And the Peak Fishing Time is...
Posted On: 2006-10-23
That might depend on what hook you're using
If you're stuck in a big city let me tell you that you're really missing out on some great television shows that people who live in country towns and regional centers get to see quite often. Where else but in the country would you be able to watch sheepdog trials on television or get the latest cattle price quotes delivered with each news bulletin?
It really is riveting stuff and is guaranteed to keep you glued to your television set. But for the best news reports you need to be living in a sea-side town where the fishing is really good. It's only in those towns that you'll get fishing reports in the news every Friday. Not only do you hear where the fish are biting but you will also learn about the best time of the day to throw your line in …
Yeah I know, it sounds sad but all those things are what go to make living in a place like I do so pleasant. You can keep your news of muggings, murders, and hold-ups and all that other stuff that goes with big city living. I'll take the stock reports, sheep dog trials and advice on peak fishing times any day because that's what goes with being able to walk down the street at night without the fear of getting mugged, raped or murdered..
But what has all that got to do with selling stuff on the Net? Well, strangely enough fishing is often associated with marketing. In some ways that's sad because it suggests that many consumers are no brighter or more discerning than fish but then maybe that's what the reality of marketing is.
Perhaps we really are dealing with people who will take the bait if it looks attractive enough and maybe even attached to the right hook.
And that hook is so important. If you talk to veteran copywriters they will tell you that finding the right hook is not easy and some people will never find the right hook for anything they sell but it is something you should always be looking for.
Finding the right hook may not depend on what the product is or even what it might do for the clients. The hook may not even be about the product. John Carlton, a well-known and well-respected copywriter, tells the story of one of his clients and a new product that he was writing the copy for.
He struggled for days to find the right hook and spent hours talking to his client to try and find that elusive ‘something' that he could use in the copy he was writing for the new product and then it finally came to him.
It wasn't anything that the client said about the product, it wasn't a feature of the product or a benefit that the buyer might obtain by buying the product. Instead, in this instance, the hook that in Carlton's words is 'the connecting point between the tangibles of the product... and the hazy inner needs of your prospect' was the fact that the product embarrassed other people who sold similar products in the market place.
Now, even though you might not see it yet, there is a hook for whatever you are selling. Whether you're selling a membership in a mega-site or one-off movie download there is a hook that you can use to connect the product with the desires that the surfer might have.
Finding the hook may not be easy - especially in the style of affiliate marketing that we are involved in where we have so little direct contact with our sponsors - but it is there and if you find it then you will certainly see your sales increase.
Of course, thinking about what that hook might be is going to take a little time and all too often we don't feel that we have that time to spare to look for that hook. No, we have to rush to get that next free site built or that today's gallery submitted, so we rush it out the door and it looks just like everyone else's gallery or free site.
In fact, if you take the time to wander through a few TGPs you will find that hardly anyone makes any attempt to come up with a hook. That means that if you're prepared to look for that hook and work it into your sites and galleries then you're going to attract more surfers to your sponsor than others will.
And when you find a great hook where do you use it? Well that depends on the hook but you can always start with the headline.