The Rules of Direct Response Marketing

This marketing strategy is all about direct response marketing. If you don’t know what direct response marketing is, I’ll explain.

Direct response marketing can be a classified ad, an editorial, an article, a letter (piece of mail), a radio or TV commercail, an e-mail campaign or an insert that simply gets the readers/viewers/listeners to react or respond to your copy and/or dialogue.

One of the more popular direct response initiatives in place today is where the call-to-action (at the end of the letter, video, e-mail, commercial, etc.) asks the prospect to respond (in some way) in order to receive a free report. That is direct response marketing. And, it doesn’t have to be a free report; it could be a free-recorded message a free gift, free consultation, etc.

Direct response marketing can be VERY effective. But, it can be costly as well. There are two sides to direct response marketing. The front end is getting the prospect to respond by either calling your phone number, going to your website, filling out a form, etc. The back-end is the follow-up that takes place when a person responds to your ad. If they buy from you, you have achieved your goal. But what if the process stops halfway there, and the person who responded to your ad does not become a paying client/customer? You need to have systems in place (like a series of autoresponders) that gently take that “lead” to the center of your web where they can “buy” from you. That situation requires consistent follow-up, whether it be e-mails, phone calls and/or a series of direct mail letters.

Here’s the rule: You don’t stop sending them direct e-mail or snail-mail pieces until they die, move, hire you or tell you to stop sending those particular mailings. Can it be annoying? Yes. Can it be incredibly effective? Yes. Make sure the copy on your direct e-mail or mail pieces doesn’t make you look desperate, cheap or questionable. Offer valuable information that helps them in some way so they get to know, like and trust you.

That is how you get another 20-25% of those prospects who did not initially convert to a sale, to take action and become a paying client or customer!

To Your Success,