023: THE POWER OF THE P.S. STRATEGY

Today’s question for the podcast:

How do you sell, without coming across as “sales-y”?

If you find yourself asking the same question, this is the episode for you. The “P.S.” strategy is going to help you immensely when it comes to selling yourself online.

Do you remember pen-pals? In every letter, I used to write a “P.S.” and never missed it (it’s the most important part, isn’t it!). Well today, in the digital age and the digital marketing community, the P.S. holds a powerful place in our marketing tactics.

Do you have a strategy for marketing online, are you putting yourself in front of the right eyes? The P.S. strategy is going to be a BIG part to marketing online through an integrated plan. If you’re struggling with attracting new people in your community, don’t hesitate to grab a one-on-one spot in the Busy to Boss Method. Send me an email at hi@abranchofholly.com for more details.

THE P.S. STRATEGY

There is no such thing as an email that doesn’t have a goal, that isn’t trying to do something. This doesn’t have to be a goal to try to sell something in every single email you send, but what we DO need are “micro-conversions.” These will help set up a sale later on down the road.

WHAT ARE MICRO-CONVERSIONS?

The messaging that speaks to your audience’s beliefs, understanding of something, or thoughts around something. They can also provide valuable motivation or insights to your reader. This messaging, the copy in your emails or the words you use in your podcast, allows you to coach the conversion from:

Point A: the first interaction (& those that follow)
Point B: this person becoming a paying customer

Micro-conversions change the way your audience thinks or feels about a topic.

How To Use Them

I see micro-conversions as mini-actions, physical actions like clicking on a link or watching a video, or a mental action like reading. Both give you the opportunity to have a thought shift, or look at something in a new way. Micro conversions ARE messaging, but it’s also getting someone to take action in a different way.

An example of a micro conversion that I’ve learned is something I might say in an email:

“One thing I’ve learnt over the years is to not let my feelings dictate my future. Maybe you’ve spent money on a course or coaching programme where you didn’t get to the finish line. Yes, that is part of your history and you’ve learnt from it, but making an investment in yourself today is your fresh start, your time to do something differently, your time to create the business you love.”

This would be perfect for someone who might be hung up on the fact that they have spent a lot of money on online courses, but have not put the work in and completed them. I am calling them out where I am looking to change how they are feeling about a situation. I could also include a link, “check out my video where I talk about my own experience in this.” Now I’m getting them to change their thought and getting them to click a link as well. The more actions your audience takes, the more trust there is going to be.

This specific micro-conversion is important, as many people seeking your help have probably tried other things in the past that haven’t worked out. You need to address that, help them forgive themselves and move on. If this has an impact, and they change their mindset: they have just made a micro-conversion!

This is not a “one and done” thing, this is a journey you are taking your reader on.

The micro-conversion strategy will help you convert how your reader or listener thinks, it guides them to making decisions differently.

THE P.S. STRATEGY

The P.S. conversion strategy is where you take the micro-conversion strategy and you make it actionable. You get your reader to listen to something, watch a video, or send a DM. You are taking the original micro-conversion and creating an action from it.

Where Does It Get The Name?

You might be wondering: why is it called the P.S. strategy? A lot of people skim through emails, especially long promotional emails. If you get good at teasing something great at the end of your emails (in the P.S.) they will likely click through.

There are rarely emails I send out that don’t include a P.S. You can bet that if you got an email about this episode, there was a REALLY good P.S.

How To Use The Strategy

This is where you have to use some really good copy. It doesn’t have to be a one liner, it can even be a couple sentences like: “P.S. if you just skimmed this whole email and jumped to the P.S. here is what you need to know: “I’ve got a video, it’s about XYZ, click here now.”

If your email was all about a free video you just created, and maybe you worked a micro-conversion to change their mindset, now you would say: “I’ve got a video, its going to teach you how to move past XYZ, now click here to go and watch it.”

We’re adding action with the idea of a decision making or thought-provoking micro-conversion, and I like to add the two.

You know I like to really get into the details, so let me make a couple of things clear about these two types of micro-conversions. I call them Part 1: the micro-conversions, and Part 2: the actions that go along with it.

Part 1&2 go hand in hand. If you haven’t been coaching them through their limiting beliefs, or providing insights and motivation along the way (part 1), they’re not always going to click on the P.S. the actionable micro-conversion (part 2).

Part 1 helps us build trust with our audience, so they take action in part 2. If I did a good job in the copy to get them to think “yeah that’s another way of thinking about it”, and the P.S. has the feeling of let’s move forward… do you see how the two go hand in hand?

Of course, the P.S. is at the bottom of the email, I’m encouraging you all to use it more strategically. I also like to choose ONE single call to action, “click to…” I always include it in the P.S. but also mention it in the email copy. A call to action in your email should not only show up at the end.

CREATING A SUCCESSFUL COPY

We should all be students of copywriting.

The Breakdown

I want you to begin using both of these types of micro-conversions right away, so here is what you need to do. When you create your email copy, be intentional about creating consistent thought, motivation or insight; this builds thought & will prime your audience to take action when you want them to.

How do you know how to write this copy? You should know how to put yourself in your ideal customer’s shoes, and speak to their struggle or need. Write like you’d talk to them if they were standing in front of you.

#1| Be Mindful

The #1 point is: are you being mindful of your copy? The easiest way to do it is to think about the obstacles and challenges that your customer faces each day. Address those and give them a different way to approach it.

#2| Give a Next Step

Always give your audience something to do next: “click here to watch this video” etc. If you ask them to take an action, a simple thing to click on a link, you are doing two things:

1. They are beginning to take action when you want them to

2. You are building trust

As long as the action has value to them, they are going to continue to do what you encourage them to do. Imagine you’ve used this strategy for a while - the next time you send an email asking to check out your latest programme, your audience will be much more likely to do so.

RECAP

I love creating an actionable step with the micro-conversion strategy, but this will only work if you give your audience something of value. Be mindful, don’t tell them to click & send them someplace that is a waste of time. The beauty of having them click on a link that sends them to a video or PDF is that it’s a low commitment for them.

This will work in your favour when you’re making a bigger play for what’s behind that link (like a paid program). The trust should be built with your freebies, not when you’re looking for sales.

You should be building your email list every single day, and creating original content every single week. As you create new content, email your list with the link to your valuable content. It’s about you solving their problems, transforming their lives and giving them something that they need that they will pay for. People who are looking to “get rich quick” fizzle out, because the trust isn’t there.

Let me leave you with one last thought. People (like you and me) love to be told what to do next. We all need extra support, so consider yourself a guide to your audience; remember: they are looking to you as a go to source.

Resources Mentioned In This Episode:

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Advanced Blogging TipsHolly SuttonMay 3, 2019Comment