There are two broad categories in advertising, and it is vital that you understand the difference. If you don’t, your campaigns are doomed to mediocre returns at best, failure at worst. These two kinds of marketing are called institutional advertising and direct response advertising. Direct response advertising will make you rich … image advertising will waste your money.
Institutional advertising is where a business tries to get customers by building name recognition; by ‘getting their name out there.’ Almost all industries use this kind of advertising, including floor dealers. Open the yellow pages to any industry category and you will examples of what I’m talking about. All the ads say basically the same thing: the business name, bullet-points telling what they do, a phone number, and a slogan saying something like, “Number one in customer satisfaction,” or other such drivel. This kind of advertising gives no solid, compelling reason for a potential customer to use them versus every other competitor. The big-box stores use institutional advertising as their bread and butter. Since their customer service is lousy, and their floor covering ‘experts’ sometimes don’t know a seam from a tack strip, and there is nothing special about their products, they can really give no compelling reason for a potential customer to use them. So, they resort to promoting
4 Serious Drawbacks of Institutional Advertising for the Small Floor Dealer
- Institutional ads are difficult to track, so there is almost no way of knowing if you are getting any sales as a direct result of your campaign.
- There is no compelling reason for someone to call you instead of someone else. Therefore, it winds up turning into a “price game.” And this is the one area where the big-box stores simply cannot be beaten. (Fortunately for the savvy floor dealer, there are many other areas where they can be beaten — and beaten badly.)
- It can take a long time to see results. At best, results don’t happen until sometime in the future, oftentimes too late to do you any good.
- It’s very, very expensive. Gigantic corporations can afford to dump millions of dollars into this kind of advertising. Most independent or small floor covering dealers can’t.
Emotional direct response advertising is the second kind of marketing, and it gives potential clients a strong message that compels them to run to the phone and call immediately. Direct response is tough-minded, results-driven marketing that can be tracked and held accountable for its performance. Good direct response marketing uses reasons other than price to get customers to call.
Direct Response Advertising Formulas
There are a handful of truly effective direct response advertising formulas, and one of the best is Attention, Interest, Desire and Action (AIDA). First, the customer’s attention is captured with a compelling headline. The best headlines focus on benefits to the customer. Second, interest is generated by telling a story. For example, explain in great detail how your iron-clad warranty will allow the customer to “sleep like a baby,” or how your hassle-free buying process will make the installation fun and “as stress-free as a vacation.” Third, desire is created with a compelling offer. Fourth, an action is prompted with a deadline and a call to action.
Using direct response marketing to tell your dealership’s unique story—and to quickly gain customers—is a key weapon in outmaneuvering the big-box stores, and to doubling your income.
To Tons Of Customers!
Jim Augustus Armstrong is The “Coach”
Jim Augustus Armstrong is the President of Flooring Success Systems, a program that equips dealers to double their profits, cut their work hours in half and beat the boxes! Many dealers have totally transformed their businesses and their lives for the better after joining Flooring Success Systems.
See what real, live dealers are saying!