Continued from page 1
Direct Response Advertising In contrast Direct Response (DR) advertising is able to directly relate a specific advert to an increase in sales. Or alternatively highlight a problem ad that needs fixing. This type of advertising seeks to inform
prospect as to how your product or service improves their life, rights a wrong or smoothes a problem. Additionally, DR advertising almost always asks for a response. Either to call in to buy immediately (unusual), to get a free sample, free report, free voucher, free experience or other intermediary step before buying target product.
Imagine calls, letters and emails you can get from advertising that encourage your prospects to take action to contact your company immediately. You get to see whether campaign is working. That means you can step in and tweak it if it’s not.
But it also allows you to test different aspects of your advert to try and increase response further. So for instance you could run two adverts with headline changed on one, or a different offer on one or a free-phone number against a geographic number.
You can see how every single word and picture in your advert performs. Doesn’t that just feel better? You’ve control over your spend and customers who are bought for your advertising dollar.
There are many people who would agree that DR advertising is right way to advertise. But they still don’t do it.
Why?
Usually reason is simply one of ego. Direct Response adverts don’t tend to be pretty or to win Cannes Marketing Lions awards. If you’re head of company or you’re director of sales imagine how tempting it is top run ads that might win awards…
You already have sales coming in. Running a BAP advert will still get sales coming in. And you might win that Lion at Cannes awards for best advertising.
You’re fooling yourself if you think it’s for any other reason. Because almost without exception Direct Response adverts will pull more sales than adverts.
Yet many advertisers don’t realise it. They’re convinced that an advert has to look “professional” to sell. WRONG!
Do you want more sales?
If you do, and I’m sure you do use following steps:
Step 1: Learn how your products relate to your users. Which emotions, feelings and beliefs does it generate or speak to? Step 2: Assess best way to convey that to your ultimate user. Step 3: Do newspapers/magazines/radio/tv channels you’ve chosen to advertise in get read by your preferred prospects? Step 4: Check and test each ad with a single entry in your chosen media. (Do not run ad series until you’ve tested pulling power) Step 5: Buy smallest display ad possible. Then each time it makes money buy next size up until it starts to lose money. Step 6: Continually run split tests to find best pulling direct response for your product Step 7: Use some of your advertising saved to buy other means of marketing
Jim was a high flying IT consultant with a passion for marketing. He and his clients are now delighted that he has turned to marketing full time.
