The Holographic Endorsement Language Pattern

The Concept: Since the brain is attracted to and delighted by the novel and we tend to buy when we recognize an important DIFFERENCE among all similar offers, the Holographic Endorsement Pattern is an ideal pattern to cut through the clutter of other's advertising messages and really hit home with a difference.

It's a powerful metaphor that uses the combination of two well-known positives to create an unforgettable endorsement of a business that creates delightful pictures in prospects' minds...and a tickled-pink brain USUALLY buys.

If this sounds like something you can use, proceed this way:

1. Think of how you want your business or product to be represented. What positive attributes do you want to have associated with what you're selling? You want something "solid", so choose a nominalization. For example, honesty, precision, power, wisdom, etc. You need at least two.

2. Now who or what represents these positive attributes? These can be famous people, animals, places, businesses, archetypes, etc. You need someone or something that most people know and recognize.

3. What two people, animals, etc. from step two above, if combined, would best represent your business? You want something that creates a powerful, somewhat unusual image.


HERE'S THE PATTERN:

[SOMEONE/SOMETHING/COMPANY POSITIVELY ASSOCIATED TO YOUR FIELD or POSITIVE METAPHOR] meets/plus [ANOTHER POSITIVE THING, PERSON, or METAPHOR]

AND HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES:

• "Milton Erickson meets Madison Avenue" (NLP Language Patterns for Advertising)
• "La Grenouille meets McDonald's" (McBurgertown)
• "Google meets Sherlock Holmes" (Bing)

This pattern is similar to the common positioning statement: The (EXPENSIVE, VALUABLE, NOTED PRODUCT) of (FIELD YOUR PRODUCT IS IN) ("The Rolls Royce of Ipecac Syrup"). However, the holographic endorsement pattern creates new images in your prospects' minds. This is such a great pattern that has many uses (just don't use them all at once).

You can use this pattern as a headline, an unattributed testimonial, or a self-testimonial. It's also good for blurbs and tag lines.

And this pattern can also be used to put down the competition ("McDonald's meets E.Coli" - Krusty Burger). I wouldn't recommend doing that though.

===============================================

Slaying Your Customers' Dragons

Since a large portion of the population tends to have a moving-away strategy when trying to reach their desired states, it becomes necessary for a portion of your advertising to focus on your prospects' dragons.

These are the negative states that block people from achieving what they want. It's your job, with your products or services, to kill off these dragons and clear the path to where your customers want to go and the states they want to be in.

Here are some of the nastiest dragons:

• FEAR OF LOSS. This could be anything: financial loss, health deterioration, spouse or partner leaving them, dying, etc. People are often more willing to save what they have then to go after what they want.

• NOT BEING ATTRACTIVE ENOUGH. And I mean this on several levels. The first one, thanks to Hollywood, is not being physically attractive. These can also be included: not being attractive enough for a new job, not being attractive enough to fit in with a desirable group of people, not having "nice" possessions, etc.

• BEING REJECTED. This can tie in with not being attractive enough, but it can also mean people being afraid of sending their books to publishers for fear of rejection...or even worse, not even writing a book because of the IDEA of being rejected, approaching someone for help, etc.

• FEAR OF BEING UNCOMFORTABLE. Remember this is the FEAR and the THOUGHT of being uncomfortable. Not even actually experiencing the discomfort, just the thought of it! This freezes more people than you can imagine.

There are plenty of others of course, including the usual suspects: Fear of Failure, Fear of Success, Fear of Poverty, to name just a few.

What fears, pains, and dragons could be stopping your prospects from buying from you? What excuses do they give for NOT buying? And just as important, are your competitors doing a better job than you at being the customers' Knight in Shining Armor?

How can you prove that you can whip these dragons and turn them into fashionable belts, wallets, and boots?

=================================================

Are you still thinking of Elvis knocking on your door?

How do you get your prospects off the comfortable Fence of Indecision and on to Fast Action Street?

One way to give them a mighty shove is by planting a thought they didn't know they had. . . or to pace what they've been thinking all along.

A powerful language pattern that can do both is a presupposition with a Change of Time Adverb. Once they read or hear this language pattern, no matter what they were thinking before, they will think of what you just said.

THE PATTERN:

Are you still thinking of [WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO THINK or ACTION YOU WANT THEM TO TAKE]? [CONSEQUENCE AND/ OR BENEFIT].

SOME EXAMPLES:

• "Are you still thinking of buying NLP Language Patterns for Advertising to increase your sales?"

• "Are you still thinking of taking an NLP Training?" [from NLP Comprehensive]

• "Are you still thinking of flying Continental Airlines to Paris this summer?"

This advertising language pattern is useful for prospects who are undecided about buying because you are pacing their indecision.

You may also want to pace the reasons why they're hesitating. This depends on your market of course, but it could be anything from price (too expensive). . .to the belief that they won't be able to do what you suggest. What are some of the reasons prospects are reluctant to buy in your particular market? Like this...

• "Are you still thinking of buying Finster Prize toys for your children this Christmas? Our toys are produced in limited number in America. We use no imported parts or paint." (This paces objections or hesitations.)

You can also lead into a major benefit after the language pattern:

• "Are you still thinking of buying a HAL 9000? They make the perfect babysitter. The perfect companion on long trips."

Depending on what you are selling or how you feel, you can follow with a consequence:

• "Are you still thinking of buying stock in Skynet? This might be your last chance to buy at these prices before they skyrocket."

It's also a great pattern to use in a follow-up mailing or for any autoresponder emails after the first one or two have been sent.

* As I was writing this post, I realized that this presupposition is the one used in the old joke, "Are you still beating your wife?" No matter how a person responds, it doesn't look good.

===============================================================

How to Get People to Stop Reading Your Ads

In 1795, Napoleon Bonaparte had to give a talk to his army. An invasion of Italy was about to begin, and although the Austrian army would outnumber his men by 2 to 1, his success at Piedmont a month before encouraged him to make greater and faster conquests with what he had.

So on a warm Milano night, when he stepped up to the microphone and gave his speech to his 5,000 strong army of mainly Savoyards...

STOP. Everyone knows that Napoleon gave this talk in 1796. But see what happens when you have a wrong fact or incongruent message? Check your internal experience. What did you say to yourself when you came across such a wrong fact (Ai)? Any unpleasant internal kinesthetics (Ki)?

This is what will happen to you if your ads contain any errors, lies, and over-the-top hyperbole. An internal experience that could have prospective customers saying "Yuck!" and ignoring your ad, your message, and your business.

And yet I see these type of ads all the time. They're especially prevalent in the Biz Ops and Internet marketing ads. (I think written mainly by people with little copywriting experience.)

Take an ad you're thinking of making public, but before you do, hand it to your skeptical friend, John, who has a finely tuned B.S. Detector (and isn't afraid to use it) and let him read it. Does he find any incongruities and inconsistencies?

Don't have any friends who like to tell you the truth? Fine. If you can handle the criticism, go to an online copywriter's forum, sign up and post your ad there for a critique. They will be plenty of people willing to help.

* By the way, don't bother emailing me about the use of microphones in the late 18th century. I know they only used solar power'd megaphones back then; I was just trying to make a point.


=======================================================

Chaining States Diagram

Every ad you create needs to follow a progression to make a sale. Since people buy on emotions, it is your job to enter your prospect's model of the world and their present state to change their emotional state(s).

Before you write your ad, ask yourself what your typical prospect's present state is. Take second position to gain insights. Present states are often negative. And by that I mean, if a person is looking to solve a problem and is in the market to buy a solution, he or she is probably in a negative state of mind: fear, worry, despair, concern, etc.

Next, consider what states you would like your readers/listeners to experience as they go through your ad. What states would you like to have anchored to your business? Some of these states can include, hope, anticipation, excitement. These states tend to be positive. What can you say to bring on these positive states?

Now think about what their Desired State could be. Ask past customers if possible. Some typical states are security, relief from pain, pleasure, peace of mind, cheer, etc. How is your product or service going to help this person reach their desired state? Show and tell them how.

Remember, you are a dealer in states, a First Class State-Change Merchant. People are buying things/services from you to change their states. Help them get to their desired state in the quickest way possible.

===========================================

Using Comparative Deletions is a Better Way to Eliminate and Obliterate Your Competition

Here's an NLP language pattern that uses a comparative that presupposes your USP. It will help you and your company stand out from the hordes of others trying to put your prospects' money in their pockets.

The pattern:

[NAME OF YOUR PRODUCT OR COMPANY]: [INTENSIFIER, e.g., Far/Way/So much] [COMPARATIVE] than (just) [TYPE OF INDUSTRY or NEGATIVE ASSOCIATED WITH YOUR INDUSTRY].

Here are a few examples:

• NLP: Far Better Than Psychotherapy
• Wendy's: Way Better Than Fast Food
• TRY-N-SAVE: So much more than a department store
  
• NLP Language Patterns for Advertising: Way More Effective Than Ordinary Copywriting
  

Do you see how this works? By making a comparison with the typical and ordinary, you not only subtly put down the competition, you have your product or brand stand out more.

[Photo by Rudresh Calls]

===========================================================

NLP Language Patterns for Ads Workbook

Here's a little piece of software that's like an electronic workbook. This workbook is a digital product/software for Windows where you learn about the patterns, then you create patterns for your products or services, press a button, and your personalized language patterns are copied to your clipboard - ready for use in your website, eBay descriptions, classified ads - where ever you need a little extra persuasion! Check it out here:

NLP Language Patterns for Ads Workbook
$9.97
by loularsen

====================================================