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Okay, Marketing Wizards ... tell me, does direct response marketing still work? And
if so, how does it fit into your marketing plans?
Tom Wanek, here, and you're watching Wizard Marketing TV, where business owners learn
persuasive tools and techniques to spark miraculous growth.
Keep watching as I talk direct response and pinpoint why it's likely not working for you
as well as it should.
During the past year, I've taken on several new clients in the heating and cooling category—all
of which have spent a not-so-small fortune on direct response methods to market and grow
their companies.
Suddenly, they've all decided to switch to a branding strategy of being the company that
customers think of first—and feel best about—when their moment of need arises.
So, they hired me. That's cool. Really cool. I love helping clients grow.
But like any good consultant, I have to ask ... why change marketing religions? Why suddenly
go from a direct response strategy that helped you grow your business to where it is today,
and now move to a branding strategy that you're unfamiliar with?
Hmmm. Well, over the past five years, these clients have all witnessed a steep and steady
decline in the response rates of their mailers and promotions. "Direct response marketing
no longer works," they tell me.
Okay—admittedly, my marketing roots are firmly planting in the realm of branding.
But that doesn't mean that I'm some holier-than-thou brand builder that doesn't appreciate a good
direct response campaign. Nor, do I believe that direct response marketing is suddenly
ineffective and should be shown out the door.
Although I'm a "branding" guy, I occasionally use direct response methods to increase sales
for my clients. And it works unbelievably well. So the notion that direct response is
deader as a bag of nails ... well, that's a whole lotta baloney.
So, what IS the problem then? Why is direct response NOT working for so many other business
owners?
Put on your thinking cap, now ...
The reason direct response rates are falling like the popularity of American politicians
...
The message. Yes, my fellow marketing wizards, it's all about the message.
Sure, many marketers put out some pretty weak direct response promotions with over-the-top
graphics, confusing copy, limp credibility, and poor readability. These things—and many
others—can kill response faster than the bubonic plague. But the message is still the
single biggest reason why so many direct response promotions aren't worth a bucket of warm spit.
Specifically, it all boils down to something called frequency dependency.
Frequency dependence is a phenomenon familiar to biologists. It means that a signal or trait
declines in value as it becomes more common in a given ecosystem.
For example, the bright colorful feathers of the peacock communicate its worthiness
as a mate to the peahen. The stronger and healthier the peacock, the brighter, more
colorful feathers it will grow—and the more attractive of a mate it will be.
Now, imagine if every peacock on the planet had feathers that were nearly identical in
color and brightness. Could the peahen still rely on feather quality as a reliable signal
of the male's worthiness as a mate?
No. Feathers as a signal would no longer hold any value.
Like a peacock's feathers, marketing messages are also frequency dependent. Specifically,
the value of a message declines as it becomes more common or familiar to the buying public.
Legendary direct response copywriter, Eugene Schwartz, called this the sophistication of
a market.
When a market becomes "sophisticated," you can bet your bottom dollar that prospects
are being hit with heavy doses of similar offers and repeat claims from you and your
competition. Here, prospects feel overwhelmed and become increasingly skeptical—making
it nearly impossible to persuade them to take action.
Look at it this way: Markets evolve. Eventually, every message will fatigue and reach a point
of saturation. Sorry to break this to you, my friend, but there's not an ad in existence
that'll work forever. Even winning ads must die.
This means you simply cannot run the same promotion or offer month after month, and
year after year and expect the same results.
My friends in the heating and cooling category, if you're offering some type of discount on
a new AC or furnace, and are promoting this offer to your list every single month of the
year, you're going to the well too often. You're essentially telling prospects that
you always sell your products at a discount, and there won't be a smidgen of urgency for
prospects to buy today.
That's why your promo didn't work, in a nutshell.
For companies that sell commodities and have a long product purchase cycles—like HVAC
and jewelry—it's much more effective to implement a branding strategy, and augment
that strategy with an occasional direct response offer maybe two or three times per year. Once
you've established your brand you will have earned the right to make an occasional direct
response type of offer. Only then will prospects find it fresh, credible and appealing. Done
right, your direct response ad work like gangbusters.
Alright Marketing Wizards, did you like this video? Then do me a big BIG favor ... please
subscribe and share it with people you know.
Because you're success is important to me, please let me hear from you. Leave a comment
below, and make sure you send me your marketing and advertising questions. Hit me up at tom@tomwanek.com.
Remember, we're in this together. I've got your back. I'll see ya next time.