Last week in this series, I wrote to you about direct response marketing—why it's such a big deal for martial art school owners and why you need it.
And, I also discussed some of the defining characteristics of good direct response marketing ads and campaigns.
This week I'm going to reveal the specific elements of direct response marketing, so you understand what needs to go into an ad to make it work for generating leads and sales.
Let's get started.
There are various elements that go into a decent direct response ad to make it work. These elements are a lot like the ingredients that go into the recipe for your grandmother's soup.
You can leave out a single ingredient, and while the soup won't taste the same it'll still be passingly decent and edible. But leave out two or more ingredients and you'll end up with something that just doesn't work at all.
So, I suggest that you avoid playing around with these elements. Don't try to reinvent the wheel. Just follow the recipe and learn how to make each element as good as it can be, instead of picking and choosing what you're going to include because you think you know better.
- The headline
- The sub-headline
- The body copy
- The offer
- The call-to-action
- The contact info
- The postscript
Those of you who have studied ad copywriting might have noticed that this is a lot like the outline to a sales letter. There's a very good reason for that, and it's because direct response marketing ads and sales letters both perform the same function.
Less Space, More Skill... And The Harder It Is To Make The Sale
The only difference is space and the number of words you get to use. You have more space in a sales letter, so you have the luxury of using a lot more words to get your point across to make the sale.
But in your typical direct response marketing ad, you simply don't have that luxury. In most cases, the marketing channel dictates the format of the ad, and thereby limits the space you have available in which to get your message across.
Which is why it takes more skill to write a direct response marketing ad that sells than it does to write a sales letter that sells. Less words and space means you have less opportunity to make the sale.
I know this seems backwards, but trust me—it's much harder to write a 100-word ad that sells than it is to get a 1,500 word sales letter to convert... by several degrees of difficulty.
Making The Sale In Less Space
So when you're writing a direct response ad, that's why each element has to be on point. Certainly that's also true when writing a direct response sales letter, but it's doubly true with a short, limited-space ad.
However, with an ad you have another, often overlooked element that can work in your favor. Namely, the design of the ad.
Now, I don't have the time here to get into graphic design for direct response marketing. And I certainly can't turn you into an expert graphic designer within the space of an email.
But keep in mind, the design elements of a good direct response ad must support and enhance the copy, instead of detracting and/or distracting from it. I will talk more about this later, because design is something that has screwed up many a good ad.
The Dirty Little Secret of Direct Response Marketing
However, I'm going to tell you a dirty little secret about direct response marketing.
Pay attention, because this is how many school owners with less than average copywriting and graphic design skills have used direct response marketing to grow their schools.
Here it is:
- A damned good offer can overcome bad design and crappy sales copy.
I know—it's an earth-shattering revelation, right? :)
Well, don't underestimate the value of what I just revealed to you, because it's probably the most important thing I'll say in this entire series on direct response marketing.
My advice to you, if you want to grow your dojo, is to take what I just said to heart.
Because if you can become really, really good at putting together compelling offers, you can be a mediocre writer and still get results from your ads. And if you understand how to create compelling offers, then you can put out ugly ads and still get results.
And if everything else is on point?
Well, then you're going to have an ad that's supercharged—one that will get amazing results. That's what you should be shooting for, instead of just putting out mediocre, "good enough" marketing.
But, I think I've given you enough to chew on for now. More on this in upcoming emails.
