| Friend,
We're in the fourth week of this series on direct response marketing for martial art school owners, and today I'm closing it out with a recap of what we've discussed.
Here's a quick review for those of you who may have missed part of the series, or in case you care to rehash the lesson in this series from the beginning: - Direct response marketing is just what it says; marketing that is directly targeted at a specific market segment, that is designed to elicit an immediate response.
- You need direct response marketing, because unlike awareness marketing, it is designed to generate leads and sales immediately.
- This is important because small businesses are often cash-strapped, and all businesses run on cash.
- The defining characteristics of a good direct response marketing ad are that it is focused in its message, targeted to a specific audience, and that it includes a compelling offer (a "Godfather offer").
- The elements of a direct response marketing ad are the headline, subhead, body copy, offer, call to action, and fine print or postscript.
- The headline draws attention and makes a bold promise with a strong emotional appeal; the subhead and body copy draw the reader further into the ad by backing up the headline; and the offer spurs them to action while the call to action seals the deal by telling the reader what to do.
- The postscript allows you to provide additional info that can boost your response rates. Typically this means putting a time limit on the offer.
- Marketing channels are how you get eyeballs on your ads. At one time TV, radio, newspapers, direct mail, and the yellow pages were practically the only marketing channels that mattered. Now there are dozens of marketing channels, all vying for the attention of consumers.
- Many old-school marketing channels are much less effective today, namely newspaper ads and the yellow pages.
- Online marketing, when done right, is much more effective and less costly than traditional offline marketing. However, you need both.
- The term "marketing funnel" describes both the steps a consumer takes on their way from suspect to prospect to buyer, as well as the mechanical means (marketing methods) used to take the consumer down that path.
- One way to break down the buyer phases is as follows: Discovery, Awareness, Research, Word-of-Mouth, Purchase Decision, and the Sale.
- Not all buyers go through all six steps, but a good marketing funnel is designed to take a consumer through all six steps in a smooth, seamless manner.
- A smart marketer uses metrics and benchmarks to determine whether or not their marketing needs to be adjusted, altered, or increased. Numbers will always tell you when you need to step up your marketing.
- The shotgun approach to marketing is the best way for a marketing newbie to get started, because it offers the greatest chance of success.
That pretty much recaps the last four weeks of lessons. But remember, none of this info will do you a darned bit of good unless you put it to work.
So, where might you start? - How good are you at writing ads and offers? Decent? Horrible? No idea? Here's a hint--results are the only measure of success. If you're currently struggling to get students, chances are good your ad writing skills suck. Start there. Focus on learning how to write great ads first.
- How's your website? Is it designed to collect leads? Here's another hint--if your site doesn't generate at least 15 leads a month, it's broken. Fix it.
- How's the rest of your marketing plan look? Do you have multiple marketing methods working to generate leads and inquiries, 24/7/365? If not, then you need to get to work.
That wraps up this email series for good. For those of you who are new to the newsletter, you should know that I take a break between writing each series of email lessons.
The reason is because each one takes a lot of prep and planning to write. So, expect to receive emails on a variety of topics over the next couple of weeks, while I plan out my next series of lessons.
Until next time,
Mike Massie MartialArtsBusinessDaily.com
Quick-start Guide to My Books and Resources: - Looking for a list of books and resources I've written? Click here! - Need business coaching to grow your dojo? Click here…
P.S. - The best place to start learning how to write great ads would be with either Dan Kennedy's or Bob Bly's materials. They each take a different philosophical approach to ad writing; Kennedy is more of a circus showman, while Bly is fairly reserved by comparison. I'm more partial to Bob's materials, but you can take your pick--both have a lot of good advice on how to write decent ad copy.
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