How To Get $848,200 In Direct Response Marketing Knowledge Every Sunday

One of my Sunday rituals since I can remember has been to get a killer cup of coffee, the Sunday paper, and settle into my favorite comfy chair for a leisurely morning.

I like to read and I like to read a real newspaper.  Sunday is the only day I have time for this ritual, and now it has taken on a new purpose because I’m always on the look out for direct response advertising.

Always Study Advertising

One of the BEST resources for direct response advertising is Parade Magazine.  If your paper doesn’t have it, see if you can get a Sunday paper that does have it.

Why Parade?  Simple, it is known to have an audience that RESPONDS to advertising, so if an ad is well written and targeted to the correct market, it will pay off big time.

And a full page 4-color ad costs $848,200!   This is an important number… I can promise you a full page in even the New York Times doesn’t cost that much.  For comparison, a full page 4-color ad in the San Francisco Chronicle Magazine only costs a maximum of $12,980.

If you see an ad repeat in a publication like Parade multiple times, this is a STRONG indicator that the ad is making a lot of money.  If it is a direct response advertisement you can be dead certain the ad is making money, because they know to a penny how much the ad ‘pulled’.

If you look at a direct response ad, you’ll see it is CODED so they know which ad people are responding to.  Remember, marketing is 50% numbers and 50% psychology.  Direct marketers ALWAYS know their numbers.  If you didn’t read my article on The 5 Most Important Numbers for your Hypnotherapy Business, do so now.

Note:  Multi million dollar corporations who use the “brand building” strategy of marketing, will spend millions on advertising that doesn’t even ask you to buy.  It’s an exercise in stupidity and a huge waste of money, but Madison Avenue encourages this kind of thing.  You as a small business owner can NOT afford to use this kind of strategy and must MEASURE every single ad you run.

Save The Good Ads

Pay attention to the ads you see each week.  Notice what if anything changes about the ad.  If the ad changes every week, it means they are testing to find which one works the best.  If it doesn’t change, cut it out and save it.  Remember each full page color ad is worth $848,200, that’s a very valuable marketing lesson.

In the Direct Marketing World, this collection of saved ads is called a “Swipe File”.  It’s a place to go for ideas.  Most of the best marketing campaigns today are variations of age old methods known to work.  You should always be asking yourself the question “How can I use this in my business?”

Important!  You can’t blatantly copy an ad.  That’s plagiarism and it’s un-ethical.  But you can adapt an idea or even a headline for your ads.  In fact, I’ll teach you how to create killer headlines that grab your prospects attention and guarantee they look at your ad in a later post.

Here are some ads to look for in Parade:

1. Nutri Systems – Virtually every week they run either a full page color ad or a 2-page color ad.  They have been changing each week so they must be testing ads for their new product line.  Each one has an Irresistible offer and is coded to measure response.

2. First Street Cell Phones – A brilliant NICHE in the cell phone market.  A stupid-simple cell phone with big buttons, large display type, and even hearing aid compatible.  I know my father has complained about tiny buttons, tiny displays, and overly complex functions.  I’ve seen this ad a number of times, so I bet they nailed their market with this device.

3. Deep Wrinkle Serum. Skin care and anti-aging is a HUGE market with all the Baby Boomers hitting retirement age.  This one has been in a couple times now.  They have a very weak offer, but they do put an 800 number to call.

4. Collectible Elvis Presley 50th Anniversary Collector Coins – Elvis is still a huge draw, and his fans are rabid.  Great tie in with a current event (the 50th anniversary).   First week I’ve noticed this one.  Be interesting to see if it’s back next week.  Weak headline, but good offer.

5. Balanced Spectrum Floor Lamp – First time I’ve noticed it, but it’s from the same company offering the big number cell phone, which I’m guessing is a Direct Marketing firm for targeted niche products.  They probably test these in small markets and then roll them out nationwide.  Appropriate for winter since one of the benefits they tout is “natural sunlight technology”.

There are at least 2 more direct response ads there.  I’ll leave it as an exercise for you to find them in your own copy of Parade.  Remember to save them in your “swipe file” for ideas, and to ask yourself “How can I use this in my business”.

Enjoy your Sunday reading!