Anatomy of a Self-Improvement Hit: 4 Genius Marketing Principles from “The Secret”

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Being readers of self-development material, I am sure that most of you have heard about the popular book, “The Secret”. Many of you have probably read it or watched the DVD. Love it or hate it, just about everybody has an opinion on this self-development phenomenon that has topped the bestseller lists for over a year now.

Regardless of what anybody thinks, one thing is certain; Rhonda Byrne, creator of “The Secret”, is an absolute marketing genius.

She managed to take a subject that she knew little about, a subject that thousands of books have been written on, only a few with great success, and recreate it as if it was a brand new concept. She then proceeded to turn it into a pop-culture phenomenon. Even Rhonda herself admits that she only found out about the law of attraction a short while before she decided to write a book and do a movie about it!

Certainly, we can all learn a few things about marketing and self-promotion from the success of “The Secret”. Whether we want to learn how to market our blogs better, market our businesses better, or market ourselves more effectively, utilizing just a few core principles will help us immensely.

Here, I outline the four main principles of marketing that Rhonda Byrne used to create a self-development mega hit, and how you can use these principles to your advantage as well.

1) The Name

It is no “secret” (pun intended) that a name is a very important part of any product, or anything, for that matter. A good name or a bad name can often be make or break for many reasons, just a few of them being that:

• A great name can make a product successful regardless of quality, and you may have noticed that often the success of a product, TV show, movie, restaurant, etc. is directly proportional to how well it has been named.

• Names produce a powerful association, either positive or negative, in the minds of prospective customers, present customers, and the general public. In individuals, it may not seem that a name is too important in the reception and perception of a product, but if you were able to compile data for millions of people, you would be able to see vast differences in sales figures for different products, directly related to the degree that a name has connected with the public.

• A name can compel a potential customer to action simply through the idea, feeling, or intrigue that it evokes. Really great names, although rare, can actually make a person buy with very little excess knowledge about the product or persuasion on the marketers part. “The Secret” falls into this elite category.

• Names, obviously, have great impact on how easily a product is remembered by people who may have only heard of it once or twice. This can be very important in the staying power of a product, and also greatly influences the degree of free “word of mouth” marketing a product receives.

• Names can play off of previously conceived associations or connections, which are already well established in peoples’ minds. This, in turn, can lend you great credibility and saves you a great deal of work in establishing yourself. I believe people such as Perez Hilton owe a great deal of their success to this principle. Some things just wouldn’t be the same without the name.

• A good name can lend uniqueness to a product, and distinguishes it from its field of competitors.

In my opinion, “The Secret” would not have gained a fraction of it’s success without that name, and I greatly commend Rhonda Byrne for choosing literally the only name that would have garnered her project such great attention. The name caught on like wildfire in the press, and garnered even greater word of mouth attention. “Have you heard about ‘The Secret?’” “What secret? Was I supposed to know about a secret?” “You know, ‘The Secret’!!!” “No, I don’t know. You’ve got to tell me about this secret!!!” I can just imagine that that exact conversation occurred thousands, if not millions of times, and no doubt goes on to this day.

The name “The Secret” was undoubtedly the only name that could have worked so well for the book, and I actually think that it is the greatest name thought up for a product of its kind in recent years. In keeping with what I said earlier, it’s greatness as a name was met with a very similar degree of commercial success, which proves that the principle that often a products’ success is directly proportional to how well it has been named rings true.

Even Earl Nightingale, the great self improvement guru who was one of the earliest writers to advocate the law of attraction, almost got it right when he named his 1956 book “The Strangest Secret.” But Earl missed one of the key components to a successful name. Here, I outline all of the aspects of the success of the name “The Secret” and tell how you may hope to duplicate its success.

Simplicity

This is a crucial part of any successful name. In general, the better a name can get its point across in the fewest words possible, the more successful it will be. Simplicity is probably the most important aspect of the name “The Secret.” Who doesn’t want to know the secret? It is the secret!!! Imagine the appeal in that!!! The pure simplicity of naming it The Secret: and implying that it is unique, individual, and absolute, is the most compelling factor in the name.

Simplicity is the one factor that Earl Nightingale missed out on when naming his classic work. “The Strangest Secret” is just not simple enough; it evokes the idea that there are other secrets out there, but his is the strangest one. Close, so close, Earl!!! Remember, the name that gets its point across in the fewest words possible wins, and “The Secret” is a name with only one word; it wins. Simplicity will help your name in innumerable ways; word of mouth, uniqueness, retainability, branding, and the list goes on and on. When creating a name, simplicity wins every time.

Intrigue

As I wrote about briefly before, “The Secret” falls into the elite category of names that can compel a potential customer to buy with very little excess persuasion. These names are few and far between, but as a rule, these names generally tend to:

• Be simple (Yes, I’m repeating myself)
• Make a potential customer want to be a part of something larger (i.e. the “Secret”)
• Create a sense of mystery and intrigue around the product

Use these principles when naming and you can trust that it will increase your impact on potential customers.

Ambition

The name “The Secret” is an incredibly ambitious name. As previously stated, it is simple, implies that it is the secret, the only secret that matters, the secret you should know; it is powerful, provocative, and compelling; has a sense of mystery around it, and creates a sense of wanting to “belong,” namely to the circle of people who are insiders of the “secret.” When creating a name, you, too, should be ambitious and unafraid to call your product something powerful, something impressive. Do not let modesty or the fear that your product will not live up to its name hold you back. I, myself, admit that if I was to create a law of attraction book, I would not want to call it, “The Secret”, simply out of fear that people would call me out, saying, “This is not ‘The Secret’, how, with all the other law of attraction books out there, how dare you call yours ‘TheSecret?’” Rhonda Byrne has been unafraid of that criticism from the start, and she has been greatly rewarded for it. I also would have been afraid that the content would not have lived up to the name, which is a charge I would make against Rhonda, but the point is that it doesn’t matter. The name is the name, and you must be ambitious, be unafraid, be daring, have audacity, and name it whatever you think the best possible name for the product would be, irregardless of any fears or reservations you may have.That what Rhonda Byrne did, and she has been handsomely rewarded for her fearlessness.

So there you have it; those are the best tips that “The Secret” has taught us about naming our products. Naming is a very arbitrary task, it is very subject to individual tastes and ideas, but, in general, if you follow those guidelines, your names will come out all the better for it.

Now that the first and greatest part of “The Secret’s” marketing genius has been covered, it is time to move on to the next thing that Rhonda Byrne did right:

2) She Kept It Simple

“The Secret” is the law of attraction for the everyman. I believe that a huge factor in it’s success is that Rhonda Byrne purposely kept it simple and easily digestible for the average person. This is extremely important when writing on a topic such as the law of attraction, which many people will reject simply because of a lack of background knowledge on the subject. She tells you only enough for you to understand it, does not get technical, and focuses mainly on the simpler aspects of it, with a huge emphasis on how easy it is (according to her).

This is a concept that many other writers on the subject of the law of attraction have overlooked, (perhaps in an attempt to provide quality?). Unfortunately for them, their noble efforts to really describe the ins and outs of the law of attraction have been a detriment to their success.

It is painfully apparent throughout our culture that the overwhelming majority of our population prefer very simple, in your face, instant gratification forms of entertainment and information. The most popular songs are catchy, poppy, chorus-heavy tunes about only a handful of shallow topics such as money, sex, arrogance, etc. The most popular movies and TV shows are heavy on violence, sex, and raunchy humor, and low on plot, imagination, and humor that forces you to think before you laugh. And the most popular print information in books, magazines, and the Internet is easily digestible and fairly direct and simple. “The Secret” falls into this category, although it is about a nobler topic, and therefore earns itself a place among popular culture phenomenons. Other law of attraction books have never been able to crack into the uber-popular category that appeals to the majority of our population, mainly for 3 reasons:

• The law of attraction requires you to believe before you see, going completely against the grain of the average persons’ train of thought
• The books have either been too vague or too technical, abandoning the premise of simple, direct, easily digestible information
• They do not appeal enough to peoples basic desires to get whatever you want quickly and easily

“The Secret” bypasses these problems by telling the story in a compelling way, giving you the information in a simple, easy format, piece by piece, not getting too technical or trying to explain exactly how the law of attraction works for too long at once, and by greatly appealing to the general public’s most basic desire for the quick, easy, cure-all fix.This last part is extremely important for the success of any information mega-hit. A really good marketer like Rhonda Byrne knows that the general public does not want to be told the truth. In actuality, they would rather be told what they want to hear, what they would like to believe. Rhonda gives this to them in grand fashion, and what better topic to appeal to the desire of a quick, easy fix than with the law of attraction? At its most basic level, it is the key to everything!!! All success, all failure, all triumph, all tragedy. So what better subject than to tell people they can have whatever they want quickly and easily!?! She achieves this superbly in two ways:

1) Constant emphasis on ease and speed-

She continually reminds you throughout “The Secret” that changing your circumstances is easy, simple, can be done by anybody, and can happen very quickly. Never does she allow you to think that this may not be for you. Everybody, without exception, loves the quick, easy fix. The only difference is between the people who believe that the quick fix actually exists, and those who do not. The law of attraction can be a quick fix, but not in the way that one is traditionally described. Rhonda makes the quick fix tangible to her readers.

2) Using extremes-

Rhonda expertly uses extremes (which are misleading, but people love them anyway) to vividly illustrate the powerful positive effect that the law of attraction can have on your life.

In the DVD version of the book, she shows a man in a small apartment visualizing wealth.

Seconds later, with no time lapse, the same man is shown enjoying the luxury of a new mansion. Similarly, single people envision their mates, and instantly, they are pictured enjoying passion and love. This is somewhat misleading, but if you have the audacity to do it like Ms. Byrne did, you are tapping into the very important emotional responses that promises of instant wealth and love can evoke. This is key for creating a marketing smash-hit.

So, what is the second lesson that Rhonda Byrne has taught us about marketing? Three main points were illustrated in this section:

1. Keep it simple and easily digestible for the everyman, and avoid too much technical analysis, which will scare away many potential customers

2. Constantly remind people how easy, simple, fast, etc. your system is

3. Appeal to peoples’ basic desires for a quick, easy solution to their problems, and appeal to their most basic desires for wealth, love, acceptance, etc.

Follow these three main points, backed up by a great name, and you have the beginnings of a massive hit.

Once Rhonda Byrne and the other creators of “The Secret” had their great name, writing style, and content all completed, they went to work on the third most important part of their marketing strategy:

3) They Created an Atmosphere

If you have ever read the book, watched the DVD, or listened to the audio program for “The Secret”, you know all about the atmosphere that Ms. Byrne created around her project. The book is very small, much smaller than the average book. This is done intentionally to make the reader feel as if they are holding something very special, and it is very effective at creating this effect.

The cover art for the book is meant to evoke the feeling of an ancient, sacred manuscript. The title is written in cursive, over an image of a wax seal, the type only used on parchment hundreds of years ago. The background of the cover is covered in writing that looks as if it is part of an ancient manuscript. On the DVD, you see images of men from the 16th century writing at a table by candlelight, as if the lessons you are learning are coming straight from the past. The music accompanying the DVD and audio program is very mystical, some parts even sound tribal. This is all very cheesy, of course, and even most fans of “The Secret” will admit that it is a bit much; but this is irrelevant. The fact is, that all of the theatrics and elaborate design that permeate the book, DVD, audiotape, and even the website are extremely effective in creating an atmosphere around the product. The atmosphere is one of mysticism, of mystery, and serves to make the reader feel very much like they really are reading an ancient secret, passed down through history. This is very important, because the atmosphere that they create is perfectly congruent with the message that they are trying to convey; in effect, it sells the entire package to the consumer through sensory perception. This is an integral part of making a product the complete package for your customers. It really sucks people in to the entire experience of what you are delivering to them.

The aspect of adding atmosphere will also significantly build your word of mouth buzz, and create a totally unique premise for your product. I do not believe that “The Secret” would have been as successful without it; it was something that had never been done before, something special; a little tacky, but oh-so effective.

I have just described three of the integral parts of “The Secret’s” marketing strategy: a great name, the premise and method of delivery, and the atmosphere created around the product. Now, I will go into the fourth and final marketing aspect that brought together the first three concepts; the part of the marketing strategy that ensured the effectiveness of the first three parts. Without this final part of the marketing scheme, the name, premise, and atmosphere would not have been considered valid and “The Secret” would not have had a solid foundation to stand on. This very important final part of the marketing plan was:

4) Authority and Credibility

These are the parts of “The Secret” that were absolutely necessary to bring the entire package together. Rhonda Byrne knew that if she were to write the entire project herself, and tout herself as a law of attraction expert, she would be very transparent. She has no history with the subject, she was not very experienced, and her name was not established in the field. It would not take much research for people to figure out that she was no expert, and therefore the validity of her ideas would be challenged, and people would not respect her teachings. Also, without any recognizable names attached to it, a book about attracting whatever you want to yourself through your thoughts (what a crazy concept, right?) would not fly, and would be quickly dismissed by the public as just another esoteric book. Even a name as great as “The Secret” would not have much pull without credibility backing it.

Being a savvy marketer, Rhonda and her team recognized this early on, and decided that the best way to go about writing a book as ambitious as “The Secret” would be to gather up as many experts on the subject as they could find and convince them to collaborate on the project. Fortunately for them, they were able to find many practitioners of the law of attraction who were willing to cooperate with them, and they benefited greatly from the knowledge, expertise, and content from these self-help gurus, let alone the tons of credibility and authority that they brought to the project. The credibility that these experts offered was the glue that held “The Secret” together; it made the book and DVD believable, it gave the audience respect for the message that was being conveyed, and provided a degree of recognizability to the entire project.It’s like seeing a movie with no-name actors; even if the movie is great, chances are it will not gain popularity and people will enjoy it less than if it had bigger actors. Nobody knew who Rhonda Byrne was, but people know who Jack Canfield and Esther Hicks were. Rhonda had never sold a book in her life, but the gurus she brought in had sold millions of them. Next to the name, bringing in many experts was the most intelligent thing that Rhonda Byrne could have done when creating “The Secret.”

If you are trying to market anything, especially an information product, you must have credibility and authority in the field. You can gain these characteristics by either building them yourself, or you can borrow them by aligning yourself with others who possess credibility and authority. Whichever way you decide to go, make sure that you have them, because they can literally be the deciding factor in the success of you product.

Marketing Yourself

So there you have it. Those are the four main components of “The Secret’s” marketing strategy. I hope that you can see by now the role that each of these aspects of marketing played in making “The Secret” a self improvement hit. It is very important that you understand that if just one of these factors that I just described had been missing, Rhonda Byrne’s opus would have been just another self-help book on the shelf, instead of the overwhelming phenomenon that it has become today.

These four pieces of the marketing puzzle: name, delivery, atmosphere, and credibility, are the absolute formula for creating any educational or self-help hit, but are completely relevant when marketing anything, from a restaurant to a clothing line, a TV show to a basketball team. Learning how to effectively execute these marketing concepts can be instrumental in your business success, as well as your personal life.

The way you market yourself, the way you deliver yourself, the credibility you possess, and the atmosphere you create around yourself, all play a huge role in how you are received by others during the course of your life. This is why marketing is so interesting to me from a personal development standpoint; once we all realize that we are marketing ourselves to others on a daily basis, our relationships, professional lives, social prowess, and overall happiness can be increased dramatically. I cannot emphasize this enough. My hope is that this article will help you to better understand what components make up a successful book, as well as what components can make you a more successful marketer of yourself to the world around you, and help you to achieve your own version of success.

Tags: Marketing, Self-Marketing, the secret