A direct response commercial offers a way for smaller businesses to successfully advertise their products and services without having to compete with big name brands that have the budget to saturate the market with ads. Not everyone can do that, but having a small company doesn’t mean that you can’t advertise. Commercial video advertising is still an option, but you have to consider how it benefits your business and how to use your ads to your best advantage.
Understanding DR Marketing
Your ad delivers a pointed message to your consumers, one that asks for some type of response, including a request for a new rewards program or a revamped product. The ad content is targeted, which makes your customers feel heard, catered to, and understood. The message aims to instruct your base to buy what you’re selling, whatever it may be. You can also use a direct response commercial or ad to advertise a sale, request people to read an entry on your blog, sign up for your newsletter, or refer a new customer.
No one expects you to spend as much on advertising as Nike or Revlon. However, a smart but affordable ad campaign can make you just as recognizable, even if it’s only in your local area.
Tracking Your Success
One of the most impressive advantages of direct response marketing and similar ads is the ability to track each one. More specifically, you can monitor the behavior of each consumer who responds and capture the engaging aspects of your campaign in future efforts. Once you receive a response, you can find out exactly which ad the customer saw and see the raw data that proves which piece of media was successful.
More Art than Advertising
A direct response commercial or ad has the potential to be more artistic and poignant than expensive ad campaigns from well-known brands. Targeted advertisements lend themselves well to elegance and flash. For example, a print ad can end up resembling a high-class editorial when it targets a specific niche. A video can have details that speak to the audience. There’s time to evoke an emotion. The headline, dialogue, or sales copy is compelling enough that viewers can’t help but listen or watch. You can hook them right out of the gate.
Speaking Directly to Consumers
Mass brands release marketing campaigns that speak to everyone. Messages are broad, not specific, and they rarely target a single customer group. For that matter, their commercials and ads typically speak directly to the investors and sponsors rather than the customers. With direct response marketing, you can shift the focus onto the customers by talking directly to them and, more importantly, openly discussing their problems, needs, frustrating experiences, and desires for the future.
Compelling a Response
As we’ve mentioned, you’re after a response from the existing customers and potential consumers watching or reading your ad. You do that by ending your advertisement with a call-to-action, which urges folks to do something. You may instruct them to call your company, visit your website, sign up for a rewards program, or print coupons. That’s up to you, but you have to make it easy and irresistible.
You don’t want to come off as aggressive or forceful, but don’t leave any room to argue. Offer compelling reasons why they should act. Why should a customer head to your website? How worthwhile is a particular coupon code? What do they have to gain by calling?
A Better ROI
Commercial video advertising is only viable if you get a measurable ROI, or Return on Investment. You don’t want to keep putting out commercials or advertisements that don’t work. Going back to your ability to measure the success of your ads, you also have the chance to tweak them. Because direct response campaigns take place on a smaller scale, there’s not as much risk involved, in that you can tailor and edit your material rather than scrapping an entire campaign. Conversely, should you have to start over from scratch, you haven’t lost as much and still have the potential to convert prospects into paying customers after a few changes to the script, the CTA, or the demos.
Versatile Options
Direct response advertising isn’t just about video, although that’s a popular option. From there, you can opt for a traditional commercial, a viral video, an ad marketed solely on social media, or an infomercial. As your follow-up, you can go with a direct email campaign, although you may choose to go with telemarketing or snail mail.
If nothing else, understand that direct response marketing is a game-changer for small or home-based businesses. You don’t have to spend a fortune on advertising in a bid to keep up with the big names. Take advantage of your niche. Realize, too, that you can launch an ad campaign whether you’re a local brick-and-mortar business or an online company. Have you thought about creating a commercial for your product? What does that look like, in your mind’s eye?
