So you want to be a big-time entrepreneur, huh? Well, don’t we all. In order to run a successful business, no matter what your business is, you will have to be able to sell. Selling is the lifeblood of business. In fact, all businesses sell something.
That is where the book “Ca$hvertising”, by Drew Eric Whitman, comes to the rescue. This book breaks down advertising starting from the psychological needs of humans all the way to the color of the print you should use.
Starting with the psychological needs of your target audience will assist you in formulating proper copy (advertising). Without knowing what your audience is looking for, you may as well be burning your money in a burn barrel.
The book has 3 major sections that will affect your sales and marketing. They are the Life-Force 8, 17 Advertising Tactics, and 41 Advertising Secrets.
It took me over 2 weeks to complete this book because I took detailed notes on each of these sections. I have started to create advertising and book covers for my written content. I have already used many of these principles in the advertising for my blogs, articles, and books. With that let’s get into my takeaways.
1) The Life-Force 8. This is a list of biologically programmed emotions, needs, and feelings that every human has. They are Survival, Enjoyment, Freedom, Sex, Comfort, Superiority, Care, and Social Approval. When you create your copy you will need to appeal to at least one of these needs. Identify which one(s) you are trying to appeal to, and then formulate your advertising around that basic need or emotion.
2) 17 Advertising Tactics. These are techniques to use with your advertising. Things like using statistics, repetition, persuasion, and the bandwagon effect. Again, once you have the Life Force 8 identified, you will need to select a couple of tactics to use. These are the skeleton of your copy.
3) 41 Advertising Secrets. Then you can read through all of these and pick the best secrets to help your ads move off the paper. It will also help your customers make a buying decision. There are too many secrets to cover here. However, a couple of examples are what typefaces (fonts) to use, how to use mailers effectively, psychologically effective headlines, and simplicity. Using these secrets can help you stand out from others.
4) Your customers care about what your products will do for them. Tell them how your products will change their life and make something easier. Don’t tell them about the specifications. They want to know how it will affect them in a daily use case scenario. Psychology is persuasion. Persuasion is sales. Sales is advertising. Advertising is communication. You are communicating with your audience.
5) There are three types of groups: Aspirational (who you want to be), Associative (a group you share ideas and values), and dissociative (a group you do not want to belong to). When you advertise you need to know which group to put your audience in. If you are advertising fashion, you may appeal to someone’s aspirational needs. They should buy your clothes to fit in with this another group. Knowing your audience is key to effective copy.
“Ca$hvertising” is a look into the world of advertising. In fact, it is the world of advertising in the confines of a book. It is a book that is educational- as well as a training aid. I will keep this book nearby and pull it out whenever I create my copy. You could pay an advertising firm to create all of your copy, but they would just be using the ideas from this book. It all depends on what you want to do. I like the thrill, and challenge, of doing it myself.
You have to understand that not all of your copy will be successful, however, by using the tools in this book you will have a much higher chance of success. Know your audience, learn the rules of advertising, and remember to tell your audience how your product will change their life. Do this and you will have a move your audience from their seats to their wallets. I look forward to creating my own copy and seeing how effective it is in the real world.
This link is to a physical product. The link above is to the digital book. Sorry. I get no credit for digital product links.
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Disclosure: I am not a financial advisor or money manager, and any knowledge is given as guidance and not direct actionable investment advice. I am an Amazon Affiliate. Please research any investment vehicles that are being considered. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it. I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
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