Know-How Exchange : Advertising/PR

Dear Debbie,

How do you grab attention?

Well, there are lots of ways you can do that, but what you DO NOT DO is knock out just one message and send it out to everyone on your list.

You CAN do this if you want to, but it’ll cost you dearly, mainly because your message will lack focus.

And when a marketing message lacks focus its ability to generate a response nose dives and it costs the company sending out the message time and money.

You don’t want this, do you? No, I didn’t think so.

So, how do you gain attention in differing niches that you’re involved in so that your message arrives with maximum impact? In four words: highlight gain and loss.

You take the pain points that will hurt your prospects or that they think need to be salved the most and you, in essence, stick a knife in them; you rub salt in them. And then you offer the cure, you provide the salvation that is the knight in shining armour of your products and services. Or you do it the other way around: highlight the cure first, then remind people of the pain of NOT using the cure.

But generally, it works better by going down the carrot or stick road, and then reminding people of the joy of the carrot, which is your final call to action.

Does this make sense?

But here’s the vital part: you do this INDEPENDENTLY of each business you run.

You segment the Dickens out of your list. By this I mean you point out the gains and highlight the potential losses to prospects in HR. And then you do the same with a slightly different message to payroll services people; and then you do the same thing again (again, with a different message) to people in property and casualty services.

Each message goes to a different client group, each message is finely honed to attract and interest JUST ITS RECIPIENT base.

With me?

This is the essence of direct response marketing. The message creates a direct and instant desire to elicit a response in the mind of the prospect so that they willingly put their hand and ask you to solve their problem with your product, goods, or services.

But what direct response ought to never be used for is to pull the wool over people’s eyes. NEVER deceive with direct response. No. Never.

The true role of direct response marketing is to provide MAXIMUM value and benefits for the highest possible price, to those most likely to buy within any given niche.

And people do this because they’ve seen the sense and overall risk reversal of your message—which combine to outweigh their fear of purchasing from you, right now, today. Direct response always ... ALWAYS:

directs its overall message at the needs of its recipient,
leads with a compelling headline,
employs strong subheads,
provides an attractive offer,
includes a list of “reasons why”,
employs a deadline to move people with scarcity,
uses strong calls to action,
offers testimonials (social proof) from REAL people,
gives solid reversals to fear and risk through guarantees,
includes a list of benefits,
and leaves the prospect with an overall impression of terrific value, but only if they act now.

All of this creates rapport, builds trust, supports credibility, compels, and persuades in a logical, reasonable, non sales way.

Again: Do NOT be tempted to send one blanket message to everyone; it’ll lack impact and when something lacks impact, it goes straight into the trash.

If you do this the practical upshot will be that you’ll waste your money, your time, and your effort; you’ll dampen your own enthusiasm, and you’ll drive the BMW wagon (the Bitch, Moan, and Whine) that tells the world (and that reinforces your newly formed and misguided belief) that direct mail does not work.

Direct mail DOES work.

But for it to make a solid impact, its message must ... MUST connect with the strongest compulsions of its recipient.

I hope this helps.

Gary Bloomer
Wilmington, DE, USA

Since people may not know your business, you need to offer something of a high perceived (and credible) value (whether that be a prize, a sought-after speaker, "insider" access to information, etc.). And if you don't know what that is, start talking to a few members of your target community, ask them what problems keep them up at night, and bring them (some of) the answers in your seminars.