Thursday, 12 December, 2024
Sydney, Australia

Howdy, amigo.

If you’re a business owner or an entrepreneur but you aren’t a big fan of being broke, then you’ll probably want to drop what you’re doing and listen up a minute. Because I’m going to be spilling some home truths about what’s easily the most badass marketing tool out there for raking in the business dollars.

It’s called direct response copy.

If you’ve heard of it before, don’t worry, I’m not going to ask you to start reminiscing about your grandpa’s advertising game over a hot chocolate, with Frank Sinatra playing in the background.

It’s is a marketing weapon that’s still taking names in the digital world today, just as it did back before going viral was a career path. And it still makes prospects and customers want to throw cash at you like a drunk uncle at a strip bar.

If that doesn’t make your loins tingle with excitement, I don’t know what will.

So grab yourself a stiff drink and let’s rip the lid off this beast.

Direct response copy is the ninja of the marketing world. Plain and simple.

It’s not about making people remember or think about your brand. Or feel all warm and fuzzy over your shiny new logo.

It’s about grabbing your reader by the collar and demanding action. Getting them to do something . . . and do it right freakin’ now.

Buy your gizmo.

Sign up for your course.

Click that big blue buy button before they have time to second-guess.

It’s got a hard-hitting offer and a laser-focused call-to-action (CTA) that screams, “Do this, or you’re gonna regret it for the rest of your miserable-ass life!”

What sets it apart?

Benefits.

Not features, not specs – nobody cares about the ancient secret sauce in your widget.

They wanna know how it’s gonna make them richer, sexier, or less likely to bomb at their next job interview. It’s direct, it’s personal, and it’s got more urgency than a seagull spotting a dropped chip.

Compare that to those airy-fairy brand ads with models staring soulfully at sunsets with that “I’ve never had a real job” look on their face. Those are about “awareness.”

Not direct response.

Direct response is about closing the deal.

Think of it like the difference between flirting at a bar and proposing on the first date. One’s subtle and usually ever leads anywhere; the other’s got a ring and a deadline.

Direct response copy is like a psychological sledgehammer. It lights a fire under your prospect’s ass and smashes through any scepticism or objections they might have.

How?

By tapping into the messy, primal stuff that makes us human – greed, fear, hope, that gut-punch feeling of FOMO (fear of missing out) on something life-changing.

When it’s done well, direct response copy’s superpower is its ability to hit those emotional hot buttons, to create an offer that’s just too good to refuse.

I once saw a guy selling a $99 “How to Win at Poker” course using a single email. It painted such a vivid picture of crushing your buddies at the card table, you could practically smell the cigar smoke.

That’s the magic – making your reader feel the payoff before they even think about opening their wallet.

And with direct response copy, you’re not blasting a generic message to a faceless crowd willy-nilly. It’s personal, and it’s targeted.

You’re talking one-on-one, like you’re spilling secrets to your best pal over a cold beer at a dive bar. That’s the vibe you’re going for.

Throw in some social proof, like real testimonials from folks who swear your product changed their life. Then cover their back with a “100% Money-Back Guarantee, No Questions Asked”.

All this builds trust, turns strangers into raving fans, and keeps ‘em coming back for more.

But that’s not all.

One of the best things about direct response copy, especially for small businesses, is that it’s completely measurable. That’s super important.

Why?

Because generally speaking, small businesses don’t have wads of cash lying around (please correct me if I’m wrong here) to throw at generic awareness ads like those vague “brand campaigns”, and hoping for the best.

Direct response copy gives you hard numbers. You know exactly how many prospects clicked, bought, or ran screaming.

So you know right away whether the dog hunts. BEFORE you start throwing more and more hard-earned dollars at it.

With good copy, it’s not unusual to have an ROI (return on investment) of 10 or more. That means for every dollar you spend, it makes you ten.

Not bad, right?

Damn straight. They’re the kind of returns that make accountants weep with joy.

Bless their hearts.

But hey, even with a return of $1.20 for every ad dollar, you’re still making money. Doesn’t mean you’re flogging a dead horse. It might just mean you need to test, tweak and tune things a touch – and get your ad running like a well-oiled machine.

That’s the beauty of measurable marketing – you’ve got complete control. So you won’t ever be foolishly pissing your money away.

It sure as hell beats the usual “pay and pray” approach.

Direct response copy goes way back, like horse-and-buggy days. Think 1890s Sears catalogues – selling everything from pick axes, to saddles, to miracle tonics.

By the 20th century, OGs like Claude Hopkins and John Caples were cranking out direct response sales letters that read like War and Peace. But hey, they raked in some serious, serious moolah.

Those gangsters could literally turn words into gold.

I cut my teeth on their stuff back when I started. I dug up everything from the old masters I could get my hands on (still do), and wrote out their ads and sales letters by hand to soak up their style.

A lot of people aren’t aware of how Richard Branson, of Virgin fame, got his first start in business. It was in his own mail-order business, selling records that he advertised in the magazine he himself started in the ‘60s – using . . . yep, you guessed it . . . direct response ads.

But come the late ‘90s, the internet kicked the doors down. Suddenly, email and websites made it dirt-cheap to reach millions. You could A/B test headlines and know by lunchtime what worked and what didn’t.

And data quickly became the new king. Personalisation turned generic “Dear Friend” letters into “Hey, Steve, I Know You Love Craft Beer” emails.

Now? It’s a whole new ballgame.

Video ads on YouTube and TikTok are the new long-form sales letters.

More recently, AI’s thrown its hat into the ring as well. It’s enabled pretty much every man and his dog to spit out copy faster than I can down a shot of 12-year-old triple malt whisky.

But the reality is, it falls short.

Because here’s the rub – some things never change. Copy’s still gotta be real, and it’s gotta feel human.

Or it folds like a cheap suit.

Generic, same old, same old and auto-generated copy doesn’t cut the mustard. Never has, and never will.

These days, prospects are savvier than ever. They can smell fake and sleaze a mile away. And their attention spans are shorter than a fruit fly’s memory.

So mobile-optimised, punchy copy rules the roost. Copy that’s 100% ethical, 100% transparent, and 100% BS-free.

Anything less and your prospect will bail on you quicker than a vegan at a Texas barbeque.

If you’re tingling with glee over the thought of using direct response copy to supercharge your business, you’re probably wondering how and where you could do that.

Well, the great news is that the options are virtually endless. Because these days, direct response copy is everywhere. It’s like glitter after a kindergarten art project gone rogue. You can’t escape it.

Here’s a few common examples of where it’s working its mojo:

Email marketing: Think those “Last Chance! 50% Off!” emails that make you panic-buy a course you’ll never finish. Gotta love them!

Landing pages: Those slick websites that hypnotise you into handing over your credit card before you realise you forgot to pick up the kids from school. A good landing page is like a Vegas magician – it distracts, dazzles, and closes.

Social media ads: Scroll TikTok for ten seconds and you’ll soon see some influencer promising six-pack abs or a side hustle that’ll make you a millionaire by Tuesday. Those are direct response ads, and they’re raking it in.

Direct mail: Don’t laugh – those “You’ve Been Pre-Approved!” letters still work like gangbusters. But don’t worry, so do letters without all the cheese. While everyone else is stepping over each other to grab your attention online, these guys are flying under the radar, dropping bombs from clear blue skies.

Pay-Per-Click ads: Google Ads that stalk you like a jealous ex who knows you’re shopping for new boots. They’re targeted, they’re relentless, and they convert like crazy.

Webinars: Think those online “making money from home” lessons that are followed by an hour-long pitch where some guru sells you a $2,000 course on “How to Get Rich While Showering”.

SMS campaigns: Texts that ping your phone at 3:00am yelling, “Flash Sale! Buy Now! If you snooze, you lose!” You’d be shocked how effective these can actually be.

Crowdfunding pages: Kickstarter and Indiegogo campaigns that convince you a $200 backpack will change your life. Those “Pledge Now!” buttons? Pure direct response gold.

Infomercials: Late-night TV or YouTube ads for miracle mops or knives that cut through steel. They’re cheesy, but they’re still moving product faster than a short-order cook at a greasy spoon rush.

You get the idea.

Direct response copy is still very much alive and it’s thriving. And it’s the slickest, most ferocious, take-no-prisoners money-making machine in the marketing jungle.

It’s not just boring old words on a page. It’s much more.

It’s psychological warfare.

Direct response copy is unmatched for hooking prospects, reeling them in, shattering their scepticism, and sparking action faster than you can say “limited-time offer”.

Whether you’re hawking widgets, building an empire, or just trying to get your kid’s lemonade stand to turn a profit, this is the secret weapon you should be using.

Do it today, you won’t be sorry.

Until next time,

Fabian.