To begin understanding online marketing, one should first understand its older brother, direct marketing (you may know it as mail-order marketing & advertising).  Direct marketing uses a number of channels, some free and some paid.  There is marketing by mail, by phone, by 800 number, by radio, by TV, and even by personal visit.  More important to our purpose, Direct Marketing can also use the Internet.  For most of us corporate marketers who learned about mass marketing, direct marketing is perceived as a lesser form of marketing.  Well, having immersed myself in direct marketing I am one MBA who can report that it is a serious, reliable, and measurable discipline which produces results which are often far superior to mass marketing.  And it is absolutely necessary if you want to succeed in online marketing.

Direct marketing is marketing focused on the buyer, hence “direct” to buyer marketing.  Trust me, if corporations appreciated the possibilities offered by direct marketing, they would begin to use direct marketing techniques to absolutely skyrocket sales.  So take notes if you are a corporate marketer.  Be on the lookout for ways of identifying and reaching your target audience directly.  The good news is that with the internet and social media, now it is easier than ever before.

And the advent of the Internet and social marketing has made the Internet marketing form of direct marketing very attractive to entrepreneurs and home based business owners.  Not only is it easier than ever to find and reach the target audience, it is inexpensive.  It is entirely possible to market your products and services for free using online techniques, although it is much faster with paid advertising.

So have you noticed any websites that have huge bold headlines at the top, followed by a whole lot of narrative text and periodic pleas for you to buy?  If so you’ve encountered one of direct marketing’s most recognizable features, the sales letter.  You may have observed how long some of them are, seemingly unending.  This is because measurements have proven that longer sales letters sell more than shorter sales letters.  You may also have noted that the content is not heavily adorned with a lot of imagery.  This is because measurement has proven that editorial-looking sales copy sells better than fancy, decorative, pretty sales copy.  Oh, you may also have noticed that they seem to make some pretty amazing claims.  Well, you guessed it, measurement again.

Dan Kennedy is considered by many to be the father of modern direct marketing.  He lays out 10 Rules for Direct Marketing, or as he states it, “The No B.S. Rules”.  There are reasons occasionally for violating some of these rules, but for the most part consider them Direct Marketing Law.  These laws apply to Internet Marketing just as they do to mail and other forms of direct marketing:
- There Will Always Be an Offer or Offer(s)
- There Will Be a Reason to Respond Right Now
- There Will Be Clear Instructions (for Customers) on How to Respond
- There Will Be Tracking and Measurement
- Whatever Brand Building Occurs Will Be a Happy By-Product, Not Bought
- There Will Be Follow-Up
- There Will Be Strong Sales Copy, Not Vague Hyperbole
- In General, It Will Look Like “Mail-Order Advertising”
- Results Rule, Period
- You Will Be a Tough-Minded Disciplinarian and Keep Your Business On A Strict DIRECT Marketing Diet…

So here are the 10 “No BS Rules” for Direct Marketing.  Each of these rules deserves a chapter in our study of Internet Marketing.  Direct marketing is a mature form of marketing deserving our respect and attention.  In upcoming posts and videos I intend to indirectly convey more about Direct Marketing through my discussion of Online Marketing.  Until then I highly recommend Dan Kennedy’s benchmark book, No B.S. Direct Marketing:  The Ultimate No Holds Barred Kick Butt Take No Prisoners Direct Marketing For Non-Direct Marketing Businesses.  Yes, it’s a long title and not just a little irreverent.  Welcome to Direct Marketing.