Rules #3 and #4 of No B.S. Marketing
No B.S. Marketing Follows Foundational Rules
I am on a mission to educate and defend small and medium business owners. In the previous article, I explained why it is vitally important that there is a Deadline to Each Offer in your promotions. Without a sense of urgency and/or scarcity your advertisement is likely to be set aside, and probably forgotten, even though the viewer actually needs your goods and services! It's just human nature to procrastinate.
John Wannamaker
50% or 90% wasted advertising? How do you KNOW?
Without a sense of urgency, John Wannamaker provided no incentive for action - NOW! The REAL advertising waste might be 90% - or more. The default action is INACTION!
Direct-response marketers are RESULTS oriented. We want to KNOW if we have won or lost, wasted money or received a positive return on our marketing investment.
Most people are fairly compliant and follow directions. But people rarely buy anything of consequence without being asked. You must not take anything for granted. You must give your prospect the exact steps to take in order to complete the sale.
Never forget: A confused buyer WON'T buy! Clarity cannot be TOO simple!
Examine every kind of marketing tool, ad, flyer, sales letter, website, phone script, etc. from the perspective of the prospective customer. You will notice that MOST advertising provides no directions, or confusing steps for the customer to follow.
You can do better - just tell them what to do NEXT. In addition, never be satisfied. Marketers have seen meaningful increases in conversions by simple changing a "Buy Now" button to "Click Here to Buy Now".
A happy, satisfied customer who has completed a clear purchasing process will also be happy to recommend your business to others. A confused buyer not only doesn't buy from YOU - but will buy from a competitor with a CLEAR process, then refer their friends. Ignore this Law and you lose MULTIPLE times!!!
No B.S. Direct Marketing imposes discipline.
Your marketing efforts should have a planned objective and target a specific audience. Direct response marketing ASKS the viewer to do SOMETHING! "Almost" doesn't count. We must reach across and drag them over the line, beyond the natural defaults of hesitation and procrastination.
Management guru Peter Drucker is credited for stating: "Only what gets measured, gets managed. Only what is managed gets improved."
The only way we can MEASURE what is working is by tracking specific offers, then comparing variations between different media.
We don't have rules, a time limit, and we don't keep score...
If you want real profits from your marketing, you are no longer going to permit any advertising or selling efforts to occur without accurate tracking, measurement, and accountability. This includes online marketing and social media expenditures.
Each dollar sent out into the marketplace must return with MORE - or accomplish predetermined nonmonetary objectives. There will be no freeloaders; there will be no slacker marketing campaigns. This also applies to your media choices.
Never forget: YOU are a professional. This isn't a hobby. Professionals keep score. Professionals get paid for results. Players and coaches that don't "measure up" get cut.
Management by objective is the the only kind that works. You can't manage what you don't - or can't or won't measure. You need hard facts and data to make comparisons and intelligent marketing decisions. You also need facts to counter the opinions of employees, your Mother, and some customers. DO what works, do NOT do what seems popular or trendy.
Most marketers are lazy. They throw money away in advertising without accountability. Yet they stress over minute expenses for utilities or office supplies. Marketing doesn't reward the cheapest vendor. Marketing rewards the most productive media.
The same offer can be made in different media. Different offers can be made in the same media. You can track inquiries, test drives, job estimates, and sales with promotional codes, premium offers, package deals, landing page opt-ins - or a simple legal pad next to the phone. There are endless opportunities for accountability. But don't shrug this off as too complicated. And don't give in to media salesperson pressure to eliminate tracking in ads.
Tough-minded management requires knowing things. ONLY tracking allows for improvement - in the ads themselves and the media choices. Only tracking lets you increase the return on your marketing investment. You insist on a monthly bank statement, profit and loss statement, and other financial reports. Marketing measurements allow for higher returns without spending more. Creativity, fads, and branding don't count; sales alone count.
No B.S. Direct Marketing has defined objectives - including CLARITY and ACCOUNTABILTY!
No B.S. Direct Marketing principles have been developed into powerful, measurable strategies. These principles apply across the entire spectrum of print and broadcast media - including the latest online advertising alternatives. Many of these principles are derived from "old school" mail order or direct response advertising in newspapers and magazines.
The Rules of Response Driven Marketing are directly quoted from Dan Kennedy's book, "No B.S. Direct Marketing (for NON-Direct Marketing Businesses). The Rules are timeless and dependable as the LAW of Gravity.
Resolve now that every ad you run, sales letter you mail, webpage you publish, everything and anything you do to MARKET your business MUST adhere to the Rules. These are not suggestions, consider them mandates!
The 10 Commandments, from No B.S. Direct Marketing
Have you procrastinated and not ordered your FREE copy of Dan Kennedy's book?
I consider "No B.S. Direct Marketing (for NON-Direct Marketing Businesses) to be REQUIRED reading for my clients, and it is my pleasure to offer you a FREE copy of this book.
Fight back! Take ACTION and place your order - do it NOW! Click HERE.
I am not going to offer you any incentive. Instead, I am going to PROMISE you that your competitors aren't LAZY. They are competing for the SAME customers - and WINNING. Every day that you delay, you are not coasting, you are FALLING BEHIND as they build their base of satisfied customers and loyal, repeat BUYERS.
*** Do you see what I did there? I have never lied to you. I have only provide valuable information and strategies. Therefore, I have EARNED the right to speak frankly. This is No B.S. Direct Marketing! Dan Kennedy is my mentor, and he enjoys the title of Doctor of Harsh Reality. If you have the same status with your customers, you may need to be blunt to combat their lethargy.***
Take ACTION: CLICK Here to receive your FREE book! You will ALSO receive a LONG list of bonuses - and be offered access to even more marketing resources - at your option.
The No B.S. Rules of Response Driven Marketing - or, as Dan prefers to call them, the 10 Commandments of Direct Marketing are universal for product and service businesses.
In the next articles in this series, I will continue to discuss the specific Rules of Response-Driven Marketing. In the mean time, if you would like a PDF copy of these Rules (The 10 Commandments!) to keep on your desktop for reference, Click HERE!
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