In the first issue of the 33 Celcius Letter, a heavy focus was put on the framing required for the path to $10K/month.
With issue #2, we’re going to keep working along those same lines by arming you with more of the fundamentals.
Today it’s all about the communication strategies that move people to action.
Ignore these basic but essential tenets at your peril.
Getting your marketing message right has never been more crucial than it is today.
Everyone’s a “specialist” and an “expert” and the noise they’re creating is getting ever more deafening.
***Printing or bookmarking this issue is recommended as it makes up part of a larger series. Each successive issue will serve as a framework leading into the next.***
=== Meet Uncle Eugene ===
Eugene Schwartz is best known for his innovative approaches to copywriting and the obsessive attention he gave to what resonates with audiences and drives action.
While he might not be as well-known as other marketing personalities (everyone seems to think Russell Brunson invented marketing), Schwartz’s work left a lasting impact on the industry.
(To be fair to Brunson, he very publicly credits Schwartz quite often).
Schwartz emphasized tailoring your copywriting to match the level of awareness of your target audience.
He recognized early on that different approaches are required to effectively communicate with individuals at each stage of the buyer’s journey.
There is but one tie that binds these stages together:
Mass desire must already exist for any marketing campaign to be successful.
You can’t create it, but you can direct it, channel it and focus it onto your particular product or service.
Every mass desire has 3 vital dimensions:
Dimension #1 – urgency, intensity, degree of demand to be satisfied.
Dimension #2 – staying power, degree of repetition, the inability to become satiated.
Dimension #3 – scope – the number of people who share this desire.
Eugene’s masterwork, Breakthrough Advertising, it’ll give you one of the deepest dives on buyer psychology.
Just the first four chapters alone will give you an unfair advantage over your competitors.
If you’d like to get deep inside Eugene’s head, check out this course examining his most profitable mailorder campaign.
=== Cum on Feel the Noize ===
So much to unpack for just one newsletter (as mentioned in the intro), but if there’s one goal you need to have for your communications strategy to be its most effective is…
…having your own email list.
So far we’ve established that you need a potent communication strategy.
That strategy requires an audience.
Let’s use Twitter as a sample vehicle for growth.
How often have you seen this Tweet:
“I’ve cracked the code on how to make $600K/month on Etsy. If you want to find out how I did it…
Like + Retweet + and leave “Hopeless” in the comments”
Not only is this tired and lacking any inspiration, all it accomplishes is helping your audience firmly rooted in someone else’s orbit.
The next best option is to cut through the noise with paid ads.
Twitter Ads (especially the way we do it) has been dirt cheap for leads (we’re talking lower than 50 cents in some cases).
But if you look at DappChap’s own plight with PPC, you’ll see that traffic you don’t control is traffic you should approach with caution.
Getting de-platformed is the leading cause of early online business death syndrome™.
So what do you do with your communications strategy if your bridge to growth is mercilessly bombed by some dimwitted Chattelite?
You use your copywriting smartz to make some noize. That’s what you do.
=== Old School vs New Skool ===
“What’s old is new again” – No doubt you’ve heard this expression at least once or twice.
Sometime in the near future a title from DappChap’s past will make its way back to the surface, but until then, here is your course of action.
It’ll take work.
It’ll take dedication.
But done right, it will produce results.
If your bridge to growth has been mercilessly bombed by the Chattelites, you need to…
…borrow someone else’s bridge.
That someone will be someone further ahead in the game than yourself, meaning they’ll have a large audience to draw from.
Since so many younger entrepreneurs worship at the altars of Dan Koe these days, let’s use Dan as an example.
If you wanted to build an audience without paid ads, you’d have to find a way to get Dan’s attention and earn his trust so that he promotes you to his audience.
The #1 way to get that going?
A handwritten letter (what’s old is new again). There was a day when people didn’t live too close to each other would communicate by writing each other letters.
That day is loooong gone – and that’s what makes handwritten letters so special. No one gets them anymore, but everyone knows they take time and effort. Right there, you’ve built appreciation.
Once you make contact, be sure you remember that you’re encroaching on THEIR time and turf – so make sure what you offer is of the utmost value to them and their audience.
Finally, if your first letter doesn’t get a response…do it again.
=== 33C Essential Reads ===
Breakthrough Advertising – Some have called this book “pricey” – and yet, some of those same people wouldn’t think twice of dropping the same amount of money on a night out at the bar. Give that head a shake.
Adweek Copywriting Handbook – There will be more on Joe Sugarman down the line, but this book will show you what happens when you take Schwartz’s analytical mind with unparalleled imagination and curiosity-building.
Trick Baby – Not a copywriting book, but the dialogue will build you into a far better marketer than some of the titles littering Amazon’s best seller list.
The Secret of Selling Anything – Try no to laugh too hard upon seeing the cover of this book. Once you take in the content, you’ll be able to forgive the horrid graphics.
The Ultimate Sales Letter – You may have seen this getting pumped on Facebook and YouTube. Use this title to complement the other reads with a very bare-bones approach.
=== Always Be Hustling ===
When issue #1 of this newsletter went out last week, it did so with one of the most direct and PROVEN paths to $10K/month.
It wasn’t popular, but no one could argue with the logic. In case you missed it, look for the “This Sh*t is Serious” portion of the archive.
Today it’s all about becoming a…
=== Merchant of Memories ===
Never underestimate the power of nostalgia.
There’s a quiet movement afoot in the second-hand market.
Let’s use the phenomenal 80’s trading card collection, Dinosaurs Attack.
On average, you can nab an unopened retailer’s box of these cards for about for $40-$50 a pop, depending on who you stumble upon.
Each box contains 48 packs – and it’s common to find sales of single packs all over the second-hand community.
Average price ==> $8/pack.
Opens to the door to some pretty sweet profits.
Then you also have collectibles like stickers.
The one shown in the picture is a sticker for a poutine festival that took place in 2013.
People love food.
People especially love poutine.
Design a poutine-centric sticker to look like a classic piece of KISS memorabilia and you’ve got a winner.
=== Can it be 33eed? ===
Yes, but on a finite scale.
Pros:
- Lightweight products that make for cheap shipping.
- Excitement & hunger is pre-built into the market – no education required.
- If you’re willing to make a smaller profit, some stores will buy your merch, giving you more immediate cashflow & reducing your hold-time.
Cons:
- You will eventually run out of stock.
- This will take up space.
- Mailing stuff out will dig into your time budget