Strategy without tactics leads to paralysis by analysis; tactics without strategy leads to the “bright shiny object syndrome”

A good product or service is a customer retention tool. But customer retention comes after acquisition.

If I removed your company name and logo from your website, would people still know that it's you, or could it be any other company in your industry?

Positioning yourself as a commodity and hence being shot on price alone is a terrible position for a small business owner to be in. It's soul-crushing, and this race to the bottom is bound to end in tears.

The actual product being sold is the commodity but what makes it remarkable is something totally peripheral to what you're buying.

Purchasing is done with emotions and justified with logic after the fact.

Target the pain - People want pain relief, not features and benefits.

People buy from people.

Copywriting is salesmanship in print.

People love authenticity, personality, and opinion. Even if they don't agree with you, they’ll love you for being real and open.

The masses are living lives of quiet desperation. They're absolutely craving something that grabs or entertains them, even if it's just for a moment. Your job is to give it to them.

List of trigger words: free, you, save, results, health, love, proven, money, new, easy, safety, guaranteed, discovery.

Sales copy needs to press on fear, love, greed, guilt, pride.

Always choose clarity over cleverness.

What gets measured, gets managed.

Hire experts who specialize in whatever media you decide is right for your campaign.

Beware of social - it’s not an owned channel.

Social is only free marketing if your time is free.

Email list is your most valuable asset -  fully owned.

Good marketing, especially direct response marketing, is always customer and problems / solution-focused.