How Direct Response Advertising Works

How Direct Response Advertising WorksHow Direct Response Advertising WorksThere are many different approaches under the advertising umbrella. There are campaigns that are produced purely to raise awareness of the product or service. These image spots usually come in the form of outdoor ads, like billboards and bus shelter posters, glamorous TV spots, magazine adverts, and profilloser reifen radio commercials with high production values. The problem with image advertising is that its expensive- sometimes, very expensive. A spot put out during a prime-time TV show can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars for just 30 seconds of airtime. During the Super Bowl, that increases to several million dollars. This means that for the fruchtwein part, image advertising (also known as above the line advertising) is left to the biggest players, like Nike, Coca-Cola, Apple, BMW, Procter Gamble, Unilever, and so on. For smaller companies, image advertising is a luxury they cannot afford. To be fair , its one they dont need. Direct response marketing, if done right, will give these companies an excellent return on a much smaller investment. Direct Response Advertising Unlike image advertising, direct response elicits an immediate reaction from the consumer. It literally is calling for a direct response. Call now. Click here. Send back this application. This is about a directive, not awareness. Not only that, but direct response advertising is far mora of a science than its more costly alternatives. For a start, direct response campaigns are much easier to track. Unique phone numbers, URLs, and mailing addresses make it easy to see how many people have responded to the ad in question. This also means you can measure the financial success of the campaign, and capture an accurate return on investment (ROI). Whats more, direct response campaigns take full advantage of modern data mining and audience segmentation. You can target niche audiences, certain parts of the country, or make sure only people of a certain age see the ads. For example, if your product or service is aimed at the elderly, you can create a campaign that will target that group. This is much more difficult to do on broadcast TV. Overall, direct mail is so successful because it is more personal, it conveys more information about the product or service, and its direct. It asks the consumer to do something sometimes, it almost demands that they take action, and people follow the advice. Direct Response Channels Direct response is a marketing technique that can be applied to almost any kind of media. However, most of the time, direct response stays away from billboard advertising as it is just impossible to get across a direct selling message in the few seconds consumers have to interact with the medium. Traditionally, direct response has worked best through the following channels Direct Mail Sometimes called junk mail (although this is derogatory to high-quality direct marketing that engages customers creatively), direct mail comes in the form of envelopes, letters, and packages mailed to the consumer. Most of the time it takes the form of an envelope with a selling message, with a letter and brochure inside asking for the consumer to call a number or visit a website. Email Often called spam, direct response emails have become the most popular way to market to consumers. Emails are fast, cheap, and have clickable links to take the consumer right to the sign-up page. However, it has a low success rate. The average open rate is around 24 percent, and the click-through and conversion rates hover around 1 percent. Sending out millions of emails can result in less than 100 sales. Radio Youll know these commercials well, as they are spoken quickly, are very salesy, and have a phone number or website repeated three to five times within the spot. Although radio can be a creative outlet, its usually driven by the hard sell. Infomercials If the product is rig ht, the long-form infomercial spot is a great direct response vehicle. A classic example is the Showtime Rotisserie from Ron Popeil. Popeil is considered one of the masters of direct response TV, and his commercials have traktament many millions of dollars in products. Telemarketing This was another popular way to get to consumers directly, with companies employing telephone marketers to call people and try and sell them over the phone. However, the Do Not Call registry, created in 2003, put an end to most of those calls. Charities and political campaigns still find it an effective way to get money. Examples of Great Direct Response Advertising Perhaps the most famous direct response ad ever written was by the great John Caples in 1926 (who now has an advertising award named after him). It was for the U.S. School of Music, and the headline read, They Laughed When I Sat Down At the Piano But When I Started to Play- It was a long copy ad and is considered to have one of the gr eatest headlines ever written. A very persuasive and effective ad. Another classic is the direct mail piece written and designed by Bill Jayme for the magazine Psychology Today. The envelope featured a striking design and asked the question Do you close the bathroom door even when youre the only one home? The piece had an extremely high conversion rate, and Bill Jaymes letters and mailing pieces were always in high demand. In fact, he was paid tens of thousands of dollars to write a letter for a client, and this was during the fifties and sixties. He died in 2001 aged 75 and was considered one of the greatest direct marketing writers who ever lived.

The Quirky Ways Successful People Spend Their Sunday Nights

The Quirky Ways Successful People Spend Their Sunday NightsThe Quirky Ways Successful People Spend Their Sunday Nights Ah, Sunday. The last chance we have to get things done before our schedules are consumed by the workweek. The question is, how do you spend those precious few hours? Do you spend your time relaxing, hanging out with friends, or getting caught up on all the little chores and tasks of everyday life? Personally, I shave my legs on Sunday night, no matter if Ive just done it the day before. Its a habit Ive had since high school. Weirder mucksmuschenstill I always make sure I have enough clean underwear. I dont do laundry on the weekend, but I check the lingerie drawer, just in case. Sounds a little obsessive maybe, but it started when I was a national correspondent, often sent out of town on unexpected assignments. There isnt any time for laundry when youre rushing for a plane. Ive been unprepared before and its miserable. Have you tried to buy underwea r at a Walmart in Wyoming at midnight? I didnt think so. My own quirky habits aside, Sundays are often about taking care of necessities. One man I spoke with faithfully irons while watching 60 Minutes (Is that still on?). Another writes down all his work concerns, then puts the list away and off of his mind, so he can relax Sunday evening.Sunday evening rituals are most often about getting chores done, but some are over-achievers. Olivia Larson, a librarian in New York, doubles down on her Transcendental Meditation practice, making sure she gets a little extra in, so shes peaceful and alert on Monday. Health-conscious travel werber Susan Janneckmakes nutritious soups and salads for work lunches, and lays out her workout gear so shes ready for the mad dash out the door into LA traffic. Patti Thorn, co-owner of Inkspot, a review service for self-published books, is an end-of-weekend vacuumer, who regularly writes her freelancers checks on Sunday night. Sleep is essential, especi ally for those trying to catch up on the work weeks lost Zs. It can be a spontaneous nap or a late start on the day. But for some, sleep routines dont vary much. No matter whats on the to-do list , Maria Yuns rack time is sacred - Sunday is her night to get to bed early. Before going to bed, I review my calendar, says the blogger and writer. If its not in my calendar, it doesnt exist.For a lot of workers in the gig economy , Sunday night habits take place at different times. With her erratic schedule, Pat Bates, a video-producer, cant count on Sunday nights being her get it done nights. Even so, shes got a tried and true getting-ready-for work ritual. I have to clean and organize my workspace before I can write, says the freelancer whose clients include Oprah and CNN. Then, it gets all messy again once I really get into the project. But, its new messy She calls it Organize. Write. Wreck. Repeat. And then there are those who like a little treat to end their time off. Though legal assistant Gail Agocial does all her grocery shopping for the week on Sunday, she never misses her weekly manicure appointment. A little Sunday luxury goes a long way. One Sunday night a month, Lisa Herzlich sorts her daily vitamins into a plastic container. But as hyper-organized as the shopping center consultant is, Herzlich confesses to a bit of indulgence. Sometimes I have a little mora for dinner than I would like, but then again I am always starting my new diet on Monday, she says.As my social media streams and inbox can attest to, technology has brought about a radical shift in Sunday evening habits. I notice that my overscheduled friends attend to their personal online lives before their professional ones take over on Monday. Posting. Emailing. Instagramming. Add to that, in this current golden age of streaming and cable, a lot of the best content is scheduled for then ( Game of Thrones , anybody?). Granted, many shows you can choose to view at almost anytime, but Sunday ha s become a common time to lay on the couch and veg out in front of the tube, with or without friends. From relaxation to preparation, peoples Sunday night habits run the gamut. Whats on your Sunday night to-do list?

How Staffing Companies Will Stand Out in 2012

How Staffing Companies Will Stand Out in 2012How Staffing Companies Will Stand Out in 2012How Staffing Companies Will Stand Out in 2012What is the forecast for staffing industry in the year ahead?In a word(s) The big squeeze in the staffing industry will continue in 2012 as clients maintain downward pressure on rates, reduce the number of staffing vendors and recruiters they work with and demand perfection from an American workforce of uneven quality.The statistics show Demand for contingent labor is still slack. Employment in the temporary help services category stagnated at about 2.3 million workers in the last three months of 2011, according to seasonally adjusted data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And the supply of staffing firms tightened, only to the extent that many agencies folded or merged in the 2007-2009 recession and its lingering aftermath.Which staffing firms and recruiters will have the best chance to thrive in these cutthroat conditions? The ones that dare to s pecialize, to pick a successful niche and mine it for all its worth.Here are some top ideas for supplying skilled workers as a unique service, under a compelling talent brand that doesnt try to be all things to all employers.Mom Corps Sourcing Seasoned Professionals Who Are Working MothersStaffing firm Mom Corpsrecipe for success begins with an underutilized source of top talent young women who want to continue their established professional careers while bringing up children.ur talent is not in the general workforce, says Allison OKelly, CEO of Atlanta-based Mom Corps. So we spend a lot of time identifying members of this pool of experienced talent thats largely untapped. Mom Corps places working mothers in roles ranging from office managerto network engineer.Among Moms Corps special challenges in making a match sourcing professional moms who may be passive candidates, and matching the scheduling needs of white-collar parents and their prospective employers.Moms Corps offer is base d on professional excellence at superior value. By allowing non-traditional, flexible work arrangementsthat often include some telecommuting, clients can pay less for office space, and we dont bill for professionals time at high-end rates, OKelly says.Interim Executives Thriving in the Open Waters of an Emerging Marketfruchtwein recruitment firms crave executive searches and their five-figure-and-up commissions. But firms that carve out a different niche are less likely to drown in a sea of a thousand staffing solutionsproviders.Thats part of what spells success for Cerius Interim Executive Solutions.Small to midsized companies bring us in because they lack specific management expertise say they want to go into the international market, says Pamela Wasley, CEO of the Irvine, Calif., firm.Big companies come to us because theyre having trouble finding the right executive and they need someone to run the ship in the meantime.The trick for Cerius is to get prospective clients to consid er an interim employment arrangement, rather than automatically mounting a search for a permanent hire or engaging a consultant.The interim executive model is not well-known in our target market of small to midsized companies, says Wasley. But they love the idea when they find out about it.Filling the Training GapEverybody frets over the talent gap,but few staffing firms offer a true solution in the form of contingent staffing workers who consistently come fully trained for the assignment at hand.I want temps to have at least a semblance of team-building skills the attitudes, behaviors and actions of being a team member, says Tim Whitney, a vice president of Naturich Labs with long experience using contingent labor.No one in the staffing industry is focusing on this temp services just throw people at the clients problem until somebody sticks. Temp services should be doing more training, to take pressure off the clients frontline managers.If your firm can develop the consultative c hops to assess the clients very specific needs and deliver the talent that can do the job from day one, youve got a staffing service offering that can succeed.Too Small for the Big GuysAnother niche strategy for smaller staffing firms Pitch specific talent thats in demand but hard to find in your geographic area.Basically the buyers want to know if someone can deliver a certain skill in a certain region, says Tony Gregoire, senior research analyst at Staffing Industry Analysts in Mountain View, Calif. Maybe theres an opportunity for a niche supplier in a certain location thats too small for bigger staffing firms.Finally, remember that more and more employers are no longer willing to engage with agencies that simply put derrieres in chairs.Staffing firms are taking a more consultative role than the old transactional model, says Richard Walquist, president of the American Staffing Association,a trade group in Alexandria, Va. They look at your demand cycles going in and out of a recess ion, and optimize your workforce over time.