The swiss army knife technique for being a creative marketing genius

 Here's a picture of a Swiss army knife.

What won't be familiar however, is the writing on the right hand page. 

Now if you want to eavesdrop on what's written there, you can get yourself a magnifying glass or enlarge the screen size so you'll not miss a thing. 

The core idea on that page?

About not having your business be a samey samey derivative, an undistinguishable commodity, a mee too, mee too... in a world filled with mee too derivatives. 

And instead, to thrive for being the difference, the unusual, the unorthodox, the unfancied, the not normal. 

Enter, Swiss army knife unorthodoxy.

How so?

Well, first, let's just take a look at what kind of tools are available at your disposal, all packed into one handy little palm filler.

And when you open this little pocket miracle up, you'll find the following:

a knife

a smaller knife

a screw driver

a file

a scissor

a cork screw 

a saw

a magnifying glass

a bottle opener

It's quite nifty a little problem solver, isn't it!

So how can one use that to create irresistible, topical, inventive, creative, energising and enthusiastic copy and communications for your products and services?  

The way you do that is use the Swiss Army knife as a metaphorical tool. 

And the way you use it is to ask questions about your product or service:

The clearest question you could probably ask is --

How many different ways or angles could I use to speak about my product or service?

Or to if you want to zero in and focus the mind even more on that, ask this question -- what are the dozen different ways I can speak about my product or service, using the Swiss Army Knife tool as a working metaphor?

Now we're cooking.

Because instead of having the mind spin off on various loopy tangents whilst it's trying to find some new fresh angle to sell your products or services...

You'll now have a framework to guide you.

But how exactly would that Swiss Army knife work as a framework to help you come up with fresh ideas or angles?          

Just as the Sak has multiple tools emanating from its centre, your centre (product or service) is also wrapped in multiple tools.

Here are some of yours:

Who

What 

When 

Where 

Why

How

Which

Now you might be thinking those aren't very unique or entertaining. 

But of course, the value and power comes from how and n what context you ask the questions.    

Let's test this out so you can practically see how everything we've talked about so far, all ties up together. 

Let's pick a product or service.

Let's go with a physical product.

You can then use the same framework I'll outline below to help assist you selling whatever it is you sell and promote. 

I'm sitting at my dining table and looking at the various items that are 2 metres away from me. 

I'll list a few of them:

iphone

headphones

trolley

fudge cylinder box

pen

coffee mug

piano

dog basket

chair

photo frame

Okay, so here's the not so scientific test to see what product out of the above gets chosen. 

I'm going to get all the items on a page in front of me. I'm going to close my eyes and I'm going to prod the laptop screen (gently, of course!) and then see what product name my finger lands on.

Here we go.

And the prodding finger lands on --

Fudge Cylinder Box!   

(Okay, so a little side note to the ultimate selection. I closed eyes, prodded screen, and opened eyes.. five times in succession. Why would I do that? Because I wanted to ensure that I land on the nominated product, twice, and not just once. Why? Because I wanted to make sure that all items had a shot, and not be eliminated at the first time of prodding.)    

 

So now we have this luxury fudge in a cylindrical box to apply our Swiss Army knife technique to.

But before that, what typically are the ideas and angles to sell something like this? 

Delicious creamy/luxurious taste? Yep

Uniquely packed and packaged? Yep

Customers love us? Yep

Anything else?

I don't think so. at least, nothing unusual, novel or different comes to mind. 

Okay so let's pull out our toolbox of Swiss Army Knife, goodies and see what we can create here:   

As a reminder, here's that list again:

Who

What 

When 

Where 

Why

How

Which

So let's take the first tool: 

Who? 

So what kind of questions (angles and ideas) can we create around the 'who', as it relates to this cylindrical box of luxury, clotted cream fudge?       

Who are the kinds of people who buy this product? An idea could be a to list them out. Maybe even create a series of mini promos or ads around one kind of person, and then the next kind, and so on.

Who are the people making this product? What life tidbit could be shared with potential readers of the ads, promos, etc. 

Who buys as a recurring purchase each month? What kind of joy and adventure is happening at these people's homes, and how does the fudge fit in by way of who eats the most, etc. 

Who are the fudgelings in the box? Why not create a series of communications coming from the fudge pieces themselves. Fudgelings. Remember where you heard that first!     

Now you can keep going with the who, and you'll probably come up with a few more novel and creative idea angles for your ads, emails, promotions, sales events.   

Then...

Once you've finished that, you can move on to the next 'tool' on the list. The What. 

Keep on doing that for the rest of the list and lo and behold, at the end of the exercise you'll have 50, 60, 70 to a 100 selling ideas and angles that you wouldn't have thought about before. 

Do you think by employing those ideas and angles to YOUR promotions and communications, for YOUR products and services, that you'll be seen as a mee too derivative commodity in your marketplace?   

Not on your life will you and your products be seen as a mee too commodity.

And in fact, why not we take this angle and creative idea generation a little further, so you can see you'll definitely NOT be bracketed in the same category as any else selling or promoting the same or similar products or services like you do.     

Do you remember the Swiss Army Knife tools I listed out for you on that actual Swiss Army Knife? (zoom up to the top of this post to see the pic or refer to the list that I'm er, listing out for you below): 

a knife

a smaller knife

a screw driver

a file

a scissor

a cork screw 

a saw

a magnifying glass

a bottle opener

Okay, so now you've got the list in front of you, how about we actually use the same list above to carve out even more ideas and angles to sell that cylindrical tube of luxurious clotted cream fudge. (And of course, apply this all to what it is you sell and promote) 

So the first one the list was... 

a knife. 

Ideas and angles. 

Our fudge is cut and carved out by the finest knives available. 

Our fudge is definitely a cut above the rest. 

We're carving out a box of luxury delivered right to your doorstep, and we can't wait to send it to you.

See how that all works?

Let's try out the 3rd tool on the Swiss Army knife (the 2nd tool on the list was a small knife so we'll just bypass that and move on to the next one on the list)

A screwdriver   

Ideas and angles.

It takes 45 wood screws and a proper good screwdriver to box up our weighty box of pre-packaged fudge that'll last you upto 3 to 4 months of luxurious indulgence

You're going to need a tamper proof box, a screwdriver and a handful of screws to hide the luxury mini hamper of clotted cream fudge away from everyone else who'll be drooling for one or more of YOUR luxury fudge's!

a file / rasp (A rasp is a coarse form of file used for coarsely shaping wood or other material.)     

Ideas and angles. 

Luxury Fudge - No File included. If you'd like to 'powder down' your luxury fudge into the finest luxury particles that you can, then ask us about our special LFF (luxury fudge file) and we'll have one sent over to you with our compliments.

--------------------

The idea here is to let your creative mind flow and express itself, without you editing or censoring anything that raises itself as an idea in your mind.

As you can probably see, by carrying our this Swiss Army Knife exercise for your products and services, you'll stand proud and alone.

You'll have ZERO competition for what it is you sell because your uniqueness and your originality in your ideas and your communications and campaigns, will be too clear and obvious for all to see that you are no derivative and no commodity. 

Swiss Army Knife.

Use it.

It'll come to your rescue over and over again, both in your marketing and business... and... in your personal relationships.          

  

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Want personal help with creating fresh unique ideas, campaigns and promotions to help sell your products or services? Start here by getting on my private email list   

         

If there's NO JOY OR FUN in selling what you sell, then your ads and marketing communications are going to be as dry as toast (and yes, you'll sell way less than you think)

Do you really LOVE what you sell and promote? 

I don't mean that you say you love it on the face of things, but then on the other side of it all you know that you don't have many good things to say about your products or services that has you convinced and convicted that your product or service is truly valuable, that it makes a significant and measurable difference for those that buy or invest in it.   

Are you a TRUE BELIEVER that what you have to sell, that it has the absolute benefit and wellbeing of your clients and prospects right at the centre of it? 

Whether or not that's true for you just now here's what's super important: 

- it's hard to have a fun business and it's hard to create the kind of inspiring and joyously created communications and sales writing when you're half-hearted and half convinced about what you're promoting and selling. 

And no, you can't flat out lie and hype up your products or services to be something they're not. Because guess what, you'll soon be found out. You'll soon have multiple people banging on your doors asking for their money back. 

Be alarmed or not, but there'll be a few who'll want your head and will heckle for your business to be barred and banned!

We as a collective, are sick and tired of hearing and seeing the same dry boring communications and marketing efforts, all across the board. The kind of efforts that make us indifferent and unwilling to want to find out more. 

Frankly, the problem isn't that a product or service is boring or tepid.

(Because I'm convinced that if you look hard and deep enough, you'll discover and unearth unique fresh distinctions and advantages about your products and services it'll stand you so far apart from those selling and promoting what it is you do, especially because of how you tell the story about it).

The REAL problem is the lack of ideas and the creative application in selling what you sell.

The REAL problem is refusing to bring an element of fun, joy, happiness and real entertaining excitement to your marketing, advertising and communication efforts.    

And I don't mean you hype up your products and services in such a way that it creates some kind of mass hysteria or false buying frenzy. I'm not talking about doing any of that. 

I'm talking about creating the kind of communications that people love to read and inherently love to buy from.

And if you're like the majority, we want our experiences, the service we receive, we want that to be something that knocks us down because of how incredible and exciting the whole experience was for us. 

We're silently dying for that to happen. Even if we have to wait for 3 blue moons for that to happen.

But we don't need to wait that long. 

Because in steps Walt Disney to slap us into 100% attention mode. Here's what he DID with Disney, in every which way that was possible for him to do so:

Do what you do so well that people can't help but talk about you. 

There's the MIRACLE formula right there...

And when we apply that formula to our communications and our sales messages, when we make our communications and sales efforts fun, joyous, engaging, entertaining... your customers, clients and prospects who see and read your communications can't help but talk about you. They can't help but pass around the stories about you and your products and services to plenty of others. 

No one delights in passing and referring the bland and the boring to others.     

Now's the time to fix things so that never happens to you and your business. Ever.  

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(If you'd like to see further examples of what I'm talking about (you've already see a number of them in the pages of this blog) when it comes to creating fun and joy in your sales and marketing communications, then send an email to me at the following address: raja . hireker @ gmail . com )        

     

Write more offers and communications, you'll create more revenue

Why slave over an ad or a communication piece that either ends up on the cutting room floor or, ends up with dozens of iterations that the time you've wasted in getting it perfect, you could have sent several other promotions out into the marketplace, bringing back money for you. 

I could have spent an age, investing hours, days, weeks in producing a post that has deep roots and masses of valuable content integrated into it, yet decided to write this post in probably half and hour and send it out into the marketplace.

Why?

It's better to be on the prolific side than on the constant perfection side. (And yet, that  certainly doesn't mean there's corner cutting or you don't put out your best effort. You put in the best you've got within the time frame you've got)  

Frankly, the death and demise of many businesses lies inside their own ideas and thinking about either getting the 'best' communication out there. 

Or, they become deeply crippled with non-activity-itis because of fearing what others will say and think of their efforts.

What do successful owners and entrepreneurs do?

They create.

And, they get their work and their messages out into the marketplace and they do that in a regular and consistent way.

Whilst many online business owners are fretting about sending 1 or 2 emails a month, there are others sending out regular daily emails, and they couldn't be happier.  

And guess what? 

The more you message and the more you connect and communicate with useful ideas and helpful messages that your audience can use and benefit from... the more money you'll make.

And yes, just because creating consistent communications are the money making key, that doesn't mean you can simply cannot bore your readers or audience into compliance or submission via your  communications. 

Do that and they'll boo you off the stage.

The more you engage and create the kind of creative communications filled with emotional useful content, and you communicate it all in a way that has your audience gripped, curious, eager and madly anticipating your next communication...

...do that and you'll get your business to the place you want it to get to. You'll get the results and outcomes that you want your customers and clients to get from using your products and services. 

But how do you bring new life into your communications that has your audience wanting more?

You inject.

You inject your communications with your unique personality and charm...

You inject your communications with engaging stories...

You inject your communications with news of the day told through your unique lens...

You inject your communications with interesting facts and figures...

You inject your communications with controversy and contrarian thinking...

You inject your communications with unique angles and appeals for your product or service...

You inject your communications with the kind of entertainment value not seen in your business category...

You inject your communications with intrigue, interest and emotion...

--

Consistently send our regular communications and inject your communications and offers with ample helpings of the above, and it won't be too long before you'll have a rabid audience... not only for your products and service, but for you and your business and all that you stand for. 

Whether you like hearing it or not, we're all in the communication and entertainment business.

And the quicker you can latch onto and adopt and adapt that way of approaching and communicating your business, your products and services...the more longevity you'll enjoy and the more people will want to stay connected to you and buy from you.

Set an immovable deadline and get your next communication or offer, out.

Repeat that process each week and you'll be thrilled with what happens next.

http://rajahireker.com/what.pdf