There are many different types of marketing, but the one you are probably most familiar with is ‘image branding’. Usually when I say “marketing,” people think of expensive Super Bowl ads, car commercials, and billboards. This is what is known as “brand image”, one of the most common (and ineffective) forms of marketing. Don’t get me wrong, branding works for big corporations like Coca-Cola and McDonald’s. And if you have millions of dollars and decades of time, it will work for you too. Unfortunately, if you’re like most, you don’t have the same resources and time as those big corporations.
Most image marks simply indicate the company name, location, etc., with a “catchy” logo and tagline. None of these are compelling reasons to do business with them over anyone else. This type of advertising does not endorse the products or services you are selling, and it certainly does not lead the potential customer to any intelligent purchasing decisions.
Direct response marketing, on the other hand, is designed to elicit an immediate response or buy (sell!) decision from the prospect. It has often been described as “print sales art” and focuses on getting dollars right now, not a decade from now. Direct response marketing tells a complete story that presents facts or reasons why the company or product is superior to all others. It gives your prospects a reason to contact you, instead of waiting until they need your service or product and hoping they remember your name.
Direct response includes benefits that are relevant to the prospect and produces a sales message that helps your prospect solve a problem or avoid a loss. These are the real reasons people will choose your product or service, not because you have glossy print ads. And best of all, unlike image branding, direct response marketing is trackable so you can find out exactly how much each marketing dollar is earning you.
When placed side by side, there are many differences between brand image ads and direct response ads. Typically, a direct response ad will be very wordy, usually in small print, with: 1. A headline at the top (to draw the reader in), 2. Lists meaningful details, not vague generalities, 3. A promise or guarantee, 4. at least one offer, 5. exact instructions on what to do next, and 6. an additional reason to act immediately. Now, open any magazine or newspaper you have on hand and you will see that almost none of the ads have these characteristics. They all look more or less the same with empty “white space” and bright images with no titles and very few words. This way you will differentiate yourself from your competition.
By the way, some people really think that people won’t read ads that have a lot of words in small print. However, the opposite is true: people want as much information as possible before giving someone their money. You will find that the more information you provide to your prospect, the greater the chance that they will respond. That’s why all that “white space” in ads is a waste of money.
Direct response marketing, compared to branding, is the clear winner. Bottom line… direct response marketing is designed to put money in your pocket right now, while image-based/traditional/institutional marketing is designed to make money over time; plus it costs you a lot of money in the meantime. Unless you have large sums of money and time, you shouldn’t attempt any branding, instead stick with performance-based advertising that provides a trackable return on investment.
