No, no, no, no – not like that!!!
But tell me, What do you feel like doing when you read these headlines?
- Obama Budget Sees $1.75T Defecit
- GM Posts $9.6B Loss
- Existing Home Sales Plunge
- Home Prices Post Biggest Drop in 21 Years
- Bernake Says Economy Suffering Severe Contraction
- New Home Sales Drop To Record Low In January
- U.S. Jobless Claims Tally Tops 5 Million Mark
- Orders For Durable Goods Plunged In January
- JPMorgan To Cut Up To 12,000 Jobs
- Home Resales Drop To Slowest Pace In 12 Years
Wow – talk about doom and gloom, and most certainly those in the financial services industry, plus others major industries such as resources and even in the service sector are feeling the effects of the “severe contraction” in the economy.
But I tell ya – everyday the headlines read the same. I swear, newspapers are just recycling the same story over and over again moving paragraphs around, changing words here and there all in an effort to prop up their failing business models as well.
If you see this everyday, would you want to spend any money?
Since the economy is in such a slump, why would home resales increase? You would expect them to slow down since people won’t be considering upgrading but will stay where they are. DUH! So when you see that headline that resales have dropped, should it scare you? No. Regardless of what the economy is doing, most industries (real estate included) are cyclic. They have up and down periods – granted most industries will slow down during crunch time – but that is expected. So that story about home resales slowing down just appears to be scare mongoring.
Some stories don’t surprise me – like the JPMorgan one – the financial services industry is credited with causing much of the global turmoil that we are now seeing. It certainly hasn’t helped that the Ponzi scheme came to light around the same time as the world economy was going to hell; so these companies are now fighting like mad to stay afloat.
What really amazes me is that they all are going with open arms to Congress for money – yet they are laying off thousands upon thousands of people.
I used to always think that companies were good, if not better managers of money – man was I ever wrong! They definately DO NOT understand not to overspend! As a family guy, I know how much money I have in the bank and how much I can safely borrow through a line of credit without plunging myself into irreversible debt. Apparently that memo never made it to the CEOs of some of these companies who felt they could borrow and buy out companies without any impunity. Guess what – sooner or later those decisions will come back to haunt you.
The point of this post is two fold – first off, the bad news will keep coming.
The newspapers need to increase circulation, the best way is using attention getting headlines like those above. But remember that there will always be two sides to every story. As in the small example I gave – just because someone reports that home sales are slowing down – don’t let it scare you. If you think about it logically, of course they will slow down. If you are unsure about job prospects, would you sell your home where you’ve probably got a great mortgage rate and perhaps have paid down a significant chunk of it for something unknown? No, probalby not.
Next point of this post is the headlines – just look at them! If they don’t make you stop and think about reading the story, then nothing will.
In the world of Internet Marketing your headline is what will drive people to your product or to read your blog posts and come back for more. The headline is just as important, if not more important thant the product.
I’ve bough total shit products (I found out they were CRAP after buying them) based on the strong headline and sales letter. Some of these marketers will spend thousands of dollars on a complete package that is so slick you will feel guilty for not buying their product.
If you are considering Internet Marketing know that there is a lot of competition, there are many established players — but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for you. There is, but you’ll have to work at it. I would first suggest to work on your writing / story telling skills. They are important in getting your thoughts and points across.
Look at those headlines again, and the words I’ve bolded – they grab your attention. What does severe contraction conjure up in your mind? I think pain and then physical pain, like when you have a really bad stomach ache. Or how about plunge, drop to record low, drop to slowest pace. One thing they all have in common is that they grab your attention.
Consider these two headlines:
New Adsense System Will Help You Make Money
Previously Unreleased And Confidential Adsense Method Guaranteed To Increase Earnings By A Whopping 1,675%
Probably a little bit better, right?
Between the two – which turns your crank?
The first one is pretty blah – even if there were dozens of testimonials, I doubt I’d take a second look at it. But the second one piques my interest. Why?
- First off it is – previously unreleased and (was) confidential
- Next – it is a guaranteed method
- Finally – it will increase my earnings by a whopping 1,675%
People like to see numbers attached to claims. Look at it this way, if a bank is offering a “Higher Rate Of Interest On Deposits For 90 Days“, is it going to grab your attention? Or will “3.50% Interest On All Deposits” be more appealing? The first one might make me take a second look – but if these two were side-by-side, I’d look at the second one before the first one.
Headlines grab the attention of readers, and visitors. A strong headline, and consistently strong headlines will prompt visitors to return and if you’re selling a product encourage them to consider purchasing!
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