Marketing

So read a recent question asked to hundreds of (aspiring) self-published authors.

The most common answer (it’s not even close compared to the second)? To quote one of the users, using the exact words they used:

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“Marketing is such a pain in the arse.”

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Which honestly saddens me.

Marketing doesn’t have to be complicated. It doesn’t have to be time-consuming either. In fact, if done right, it can almost be a “set and forget” type of deal.

Sure, it might take a short while to get everything up and running. But once you do, you’re done… forever if you’d like.

Even if you publish new books, create new offers, venture out into new territory, everything you did the first time can be re-used, re-purposed, and re-peated to save you a bunch of time (and a lot of headaches).

So, if marketing can truly be that simple… then why are so many people finding it a “pain in the arse”?

My best guess?

Because there’s too much noise out there; too many so-called “experts” who truly have no idea what they’re doing, and haven’t achieved anything worthwhile themselves (or maybe they have but it was purely by accident and they have no idea how to reliably do it again, let alone for someone else in another market).

I dare you to look around, really look at who’s doing the talking, who people are following, what they’re doing, and what everyone has accomplished.

It’s truly the blind leading the blind out there.

Which brings me to the good news of the day…

Because of this exact reason I’ve decided to create a paid ads course, backed up by years and years of old-school direct response marketing (the type that brings immediate results, measured in $$$) specifically focused on independent creatives in the art & entertainment industry, with a very (and I mean VERY) big emphasis on self-published fiction authors—arguably one of the most difficult markets to do advertising in because there’s no real talk of “benefits” or “big ideas” many guru fanboys like to brainlessly yap about all the time, so if it works for them, you’ll be sure as hell it’ll work for anyone in the entertainment industry.

A fair word of warning.

The course won’t be sexy, nor will it contain a buttload of new trendy tactics. No exciting stuff at all. Just pure principles, simplicity, and effectiveness.

The bad news?

The course isn’t here yet (but it’s close!).

You’ll just have to sit down your sweet patooty and wait a bit longer.

Until then, consider checking out Email Valhalla to help you master my way of doing email marketing, which will act as an extremely profitable “supplement” to my way of doing advertising, making it so it’s virtually impossible not to succeed.

For more information about Email Valhalla, click the following link: https://alexvandromme.com/valhalla

“Working for free” is a coping mechanism for not daring to get rejected.

Many people will work for free or for testimonials before they feel comfortable getting out there and charging for their offer. Even though the only thing they have to do is to get the right offer in front of the right person and they’ll say yes.

And sure.

You might get 5 people who say ‘no’.

You might even get 10, 20, or even 50 people who reject your offer.

But why should that get in the way of you making more offers and getting closer to your next yes—your next client?

I’ve worked with many people who didn’t see any proof of work of mine. No testimonials. No prior results or projects. Some of them didn’t even read my emails to see whether I actually walked the talk.

At the end of the day, it’s a numbers game.

Learn the fundamentals of creating a great offer, getting leads, qualifying prospects, and ultimately landing clients. Do this and you’ll be golden.

And on that note.

Arguably, the best and most effective way to communicate your value, build trust with potential clients, and get them to want to work with you and you alone is by getting them on an email list and mailing them every single day.

For more information on how to best to just that, check out Email Valhalla here: https://alexvandromme.com/valhalla

Before I dive into today’s topic, I want to preface this with the following:

Building a high-quality product that delivers on its promises and leaves the customer with the feeling they got ripped off is essential.

That said.

The quality of the product, in 99% of cases, by definition, is never the reason why you’re not selling anything.

Simply put: people can’t experience the quality of your product (or lack thereof) if they didn’t purchase it in the first place.

Why am I telling you this?

Well, because I see it all too often how people build a product, write some ads, run those ads, barely get any sales, and go back to working on their product hoping a better product will fix all of their issues.

All of which couldn’t be further from the truth (again, don’t sell shitty products—but it’s important to know what’s causing your lack of sales).

The true issue, more often than not, comes from your marketing… more specifically, from the fact you’re trying to create demand that doesn’t exist for a product, nobody wants instead of channeling the demand that’s already there into a product people simply didn’t realize they wanted yet.

Big difference right there.

This doesn’t mean your product isn’t good. I’m certain it’s got its uses.

But nine times out of ten you’re highlighting the wrong features, solutions, and especially problems (I can’t tell you how often you’ll see people creating products looking for a problem instead of looking for a problem and creating a product to help solve it) associated with your product.

Long story short:

Find out what people want or struggle with, then communicate your product in such a way it’ll fulfill what people are looking for (this goes for every type of product or server, whether health, fitness, financial, technological, arts, hobbies, entertainment, or anything else for that matter—nobody buys a product that doesn’t look like it solves a problem or fill a need.)

I’ll go deeper into how to go about this process in my upcoming course all about writing and running profitable ads to sell your products and bring you consistent and reliable income.

In the meantime, if you don’t have a product of your own to sell yet, consider checking out one of my best-selling (and definitely one of the more expensive ones) courses, Product Creation Made Easy.

Click here for more information: https://alexvandromme.com/product

One of the most enjoyable attributes of my list is how diverse the people on it are.

We’ve got game designers, architects, medical specialists, electrical engineers, PhD university lecturers, bakers, long-time professional copywriters, meditation specialists, college students finding their way in life, tattoo artists, bodybuilders & fitness influencers, founders & CEOs, music producers, firefighters, finance advisors, ghostwriters, cinematographers, and many many more, many of which I likely still have to discover.

I know this because I try to speak with as many of my readers as possible.

Every reply I receive I respond to, without fail, and I always invite people to reply with their thoughts, share their problems, or just tell their story.

I also always try to engage in conversation, to learn more about the person on the other side.

But even more, I’m almost always able to join the conversation about whatever they are doing simply because of the many, many interests I have and the continuous studying and gathering of experiences I try to do in my daily life.

Which is also a requirement for almost any creator in any market, and that’s especially the case for copywriters (or people practicing to write copy for themselves).

And don’t just take this from me.

This has been confirmed by many of the top copywriters, I’m talking A-list copywriters and certified legends in the field. Joseph Sugarman referred to it as broad and specific knowledge—both of which are required to have as a copywriter.

Some moons ago I a conversation on LinkedIn with David Deutsch, one of the world’s most successful copywriters today responsible for over $1 billion of copywriting success stories, about how every single copywriting legend had way too many interests to count.

And not just the “Oh yeah, that’s fun” type of interest but the “I’m obsessed and I’ll spend 6 months of my life figuring this stuff out” type of interest.

But that’s not all.

Having those interests won’t get all of these people on your list, nor will it allow you to build long-lasting relationships with anyone.

You need to talk about all of those interests as well.

That’s what so many people miss when they think you can only ever talk about one or two subjects otherwise, you’ll confuse your audience.

What a load of crap.

The only thing that’ll happen is you’ll bore your audience and become nothing more than a daily encyclopedia reaching out to them.

Of course, you have to keep it relevant.

But please, for the love of everything that’s holy. Talk about all of your interests and more.

Do this and you’ll stand out like a 15-year-old Twitter life coach in a conference full of old-school hardcore WWII veterans discussing the struggles and hardships of human life.

Don’t limit yourself.

And if you want to learn how to easily (and fast) write interesting and relevant emails that get you paid and keep your readers reading day after day, no matter the topic or the interest you’re talking about.

Then check out Email Valhalla: https://alexvandromme.com/valhalla

I’m a big fan of Avatar by James Cameron.

The film with the blue people. Not the series about the 4 types of benders, although I love that one as well.

I’ve been a big fan of the first film ever since it released in 2009. I still remember how hyped 9-year-old Alex was after first seeing the film. The whole film was set in such a lively world, the universe was constructed perfectly, and an insane amount of money went into production, mostly toward world-building.

It was mind-blowing how amazing of an experience it was to watch that movie for the first time on the big screen. It truly was a moment I could experience for a second time.

So when the second film Avatar: The Way of Water released late 2022, I just I had to see it. And so I did. It was a good and entertaining film, don’t get me wrong. But it wasn’t a masterpiece.

Far from it.

The visuals were there. The world was, once again, amazing. The music, oh don’t get me started on the music. If you know me, then you already know how much I can geek out over film music. I truly love the music. They did a great job with that.

But it’s the story that felt flat for me. The writing could’ve been a lot better.

And there are a lot of improvements to be made. From pacing to consistency, plotholes, and overall dialogue. But that’s not what I’ll be talking about today.

Let me also add how it wasn’t all bad. There was a lot of good writing as well. Wordbuilding, especially creating a believable world, takes good writing, and they nailed that one.

But the thing that troubles me is this.

You should know that James Cameron made the series into a political commentary.

The argument Cameron makes is how bad greed and consumerism have gotten in today’s day and age, as represented by the humans in the film. And how we should reconnect and live in harmony with nature like the Na’vi are doing.

The human faction wants to destroy everything that lives and breathes on Pandora (the planet where the Na’vi lives) so that they can mine a rare and valuable ore that’s suitably called ‘unobtanium’. And they’re doing all of this purely for profit.

Now. here’s the thing. Consumerism is having an enormous effect on the planet. Animal species are going extinct. Lots of beautiful places on Earth are being destroyed. We aren’t in tune with nature anymore. Most people don’t even blink when they hear that another 1,000 new animal species are now endangered.

There’s nothing wrong there. And many people agree with those statements. It seems like the messaging Cameron made in Avatar should resonate with people—except it didn’t.

And that’s because of the bad writing.

The short story is this: Avatar is propaganda. Let me explain.

Here’s the definition of propaganda: “information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote a political cause or point of view.”

James Cameron’s Avatar is highly biased because the problem isn’t being explored well enough.

Let’s look at some examples:

• All humans (except for the 4 main characters or something) are pure evil, don’t have any regard for nature or animal lives and gladly engage in killing and genocide

• All Na’vi are perfect, virtuous, and noble creatures. Nobody does anything wrong and they all work together as one harmonious group in tune with nature and morally superior.

• The only reason humans want the unobtanium is for pure profit and nothing else

James Cameron makes shows his message yes, but he doesn’t explore it. He shows the good things about the Na’vi, and the bad side of the humans. He entirely disregards the bad side of the Na’vi and the good side of the humans.

Imagine these situations:

• The humans still kill and do everything for unobtanium, but instead of doing it for pure profit, they need it to save the Earth or keep their space fleets (and all the people on it) alive

• The Na’vi are still in tune with nature and protect both fauna and flora as good as possible, but they sometimes attack other Na’vi tribes and take prisoners to turn them into slaves

That’s what exploring is. You take an idea and you fully explore both sides. The good and the bad.

Because right now? It’s simply too perfect. The audience can’t relate. People think that when something seems too perfect and has 0 flaws whatsoever, it’s probably fake. And rightly so, that’s what you should think.

This is the audience’s objection to Cameron’s idea. An objection to what he’s trying to sell them. An objection to his offer.

And this isn’t unique to political commentaries or films. This is a true objection to every single offer out there. Even to yours.

How do you solve that objection?

Be honest, be transparent. Your offer probably isn’t for everyone. It won’t magically solve all their problems. So just say so.

Tell people what your product does good and who it’s for, but also routinely mention who shouldn’t buy your offer. What your offer doesn’t help people do and where it potentially lacks a bit.

If you want to sell your offer, then it helps to point out the flaws. After all, nobody buys something that’s trying to come across as perfect.

Something else that helps you if you want to sell your offer, especially if you want to sell it through email, is my Email Valhalla.

I’m not going to tell you what’s so great about it and how you can easily get paid every single day by writing simple emails and keeping your readers engaged.

No. Instead let me tell you who this isn’t for.

This isn’t for you if you don’t like to write. My system relies on writing. I send emails every single day. If you merely tolerate writing and only want to send an email once a week, then this isn’t for you.

It also won’t teach you how to set up email sequences. That’s not what it’s about.

First of all, I don’t use any email sequences myself, not yet at least. I don’t have experience with it, let alone gotten results with sequences. So I won’t act like I know all about it. With that said, you’ll find 0 modules, tips, tricks, or anything else related to email sequences.

This isn’t a one-and-done system. It’s not an “automated cash machine” and “get rich quick” course, a marketing angle other creators like to embrace when it comes to email courses.

No it’s none of that. It’s the most important methods, frameworks, and rules/guidelines of selling through email. It teaches you the fundamentals in a clear and step-by-step manner that I haven’t seen other courses do.

It allows you to make money every single day through writing emails that take you 20 minutes to write, grow your list, keep your readers engaged, and live a free life. No hassle, no “money while you sleep”, no fancy stuff.

If that doesn’t sound like anything for you, then don’t get it.

If it does sound interesting to you, then check it out here: https://alexvandromme.com/valhalla

Check out the following quote from the book Purple Cow by Seth Godin:

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“If you’re a marketer who doesn’t know how to invent, design, influence, adapt, and ultimately discard products, then you’re no longer a marketer. You’re deadwood.”

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I’d even argue that, in our current economic and business climate, you could replace the word “marketer” with “entrepreneur” or “independent creator”.

See.

No matter what you do, what market you’re in, or who you serve… at the end of the day, you’ll always find yourself in the marketing business.

Not a single soul, corporation, product, idea, or whatever else can exist (and remain relevant) without good marketing.

As Seth Godin mentioned, you need to know how to invent, design, influence, and adapt in your marketing, your offer suite, and your entire business if you want to remain relevant.

Now who am I to tell you how to do all of those? I doubt there’s anyone out there who could teach someone EVERYTHING they had to know.

But I do know a good place to start your marketing endeavors (and something that’ll never become obsolete while only continuing to grow bigger and more valuable as time goes on).

If you’d like to know what that is, then check out the following link here: https://alexvandromme.com/valhalla

A long time ago I picked up a good read titled George Lucas: A Life by Brian Jay Jones.

I first heard about it from Ben Settle, one of the greatest email marketers alive, who called it “one of the best biographies ever to come out that should be a must-read for everyone who does business.” (I’m paraphrasing).

Anyway.

As I was reading I came across this perfect passage. It’s something George Lucas said after a bunch of critics (who have no feel for the outside world and the common man) gave the first Star Wars an awful review, calling it the “infantilization” of film.

One critic even said, “What happened with Star Wars was like when McDonald’s got a foothold; the taste for good food just disappeared.”

Here’s Lucas’s response:

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“Why do people go see these popcorn pictures when they’re not good? Why is the public so stupid? That’s not my fault. I just understand what people like to see”

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Which brings me to my point.

Don’t get angry if people don’t “get” what you’re doing. Or if they don’t see the value in what you’re promoting. It’s not your job to convert them—not directly at least.

It doesn’t matter if you know what people need. They’re like dogs who need their medicine. They won’t have any of it.

So what do you do?

You wrap it up in ham.

You need to understand your audience. To know what people like to see. Then give them exactly that.

And only then, can you give them what they actually need by including the solution to their problem in the thing they wanted.

This is the same no matter what market you’re in

But when it comes to email?

There’s no better way to learn how to do this so so people will start craving your solution—to the point where they take out their credit cards before you even mention buying anything—than by checking out Email Valhalla Enough about this.

Click here to learn more: https://alexvandromme.com/valhalla

See, many people want to be liked (which goes hand in hand with getting a lot of engagement on their posts).

They constantly need confirmation that what they’re doing is good and that they’re sharing awesome stuff.

They want people to tell them how much they love what they’re doing and thank them all the time.

Get them a few naysayers and all hell breaks loose.

I hate to break it to you though, but ‘being’ liked doesn’t pay the bills. Being respected does.

What this means is, people will give compliments to the guy they like, they’ll engage with him, reply to all his stuff, and tell him how amazing his content is, but when it gets down to actually taking out their credit cards and buying some new product they’ve been eyeing for a while, they’ll always purchase from the guy they respect rather than the one they like. In fact, there’s something to be said that your biggest haters and dislikes are actually your most valuable customers, but that’s something for another time.

Now, I don’t know about you but I’d rather be respected than liked if it meant actually getting paid (in real-life money, not imaginary likes or thank you’s) for what I do.

So how do you go about it?

Well, there are many ways to be respected.

But if I were to name one, just one, that you could start doing today, without any issues, without much work, that’ll have an almost immediate effect, and will keep increasing its effect until nobody dares not to respect you, let alone compete with you, for months, years, even decades (not saying you’ll have to do it for decades, just showing you the absolute power of this), then it would have to be, without a doubt, the act of mailing your list daily, showing up day after day, showing who’s the boss, sharing something every day, never taking any shit, proving you know your shit, and doing it your way.

I know, it ain’t exciting.

It’s nothing new.

But it’s by far the best, most effective, and, dare I say, fastest way to become respected instead of merely being liked (something that isn’t as valuable as you might think at first).

Anyway.

To learn more about the most effective way to send daily emails, build up a reputation, show your readers you know your shit, and do it in a manner that’s easy, simple, and doesn’t take any time whatsoever, but has massive effects for you, both in the short-run as in the long-run, then check out Email Valhalla.

Click here to learn more: https://alexvandromme.com/valhalla

Here's an interesting observation:

Recently my mother has gotten frustrated because she has NOT been receiving any marketing flyers, emails, or whatever else from some of the local shops in our area.

This is something most people, when it comes to doing their marketing, fail to understand.

When done correctly (very important), people WANT to hear from you. They're ready to give you their money. All they need is to hear from you, for you give them the opportunity to buy—which is completely different than how most people think about it.

You're helping people improve some aspect of their lives by allowing them the privilege and opportunity to buy from you—at least if you're doing honest business and care about your customers.

Think about this the next time someone tells you not to send frequent emails to your (future) customers because "you're going to annoy them".

You won't.

Not if you do it right and make your emails as entertaining and interesting as they can possibly be.

For more advice on how to do just that, check out Email Valhalla here: https://alexvandromme.com/valhalla

Some 3 weeks ago a friend and I went on a walk.

A 40km walk, during one of the top 5 hottest and sunniest days that month, which took us over 8 hours to be more precise.

About 5 hours in—give or take—we came across a 75-ish man (he told us his age but I forgot the exact number) who was hunched over next to his parked car on the side of the road because he had a flat tire.

He seemed to be struggling to change his tire so we quickly went over and asked him if he needed any help.

I’ve never seen a happier man than him at that moment.

Apparently—this is what he told us—he’d been at it for close to an hour (if not more) trying to change his tire, with little to no luck at all. He had medical problems with his heart, was extremely tired, couldn’t even lift his spare tire anymore, and knew no one in the vicinity to come and help him since he lived in another country (we were close to the border).

Even worse.

This was a street with quite a lot of traffic (for the outskirts of town at least) and almost nobody even bothered to ask the man if he needed any help—and those who did didn’t know how to change a tire.

And don’t worry, this story has a happy ending because we quickly changed his tire, offered him some water, and helped him.

Now, while “learn how to change a tire” is definitely good life advice, that’s not my point.

My point is this:

Plenty of people all around you are struggling with problems at all times—most of which will never ask anyone for help (especially not men, let’s face it).

So it’s up to you to 1) reach out to people and offer your help to solve their problems and 2) actually know how to solve the damn problem.

The second part comes from experience, education, and specific knowledge depending on what kind of problems you help people solve.

The first part can be as easy as building an email list and mailing it daily.

For more information on how to do the latter, check out Email Valhalla here: https://alexvandromme.com/valhalla