What 42 Years Of Direct Response Marketing Has Taught Me

I started my first real business when I was 14 and answered
an ad in the back of a magazine... probably Popular Mechanics.

The ad, read something like, "Earn $100 Per Day Stuffing
Envelopes. Send $1 Plus A Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope
For Complete Instructions."

So I did that, and a week later received a letter in my
self-addressed stamped envelope that told me to run the same
ad, and that when people responded, to send them the same
letter :-)

That put me on a few mailing lists, and I soon began to
receive all kinds of offers for ways to earn additional
income... much like what happens on the internet today!

I eventually decided to publish my own newsletter, and to
start sending out my own email packets (called "big mails").

At age 14, I got a bulk mailing permit, and started to
publish my own newsletter, and to send out large bulk mail
package containing lots of circulars that I charged others
to mail for them.

I saw a used mimeograph machine advertised in a newsletter
that I read, and ordered it. Then I saw someone advertising
paper and ink... dirt cheap, so I ordered a pallet load of
paper. My relatives got a kick out of seeing a tractor
trailer pull up to my house and offload a pallet of paper!
I lived on a narrow trail off of a dirt road... pretty
remote :-)

Fast-forward 23 years, and I got into business on the
internet.

Today, I apply a lot of what I learned during those
days to my online marketing.

Ten years ago, I noticed a young man named Russell Brunson,
who in many ways learned direct response marketing much the
same way that I did. As a pre-teen, he collected and
studied direct mail pieces.

Today, Russell is one of my mentors, and I encourage you to
check him out now... primarily because he is giving away a
book that shares what he has learned over the years!

You can get that book free, until midnight EDT today at:
http://BestOnlineMarketingBook.com

Russell has taught me many things over the years, even though
I have been in business online eight years longer than he has.
Some people take things that they learn and run with them,
others don't!

Here are a few of the critical lessons that I have learned
over the year... many from younger mentors such as Russell:

1) Running a business is a constant battle for attention.
Your potential customers are constantly bombarded with
advertising messages. You need to find a way to break through
and get them to notice you.

2) Once you get them to notice you, you need to get them into
your marketing funnel. MOST will not buy from you upon their
first contact. So you need to get permission to keep in touch
with them. You need to be in front on them when THEY are
ready to buy!

Online or offline, you need to get them into your funnel system.

Offline, you may get them to visit your store, and enter a
drawing for a free gift, or just sign up for your email list to
be informed of when you are running a sales.

Online, you get them to opt-in to your list, and give you
permission to keep in touch, providing them with valuable
information, and from time to time, telling them about things
that you have for sale.

You then need to follow up with them... many people will buy
only after the fifth contact or later. You should probably
have a dozen or more message in your follow-up sequence.

The free book that I mentioned, by Russell, shares with you
the EXACT funnels that he uses to run his 8-figure ($10,000,000+)
business. He shares things that I've never seen shared before,
and his book is FREE. The URL to visit and tell him where to
mail your book is: http://BestOnlineMarketingBook.com

3) Not all "traffic" is the same. You want to attract the
attention of your ideal customers and make them aware of how
you can benefit them.

Since I do a lot of marketing online, I've learned that social
media traffic is not as responsive as direct email traffic from
people who have already learned to know, like, and trust you.
Most people on social media are there primarily to be "social!"

I can post a "tweet" and generate as many as 300 clicks in a
matter of minutes, but most of them will be just from
curious followers... and they will rarely buy.

I can send out an email offer, and convert a good percentage
of them into customers.


4) When you do market on social media, since it is a battle
for attention, IMAGES work best in grabbing attention. Use
interesting images that evoke emotion. Images of beautiful,
fit women also grab attention... of both men and women :-)


5) Regardless of the medium that you use, you need to
understand how to build the know-like-trust (KLT) factor.

Most people don't know you on that first contact, they can't
really like you, and they certainly don't trust you. You
need to let them get to know you. If you stop with just one
message to them, you've left 95% of your potential sales on the
table. It really is that simple.

You absolutely must build trust... and build an audience. Then
the rest it very easy!

6) The final one that I will share with you here today is that
every communication needs to have ONE primary purpose. So when
you send out an email, or post a promotional message on social
media, DON'T try to promote two different things, or two different
purposes.

In case you are wondering what the purpose of this post is, it's
to get you to grab Russell's book before it's too late. It's free
through midnight Eastern today, April 21st!

Grab it here: http://BestOnlineMarketingBook.com

Then stay tuned for more lessons from my running businesses for
42 years :-)

Willie





Willie Crawford
Namaste Businesses, LLC
P.O. Box 6508
Navarre, FL 32566




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