Give

I discovered that one of my superpowers is to show people how they can bring their message to the people who most want to hear it and who are willing to pay them for their expertise. (Location 141)

Until that point, most of my side hustles were based on presenting myself as a marketing consultant. It was only when I sat in a room full of people who wanted to make Facebook marketing work for them, and couldn’t, that I understood where my real superpowers lay. (Location 152)

I walked into that conference as Nicholas Kusmich, marketing consultant, and left as the Facebook guy. (Location 158)

As an entrepreneur, you need to know that there are people who can benefit from your abilities, and you need to know how to reach them. (Location 165)

Those are the promises of this book. It will show you how to position yourself in a way that frames you as a leader and an authority in your field. It will give you the tools to connect with the people you most want to serve and who are most in need of your unique talents. You’ll find out how to determine your ideal market, how to respect Contextual Congruence, and how to sort your prospects into swim lanes and market to each group accordingly. (Location 167)

To subscribe to my blog, visit www.nicsblog.com/insights, and to join my free Facebook group, Facebook Marketing Mastery, visit www.nicsblog.com/group. (Location 176)

I’m here to tell you that the one characteristic distinguishing highly successful businesses from those doomed to mediocrity is the ability to successfully acquire new customers or clients through advertising and the capacity to directly measure the return on investment (ROI) generated by that advertising. Why? It’s because ROI measures the value you get for the time, energy, and money you invest into your business. The higher your ROI, the greater your leverage. (Location 199)

This book is about Facebook advertising. Specifically, it’s about how to maximize the return from your Facebook advertising efforts and measure those returns. It’s about the extraordinary power of understanding your market. It’s about generating leads so strong that potential clients start conversations by qualifying themselves to you. (Location 203)

Facebook started as a network to connect students at universities. People are there primarily to communicate with friends; they don’t want to feel that they are being aggressively sold to. Every good Facebook marketer understands this and recognizes how important it is not to violate the parameters of the platform. If you use pushy sales techniques on Facebook, you will be as unwelcome as a person who turns up at a barbecue, grabs a burger off the grill, and starts loudly to try and convince anyone within earshot to buy a vacuum cleaner. Do not be that person. (Location 231)

We followed the two golden rules of Facebook advertising. Give Before You Ask Most people do not log in to Facebook with the primary intention of making a purchase. This differentiates the platform significantly from overtly commercial sites such as Amazon and eBay. (Location 238)

This is why you must give people something they are interested in before you even contemplate asking them to make a purchasing decision. (Location 243)

To do this, Taki and I addressed the following questions: What problems do my ideal clients need to solve? What do they really need? What solution can I provide them with? How is that solution different and unique? (Location 250)

We soon discovered that Taki uses a very smart and unusual method of conducting a sales call. He calls it a triage call, and it (Location 255)

offers undoubted value to his ideal clients. We packaged it up attractively and invited people to give us their e-mail addresses in exchange for a PDF “cheat sheet” taking them step by step through the process. Offer Value at Every Step (Location 256)

The second golden rule of marketing on Facebook is that you must continue to offer value at every step of the process. Nothing is gained when you capture your prospect’s attention by giving them something they need, only to destroy the goodwill created by this gesture through reverting to a crass appeal. In Taki’s case, we handled this by using the names and e-mail addresses we had collected to send a very soft invitation to his event. We stressed that we were letting people know it was happening and that by claiming their place swiftly, they would receive a special bonus. We had a limited time period to work with, so we moved quickly to bring people an offer, but we didn’t betray the trust they had shown us by giving us an e-mail address in exchange for information about Taki’s triage call process. We continued to treat them with respect and to work within the limits of what is possible using Facebook. (Location 258)

In the world of Facebook marketing, most people have no idea how to gain the attention of their ideal clients. Naturally, they feel insecure and worried about making new marketing investments. Often, like Taki, they’ve been burned before and they don’t want to suffer the same losses again. (Location 291)

Most traditional advertisers don’t understand the psychological stages people need to pass through before they’re ready to make a purchase. (Location 316)

In my view, there are only two good reasons for a company to invest in paid media: They want to test a new sales process and generate specific metrics. They have a sales process that works and they want it to catch fire. (Location 330)

When you use the tools I’m about to give you, you can dramatically increase your ROI to the point where you know that whenever you need more leads, you need only to follow (Location 351)

When I get on the phone with a new client, they often tell me that if I can find the time, they would love to work with me. Do your clients do the same? I’m a terrible salesperson. I don’t like to sell to people, and I’m not good at it. The reason I have so many great clients is that my marketing is so good that they are already sold before they even pick up the phone. I never work to convince people to do something they don’t really want to do because I’ve already shown them that I understand their problem and that I can teach them how to fix it. (Location 353)

In the following chapters, we’ll cover the essential differences between traditional marketing channels and the world of Facebook advertising. We’ll discuss the wrong way to use Facebook and the right way. We’ll explore the four parts of crafting a compelling Facebook marketing campaign. Finally, we’ll discuss how to combine these strategies for maximum impact before concluding with some questions and answers you can refer to when you need to determine whether you’re on the right track. (Location 359)

In the digital age, the essence of marketing is understanding your ideal prospect, recognizing how they consume content, and telling them a compelling story that captivates a portion of their finite attention. (Location 414)

Do not assume that people will be interested in buying from you when you have no previous relationship and have invested no effort in understanding their needs or providing them with value. To most people, this is about as welcome as twerking at their grandmother’s funeral. The key to succeeding on Facebook is respecting Contextual Congruence, meaning that you must understand the social norms pertaining to the platform before you can hope to market effectively. (Location 476)

You cannot succeed by importing a traditional advertising mindset to Facebook and hoping for the best. Instead, you must identify your ideal prospect, build a relationship with them that extends beyond Facebook, and make offers to them in ways that enhance your brand, building rather than diminishing trust. (Location 482)

There’s nothing wrong with creating a Facebook fan page for your business. Ask yourself, however, whether it is really an asset to your operations or a sinkhole, sucking up time and energy. Even when you receive lots of likes, comments, and shares, your page may not actually be contributing to your bottom line. Unless it plays a role in growing your business and increasing ROI, what value does it really have? (Location 497)

In essence, marketing is matching. As a marketer, I seek to connect people who have some kind of problem or frustration in their lives with the people who have the solutions they need. (Location 520)

As a marketer, you have one job: connect with your prospects in a way that releases as many happy hormones as possible. Good copywriting is not measured by how well your prospects understand you. It is measured by how well they feel that you understand them. (Location 620)

If you want to succeed on Facebook, you need to remember that no one is interested in what you’re selling. They are only interested in connecting with someone who can solve their problems. (Location 644)

Whatever you do, and whatever form your business takes, genuinely seeking to serve people will win you more leads and more business than any other method. (Location 669)

Take the time to assess where you are on the lead-generation ladder. Is your lead generation blocked, trickling, flowing, or flooding? Understanding your current situation is the first step to creating change. How well are you communicating with your audience? Do they feel that you understand how they feel? If not, how can you improve your communication style? (Location 678)

“The most important element of sales is identifying a hungry crowd.” (Location 696)

Far too many people focus their energies on the delivery mechanism for their product or their anticipated result, forgetting that their business is driven by the desires of the market, not by their desire to bring their product or service to market. (Location 701)

Successful marketers don’t force their products into the hands of their prospects, pounding them with features and benefits until they submit. Instead, they seek to understand their market and respond intelligently, providing a solution to a problem their potential clients and customers already experience. (Location 704)

The corollary of this principle is that it makes no sense to try and engage with everyone. That’s the Baskin-Robbins mistake: by trying to be everything to everyone, you run the risk of not making a meaningful contribution to anyone. (Location 712)

Now I craft Facebook marketing strategies for high-growth companies. (Location 718)

This path is open to you, too. By enacting the right strategies, you could be only ninety days from becoming a microcelebrity and a trusted authority in your marketplace. Don’t be the moth, fluttering around desperately in search of work. Be the flame that attracts your ideal clients to your door. (Location 723)

This is the Kusmich principle, the 96/4 rule. Your perfect market lies in just 4 percent of your potential clients. (Location 747)

Tom works in the search engine optimization (SEO) space in California, a huge pond. By identifying the 4 percent of his market that represent his ideal clients, he decided to specialize in offering SEO services to plastic surgeons in Southern California. He started charging those clients a $10,000 per month retainer and built a million-dollar business literally overnight. Tom’s story represents two essential elements of finding your ideal clients: they should be underserved, and they should be affluent. Underserved clients will be more willing to pay for services they value. Affluent clients have the means to do so. (Location 754)

To pick your pond, ask yourself what you stand for and against. (Location 762)

One of my favorite qualities in clients is trust. I don’t like those who try to micromanage me. I much prefer those who let me get on with my job and give them a weekly report. (Location 767)

Now start to look for similarities and group them together. Tom singled out high-income plastic surgeons in Southern California as his key demographic. What’s yours? (Location 772)

When you’ve picked your pond, the next step is to get even more granular and recognize your ideal client in much more detail. This is where you find your fish. (Location 779)

The next step was to create several pieces of content that spoke to her audience and could be easily read, digested, and shared. For example, she put together a report detailing seven essential questions any parent of a child who has suffered head trauma should ask prospective day care centers. (Location 797)

She used her blog, other related blogs, and Facebook to engage with her community and connect with her projected audience. These people met the key criteria of any potential market: they were underserved because few day care centers in the city had the expertise and experience to look after their children, and they were sufficiently affluent to afford Susan’s services. (Location 803)

Her business in Vancouver took seven years to build. In Toronto, she was able to make a significant splash in her chosen pond within weeks. This came about because she identified exactly whom she wanted to serve and produced content that connected with those people. With a little advertising to drive interest in her content, she was soon able to position herself as a specialist in day care provision for brain-injured kids and grow her business dramatically. This story (Location 808)

“If you can’t turn yourself into your ideal customer, you have no business doing what you’re doing.” To serve your clients effectively, you need to understand who they are and recognize their ideal futures. (Location 816)

saw the wave, and I rode it. For maximum recognition, interest, and shares (which are basically free advertising), you need to do the same. Look for the waves in your industry and ask yourself how you can position yourself in relation to them. (Location 850)

One of the most effective strategies is to call out a wave and talk about why it’s nonsense. For example, if most marketers in your industry are saying that webinars are the best way to convert clients, produce a smart, well-argued piece about why webinars suck, and what people should do instead. By doing this, you place yourself right at the head of an emerging wave. However you choose to position yourself in relation to the waves in your field of expertise, you need to be aware of them, and you need to find a way to ride them. (Location 853)

If you’re currently a generalist, you need to aim toward becoming a specialist. If you’re already a specialist, it’s time for you to move into the role of authority. Why? There are several reasons. The higher you move on this pyramid, the more you can charge for your services. In addition, you’ll find that clients start coming to you, rather than vice versa, and that those you attract will be much easier to work with. The prestige that comes with your higher status will enable you to get more done in less time and reach a large audience of higher quality clients. How can you boost your profile and ultimately ascend to celebrity status? (Location 876)

Even better, these new clients weren’t quizzing me about my fees or deliverability. They were asking me whether I had availability to work with them. That’s the power of association. An excellent strategy to build up your name recognition is to start a podcast and interview significant figures in your industry. You will naturally be associated with them and benefit accordingly. (Location 885)

A second method of establishing celebrity is through affiliation. If you tell people that you write for Entrepreneur magazine, they will be impressed and assume that you know what you’re talking about. Choose your affiliations carefully. (Location 888)

A third, perhaps counterintuitive, approach is to raise your prices. There’s something appealing to the human psyche about paying more for quality services. Sometimes the easiest way we have to recognize the authority in our market is how much he or she charges. (Location 892)

Finally, deliver outstanding content. Content may not be king anymore, but it’s still very important. By producing content that identifies a problem your ideal clients experience and that addresses it effectively, you will be perceived as an authority in your market. (Location 895)

Whatever marketplace you’re in, you’ll find that there are already people who have done the heavy lifting of building an audience. In the personal development space, for example, you’ll find Tony Robbins and Brendon Burchard. In the weight loss arena, Jillian Michaels is a leader. Brendon Burchard spends at least $1,000 per day on Facebook to build his audience. If you’re in the personal development space, you can literally target your message at people who are fans of Burchard. Let someone else do the heavy lifting, at least when you’re starting out in Facebook marketing. (Location 902)

For an epic infographic that details all the ways in which you can customize your Facebook ads to reach specific audiences, visit www.nicsblog.com/target. (Location 913)

Now that you’ve finished this chapter, you should understand the value of getting very granular about your ideal clients and how to reach them. To succeed, you need to locate your “hungry crowd,” the people who are already interested in what you have to say, and feed them. Know whom you want to work with, and don’t be afraid to say no to people who don’t fit into the category of your ideal clients. Those people will be hard work and, while they may bring income into your business, will ultimately drain you of energy and enthusiasm. When you pick your pond, find your fish, ride the wave, become the big fish, and cast your net, you will be able to recognize your ideal clients and communicate strategically in a way that makes you attractive to them. Your next step is to decide what to say. It’s time to master your message. (Location 915)

To master your message, you need to know whom you want to connect with, what they need, and what you will say to them. How successfully you do this determines whether people will pay attention, engage with you, and ultimately purchase your products or services. (Location 949)

When you truly master your message, it will be as appealing to your audience as a song they know and love. The right message, distributed in the right way, will capture attention and responses just as powerfully as a popular hit. I’ve been in the room when Joe (Location 961)

crowd, so will you. You’ll be lost in the crowd. To attract attention, you need to be a breath of fresh air in a stale market, saying something that makes people sit up and take notice. Ask yourself this: What’s the last piece of commercial content you remember? Why? What made it stand out? Put yourself in the role of the consumer. What would it take, in a jaded marketplace, to make your eyes light up? (Location 979)

START WITH WHY Every message has two components: the what and the why. Both are important, but the latter takes precedence. (Location 983)

For the purposes of this book, I’m going to assume that you already have a good product or service. The problem is that there are lots of other people who also have a good product or service. What separates yours from theirs? Why should potential clients or customers choose you over them? (Location 986)

Simon Sinek, in his famous TED Talk, breaks down company activities into the what, the how, and the why. Every company knows what it does; some know how they do it; few know why they do it. Sinek’s hypothesis is that people buy your why. (Location 992)

Apple’s why is to create pioneering tools for people who are pushing the envelope, living at the cutting edge, and changing the world. It does this by recruiting top talent and acquiring outstanding companies, and the results are the ubiquitous computers, phones, and tablets that are so much a part of contemporary life. (Location 1004)

When you understand why people want your product or service and speak directly to that desire, you will inspire them. (Location 1017)

The answer is that the marketers at Uber aren’t really selling the idea that you need a taxi. They’re selling an experience. (Location 1029)

People won’t remember what you say. They will remember how they felt when you said it. Communicate your values and the things that move you. Make a connection. (Location 1034)

FRAME YOUR WHAT Your why is important, but it’s not enough on its own. Without your what, people won’t know what you actually do. The problem is that unless you find a way of differentiating your what from everyone else’s, it won’t interest people. (Location 1059)

What promise do you make to your clients? What is your position in your market? How will you achieve preeminence? What is your big idea? (Location 1085)

FIND YOUR ANGLE Mindfulness matters. Sure it does, but anyone can say the same thing. Now that you’ve found your big idea, how will you make it unique? How will you turn it into intellectual property? If you want to be more productive, do the hard things first. That’s a great tip, but it could have come from anyone. (Location 1088)

That is, until Brian Tracy wrote a book entitled Eat That Frog: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time. Suddenly, he owned the concept, and no one else could base a book on the same concept without appearing to have copied him. (Location 1092)

A purple cow is a remarkable event. If you want to attract people with your big idea, you need to package it in a way that inspires people to talk about it. (Location 1102)

Tony Robbins freely admits that when he first started to lead weekend seminars, very little of his material was original. Most of it came from giants of the personal development industry, such as Jim Rohn and Zig Ziglar. What did he do to make his weekends remarkable? He laid burning coals in the parking lot and encouraged participants to walk across them. (Location 1104)

What is your purple cow? What is it about your business that makes it remarkable? There are four primary ways to stand out. (Location 1111)

The Contrarian Approach Whatever your field of business, most marketing messages are combinations of angles that have previously proven popular. They become staid and predictable. This is the perfect environment for you to boldly proclaim the opposite. (Location 1113)

Taking a position that subverts received wisdom in your market is an instant guarantee of attention, as long as you can speak with authority about the reasons your approach is better. (Location 1119)

Make a Metaphor I worked with a client who had created a system to attract high-paying clients. “So what?” you may be asking. Everyone seems to have a system to attract high-paying clients. Making the shift from generic to unique was as simple as changing the name of the program. The Velvet Rope method was born, and the client saw an immediate increase in lead volume, reduced cost per lead, and a boost in their sense of direction. (Location 1121)

How to X without Y So You Can Z This style of messaging can come across as a promise, but it’s simple and direct and represents a good starting point or fallback strategy if you’re looking for ways to think about how to frame your expertise: How to X (represents what your ideal prospect desires) Without Y (what your ideal prospect is looking to avoid) So you can Z (the real benefit that the prospect receives) An example of this formula is, how to lose weight without exercise so you can fit into skinny jeans for your birthday party. Focus on what your prospect wants to achieve, what they want to avoid, and the real benefit to them. (Location 1125)

Create a Tool This is a powerful strategy. Instead of telling people what to do, you simply give them a tool to accomplish their objectives. Why waste time telling them how you can help them when you can cut to the chase and simply help them? When they use the tool, they will remember that it came from you and associate their success with your teachings. A tool needn’t be complex. Checklists and resource guides are simple to create and easy to use, maximizing engagement. (Location 1134)

If you want to develop your own character, you need four elements in place: a backstory, parables, character flaws, and polarity. (Location 1148)

A parable is a message wrapped into a story. The human brain loves stories. (Location 1167)

IDENTIFY YOUR IDENTITY It’s time to get granular about your character. There are four basic archetypes you can adopt: the leader, the adventurer/crusader, the reporter/evangelist, and the reluctant hero. (Location 1183)

If you want to be perceived as a leader, your message to clients is that you know where they want to go and how to get there. (Location 1186)

The adventurer/crusader is a more laidback archetype. As an adventurer, you’re driven by the desire for new experiences and by your interest in causes you hold dear. (Location 1189)

The reporter/evangelist is an ideal archetype to utilize if you don’t have a solid reputation of your own to draw upon. (Location 1192)

Finally, the reluctant hero is a good archetype to explore if you have a laidback personality. The message of the reluctant hero is that he or she has stumbled on something life changing, and now he or she feels a responsibility to share it with the world. (Location 1195)

Which archetype suits your business and your personality? Take some time to think about the role you feel most drawn to, and consider how you can bring that archetype into your marketing. (Location 1198)

Now let’s think about some narratives you can place your character in. (Location 1200)

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM CHAPTER FIVE You need to know whether you are a noise or a song in your industry. Be honest. To become a song, make sure that you understand your prospect’s why. Evaluate your promise, your position, and your big idea. Construct your “IP”: How are you personifying your business? Are you a leader, an adventurer/crusader, a reporter/evangelist, or a reluctant hero? Know your story line. Which of the narratives above fits your personality and your experience most closely? Loss and redemption, us versus them, before and after, amazing discovery, secret telling, or third-person testimonial? (Location 1232)

What is a magnet? In short, it’s a piece of valuable content containing a small amount of your message that you present to your marketplace with the intention of creating a connection. (Location 1245)

This chapter will teach you how to create a highly attractive magnet that will convey your message to people in a way they can hear, manufacture celebrity, and bring a flood of leads into your business. You know your market, and you’ve honed your message. Now is the time to create a tool that will attract the right people into your business. (Location 1257)

On average, one person on your e-mail list is worth anywhere from $1 to $10 to you per month. A list with a thousand active names, therefore, has a value of between $1,000 and $10,000 per month to your business, in perpetuity. People buy from those whom they know, like, and trust. (Location 1287)

THE PERFECT MAGNET The perfect magnet has four components: it is short, actionable, goal-oriented, and easy. Remember these elements using the acronym SAGE. (Location 1295)

Whatever form your magnet takes, be it blog post, video, PDF, or something else, it must be consumable within four to seven minutes. Remember, you’re competing for attention in a saturated market. (Location 1299)

Twenty-first-century consumers don’t need more information. They have all the information they could ever need, at their fingertips, twenty-four hours a day. What they do need is insight. (Location 1303)

They need someone who can tell them how to turn all that information into results. That’s what your actionable magnet will do for them. For the same reason, people don’t need more information that they will read, nod their heads at, and file away indefinitely. They need information that takes them toward their goals. It’s important to realize that in four to seven minutes, you cannot possibly solve major personal or business challenges. Nor should you try. Your intention is to provide them with the first step. (Location 1306)

If you’re in the weight loss space, don’t try to tell them how to lose twenty pounds. Talk to them about one food that burns fat and reduces appetite. I worked with clients in the relationship and pickup industry. They didn’t use their magnet to try and teach men how to approach unfamiliar women and get phone numbers. They used it to teach easy methods for building self-confidence. (Location 1310)

When people allow you to lead them one step toward their goals, they start to believe that you can take them further. They also start to trust themselves and believe that with your guidance, they can reach what may have appeared an impossible objective. An example: Imagine that you’re offering an online program to teach people how to play guitar. A good magnet would be a video or a resource sheet explaining how to play a single chord. Show your prospects that you can help them take one step toward their goals, and they will start to believe that you can assist them in achieving their larger goals—and they will also associate their success with you. (Location 1315)

Finally, don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you need to make your magnet complicated in a futile effort to prove how clever you are. It may once have been the case that complexity was a virtue but no longer. People want magnets that are easy enough for them to make use of, not baffling examinations they don’t understand. Short, actionable, goal-oriented, and easy—these are the qualities that will make your magnet appealing. Tailor your magnet depending on the precise outcome you want to achieve. A short, actionable magnet will build momentum. An actionable, easy magnet will engender a sense of progress. An easy, goal-oriented magnet will generate confidence. A short, goal-oriented magnet will create excitement. (Location 1321)

Educate, Engage, Inspire Let’s get more granular. What exactly do you want your magnet to do? Every magnet should educate, engage, or inspire—preferably all three. (Location 1330)

Imagine that I want to craft a new magnet for people struggling to make headway using Facebook ads. I may open by saying that I’ve polled my audience and discovered their three biggest Facebook ad problems. Now, even though I haven’t asked the end user of my magnet for their feedback, they feel involved in the process. They may well be struggling with some of the same problems. Instantly, they feel a connection and become more willing to consume the content I’m sharing with them. (Location 1339)

What Form Should My Magnet Take? There’s a simple matrix you can use to determine the value of different styles of magnet. (Location 1347)

As you can see, the key factors are the ease with which a magnet can be consumed and the desire your prospects feel to engage with it. A magnet that is hard to consume and that your prospects don’t feel much desire for is obviously a terrible idea. (Location 1350)

People want webinars and video series. They provide an opportunity to dive deeply into material that can’t be covered in a few minutes. On the other hand, they require a level of commitment that takes time to develop. You can’t offer access to a ninety-minute webinar to a cold prospect and expect him or her to respond enthusiastically. For the purposes of making initial contact with your market, focus on short, snappy resources that will pique people’s interest and give them something they value immediately. Think PDFs, resource guides, checklists, and similar approaches. (Location 1359)

What are the benefits? These magnets generate high-volume, low-cost leads, with high potential for conversions. Importantly, they are easy for you to create. (Location 1364)

Some people ask me whether they should use video for their magnets. The answer is yes, if you’re good with video. (Location 1367)

Building a Magnet The first time they open your magnet, your prospects probably don’t know who you are. This is why it’s essential to introduce yourself. Tell them who you are and what you do for people. This might seem like a “promise,” but it’s essential to orient those who have no idea of your credentials or position in the market. The next step is to tell them what the magnet will do for them. It should take only a few seconds for them to understand who you are and what value your magnet offers to them. If it’s something interesting to them, they’ll keep reading (or watching). In the main body of the magnet, break the content down into several segments. You want your prospects to feel a sense of progress as they work their way through the magnet. Give them a few steps to work through, without succumbing to the temptation to make the magnet excessively long or complex. (Location 1372)

One of my magnets is an eight-part guide to writing outstanding Facebook ads. It breaks the content down into small, manageable chunks that make it easy to consume, understand, and act on. Finally, offer people a next step. Tell them what you want them to do after they’ve used your magnet. Do you want them to sign up for a webinar series? Make that offer, and tell them where to click. Do you want them to call you? Let them know that you have some slots open for phone consultations, and show them where to book. Invite them into your conversion mechanism, and make it feel like a natural continuation of the conversation. (Location 1380)

Naming Your Magnet Choose the name of your magnet with care. I’ve known a simple name change to double the quantity and halve the cost of high-quality leads, and I have a simple, yet effective, template you can use to determine the name of your magnet. Start by asking yourself what it is. One highly successful magnet I worked on promised gym owners and personal trainers five strategies they could use to retain clients for longer. Now consider the benefits of your magnet. Whom is it for? How will those people be better off from using it? (Location 1390)

When you understand what your magnet is, and whom it’s for, ask yourself what it’s like? Is there a metaphor that describes it? Now list the top three descriptive words you’ve come up with, and add three technical words that explain the purpose of your magnet. Technical words lend your name authority and gravitas. At this point, you need to engage in a process of trial and error. Play with different combinations of words until you find the one that feels right. For this example, I asked myself which words communicated the value of the magnet most effectively. Who uses a gym? A community? A group? A tribe? What does the magnet help gym owners to do? Keep clients? Lengthen contracts? Retain customers? Finally, what is the magnet? A checklist? A guide? A system? The Tribal Retention System, by Chris Brown of Superfit Business, was born. (Location 1399)

They came to me wanting to use Facebook to attract their ideal customers and convince those people to pick up the phone and give them a call. They knew whom they wanted to reach: people who had been in an accident and required a personal injury attorney. What they lacked, at that time, was a compelling magnet. I asked them to tell me what most people don’t know when they have just gotten into a car accident, and what they need to know before they can make an informed decision about how to proceed. It took some prodding, but they eventually revealed that going to a lawyer unprepared is a risky business. There are several questions anyone who has been in an accident should ask to ensure that they are receiving solid representation, and most people don’t ask those questions. We had a magnet. Together, we created a quick guide to the five questions people should ask when they first consult a personal injury attorney. Naturally, the document was framed in a way that was 100 percent honest and ethical, while making it clear that my clients could answer the questions most effectively. At the bottom of the document was a call to action, inviting readers to phone if they needed to talk through the questions. (Location 1413)

This method is quite simple. Think about information your potential customers need to know, and deliver real value to them in a concise, (Location 1435)

actionable way. Facebook allows you to aim your magnet precisely at the people who will benefit from it at a relatively minimal cost. (Location 1436)

You’re creating a magnet. Great. Is it SAGE (short, actionable, goal-oriented, easy)? Will it educate, engage, and inspire? How do you know? (Location 1447)

What format will it take and why? For most magnets, a PDF download is the simplest and most effective format. (Location 1449)

Your next step is to plan a route. When you want to get somewhere, you have numerous options. You can walk, bicycle, take a car, ride a train, or travel in a plane or helicopter. You may want to stop on the way or move directly from point A to point B. Depending on the destination and the distance you need to travel, some options will make much more sense than others. The same is true for marketing. (Location 1468)

Your mechanism starts with an ad. That ad directs people to a landing page. The landing page leads to a thank-you page. When you have a potential client’s e-mail address, you can start to correspond with them, usually via e-mail. Begin by getting your ad right. Your goal here is not to sell a product. Too many people make that mistake and lose the interest of their prospects before they’ve given that interest time to develop. You are focused only on getting a click-through to the next phase of your process. What makes a perfect ad? There are three elements. (Location 1476)

Look The single most important aspect of creating a captivating ad is a great image. The reason it’s a cliché that a picture is worth a thousand words is because it’s true. The human brain responds strongly to images, especially those that awaken emotion in us. (Location 1482)

How do you use this principle to your advantage? The image should “pop,” by which I mean it should stand out from its surroundings. This is incredibly simple to do. Take a standard image and boost the contrast slightly. You’ll notice that the picture seems more defined and catches the eye more effectively. Alternatively, use a black-and-white image. (Location 1486)

Also, make sure that you keep the image relevant to your product. What’s an example of a popular graphic, guaranteed to garner attention? An attractive woman in a bikini. Now, what happens if you use that image, and your product or service has no relevance to the impression you’ve created? You’ll get clicks but no conversions. Don’t mislead your market. It does them a disservice and tarnishes your brand. (Location 1492)

Hook Always open your ad with a question that invites an implied yes. If I ask my wife whether she’d like to go on vacation, her instant response will be an enthusiastic yes. If you’re a gym owner, and I ask you whether you’d like a system that will help you to retain clients, will you be interested? Almost certainly. (Location 1495)

The mind loves to engage with questions, and people who have answered yes to a question feel more positive about themselves and more positive about the person who asked. It’s the beginning of rapport. By the same token, inviting them to answer a question places you in a position of authority. Who has more power in a conversation: the person asking a question or the person answering? (Location 1500)

yes. You want your prospects to believe that you have something they value and to be willing to follow you on a journey that leads to their betterment. An excellent way of accomplishing this aim is to use a copy template I refer to as “feel, felt, found.” I know how you feel because I’ve felt that way myself until I found this method/product/idea. (Location 1505)

them. Now, whenever I write an ad, I have the person who isn’t familiar with the custom of clicking a link in mind. When I want people to click, I write, “Click here.” Don’t leave anything to chance. Make it extremely obvious what action you want your prospects to take, and let them know what they can expect to happen when they give you that click. (Location 1518)

One final point here: scramble your URL, so that people don’t simply copy and paste it into a new tab. Why? You want to track the number of visitors who come through your ad, and anyone who copies and pastes the URL will scramble those statistics. Even though you’re paying for the click, it’s worth the small outlay to be able to analyze the behavior of site visitors. The whole point of your initial ad is simply to get the click. (Location 1522)

For an ad template that takes you through each of the ten elements you need to include in your Facebook ads, visit www.nicsblog.com/template. (Location 1527)

THE LANDING PAGE The landing page is the beginning of your real relationship with your audience. (Location 1529)

You know that they’re interested in what you have to say to them because they’ve clicked through from Facebook. Do a good job on the landing page, and they will give you their e-mail address in exchange for your magnet. Once again, it cannot be emphasized enough that the vast majority of people won’t buy so early in the process. By pushing for a sale, you’ll drive them away. Companies that spend a lot of money sending cold potential consumers directly to an offer are wasting money (mostly). They’re like men who meet woman they like and try to take her home the very same night. They may sometimes succeed, but they’ll upset and alienate a lot of people on the way, and their overall reputation won’t be enhanced. (Location 1532)

You want to create an opening to communicate with your prospects on a continuous basis, eventually warming them up to a sale. Your landing page is like a handshake. Make it warm and inviting, and back that up with something prospects will value. This way, they’re much more likely to give you their number. (Location 1538)

To facilitate the progression from Facebook and landing page, make the lander look and feel similar to the original ad. (Location 1540)

Another aspect of this congruence is a willingness to display information about who you really are on your landing page. There was a time when marketers believed that the fastest way to conversions was to remove any extraneous information from their landers in the belief that anything that distracted people from taking the next step was counterproductive. This is no longer the case. Most websites include a footer with contact details, terms of service, privacy policies, and other similar information. There’s no reason for your landing page to be an exception. Demonstrate that you are a real person/company who can be reached if necessary and that your aim is to help your prospects, not to trick them into doing something they’ll later regret. (Location 1547)

Robert Cialdini wrote a book entitled Influence. In it, he discussed the concept of microcommitment. As soon as people have made a small commitment in a given direction, they are much more likely to feel a sense of investment and take the next step. (Location 1553)

Traditional marketing wisdom states that it’s a good idea to place a form on the landing page, asking for people’s name and e-mail address. When you ask people to click through to a second page to claim their PDF/report/resource guide, however, you are inviting them to take a microcommitment. Ask them for their name and… (Location 1556)

An image of your face will reinforce the impression that you are genuine in your desire to connect with them and serve them. A ticker that tracks the number of people who have already downloaded your magnet will reassure them that others are taking the action they’re considering. Testimonials from satisfied customers and logos of companies you’re affiliated with or places where you’ve spoken publicly will only strengthen the impression that you are genuine and trustworthy. Succeed in this objective, and you’ll win both… (Location 1561)

For an entire perfect landing page template showing you visually what you need to include on your page, visit… (Location 1566)

The journey from ad, to landing page, to e-mail capture, to thank-you page has been a journey of increasing momentum. At this point, your new prospect is beginning to warm to you. He or she has taken some positive action, and he or she feels good about himself or herself. The cardinal mistake a lot of marketers make at this point is to close the door. They present visitors with a thank-you page and allow the relationship to cool before they continue the conversation. Here’s what I suggest you do instead. Everyone understands the concept of swim lanes. There are the fast swimmers, who appear to have been born in the water and can pound out fifty lengths of the pool before breakfast. They swim in the green lane. There are the moderate swimmers, who take a more leisurely approach. They may not be fast, but you know they will get there in the end.… (Location 1569)

Your potential clients fit roughly into these three categories. The fast swimmers are excited and passionate. They’re the people who look at your magnet, totally get where you’re coming from, and are ready to buy. They make decisions and take action quickly. Moderate swimmers may like what you’re doing, but they need more connection before they’re ready to make a purchase. It has been estimated that, on average, people need seven points of contact before they’re ready to buy. Moderate swimmers fall into that category. Slow swimmers, as the name suggests, are very cautious and take longer to make a decision. They need to be very sure they’re doing the right thing and often consult with many people before they make a commitment. They may read everything you send them for eighteen months, or even longer, before suddenly flipping into buying mode and deciding that they’re ready to make a purchase. Once you have captured a lead, you need to provide swim lanes for people, so they can self-select. Give the fast swimmers an offer on your thank-you page. Let them know that if they’re ready, they can buy right away. The moderate swimmers will say no to that offer, but they’ve already said yes to your magnet. Continue to provide them with valuable… (Location 1579)

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM CHAPTER SEVEN Ask yourself, “Does my ad capture attention, create connection, and cause action? Do I have a process in place to cater to fast, medium, and slow ‘swimmers’?” Is that process working? If not, how can you adapt it? (Location 1622)

Most people who are in business do what they do for a reason. I assume you’re no different. You have a message you want to share and a desire to make the world a better place. (Location 1659)

Make a commitment to bring your message, your product, your service to a world that needs it, so that you can look back at the end of your life and know that you’ve truly given of yourself. (Location 1662)

If you want to bring your message to the people who are most likely to be interested in it, there is no better platform than Facebook. No other platform allows you access to more than a billion people for pennies on the dollar and enables you to fine-tune your targeting to ensure that you put your message in front of those who want to read or see it. (Location 1670)

Brendon Burchard says that if you’re not spending $1,000 per day on Facebook, you haven’t entered the world of digital advertising. I agree with him. In fact, if you have a winning offer, you should be spending $5,000 to $10,000 or more a day on advertising. In this day and age, Facebook is, hands down, the greatest direct response advertising platform on the planet. If you have a business you want to grow, and you’re not at least exploring what Facebook can do for you, you’re missing a huge trick. (Location 1679)

What are the metrics I should be paying attention to? There are three primary types of metric on Facebook: vanity metrics, important metrics, and vital metrics. Vanity metrics include signs of engagement that don’t move people toward taking action, such as “likes,” comments, and shares. It’s satisfying to see people taking an interest in your content, but nothing useful can be deduced from these numbers. Important metrics are factors such as click-through rate and cost per click. Of every hundred people who see your ad, how many people click on it? How much do you spend, on average, for each person who clicks on your ad? While these metrics can be useful indicators, there are more accurate ways of measuring what really matters. Vital metrics are those that get to the heart of the issue. The most common are cost per lead and return on ad spending (ROI). When you know how much you are paying for each lead, you can make adjustments to bring that cost down and test their effectiveness. ROI is the single most important metric in determining the success of your advertising, and it’s a metric many people ignore completely. Your ROI tells you how much income you are generating in comparison with your spending. It’s essential that you understand this, otherwise how can you determine whether your advertising is succeeding? (Location 1711)

How can I find an audience? Many businesses see Facebook as a place to find new audiences. They want to make offers to people who they think will be interested in engaging with them. What most people don’t realize is that there are different types of audience, and some will be more receptive than others. Here’s a rundown, from coldest to warmest: Interests and behaviors. This is the coldest type of audience you will find, but it’s the one most businesses focus on. Fitness companies, for example, target people who are interested in fitness and assume those people will be ready to buy from them. Connections. These are people who “like” or follow a fan page. They have indicated an interest in what you have to offer, although they haven’t demonstrated clear intent to make a purchase. The larger this audience, the more likely it is to yield results. Lookalike. This is an audience created to mimic your current customers. Imagine that you have a thousand customers on your database. You can upload the customer data to Facebook and ask the platform to find you an audience of similar people on the basis that they, too, will be interested in what you have to say. Facebook will cross-reference all the data you supply, find people who are closely matched, and show them your content. Retargeted. A retargeted audience is significantly warmer than the previous types but still not ideal. Perhaps you have experience of being retargeted. You visit a retail website and almost, but not quite, make a decision to buy a pair of shoes. Suddenly, you see the same shoes advertised everywhere you go on the Internet. They show up on Facebook, for example, or the sidebar of your Google mail page. When done badly, retargeting can be annoying and creepy. When used ethically, however, it can be powerful. It’s based on the principle that most people won’t make a purchase on their first exposure to an item they’re interested in, so it pays to give them reminders. Custom. This is the warmest audience available on Facebook. It consists of people who are already familiar with your business. They know, like, and trust you. If you’ve built an e-mail list or customer database, you can upload it to Facebook. Facebook will locate these people for you, giving you the capacity to create a Facebook ad that goes only to people on your e-mail list. Now, if you need to communicate a message that you would usually send via e-mail, you can use Facebook to send exactly the same message to your custom audience. This gives them two opportunities to connect with your message, multiplying your impact. It usually provides the best results and the highest ROI. (Location 1724)

Newsfeed ads, however, are much more unobtrusive. It’s likely that you scroll through your newsfeed regularly, looking for content that interests you. When you see content that looks natural and catchy, you may well click on it. The same is true of your prospects. (Location 1750)

For a full list of my latest resources, trainings, and updates, visit www.nicsblog.com/resources. (Location 1760)