How many times have you seen a TV commercial or read an ad in the newspaper and thought “so what”. So you’ve been in business 10 years. So you have “great” service and low prices – so do your 47 competitors, and besides these days you better or your 11^th anniversary celebration could turn into a going out of business sale.

Most advertising is what I like to refer to as name, rank, serial number. That is; here’s our company name & logo, here are our products, here’s how great we are, here’s our phone number.

It’s sometimes called image advertising or branding. There is no compelling reason for consumers to take notice or care. There is nothing in it for them.

These marketers obviously haven’t heard of radio station WIIFM (What’s In It For Me) – which is the station consumers are tuned into 24/7.

Good direct response style marketing on the other hand, uses something (usually a headline) to grab attention, then tries to join the conversation that’s already going on in the prospect’s head so they say to themselves “hey they’re talking to me”

Then it gives them a compelling reason to respond positively (call, visit a website, place an order, request a quote, visit your store). This is often done using something along the lines of a free offer, free consultation, free report, a bounce back coupon (a discount off your next purchase after making an initial purchase), etc.

The difference is a well put together branding style advertisement may entertain your prospects, but a solid direct response advertisement gets them to engage with you and either pull out their wallet or set the stage for a continuing dialog.

The good news is you can still build brand recognition using direct response style marketing and as a bonus, bring in some revenue while you’re at it.