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[LWN] 🍸 I Worked With a Real Life Spy

[LWN] 🍸 I Worked With a Real Life Spy

Lunch With Norm's Weekly Newsletter - Amazon News & Updates

August 19, 2024 • Estimated Read Time: 16 minutes

🔍 The Spy Under My Nose…

What you’ll find in this week’s newsletter:

🔍 The Spy Under My Nose [True Story]
🛑 FTC Cracks Down on Fake Reviews
🚀 Boost ROI With High Converting Ads
🗞️ Latest Amazon News and Updates
🔥 Quality Social Media Templates in Seconds [Demo]
🌍 Upcoming Amazon Events

Thank you to everyone who has supported the newsletter. I’ve tried to make this community a place with no gate-keeping, just 100% free high-quality content. If you’ve enjoyed reading my stories, or have learned something new from a tip, please consider sharing this newsletter with at least 1 friend, colleague, or someone you think who would enjoy this newsletter. I’d greatly appreciate it.

You can click the button below to share your referral link, or forward this email to a friend.

Thank you Beard Nation.

Norm

🔍 The Spy Under My Nose [My True Story]

Back in my early twenties, I had a grandfather clock business.

One day, the RCMP (the Canadian FBI) had randomly called the office to tell us they were on their way to talk to one of our wood carvers named Willie.

Willie is the guy that carves the intricate headpieces on the grandfather clocks.

Picture for reference

He always created beautiful designs.

Willy caught wind of the police and ran out of the building.

Unfortunately for Willie, they eventually tracked him down and caught him.

We found out from the officers that he was “wanted” for counterfeit and soon ended up in jail.

What’s crazier is his back story…

This is a crazy story because back in the day, he was working with Canada’s 007 - Intrepid.

If you’d like to read more about it, I recommend this book.

Basically, Willie was involved with bringing down the German economy during the war by creating crazy high hyperinflation.

Imagine carrying a wheelbarrow full of money to buy a loaf of bread.

It was that kind of inflation.

Willie designed the money that was flowing into the German economy to bankrupt the country.

I guess this skill translated nicely into the intricate designs of wood working.

Anyway, after he stopped working with Intrepid, he became a woodcarver.

We had no idea about his past and somehow he ended up working with us.

Around six months later after his arrest, he showed up again and went right back to work like normal.

Funny enough, one day he mysteriously disappeared….again.

We later found out he was arrested again for counterfeiting social security checks.

He loved seeing if he could beat the system.

He could never get it out of his blood.

It happened one last time.

When the cops showed up, he was gone.

We heard through the grapevine that they were never able to find him.

We never saw Willie again.

We heard he passed away several years later.

The only reason we knew was because the local newspaper ran a front page story about the history of our wood carver, Willie Fisher.

The article went into detail about what he did for the country and his efforts during the war.

He was a renowned war hero.

But he could never break his bad habits.

Bad habits can affect even the most skilled people.

It can hold you back in life and in business.

Side note: Most people don’t know about Camp X - which was a top secret, World War II spy training school, in Canada.

That’s right, Canada was the birthplace of the CIA.

If you’d like to watch a cool tv series check out Camp X.

Enjoy the rest of the newsletter.

— Norm

TWO QUICK TIPS TO BOOST ROI ON HIGH CONVERTING ADS

To boost your ROI with high-converting ads, mastering Amazon PPC is essential. Here are two proven tactics to help you dominate the Amazon marketplace:

TIP #1 - Start at the Bottom and Work Your Way Up with Keywords ✅

Begin with Long-Tail Keywords: These specific phrases have lower competition and higher purchase intent, making it easier to land initial sales.
- Example: For a non-slip yoga mat, start with specific queries like ‘extra thick non-slip exercise & fitness mat for all types of yoga’.
Gradually Target More Generic Keywords: As your brand gains visibility and credibility, target more generic terms such as ‘non-slip yoga mat’.
Aim for Highly Popular Keywords: Finally, go after highly popular keywords like ‘non-slip yoga mat’ to maximize visibility.
Ensure Relevance: All targeted keywords should be relevant to your product to avoid wasted ad spend.

TIP #2 - Optimize Your Ranking with a Three-Tiered Campaign Strategy ✅

Beyond Page 5: Focus on top-performing keywords with modest bids for listings ranked beyond page five.
Pages 2 to 5: Consistently bid on top-performing keywords and optimize campaigns for keywords ranked on these pages.
Pages 1 and 2: Be aggressive with bidding for keywords ranked on these pages to secure prime positions. Create secondary campaigns targeting keyword variations.
Use Negative Keywords: Avoid paying for non-converting ads by incorporating negative keywords.

Here’s a BONUS Tip…

Target Alternative or Indirect Keywords

Enhance your product’s exposure by targeting alternative keywords that highlight the solutions your product provides.
- Example: For green coffee, target terms like ‘natural weight loss remedy’ and ‘healthy caffeine alternatives’.
Research competitor listings to identify beneficial features and incorporate them into your ads and product descriptions.

So What Do You Need To Do?

Start with long-tail keywords and work your way through general keywords.
Target alternative keywords to maximize your product’s visibility and sales.
Begin now and watch your sales grow!

For more tips and tricks to dominate the Amazon marketplace, subscribe to the intelliRANK Newsletter today: https://newsletter.intelliRANK.info

Or you can subscribe here 👇

	intelliRANK NewsletterBoost your Amazon FBA journey - from Branding to Amazon Posts and beyond!

🗞️ AMAZON NEWS & UPDATES 🗞️

What’s happening in the world of Amazon today…

🚨 The Federal Trade Commission Announces Final Rule Banning Fake Reviews and Testimonials

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has finalized a rule to address fake reviews and deceptive testimonials, strengthening its ability to enforce consumer protection.

Total fines could be as high as $51,744 per violation.

Key Prohibitions:
- Fake Reviews and Testimonials: The rule bans reviews that are fake, AI-generated, or given by individuals without real experience with the product or service. Businesses are prohibited from creating, buying, or disseminating such reviews.
- Paid Reviews: The rule prohibits businesses from offering compensation or incentives for reviews that express a specific sentiment, whether positive or negative.
- Insider Reviews: Reviews from company insiders, like officers or managers, must clearly disclose their connection to the business. The rule bans undisclosed insider reviews and those solicited from relatives or employees.

The rule also targets companies that misrepresent their review sites as independent or that suppress negative reviews using threats or intimidation. Additionally, it prohibits the sale or purchase of fake social media indicators, like bot-generated followers or views.

This new rule, which becomes effective 60 days after publication in the Federal Register, aims to protect consumers from deceptive practices and promote fair competition in the marketplace.

Here’s a graph of of consumers who are confident they've seen fake reviews on Amazon in the U.S. from 2022 to 2024

Read the full article → here

Other news and updates this week:

📈 Streamline returns with Returnless Resolutions - Read More

🛑 Amazon VAT services stopping Tax Agency?? - Read More

🧐 Psychologists explain what the number of unread emails in your inbox reveals about your personality - Read More

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS THE BEARD GUY?

Can you find Norm in the picture below? Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter to see the answer!

WHAT YOU MISSED LAST WEEK

👇 Highlights from last week’s Lunch With Norm podcast episode👇

High Quality Social Media Posts in Seconds! | Michael Campbell | Ep. 613

Watch the full episode here

This week I talked about a very cool tool that I’ve been very excited to show off to the Beard Nation. You can check out the walkthrough on how we created a high-quality newsletter in 30 seconds.

The tool is called Pencila and you can use NORM50 for 50% off for a year!

How Does it Work? [DEMO]

Step 1: In the dashboard, upload your product images/URL to Pencila. We used Apple as our example.

Step 2: Choose a template you like (Instagram, Pinterest, Newsletters…). We went with the newsletter watch design template on the bottom left.

Step 3: Pick “Add Product” and add the product you’d want to format for your post.

Step 4: Select "Design with AI”.

Step 5: In seconds, your new post will generate.

And voila! You’ve got yourself a brand new newsletter, with images, copy, and color pallets all matching your brand guide.

You can do this for newsletters, Instagram, Pinterest, Print-on-demand… You name it.

If you’d like to check it out the tool is Pencila. Don’t forget to use NORM50 for 50% off for a year!

DON’T MISS THIS WEEK’S EPISODE!

You can watch all episodes on YouTube or on my Facebook page at 12 pm ET on Wednesday!

Guests and topics are subject to change*

Wednesday - Catching the AI Wave - How to Create Your Own GPTs!

What you’ll learn:

Learn how you can catch the AI wave with Colin Campbell!

In this episode, find out:

How to set up your own custom GPTs
Making them public on the GPT store
And how to brand/monetize them with a LIVE demonstration

Join us us 12 pm ET on Wednesday! 😎

Watch LIVE 👉 Sign up here

MEMORY LANE

Memories of Hawaii - Connie and I at Waipi'o Valley. Just another day in paradise.

DID YOU MISS THIS WEEK’S MARKETING MISFITS?

Why Community Building?

A lot of brands don't think about building a community.

They think of it more for people like us or service providers or but they don't think brand. Say for example you're making dog beds…

You have a perfect opportunity to create a newsletter or a WhatsApp group targeting dog owners. You could target specific dog breeds and niche down as much as needed.

Nobody else is doing it.

Build your brand from there.

People get to know you because of the value that you're adding to the community.

And I think that's the key word, value.

Remember - your group is not meant to be promotional.

It's all about value.

Watch the full episode here