Put your marketing on a Diet?!
It was 2011…
I attended my first direct response marketing event at the Westin hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Although I felt a bit out of place being in a room of over 100 Mixed Martial Arts and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu school owners, I was at the right place at the right time.
The event was held by a man named Lloyd Irvin. I learned about Lloyd from a friend who said he was the man when it came to marketing. Little did I know, Lloyd would open a huge door of opportunity for me that would literally change the trajectory of my life.
If you’ve read my origin story, I wrote about how I made a major shift from being a firearms instructor to now marketing strategist. The shift started when Lloyd mentioned the name Dan Kennedy…
Dan Kennedy is basically the modern “God-Father” of direct response marketing. Dan’s book, “Direct Marketing for Non-Direct Marketers” is a classic and my most recommended book.
Yes! You should go get the book ASAP.
But, for now I want to give you what I believe is the important part of the book…
The No B.S. Rules or what I like to call the “Marketing Diet for Small Business.”
I can just about bet the farm, if your business is breaking one or more of the following rules you’re experiencing frustration, anxiety, or you’ll soon be out of business.
So, pay attention…
From now on, every ad you run, every flyer you distribute, every postcard or letter you mail, every website you put up, every/anything you do MUST adhere to these rules. — Dan Kennedy
Rule #1: There will always be an Offer or Offer(s)
An offer is much more than your product or service (more on offers in future posts). An offer is what wraps your product/service in the perfect gift box, which compels your prospects to buy. Below is a brief list of what an offer includes:
- You product/service
- Features/Benefits/Transformation
- Premiums or Bonuses
- A Guarantee
- A Call to Action
Rule #2: The will be reason to respond right now
Bottom line, every time you put out an advertisement or marketing piece, you want to compel your prospect to respond ASAP. A response doesn’t always need to equal a sale. Contrary to popular belief, no matter how “great” you think you product is, not everyone will buy. A response can simply be to get on the phone to get some questions answered.
Understand this, if you don’t give your prospect a reason to respond or the opportunity to respond, you’ve violated Rule #2.
Rule #3: Clear instructions
Give your prospects clear instructions on what to do next. You don’t tell them what to do, they will do nothing. Also, if you confuse prospects by giving too many options, they will also do nothing.
Whether it’s a video, social media post, ad, flier, letter, tweet, give people the opportunity of doing business with you. Give clear instructions on how to take the next step to solve their problem with your product/service.
Rule #4: There will be tracking and measurement
This is a BIG one! I can’t count how many business owners I’ve spoken to, who don’t know their numbers, customer behaviors, or what their marketing is doing.
Track and measure everything! Nuff Said…
Rule #5: Branding as a By-Product
I get it…”build a brand” has been a hot topic as of late. Gary Vaynerchuk (who I like a lot) and other big business owners are telling people how important it is to build a brand.
However, I submit to you this…your personal brand or the brand of the company is based on how the market perceives your value.
The late (and arguably one of the greatest Advertisers of all-time),David Ogilvy, defined brand as…
“the intangible sum of a product’s attributes.”
You can’t deposit “brand” in the bank. Here’s another point, Value can only be experienced after someone experiences the benefits and outcome of your product or service. Basically brand is built by making customers happy!
Rule #6: There will be follow-up
I was listening to the podcast, Business Lunch ( hosted by my mentor Roland Frasier) a few days ago. He was interviewing, Brendon Burchard (who is a Beast by the way). Brendon talked about how your first 7-figures is most likely already within your network. Brendon also talked about how relentless he is with follow-up.
If we took all the small businesses in America, I would wager to say there are millions, if not billions of dollars lost due to lack of follow-up. When I work with a new client one of my first questions is, “When is the last time you emailed your list or called a past customers?” Most times the answer is, “Not in awhile.”
Want to get some quick cash in your bank account? Try following up with past clients or people who told you no and refer to Rule #1!
Rule #7: There will be strong copy
I’ll save you my rant on how horrible most business owner’s copywriting is. But, I will say this…please, please, please get your head wrapped around how to write sales copy.
Warning! Content marketing is NOT copywriting. Copywriting is a style of writing that gets people to take action. If you need a crash course pick up Dan Kennedy’s book, “The Ultimate Sales Letter” or if you want a bit more of a deep dive take DigitalMarketer’s, “Copywriting Mastery certification” (or have a team member take it).
Rule #8: In general, it will look like mail-order advertising
This rule may seem kinda old school, but it’s true. If you’re reading this and you don’t know what mail-order advertising is, head to what my buddy Neville Medhora (Shout out to Neville), refers to as the “Secret Government Project”…The Library.
Real talk though, you can find awesome examples of mail-order advertising on a website called, swiped.co. Look up ads from some of the greats: Eugene Schwartz, David Olgivy, Dan Kennedy, and Clayton Makepeace, to name a few.
Rule # 9: Results rule, period
The grade of marketing is simple…either it achieved the goal(s) or it didn’t. For example, if you run a facebook ad to sell a product, metrics like cost per click, relevancy score, click through rate are secondary to the one and only metric that matters…Sales!
Don’t be fooled by people who say your ads look awesome. And, don’t give yourself an out by allowing vanity metrics like, “likes” or “followers”to gauge the effectiveness of your marketing. Plain and simple, marketing should bring in tangible results, dollars in the Revenue column.
Oh, and I can’t forget…don’t listen to your peers, friends, or family…listen to your customers. The only vote that counts is the vote that comes by the way of currency.
Rule #10: You will be a tough-minded disciplinarian and keep your business on a strict DIRECT marketing diet for a least six months
Now, Dan recommends six months, I would recommend 12 months. I believe if you follow these rules ruthlessly for the next 12 months you will get the following:
- More revenue in your business…sooner than later
- Lower your chances of being taken advantage of by slick-talking self-proclaimed “gurus”, experts, and agencies
- You’ll have complete control of your future
- You’ll have the ability to market any product in any market
- You’ll thrive in any economy
So there you have it…
To say these rules have changed my life is an understatement. Marketing by theses rules have made me tens of thousands of dollars. Breaking these rules have caused me to lose just as much.
I like to think of the No B.S. rules more as the fundamentals of marketing. Fundamentals, because no matter what strategy or tactics come and go, these rules have stood the test of time.
Want to know if someone you’re about to take advice from knows what they’re talking about? See if you can spot these rules in their teachings or business.
Cheers!
Omari Broussard
Founder, 10X Strategies Consulting
P.S. Want my book list? Here you Go -> http://bit.ly/omaribooklist
Connect with me on Social:
Facebook: theomaribroussard
Instagram: omaribroussard
Twitter: omaribroussard
Messenger: m.me/theomaribroussard
