I’d never call myself a chef.

My culinary repertoire consists of hot dogs, scrambled eggs & peanut butter and jelly (but it’s a dang good PB&J). However, over the years of experiencing my wife’s excellent cooking I’ve grown quite fond of learning more about it & I am attempting to branch out my menu a bit.

Which is why I was looking forward to the Cleveland Food Show that was held last weekend in C-Town.

While I had some reservations about the cost ($25 bucks a ticket PLUS parking isn’t cheap) looking back on it, it was well worth it. The food demonstrations were fun, I enjoyed seeing a live cooking demonstration featuring Cleveland’s Own Iron Chef Michael Symon - they even had a wine tasting area that was exceptional.

As a marketer though I was particularly interested in the individual booths for the small & medium-sized businesses that were there.

Most gave out a couple of samples of their wares with no reservation. Everything from coffee to ice cream to Polish sausage & meatballs was being handed out in small, bite-sized portions.

The traffic at these booths would pick up & slow down like a wave. As fresh food was available, a line would form. Once the food was gone the line would shrink until it was replenished.

While everything was good, it was what you would expect at a food show.

But as we walked around, my wife & I noticed one booth that had a line around the corner. So we went in for a closer look.

What we found was a marketing machine.

At first glance it was a typical stand filled with assorted smoked meats & cheeses of all kinds from beef jerky to smoked cheddar. But as we continued to move back we saw the variety of food went beyond the normal stand. Everything from stromboli & peanut butter to hummus and grape leaves were all free & available for customers to try.

It made the competition’s cheese cubes on toothpicks seem like an insult.

We tried everything & it was all exceptional. We enjoyed it so much, we ended up buying quite a bit of food & this small deli stand gained two new customers. I know we weren’t the only ones as the line to the cashier was a long one.

Here’s the lesson: If you give a taste of everything you have, you get more attention because you have something that pleases a variety of personal tastes. This leads to more customers which leads to bigger sales.

I can't for the life of me remember wanting basketball season to start more than this year. It's probably because the Browns are God-awful & baseball is...well...baseball.

So with the start of the NBA season (and your's truly being from the champion-starved Cleveland area), I figured - hey let's talk a bit about basketball and one of it's most well-known & respected players LeBron James.

The 2008-2009 NBA MVP is known as King James & with all this talk about how 'content is king' I thought that he can teach some valuable lessons about content & marketing a business. Have your doubts? Then read on:

1.) Be a Student of the Game

As evidenced in this video, LeBron James's greatest strength may be the way he approaches the game. He sees it very differently than just getting one basket. He's focused on the whole game - all four quarters.

That doesn't happen overnight. Over the course of time he has developed a mindset. That mindset comes from studying the game. From watching film, to studying opponents & what they are doing, to how he can adjust his game to combat a defense, James is always thinking of a new way to attack.

You can do the same thing in your business & content. If you have ANY online presence, you NEED to develop the mindset of a student & study what is going on in your business & industry. Be sure to ask 'given what I know, how can I change my approach to get bigger & better results?'. Constantly study the trends & adjust your strategy.

2.) Constantly Develop New Skills

James knows he's not perfect. There are things he can improve in his game. For that reason, it seems that every year James adds something new to his ever-expanding repertoire on both the offensive & defensive sides of the ball. From better free throw shooting to becoming a tougher defensive player, James is always taking action & learning NEW skills that are required of him to be the best.

Marketing your business is no different. If you are studying your market, then you already know the trends & what's happening. But it means nothing if you're not developing new skills or new content that reflect those changes & what customers & clients expect of you.

Just because you're the leader or the best right now, doesn't mean you will be if you're not trying to get better...

3.) Take What the Game Gives You

LeBron knows he's a marked man. From the moment he steps on the court, he knows teams plan their entire game around him - including how to stop his progress. But what makes him great is that he doesn't shy away from it. In fact he thrives in clutch situations where his team is depending on him to help them win.

And he does it anyway. LeBron does it because he has such a wide variety of skills that he simply shifts his approach & uses another method to attack. When he's left alone - he drives to the hoop. When he's getting hacked underneath, he goes outside for a shot. When he gets double-teamed he passes off to the open man.

If you have studied the game & developed a strong skill set (that's always getting better), you have a strong foundation to succeed. What's more, your marketing plan should use a multi-pronged attack to combat any defense that gets in your way?

4.) Use Your Teammates

As much as LeBron is an incredible player, he needs help. As we mentioned above, sometimes the shots aren't falling or there are more defenders than The King can handle - after all he's only one man.

That's why LeBron knows its important to have reliable teammates he can give the ball to - and you should too. If you know you're good at marketing but need a designer to design the materials, hire them. If you are a fantastic graphic designer but can't write to save your life, work with a great writer/copywriter.

The point is - do what you're good at, but partner with others who can help you better than you can do by yourself.

5.) Listen to Critics - But Don't Take it to Heart

No matter how good you are you will always have your detractors who will try to bring you down.

Even though he's the current MVP & has made the playoffs numerous times, James still has people who criticize his game. While I can't speak for him, I'm sure LeBron knows what's being said about him - both good & bad. He could call people out & tell them to take a long walk off a short pier (I'm trying to keep this clean). He could say, 'who cares what some talking head over at SI thinks, I'm LeBron James'. He could do a lot of different things.

What James chooses to do instead is to take it with a grain of salt - then uses it to get better. He goes out & works harder on those areas of his game that need improvement.

Do the same with your company. If you're tapped into any social media you already have a pulse on your buyers/customers and what they are saying about you & your work. If they are saying something that isn't to your liking you can use it to address a need or develop the content & marketing they DO want.

BONUS TIP: SPEED

LeBron James is fast. Everything he does, he does with speed. He doesn't wait for the game to come to him - he attacks as soon as he gets the ball. He changes his game to reflect the pace of the game as soon as possible.

Your business should be the same. Don't wait to change your strategy. Don't wait to write a new article. Don't wait to listen to customers.

Otherwise you'll lose...

Why people are still using long sales letter copy on websites & microsites is beyond me.

Most are ugly to look at, hard to read & scan, and most importantly - the tactic is outdated. They don't leverage the true power of the internet. The problem is long sales letters are a broadcast format that talks TO you. The web is a format that thrives on connections & conversations.

It's like going to a party & getting locked into a conversation listening to someone who focuses only on what THEY are doing. You know the type. They ramble on & on about how great things are for them. These people talk forever about what they are up to at work, their recent luxury purchase, where they are going on vacation, how great Little Johnny is doing in school & on and on.

About the only thing you can do is try to listen & look for a way to end the conversation to get another drink. You spend the rest of the night avoiding the person like they have Swine Flu.

Long Sales Letter Copy Online is like that. The only difference is people can get off your site never to return.

It talks forever about how great this product/service is & most of it tends to be hype. It's hype because there's no proof. If you have no way for me to experience this product firsthand, all you have is talk about how great YOU THINK your product is. And I would hope you think your product is good.

The only explanation I have to explain why the phenomenon is so rampant online is the Direct Mail Copywriters trying to make their way online. While many copywriters are learning there is a better way to sell online, the Direct Mail Copywriter sticks to their guns & argue that 'it's worked in the past, so why stop now?'.

Because you could be doing better.

You could be doing better by including valuable content you give away that SHOWS how great your product/service is. It's the old adage of, "Don't tell me, show me". There is a much higher degree of believability when I see it for myself vs. a possibly hype-filled pitch.

The hype pitch is dead & a sales letter isn't needed. That is, if you do your job correctly the first time.

People have been abused by typical marketing for far too long now & they are finding new ways of rebelling. If you follow traditional marketing & restrict what you give away online, you are committing fiscal suicide. Sell me on your product by showing me how great it works. Let me listen to a chapter of your audiobook. Write a great story that appeals to my heart (or stomach).

This isn't an argument AGAINST traditional copywriting. The basics skills of copywriting (how to get attention, know the customer, be persuasive & sell etc.) ARE important. But if you do your job in writing & creating valuable content you give away, you'll have a higher degree of success.

It will almost be like the product sells itself.