Knock-Out Your Competition
We are know that as a small business owner, marketing is king! Because with marketing comes sales, and sales translates to money. But with so many businesses on the internet today, how do you get customers in your corner buying products? How do you not get knocked down by your competitors before you even get started? How can win the fight?
Many businesses attempt to stay ahead of their competitors with better branding. But as you will learn in this article, a big difference exists between branding and direct response marketing. Only one will result in more sales than the other.
Branding Is Merely A Jab
What is branding? Branding is a promise. It allows you to choose. It’s the difference between buying a Nike or Adidas shoe, by drinking a Coca-Cola v. Pepsi, eating at Wendy’s v. Burger King and using Visa v. American Express. It’s the level of interest a consumer feels about their experience with you. Whether the level is high or low depends on brand image, personality, energy and the ability to satisfy their needs. A brand is the personality that identifies a product, service or company. Just like when we say “Coke” we all know this means “Coca-Cola.” It’s brand awareness.
But will branding make you more money? Some would say “yes,” but I would say “not exactly.” For a number of us, we usually get wrapped up in our business that we forget to ask for the sale. Super Bowl commercials are well known for this. Do you ever remember actually placing an order or saying, “hey, I should buy that” during the commercials? Probably not. That’s because the expensive public relations companies get paid a lot of money to create an ad that is based on “branding”. They then create some cute commercial that doesn’t make an offer or ask you to go buy the certain product being advertised. After the commercial is done, you don’t even recall who the advertiser even was.
This is a giant mistake. You are just throwing a quick jab at your customer in hopes that you will get their attention. A majority of time, your customer doesn’t take a specific action because you are merely jabbing and jabbing at them without any results.
So, what can you do? Direct response marketing.
Direct Response Marketing Is Your “Knock Out”
In the business world, a knock-out means sales. Sales are achieved through direct response marketing. Although there is nothing wrong with branding your company, but by using direct response marketing you are compelling your customer to take a specific action – to buy from you.
Direct response marketing can be achieved through a variety of different marketing channels. For example, radio, television, magazine and newspaper ads, letters sent through the mail, and the Internet. Like a majority of businesses, you may only be focused on a few channels or on your branding and not on direct response marketing.
Listed below are a few elements to a good direct response promotion:
1. The Hook – An “Irresistible Offer” That Grabs Your Reader’s Attention
To begin with, you must have a “hook.” This means you need to grab the reader’s attention with an irresistible offer you want them to want you. Through direct response marketing, the goal is to have the customer want what you are offering so badly that he provides you with his information and opens his wallet or gives you permission to follow-up later.
Branding is different from direct response marketing. Branding is when the customer remembers your product or company, but didn’t take a specific action to buy your product or service or request additional information from you.
But with an “offer”, you offer the customer an exact product or service that the customer could buy or obtain instantly.
2. Reduce The Risk
Offering a 30-day or other suitable money back guarantee on your products and services is always a great suggestion. When a customer knows that his risk of purchasing your produce is minimized with such guarantee should he want to return the product, the customer is more likely to order your product.
3. Offer Testimonials: Provides Proof
Testimonials offer proof. Meaning, testimonials talk about real people who have experienced real benefits from your business. After all, people want to know who they can trust. Testimonials tells the world that you will deliver on your promises. Testimonials reduce the risk.
4. A Clear Call To Action In Direct Response Marketing
In direct response marketing, you should always provide a clear call to action.
A customer or prospect will do something specific with a clear call to action. As an example, with our Business Thrival Blueprint and Newsletter, we asked you to opt-in to our mailing list by entering your name and email address. We then send to you a complimentary copy of the Blueprint and twice weekly newsletters.
Don’t lose a customer or an opportunity forever. Tell the customer exactly what you want them to do now so that you don’t lose their attention. This is one of the most critical direct response principles. Super Bowl commercials (and most other commercials) make this common mistake.
5. The Final Punch: A Reason To Respond Now
It’s the final punch. Give a “reason to respond NOW”. It results in the knock-out (sale or opt-in).
Prompt an immediate action by tempting the customer to instantly take action, without delay. For example, present an offer as a special bonus to the first 20 customers who purchase your product within the next 10 minutes. This special bonus gives them a reason to respond now
That’s it. The 5 most critical elements of direct response marketing. Consider using these as a checklist when making offers to your customers.
Track and Measure
Once the buyer is turned into a customer, track and measure how well you are doing.
By the next time you do your promotion, you should have already tracked and measured which version of your advertisement was the most successful, and which version was not. This information allows you to make any changes so that the next time you run your promotion it will result in even more sales.
If you don’t do tracking, it is unrealistic to believe that your direct response marketing will be successful. Stop to think. If you don’t know what’s working and what is not, how can you improve upon it?
As well as tracking, constant follow up and communication with the prospect or buyer are also vitally important. You need to follow-up and deliver the value you promised them, to continue adding value to them, and to always be making them additional offers. It is far easier to acquire a sale from an existing customer than to obtain a customer with whom you have no prior relationship with.
So, put on your gloves, lace up your shoes, and step into the Direct Response Ring. You can learn more tips on how to market your business using direct response principles by simply clicking here.
To learn more about business growth and marketing, download my free 47 page “Business Thrival Blueprint“. BusinessThrival.com is a site dedicated to helping business owners achieve a thriving business and life.