How To Be THAT Local Business…

20X marketing results, NO CAP.

Have you ever had a conversation with somebody who just wasn't listening? They don’t hold eye contact. They look distracted. Maybe they scroll their phone. Yeah we’ve all been there. And when you try to talk to someone like this there is no conversation in fact.

It’s more like wrestling a greased-up UFC fighter from Dagestan so you couldn't ever really grab a hold of the guy… even if you were any good at wrestling in the first place. It’s funny because Dagastani mud wrestling and local business success have a lot in common. Let me explain…

Local Business Competition & Dagastani Mud Wrestling

There's always a standout competitor who gets alllllll the attention. Their marketing looks incredible. You see them everywhere… and oftentimes you have no idea what makes them tick. 

Maybe they are THAT business. They post a thousand times per day on social media. They have a huge squad of employees. Fancy vans. Their ads pop up everywhere you look. Maybe they keep it small but the overall image is absolutely on point…

Either way, THEY get more customers than everybody else. They charge their customers more than everybody else. And they get more reviews than anyone else. It’s an endless feedback loop called winning. And all this makes it easy to feel kind of inferior to them. It’s like they hold a secret.

Well, in this article we’re going to uncover the prime driver of this endless feedback loop of win.

When you get this, you will be well on your way to being THAT business. You’ll have an unfair advantage. 

Apply what’s here and feel less like you're “wrestling customers in the door”, and more like you’re naturally pulling punters into a British pub on a Friday night like back in the day.

Let’s get into it.

The Attention Economy

Attention is the currency of modern life. Maintaining attention is the second secret of your local top competitors. But that’s a separate challenge we’ll talk about later. First you need to be able to GRAB attention. Here are 3 reasons why:

1. No attention. No growth.

If you can’t grab attention nobody is going to buy from you. Simple as that.

2. Attention is the new economy. 

It’s really quite a seismic shift in how the world works. If you can grab a hold of attention you are 80% there with your marketing.

3. Every successful business knows this is true.

If you don’t get eyeballs on your business, someone else will.

“So how do I grab attention?” 

Like in any good Dagastani Mud Wrestling competition, the best knockouts all happen in a split second. It’s the same thing with your marketing. What’s the first thing people see? Your headline. And in the split second they see your headlines, they either “hit it or quit it”. 

The headline is unquestionably the most important element in most advertising.

Headlines are the opening sentence you use in any sales letter or written communication to customers, prospects, suppliers, or staff. Headlines are the first words you or your salespeople utter when they engage anyone in a sales presentation or one-on-one discussion. The headline is also the first paragraph you state when recording a commercial or when meeting people at your trade show booth display. 

The purpose of a headline is to grab your prospect’s ATTENTION.

Get this right and you will be able to grow your business on repeat, anytime, in any economy. No matter the circumstances. It is THAT powerful. It is the singularly most important element of any selling message live or recorded, in person or by phone, audio or video.

Let’s go over some good examples and some bad examples.

Good Headlines

1. The McDonald's Welcome Script

“Hey welcome to McDonald's, how may I help you today?”

It’s worked for 50 years. It still works today.

2. David Ogilvie’s Rolls Royce Headline

This headline is very of it’s time. It highlights a lot of features that were important back then. Cars were loud at 60MPH so this solved that problem. And the electric clock was a nifty feature to tie in and emphasise just how quiet the car was.

3. Victor Schwab’s 100 Good Marketing Examples

ALL 100 are available here for you.

Here’s our favourite:

Poor Headlines

1. Too Long And Negative

Here’s a better headline:

Here’s How To Teach Your Dog To Be Cool Under Pressure

2. The Worst Beautician Headline For Botox In History

Here’s a better headline:

Get Rid of Wrinkles. Look Your Best And Feel Great.

3. The “No Offer” Headline

Better headline:

Would you like to treat your valentine to the best fine dining experience in Crete?

6 Secrets Of The “Uber-Headline” For Attention On Autopilot

1. Know Your Audience

We dove deep into “knowing your audience” in this article. But for now, let’s just summarize:

You must understand your audience:

• What language they use.

• What they value.

• Where they live.

• Whether they have kids or pets.

• Their hobbies.

Reviews and feedback from current clients are an excellent resource for this. Most business owners I talk to are incredibly well-attuned to their customers and can tell me every metric I can imagine to write a great headline. This gives you a clear picture of your audience, how they communicate, and what they need.

Here’s How To Hand Select Customers Like A Bear In The Salmon Run

Zero in precisely on who you want to reach. For example:

• Want to reach homeowners? → Put the word “homeowners” in the headline. 

• Want to reach dog owners? → Put the word “dogs” in the headline.

• Want to reach newly engaged couples? → Put the word “wedding” in the headline.

• Want to reach local Hamptonites? → Put the word “Hampton” in the headline.
  
  

You get the point right?

The headline should serve as an ad for your ad. It should tell the reader immediately and clearly the essence of what you’re trying to say in the body copy. That’s because once you grab attention, the next most important thing your headline should do is vital:

Get them to read the next line of your advertisement.

2. Big Benefit. Big Promise.

You get them to read the next line by telling people precisely the benefit you’re offering them. Always incorporate your selling promise into your headline. And make that promise as specific, desirable and advantageous to the prospect as possible.

3. Don’t Be Negative Maaaaaan ✌️

Research shows that most negative headlines don’t work — unless you use negativity to underscore any undesirable results the prospect can expect to eliminate or avoid.

People are looking to gain more advantage, result, benefit, pleasure, or value, from their lives…from their actions…from their jobs or their businesses and definitely from their relationships.

And they want to avoid more or continual pain, dissatisfactions, frustration, mediocrity, and unpleasantness of life. 

So focus on the positive. And if you must mention negatives, quickly transition to positives in that headline wherever possible!

4. Avoid Blind Headlines 

This means your headline must mean something. Immediately. It must stand alone. Think about it like this:

“If someone read my headline alone, are they more likely to make a purchase?”

Avoid the kind of headline which means nothing unless you read the whole thing.

5. The Golden Rule Of Attention

Ask yourself this: “What is the conversation they are having in their head right now?”

• What do they care about most?

• What is convenient to them?

• What makes your service in particular the best choice they could make?

• What other factors might influence their decision?

At the end of the day people are self-interested, especially when it comes to spending money. Give them a good reason why your product solves their dreams, problems or desires and you get the sale. 

6. Clarity 

Keep it clear and straightforward to avoid confusion. Don’t use complicated words. Your headlines should make sense to most primary school children. That’s because we see hundreds and hundreds of ads all day. Never before in human history has there been so much information flying around. A complicated message causes “cognitive load.” Cognitive load doesn’t sell. 

A Final Warning

If you don’t gain your prospect’s attention and desire immediately with your headline, that prospect won’t listen, read or pay attention to your messaging full stop.

Make sure prospective clients pay attention and make buying decisions like this:

1. Grab attention.

2. Remember that it all happens in a split second ( like any good Dagastani mud wrestling competition).

3. Know your audience.

4. Big benefit. Big promise.

5. Don’t be negative.

6. Avoid “blind” headlines.

7. Be clear.

Now… there’s a lot to unpack here. This is a skill to be mastered. It takes a lot of energy, effort and focused time to get good at this. Most business owners we speak to don’t have the time for it all. They’re too busy… well, doing business! 

If that sounds familiar, I would be happy to look at your headlines for free to make sure they are serving your business to the best possible degree.

And for any other marketing enquiries, you know we’re always here to help!