1. To make more money – even though it can’t buy happiness

2. To become more comfortable – even a bit more

3. To attract praise – because almost everybody loves it

4. To increase enjoyment – of life, of business, of virtually anything

5. To possess things of beauty – because they nourish the soul

6. To avoid criticism – which nobody wants

7. To make their work easier – a constant need to many people

8. To speed up their work – because people know that time is precious

9. To keep up with the Joneses – there are Joneses in everybody’s lives

10. To feel opulent – a rare, but valid reason to make a purchase

11. To look younger – due to the reverence placed upon youthfulness

12. To become more efficient – because efficiency saves time

13. To buy friendship – I didn’t know it’s for sale, but it often is

14. To avoid effort – because nobody loves to work too hard

15. To escape or avoid pain – which is an easy path to making a sale

16. To protect their possessions – because they worked hard to get them

17. To be in style – because few people enjoy being out of style

18. To avoid trouble – because trouble is never a joy

19. To access opportunities – because they open the doors to good things

20. To express love – one of the noblest reasons to make any purchase

21. To be entertained – because entertainment is usually fun

22. To be organized – because order makes lives simpler

23. To feel safe – because security is a basic human need

24. To conserve energy – their own or their planet’s sources of energy

25. To be accepted – because that means security as well as love

26. To save time – because they know time is more valuable than money

27. To become more fit and healthy – seems to me that’s an easy sale

28. To attract the opposite sex – never undermine the power of love

29. To protect their family – tapping into another basic human need

30. To emulate others – because the world is teeming with role models

31. To protect their reputation – because they worked hard to build it

32. To feel superior – which is why status symbols are sought after

33. To be trendy – because they know their friends will notice

34. To be excited – because people need excitement in a humdrum life

35. To communicate better – because they want to be understood

36. To preserve the environment – giving rise to cause-related marketing

37. To satisfy an impulse – a basic reason behind a multitude of purchases

38. To save money – the most important reason to 14% of the population

39. To be cleaner – because unclean often goes with unhealthy or unloved

40. To be popular – because inclusion beats exclusion every time

41. To gratify curiosity – it killed the cat but motivates the sale

42. To satisfy their appetite – because hunger is not a good thing

43. To be individual – because all of us are, and some of us need assurance

44. To escape stress – need I explain?

45. To gain convenience – because simplicity makes life easier

46. To be informed – because it’s no joy to be perceived as ignorant

47. To give to others – another way you can nourish your soul

48. To feel younger – because that equates with vitality and energy

49. To pursue a hobby – because all work and no play, etc.

50. To leave a legacy – because that’s a way to live forever

Source: Geoff Ayling “Rapid Response Advertising”

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Geoff Ayling nails it with this list from his book.  Great stuff!

Regards,

Kevin

www.kevincohen.com

7 Scientifically Proven Ways To Get “Shared” On Facebook

These days, sharing isn’t just caring–it’s ensuring virality, especially on Facebook [1]. And Dan Zarrella [2], the Hubspot [3] viral-marketing scientist who gave us nine proven ways to get retweeted on Twitter [4], knows exactly how to encourage it.

For several weeks, he compiled roughly 12,000 articles posted to Facebook, most from big-name sites such as Mashable [5] and CNN [6]. Then, he found the average number of times each was “shared”–meaning it was commented on, liked, or directed to a friend–and analyzed the make-ups of the winners and losers.

Although Zarrella freely admits that that correlation does not necessarily imply causation, he’s also adamant that, in this case, “it’s certainly a hint.” And after poring over his findings, which he sent to FastCompany.com [7] exclusively, I’d definitely agree. Below, a look at Zarrella’s seven most effective ways to get shared on Facebook:

1. Talk about sex.

Hello, one-track mind! Articles about sex were almost three times more likely to go viral than articles dealing with other subjects, such as self-reference and work. “Leisurely” stories, however, seems to turn people off. “It’s a catch-all category that includes sleep and [completed] sports games,” Zarrella explains. “People would rather focus their energy on something active and constructive.”

2. Solve a news mystery.

Aside from (duh) “Facebook,” the most Facebook-friendly word is “why”–followed closely by “how”–which suggests that people are more likely to share content that legitimately explains something. Also of note: It helps to include superlatives such as “most” and “best,” which Zarrella says usually modify lists.

3. Don’t harp on Twitter. Or Google. Or iPhones.

Although the “vs” bit strikes both myself and Zarrella as odd–don’t people love controversy?–there are some gems in this chart. Whereas Google, iPhone, and Twitter are retweet-magnets on Twitter, they’re largely ignored on Mark Zuckerberg’s brainchild. “Those are things that social media dorks talk about,” Zarrella explains. “Facebook serves a more mainstream audience.”

4. Keep it short and sweet.

Score one for Strunk and White [8]: Articles with lots of adjectives and adverbs were shared far less than those with active, descriptive sentences. “In other words,” says Zarrella, “don’t go overboard with flowery language.”

5. Drop some digits.

“People like data and specifics,” says Zarrella. Case in point: Articles with digits in their titles–lists and otherwise–tended to be shared more than those without.

6. Add visual aids.
No surprise here: Multimedia components encourage sharing. And Facebook, which lets users embed songs and videos, is far better for sharing them than Twitter, whose platform is text-only.

7. Post on weekends.
Given that more than half of U.S. employers block Facebook at work [9], it makes sense that the social network is hopping on weekends. But also, because there’s generally less going on, “each individual story gets more attention,” Zarrella explains.

For more social media news–and even more irreverent musings on life–click here [10] to follow Dan Macsai, the author of this post, on Twitter.

Delegating tasks and learning to let go could be the key to business growth.
By Ray Silverstein   |   March 26, 2010

URL: http://www.entrepreneur.com/management/leadership/leadershipcolumnistraysilverstein/article205742.html

There is a bridge every entrepreneur must cross in order to grow a business beyond a certain point, a point where they must transition from “doing” to “leading.” It means stepping back from day-to-day operations and slipping into the role of overseer.

It also means learning to delegate more significant responsibilities to your employees. But for many entrepreneurs who view their business as their baby, this is more easily said than done.

Let’s go back in time to when you first formed your company, when you were involved in every aspect of running the business. As your firm grew, you needed help to get things done, so you began hiring.

You started by delegating specific tasks and duties to your new employees. Hopefully, as they proved themselves to you, you started giving them larger projects and eventually turning over actual responsibilities.

Learning to delegate is an ongoing journey. Half the battle is hiring people who you feel comfortable delegating to. The other half is creating infallible work processes.

Some of this simply comes down to good communication. In many small businesses, employees wear many hats. As a result, they are not always sure what their top priority should be. It’s your responsibility as the boss to tell them:

• What their tasks and responsibilities are, and which of them take priority over others.
• What doing a good job looks like. Don’t expect workers to instinctively know; it’s up to you to define and describe it. Provide good direction; be specific and give examples.
• The limits of their authority, which might include budgets, time frames, and resources at their disposal.
• Reporting criteria. How often do you want to get an update? What should it include? Do you want it in writing, or is a verbal report acceptable?
• Where workers stand in terms of their job performance. You can’t expect people to make improvements if you don’t provide feedback.

Even if you haven’t created formal job descriptions and performance reviews–which many small businesses don’t–you can still communicate this information to employees.

But what if you don’t have the right people in place and aren’t comfortable delegating certain tasks?

You can provide training designed to get employees’ skills up to par or shuffle employee positions around. Some employees don’t want the responsibility of thinking; they want to work on autopilot. Perhaps there’s a place for worker bees in your organization?

If there isn’t, and nothing is working, you may have to take that difficult step of replacing them with people who will accept responsibility eagerly. That’s leadership at its toughest.

Once you put the right people, programs, and processes into place, your business should practically run itself. It is at that point that you can safely disengage long enough to provide the vision essential to your company’s long-term growth.

That being said, delegation is never abdication. Rather, it’s learning to work on the business instead of in the business. Good leaders know when to get out of their own way.

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Amen to the article…only took me 10+ years to figure this one out!

Cheers!

-Kevin

www.kevincohen.com