyDoodles® Success Strategies webinar.

What others say about you and your products and services is much more compelling and powerful than any marketing copy you could write for yourself.

The important lesson here is the word “real.”

Lately, I have seen an increase in a practice I personally detest and one I believe has no place in a business built on integrity, authenticity, quality and service.

It’s the use of canned, pre-written testimonials or what is more appropriately called a “testiphonial.”

Now don’t get me wrong, I know fake testimonials have been around as long as there has been authors and copywriters writing ads and sales letters.  What  I am talking about is different and it’s done with the guise of being an acceptable way to market in this age of “too much to do and too little time.”

It goes something like this.  A marketer has a new product or book that has yet to be released.  In an effort to build up their testimonials they will send out a slew of requests often with an incomplete product or the first few chapters of the book.

Due to the nature of product marketing, this is often a necessary practice, but here’s where it gets slimy.

Also sent is a list of pre-written testimonials about the product with a wink and nod that “these are being sent to give you ideas for your testimonial.”  All you need to do is pick which testimonial sounds like what you would write and put your name on it and send it back.

Ask the marketer why they do this and they’ll tell you nobody really has time to read the book or check out the product, so why not just write it for them.

BOLONEY!!!

This kind of marketing is an example of the epidemic of low quality, no-relationship, do-whatever-it-takes-to-make-a-sale mentality that is rampant out there.

Personally, I would not use a pre-written testiphonial. In fact, I know others detest this practice and refuse to endorse  products or services they cannot experience first-hand themselves.

The really interesting fact is, in my experience, whenever a customer writes a "real testimonial" it sounds SO MUCH BETTER than anything I could have written for them.  There’s a sense of authenticity and realism that cannot be duplicated by even the world’s greatest copywriters.

Folks, today when skepticism and cynicism are at an all-time high and when, via the Internet, ill-will can spread like wildfire, it’s more important than ever to market with integrity and true value.

So with this in mind, I want to offer you a few strategies I've used with much success over the years for getting real testimonials.  Many of these were developed back when I did consulting for software companies, where it was common practice for me to implement testimonial programs for every single client.

Interestingly, we had little problem getting top-level executives to give us their feedback and endorsement in writing or often times on video (this was back before the Flip camera so we had to go through the major effort of sending a multi-person crew to capture their words).

Strategy #1: Believe you can get the testimonial.  Many times getting a real testimonial is as simple as asking.  Of course this is based on the notion you have a relationship and proven track record with the person, so why wouldn’t they give it to you?

Strategy #2: Let them know why you are asking for the testimonial, who you are ultimately marketing to and how you intend to use the testimonial.  This is a critical step and gives your testimonial target a chance to say no if they feel it’s not a good fit. (If you are targeting V.I.P. “celebrity” testimonials, this is very important).

Strategy #3: Ask them to write you a testimonial.  If they are a current satisfied customer again this should pose no problem.  However, if you are requesting a testimonial for something that has yet to be pre-released, give them as much background information as possible.  If you are writing a book, send them a pre-release version that is at least 75% complete (when I published my first book, “Dream, Inc.” I waited until the book contents were written before sending out requests).

Strategy #4: There will be times when you send a request the person will push back and tell you to “write it for them” and they will edit and send back.  At this point explain why getting a testimonial from them – in their own words – is so important to you and if they could take the time, it would really help you (remember, more times than not, people like to help one another).

If they continue to push back, you have two choices.  Forget trying to get this testimonial or try strategy #5.  Either way, I would resist the temptation of creating a testiphonial for them.

Strategy #5: Conduct a five minute phone interview.  I’ve used this with much success over the years and you will be surprised how easy this strategy is.  What I will do is request a five minute phone call (I state this exact time right up front).  I will get the person on the phone and let them know I am recording the call so that we can transcribe the call later and create their testimonial from the actual conversation.

When you’re on the call, make sure you get all their contact information as they want it and then ask them some probing questions about your product or service. You’ll be amazed just how much people appreciate this type of interaction and how much they will open up.  The sound bites you get on these calls are invaluable.

Strategy #6: In the event the product is not complete yet, try to get a testimonial based on the overall idea or theme of the product or service.  Or one based on their personal experience with you and your abilities.

Yes this will sound different than if it was specific to your actual product or service, but it can still be extremely valuable in your marketing efforts.  When I created CopyDoodles®, I sent a number of marketers a small collection of CopyDoodles that would eventually be only a small portion of the final product, but it gave them enough to test.

I hope this article gives you a few practical ideas to help you collect real testimonials as you continue to grow your real business.

I would love to hear your thoughts about all this and if you have any of your own proven strategies for collecting testimonials!

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