Attention! This Book Will Make You Money

How to Use Attention-Getting Online Marketing to Increase Your Revenue

Jim F. Kukral

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2010
• Print ISBN: 9780470599273
• eBook ISBN: 9780470880685
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Marketing
• Index: Business

Drive Web traffic and take your business into the future

In todays social Web marketplace, attention equals revenue. When you direct more attention online to your brand or business, you drive more long-term revenue. Regardless of who you are or how small your business is, you can have a huge impact using free Internet tools...provided you understand and correctly apply the latest techniques.

Attention! gives you an educational and motivational guide to using social media to market your brand or business online. In three parts, you'll discover everything you need to know to get off the ground and thrive in the social mediasphere, including

• The tools, techniques and tricks to get attention online and turn that attention into profit
• The theory behind the importance of making your mark on the Internet
• How other businesses and individuals made money from online marketing

Whether you're just starting your business, just moving it online, or already established and looking to take your business to the next level, Attention! is the key to success.

PART I

Chapter 1

Attention Marketing

Anyone can get attention, but not everyone knows how to make a pile o’ cash or a ton of publicity from it. Case in point, you could dress up like a circus clown and walk around your office Monday morning in an attempt to get your boss to notice you, finally, and sure, everyone would notice you. However, you'd probably just be fired, and that's not the promotion you were looking for.

You may also try standing up in an airplane and yelling BOMB! while clutching your laptop. Yep, that would get a lot of attention from the airline attendant who had been ignoring you, but again, that's probably a one-way trip to a back room in some dungeon filled with FBI agents, when all you really wanted was some pretzels. Not a good plan either.

You can strip naked live on the Internet and expose yourself to the globe in hopes of getting the word out about your new consulting services. Sure, you'd probably get a lot of views, and possibly some wedding proposals, but would you get any business out of it?

The point is…it's easy to do something stupid to get attention. However, is that really the smartest way to go about being noticed? Absolutely not. You're not dumb, so trying to do something dumb to get what you want is, well, dumb!

The big questions that are going to be addressed in this book are: How do you get attention that helps you? And how do you use that attention to help you benefit your business or brand?

If you can master the art of successful Attention Marketing, you'll find an entire world of crème-filled, juicy goodness waiting for you.

• A world where you don't have to pay for advertising anymore.
• A world where everyone knows your brand.
• A world where people walk up to you on the street, shake your hand, and say, “You're that guy!”
• A world where you have any job or career you want.
• A world where you can leverage your fame into business deals and long-lasting relationships.

How does all of that sound? But wait, there's more!

Getting attention isn't anything new. Since the dawn of time, successful people have learned how to harness the power of Attention Marketing for their own benefit. From billionaires to real-estate moguls to circus performers all the way to regular nonfamous people who just happen to be great at getting attention. So if they can do it, why can't you? The answer is that you can do it! You just have to be properly educated, inspired, and motivated to get it done. As the title of this book says: “This book will make you money!”

Have I got your attention yet? Keep reading.

This is important! Attention = Revenue! Here's a little secret. The original title of this book was Attention = Revenue! However, the publisher finessed it a bit. I guess they thought the new title would get more attention.

Attention does in fact equal revenue. It's absolutely true! If you can find ways to get attention for your business or brand, you can translate that into revenue one way or another, and darn it, I'm going to prove it to you in this book.

Please don't get caught up on the word “revenue” in terms of dollars only. Revenue can be defined as many different things. It can be things such as leads, or publicity, or even accomplishing a minor goal like getting the attention of one person in the world. The following is a list of some other things that can be considered revenue:

• Subscribers for your podcast or blog.
• E-mail signups.
• Being asked to speak as an expert at a conference.
• Being featured on television, radio, or someone else's web site or blog.
• A book deal with a major publisher.
• Leads for your sales team.
• Twitter followers and Facebook friends.
• YouTube channel subscriptions and video views.
• LinkedIn connections.
• Better career or higher paying job.
• Landing a new fancy client.
• Being quoted in the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal.

Remember, these can be many little things that can lead up to big things, so let's not assume we always have to hit the home run to measure success. We don't. In fact, it's more likely that the little hits will power you through to the winning run at the end of the game first.

So Who Are You?

You're probably a small business owner, blogger, entrepreneur, or executive who has had enough of books that don't really show you how to do things. Maybe you're in a job you love at a company that finally has to find a way to use the Web to generate success. Maybe you just want to find a way to pay for your kids’ college education without having to slave at a job you hate for years with hardly any real pay.

It's time to get started on the path to success. Attention! will get you there.

Chapter 2

No More Apologizing

First things first, if there's one thing we have to get into your head this very second it's that you have to stop apologizing for wanting to make money.

Someway, somehow, we have to get you to stop listening to the countless hoards of other experts, gurus, and social media purists who want you to believe that being successful online is all about “building community” and “having passion.” Sure, those things are important, but let's be honest. At the end of the day, those are the means to get to the real goal, the real reason you are reading this book. The deep down dark secret that perhaps you don't want to admit to yourself or are afraid to admit in public is: YOU WANT TO MAKE MONEY!

Are you ready to get started? Let's go.

Chapter 3

Don't You Want to Be “That Guy”?

Scott ginsberg had an idea one day, “What if I put on a name tag and wore it all the time? I mean all the time, day and night. Would people respond to me differently? Would it change anything?” Little did Scott know at the time that it would change everything for him, and for the future legions of his fans who found inspiration and success from his example.

That day was monumental for Scott's life and career for two reasons. First, it was the day he created the attention-getting idea (the easier part) and second, because it was the day he acted on it (the much harder part).

Let's start with the idea part. We'll cover the taking action part later on in this book.

Scott did it. He wore a name tag every day, 24-hours a day, no matter where he went or what he was doing.

Doing laundry on a Sunday afternoon? Name tag on. On a blind date set up by your best friend? Name tag on. Riding a roller coaster at 115 miles per hour? Name tag on. Playing craps at 4 am in Las Vegas? Name tag on. Taking your kids shopping at Target? Name tag on.

Think Scott is full of you-know-what? He couldn't possibly wear that name tag all the time, could he? In fact, to show his commitment Scott got a tattoo of a name tag on his chest. Now that's conviction. Scott lives his brand, literally. His over-the-top commitment confirms to his tribe that he truly believes in what he says. This resonates with his audience and helps him build brand loyalty. Oh yeah, and it continues to help him get attention.

Did It Work?

Heck yeah it did. At the time of this writing, it had been 3,459 days of wearing a name tag. Scott has transformed from a hopeful college graduate with no early direction of what to do in life to being a widely sought after public speaker, author of multiple books, and master consultant to some of America's biggest firms and successful brands. He generates hundreds of thousands of dollars per year through the roles just mentioned. Not bad for a kid with an attention-getting idea fresh out of college, eh?

Emerging from the cocoon was no longer just Scott, but “Scott the Name Tag Guy.” A brand metamorphosis of epic proportions! See more at www.hellomynameisscott.com.

Scott became a top example of “That Guy.” You know that guy. It's the guy you see at a trade show and you say, “I love that guy!” People flock over to get a picture with him or to shake his hand and say thank you. It's the woman who always seems to have a big crowd of people surrounding her at all times. Maybe it's the guy who is constantly asked to appear on television as an expert or entertainer, or the woman who radiates positivity and success and, therefore, everyone wants to be just li ke her. Or maybe it's the guy you recognize on the other side of the street and you run through traffic to go and say hello.

Oh yeah, “That Guy” is also the guy you give a lot of money to. You buy his books. You buy his consulting services. You click on his affiliate links and open his e-mails. You buy in completely, because you're now a fan, and secretly, you probably want to be him. As Seth Godin would describe, you're now part of his tribe, whether you like it or not.

So why wouldn't you want to be “That Guy”? There's definite power in it.

Being “That Guy” obviously has huge advantages. When you're “That Guy” you're always the center of attention. As we'll learn in this book, being the center of attention is a really good thing, if you know how to use it.

“That Guy” can do things you can't do. “That Guy” can get paid thousands of dollars to attend trade shows and speak to thousands of people. “That Guy” can get a 10-book deal from a publisher (which is unheard of but Gary Vaynerchuk did it). “That Guy” can attract thousands of people almost instantly to a live Ustream video broadcast. “That Guy” can use his massive lot of influence to bargain better business deals and partnerships and raise money for charity. “That Guy” has leverage.

Why? Because he's “That Guy.” Curious about other people who qualify as “That Guy”? Here's a partial list (I couldn't list them all here). For a complete list (and to add or nominate your own candidate) please visit www.AttentiontheBook.com.

• Gary Vaynerchuk—Wine enthusiast and social media maven. Visit Garyvaynerchuk.com
• Chris Brogan—Social media's poster boy and community specialist. Visit Chrisbrogan.com
• Peter Shankman—Creator of Helpareporter.com and PR guru. Visit Shankman.com
• Billy Mays—The master of the pitch. (R.I.P.)
• Shawn Collins and Missy Ward—Affiliate Marketing's MVPs. Visit AffiliateSummit.com
• Matthew Lesko—The Question Mark Guy. Visit Lesko.com
• Joel Comm—Web entrepreneur and creator of the iFart application. Visit Joelcomm.com
• Darren Rowse—Professional blogger and Web publisher. Visit Problogger.com
• Susan Bratton—Digital Marketing Entrepreneur. Visit Personallifemedia.com
• Veronica Belmont—Tech and gaming-centric video host. Visit Veronicabelmont.com
• Julia Nunes—YouTube ukulele wunderkind. Visit Julianunes.com
• Mari Smith—Social media marketer and Facebook queen. Visit Marismith.com
• Tara Hunt—Influential tech entrepreneur. Visit Horsepigcow.com
• Loren Feldman—Actor, Comedian, and Web Provocateur. Visit 1938media.com
• Ted Murphy—Web entrepreneur and all around fun-loving guy. Visit Ted.me
• Lewis Howes—LinkedIn master marketer. Visit Lewishowes.com
• Jay Berkowitz—Master Web consultant and speaker. Visit 10GoldenRules.com

All of those people have “it,” that thing that makes us (the audience) stand up, take notice of them, and then want to be them. They are able to get the attention of the rest of us because they do something better or more unique or more interesting than we do. However, their success isn't accidental and yours won't be either. The one thing that those people have in common that you need to have is that they are the best at what they do, yes, but then they go out and consistently do it repeatedly in a unique way that gets the rest of us to pay attention.

It's not good enough to be smart and know about your business. That's only step one in the process of becoming “That Guy.” The next step is going out there and telling the world about it in a way that makes you get noticed before everyone else. That's the difference between being really good and being “That Guy.” The good news is that you're already smart and you are already an expert at something. Now you only need to take the next step and find a clever, consistent way to get the word out.

If there is one thing people who get noticed have in common, it's that they all know how to produce tons of great content. There's simply no way around the fact that the Web is dominated by businesses and individuals who have something powerful to say and then find as many ways as possible to say it. Delivering the message is sometimes more important than the message itself. You know a lot about what you know a lot about. Find a way to deliver it to your audience in a way that will make them pay attention, and easily allow them to help spread the word.

Chris Brogan delivers his messages through his blog, Web videos, books, and countless speaking gigs. Shawn Collins and Missy Ward deliver their message though a trade-show event called the Affiliate Summit. Billy Mays was the master of pitching you a product live in-person or on television. Loren Feldman can get you to pay attention to him on Web video by saying things that the rest of us only think, but don't want to say.

How are you currently delivering your message to your audience? Is it through your blog? Great, but how about adding Web videos to that? Make your videos and upload them to YouTube, then post them on your blog. Now you've got your message delivered in two different places, all for the price of one. If you speak at events, are you recording the audio of your talk and then blogging about it later, or using it to give away as a bonus to your ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Thank You
• Get My Attention!
• Part I
• Part II
• Part III
• Conclusion This Book Was Written for You
• But Wait . . . There's More!
• Index