Ever wonder how James Bond got his job?
Sometimes a remarkable opportunity arrives with no story.
But for the most part in life, all great things start with a story.
Case in point: Mi6. Yes, you read it right—Britain’s famed Mi6 (aka Secret Intelligence Service).
Just recently, it did something very unique: it placed a want ad in the newspaper.
(Click here or on the image to enlarge it.)
Suggestion #1:
Be like Mi6—Know your target audience.
Communicate with those who volunteer their attention.
As Kris Kristofferson sang in his To Beat the Devil:
“If you waste your time a-talkin’ to the people who don’t listen,
“To the things that you are sayin’, who do you think’s gonna hear?”
Suggestion #2:
Have a niche. Taste Younique.
Why? Without a niche, you spend all your time pursuing clients, while there’s little or nothing that brings them to you.
Suggestion #3:
Did you notice how the above Mi6 ad was copy ‘heavy’?
Why was copywriting one of the most essential ingredients of this marketing project?
The answer is simple: The dominant activity in today’s digitally powered world is reading. (Offline, online… what line?)
One of my passions is copywriting.
Copywriting sits at the intersection where business meets real people.
Copywriting is not a flashy tactic.
Copywriting is about articulating and sharing a purpose compellingly.
Copywriting is a commitment—a commitment to engage with people in a manner that they will value, and yes, perhaps even enjoy.
Copywriting isn’t about writing.
Copywriting is about selling.
Effective copywriting shifts your messages away from what you want to say toward what people want to hear, and it can be a magical thing. It can take your organization from ordinary to legendary.
But you don’t have to take my word for it. Just ask Mi6.