Dan Kennedy is one of the greatest direct marketing minds to come along in the last 100 years. He has countless success stories marketing products using methods that were outside the norm. His basic philosophy is that every bit of advertising and marketing should have a specific offer, call-to-action, and you should be able to quantify the success or failure of the campaign in dollars. Spending money on branding alone is a huge waste of money for large corporations, and a recipe for disaster for small business. Direct mail has by far been his favorite medium of advertising, but his strategies work for radio, TV, print, and Internet advertising. Below are his 10 basic rules of direct marketing.
There will always be an offer or offers.
There will be a reason to respond right now.
You will give clear instructions on how to order.
There will be tracking, measurement and accountability.
Only no-cost branding.
There will be follow-up.
There will be strong copy.
It will look like mail-order advertising.
Results rule. Period.
You will be a tough-minded disciplinarian and put your business on a strict direct marketing diet.