The difference between branding and direct response.

In the business world, there are two somewhat divided camps regarding how they market, they are either in the branding camp or the direct response camp.

The branding people create advertising that attempts to make the client or customer feel a certain way about a product or service. McDonald’s runs seemingly non-stop ads featuring smiling people eating hamburgers and enjoying milkshakes. Its slogan is a carefully crafted: I’m Lovin’ It!

Here’s a problem: “pure” branding ads NEVER have a measurable call to action.

In the direct response world, they produce advertising with one goal: persuade someone to take a specific action that leads to a sale. Direct response advertising is measurable. It’s accountable.

The thing is, small business owners need to get a return from every penny they spend on marketing and therefore they need it to be measurable and accountable.

Here is a typical Ad that you will see every day in hundreds of magazine and newspapers across the globe. I’ve not used an actual Ad as not to embarrass anybody. Notice that the top of the Ad has their business name and Logo as the most prominent feature.  This area is the key area for grabbing the attention of your prospect, the one you want to respond. To use it for your logo and business name is madness.

The next issue this type of Ad has is ‘Marketing Platitudes’.

A platitude is essentially a term that is used too often or too much. When it comes to marketing a business, these platitudes are seen EVERYWHERE!

This is because this has become the accepted “norm” for writers – simply say what everyone else does. Well, the fact is this does not, in any way, provide any type of value to your prospects that are looking to solve a problem they have or are looking for a solution they want that they don’t have. A simple way to test whether it is a marketing platitude ask yourself, would you say “I should hope so” or “So What” after saying the statement. So for example “Free Quotation”, why would I pay for one, I should hope so! Established 1885, So What!

The next issue this type of Ad has, is a pointless image. So if your a Joiner, plumber, Gardener etc why would I want to see a picture of some pipes or planks of wood or a chainsaw. I need to see something that grabs my attention. Something that will give me a reason to look at the Ad further.

Perhaps the biggest sin of all for this type of Ad is a simple fact that it does not have a call to action, i.e. get the prospect to do something now. Lots of business owners run this sort of Ad where their only call to action is “Call Today”..