Posts by Bob Bly
What F. Scott Fitzgerald Can Teach You
F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby, was smart enough to understand and articulate one of the most powerful public relations (PR) techniques ever developed. The technique is “controversy” – getting attention for yourself, your business, or your product or service by focusing on an emotional, important, or timely issue … and taking sides.…
Read MoreHow to Do ALL the Market Research You Will Ever Need … Online
Once, I had to help a computer leasing company figure out what to emphasize in its marketing. Their marketing was targeted at resellers. The goal was to get the resellers to recommend the leasing company as a financing source. I didn’t know anything about computer resellers, and the only one I knew personally is the…
Read More144 Ways to Save Time and Money
Decades ago, my mentor, Milt Pierce, wrote what became a long-running direct-mail package for Good Housekeeping. The envelope teaser copy: “144 Ways Good Housekeeping Can Save You Time and Money.” This package was unbeaten in the mail for over a quarter of a century. Why was it so successful? Back then, the promise of saving…
Read MoreCan Blogging Help You Market Your Product Online?
The theory is that if you are an information marketer – or if you publish information to establish your expertise in a niche industry or field – blogging can help raise awareness about your service/product and drive traffic to your website. But though I know plenty of online marketers who make millions of dollars a…
Read MoreGive a Great Talk, Part 3
With my previous article for ETR, I thought I had covered everything you need to know to be a really terrific speaker. But when I showed it to Terry Smith, my ex-boss at Westinghouse and author of the classic book Making Successful Presentations, he suggested a few more tips for me to pass on to…
Read More5 Ways to Get More Done in Less Time
1. Master your PC. Using a modern PC with the latest software can double, triple, or even quadruple your output. 2. Don’t be a perfectionist. That doesn’t mean you deliberately make errors or give less than your best. It means you stop polishing and fiddling with the job when it looks good to you. Create…
Read MoreGive a Great Talk, Part 1
“Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson One of the ways you can market your product or service is through public speaking. For instance, you’ll often see financial seminars advertised in your local newspaper. The ads invite you to come for a lunch or evening seminar…
Read MoreCan You Write an Article Like This One?
Recently DD, a top copywriter, e-mailed me for some advice about writing articles as a self-marketing tool. “An editor has contacted me about doing an article,” wrote DD. “Seems like a good opportunity to generate some publicity for my product – and some nice credentials for myself. Do you have any advice or precautions ……
Read MoreMy Anti-Business-Card Approach to Self-Promotion
Michael Masterson has often pointed out in ETR how much of the conventional wisdom you read about business and entrepreneurship is pure nonsense. Much of this pap, as Michael has noted, is produced by misguided consultants, ignorant marketing advisors, and business journalists who have never run a successful business in their lives. Take, for example,…
Read MoreEstablishing Credibility With Your Customers
Here are some techniques copywriters use to quickly establish credibility when they’re selling a newsletter. See how many of them you can adapt to your own promotional efforts: 1. Show a picture of your company’s building to prove you’re more than just a mailbox. 2. Link the specifics of the newsletter editor’s background to reasons…
Read MorePut Yourself in the Other Guy’s Shoes
When I tell you this story, you may think it makes me look like a jerk. But it conveys an important lesson – a lesson that will serve you well in both your business and personal life. Okay. So here’s what happened … A person I don’t know called me at work out of the…
Read MoreHow to “Test” Your USP
“Whenever an individual or a business decides that success has been attained, progress stops.” – Thomas J. Watson Jr. In Message #1532, I showed you how to create for your business a Unique Selling Proposition, or “USP” … a reason why customers should buy from YOU instead of from your competitors. Examples of classic USPs…
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