Do gurus get rewards only in Heaven?

[Will]

I have a great product -- no, shut up and just please listen! -- I said GREAT PRODUCT! But I'm dyin' out here (and going mad into the bargain).

If people read my copy they buy. I've proven that already. (Though maybe I stink at headlines -- "compelling headlines" in Clayton's parlance) Part of the problem seems to be that my product is just too good to have any credibility, and I can't seem to figure, Gary Bencivenga-style, how to get the credibility upfront and working for me.

So if you'll cast a burning eyeball on www.myveryownhomeinspain.com and tell me where I should go to market it, I'd be ever-so-grateful. I piggybacked on a couple of International Living newsletters and had great success, but need to know about similar places to go, or other places to advertise.

Oh, the product. I'm giving away, free, ten houses worth $6.75 million, holding a "no-lose, win-win" raffle that it doesn't cost anyone a penny to enter. It's that simple.

But you can understand why nobody believes me right out of the box. It sounds like something a Nigerial spammer would do, not a respectable old fart like me.

Thanks for reading this.

Will

PS A free weekend in my hotels, or $200 hotel voucher, for smart, useful suggestions.

[John Newtson]

Hi Will,

You have to admit, it does smack of being too good to be true.

Have you given away houses like this already or in the pas? If so having pictures of the winners, with their houses and captions with specifics like their name, location of the house and date they won them would help.

And I see you have quotes from media sources like The Sunday News Express and LMG Media -- I'd try to use their logo's and maybe even take a picture of the newspaper issue and make their testimonials pull quotes from it.

Even better would be videos like Publishers Clearing House does on television when they present a million-dollar check to a winner. Or put a winners circle page like they have here: Publisher's Clearing House Winner's Circle

Other ideas to build credibility would be to have pictures of you in a business suit and of your hotels and staff to enhance the feeling that there are real people and a real business behind this.

I'd also imagine there is some form of governement regulatory agency that oversees contests like this so I'd get credibility from them via their logo, post pictures of the official paperwork, get a written statement from an official as to the validity of this contest, etc.

And if you can get on some form of local news show with an offer like that I'd post links that as well.

That's just off the top of my head but you get the idea.

Hope that helps,
John

[Will]

Thanks, John -- mostly all good stuff and grist for the mill. No, we haven't done it before. Nobody has ever done it before as far as I can tell -- a riskless raffle that could yield a fabulous house or studio. It's the result of a conjunction of several planets, some useless realty agents, the US Congress, the Russian Mafia, and my disgust at trying to sell them in the traditional way. Screw it, I'll give them away! (Though using the giveaway to generate $20 million or so in business for my original hotel.)

But I'll implement the photo idea, and mastheads, though you'll have seen that I already used about 16 of them from glossies that have written us up.

What I really after, though, is ideas as to where to go to put this under people's noses. One $6,000 ad in a big newsletter brought us $130,000 in sales, but I haven't found any other place to advertise or piggyback that's been even a third as effective. So that's the "more" that you folks can no doubt be helpful with.

With warm appreciation,

Will

[John Newtson]

Ahh, I see. One thing you might want to do is reduce the # of clicks it takes before I get to "the offer in a nutshell' page. That page makes it feel much more credible right away.

As to getting it in front of more people, how about banner ads on travel info sites like:

Frommers
Lonely Planet
Expedia
Visit Europe

And other sites like that? Since you're trying to get people who are traveling to where your hotels are I'm sure if you Google those travel destinations you'll find websites you can advertise on.

Just an idea,
John

[MtnBiker]

Hey Will, I'll trade you copywriting and marketing services for a villa or condo!
Just PM me and we can work out the details.

Have you thought about an add in the Robb Report? International Living? National Geographic Traveller's, and a whole host of other magazines? Maybe even a wine afficianodo magazine?

What about USA today or the Wall Street Journal?

Just visit your local magazine store and look at the rack of travel & upscale magazines you can advertise in.

Also, why not ask if they have any remainder space available? Never hurts to ask.

The big question you should be asking yourself is: "Who has been my customer?" "What are their commonalities?" "what do they read/hang out online?"

Also, maybe your ad needs a big more "punch" to it.
Maybe something like:

"Why Is This Rich Spanish Hotelier Just Giving 10 Of His Prime Condo's and Villa's Away?"

Or

"Spanish Hotelier Swears Under Oath His Free Villa Giveaway IS FREE And Legitimate!"

Okay, sorry about that last one, I've been immersed in Halbert material for the last week up to my eyeballs and it's obviously starting to affect my reality and sanity!

[JMcCrea]

The first thought that came to my mind as an avenue to prospects was travel magazines just as MtnBiker suggested...

But then my mind dove one step deeper. I don't have a lot of experience w/ it but I believe newspaper space can be had for a pretty low cost (direct mailers often use it as a testing ground before rolling out full promos in the mail)...

I think business men and their families would make great prospects. I'd also venture to say than many of the higher echelon business men are also investors AND being businessmen, investors, and frequent travelers - are probably much more open to a good, long-term, win-win (in the sense of a nice hotel plus the chance to win a vacation home) opportunity.

So why not look into print ads in investing newspapers and business publications - something along the lines of "Why not make the next trip one your whole family can enjoy?!"

Well, you get the idea...

Best of luck with it,
John

[Will]

Appreciation to all three of you for your suggestions, all worthy. My comments would be: first, IL is a newletter I've used, and it was truly fabulously successful, an ROI of more than 20 to 1. Spoiled me, in fact, for other letters I've tried out. The Robb people aren't our market, really, since it appeals to wannabes and nouveaus and they don't take small wagers with destiny (even with the promise of getting their money back). Newspapers are something I can't afford just yet, and I rather fear that for credibility I'd have to buy an ad so big that my ROI would be seriously compromised. I have a hunch there's a market to companies looking for incentives, but as with all elements of marketing, I'm really up against my own pig ignorance. I can string words together in a reasonable way, and am learning how to copywrite by paying attention to Clayton, Bob Bly, Gary Bencivenga et. al., but the rest of it is Plato's cave, with only dim shadows to box against. I was rather hoping for a sharp gunslinger marketing guru at loose ends to come along and say, "OK, first you go there and do this, and then you go here and do that and then you cash a large check and give me ten percent of it." But I guess all the marketeers who are that good are doing better working for their own accounts. Which seems a pity since this has got to be one of the best products since sliced bread and somebody ought to do well with it apart from me. Anyway, thanks again for the input.

George -- Will -- whomever