Are you old enough to remember when direct response campaigns like print newsletters and catalogs dominated marketing? If not, then you should definitely look at how direct marketing evolved over the years.
The keyword here is evolve – you’ll hear some businesses owners say direct response is dead. Yet, it’s the methods that have died off and changed. The internet created a way for direct response marketing campaigns to maintain prominence in the advertising realm.
Today, you will find direct response marketing in the form of emails, mobile push notifications, and social media promotions. Those with effective strategies can greatly grow their revenue and client base.
If you’re thinking about adding direct response campaigns to your strategy, then the following is for you.
Let’s review the top 7 ways you can turn your DR marketing into a success for your snorkeling business.
1. Create Buzz and Add Value to Snorkeling Prospects
What ways can you add appeal to your snorkeling brand? One way is to deliver content that’s high-value. And the best way to add value is to learn everything you can about your target audience.
For example, you know many of your snorkeling customers are travelers. By crafting content that offers tips and advice about traveling and snorkeling safely, it will add value to their vacations.
You can even offer tutorials for wearing certain products, like the Ninja Shark full face kids masks.
You can create all sorts of content for your email campaigns and social media posts that cater to the needs and problems of your audience. By doing so, you will create buzz that directs more traffic and customers your way.
Avoid being overly promotional in your direct response marketing and focus on giving away valuable insights. If you can position yourself as an authority and problem-solver, then more people will come to you.
2. Showing is Always Better than Telling
It’s one of the first things you’ll learn in direct response marketing 101. If you truly want to capture the attention of your target customers, then you need to show them why they should purchase from your snorkeling business.
Now, there are various ways you can pull this off. For instance, you can include videos showing how your products are used in your emails and on social media posts.
Another option is to showcase testimonials from past customers demonstrating what they loved about your snorkeling gear.
You can also include a made-up story in your direct response marketing collateral that shows how your product resolves a problem or improves an experience.
3. Capitalize On Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
Here’s another important factor in marketing 101. Your USP is an important factor in converting your audience into customers. This is what separates your snorkeling business and products from the competition.
There are various ways you can do this. For instance, you can focus on your prices if yours are the best in the industry. Or you can talk about the quality if you can prove your items are top-notch compared to the rest.
Other unique selling points you can touch on are your quick deliveries, warranties and having a patented product no one else has.
4. Test, Test, and Test Some More
In direct response marketing (or any form of marketing), testing never ends. This is key for identifying which campaigns are winning and which are failing.
Split testing also comes in handy for seeing what exactly isn’t working. Maybe it’s the wording, the pricing or the offer.
Test everything you can in your direct response marketing campaigns. This includes headlines, ad copy, and sales presentation.
Even the images should change in each test to see if one works better than the other. You can use split testing within your email campaigns, as well as your PPC ads, and SMS notifications.
5. Listen and Engage with Your Customers
There’s no better way to learn about your audience than to listen and engage in conversations with them. This is made easier with the use of social media.
Here, you can join in conversations started by your potential customers. Or you can even start a few of them, which will help build visibility for your brand page.
For instance, you can join in conversations of people discussing travels to beach destinations, like Mexico, Jamaica and other hot spots. Give tips with authenticity to show you’re genuine and not just there to promote a product.
And most importantly, use this time to learn things about your audience. What are their likes, dislikes, pain points and desires? You can target this inside of your direct response marketing messaging to get a better response.
6. Make the Purchasing Process Easy
Say your direct marketing is working very well. Yet, when prospects reach your landing page or website, they have a hard time ordering snorkeling gear. This will only increase your bounce rate and decrease your sales potential.
Make sure your purchasing process is as simple as possible. It’s also a good idea to offer several communication channels for users to contact your business on.
For example, an email address, Facebook page, and website contact page. Point to all of these in your marketing content.
7. Toss Out Institutional Advertising and Stick to Direct Response Marketing
Institutional advertising consists of brand building, which focuses on delayed responses. This doesn’t do much for your direct response marketing campaigns.
Instead of using these forms of marketing, you should stick to direct response. This way, you can drive more sales. This is possible because direct response allows you to make a strong case for your company, service or product via your ads.
Also, your direct marketing content answers important questions about your product, service or company. Then it makes promises, money back guarantees or a risk-free trial.
And what’s most important is that direct response urges your prospects to convert.
Find Resources to Help with Your Marketing Strategies
Marketing for your snorkeling business requires you to enlist in a never-ending cycle of learning. Changes in technology and consumer behaviors will continue to change how we market to prospects.
At BloggingWP, we act as a go-to resource for everything to do with blogging and content marketing. The topics we cover include SEO tips, making money online, blogging tips and content creation.
Stop by our blog today to learn more about improving your digital marketing strategy for your snorkeling company.