Page 158 - Duct Tape Marketing

Run Advertising That Gets Results

drives a great deal of conversion and trust building these days
is educational content—e-books, seminars, and blog posts.
Advertising is a great way to help get that content found and
consumed once you’ve gone to the effort to produce it.
 advertising adds credibility to your message—don’t ask
me why this is exactly, but every time I run advertising,
people comment that my business must be doing well. The
perception that you can afford advertising is often enough
to sell and resell prospects and customers alike and makes it
easier to get attention for your entire message.
 advertising amplifies everything else you’re doing—when you
are using advertising to create awareness for your content,
you automatically create more awareness for everything you
are doing. Journalists find companies that advertise, referral
sources remember companies that advertise, people “fan” and
follow and “friend” from ads, and employees can point to
well-placed ads as a source of pride in the place they work.

Introducing Two-Step Direct Response Advertising

As the name implies, two-step advertising is simply a form of adver-
tising that motivates readers or listeners to take a step or action (step
one) that essentially signals that you have their permission to begin
marketing to them (step two). Step one by the prospect signals step
two by you, and the marketing dance is begun.

This powerful process is set in motion by advertising that offers
the reader free or low-cost information or services only. The sole intent
of a two-step ad is to generate a qualified response or action—not to
make a sale. When you offer a free how-to report, tip sheet, industry
insider scoop, or other valuable information, you start the process of
building a relationship, building trust, with your prospects.

139