May 26th, 2009

Dear Marketing Colleague,

You have to do marketing anyway, so why not focus on ‘marketing that’s measurable?”

That’s a question that I still ask every single business day. When the choice comes down to what works and what does not work in your advertising/marketing investments, the choice should be simple, right? I’d like to believe so.

A few problems inevitably get in the way:

• Slick salesmanship – someone over promising, under delivering and flat out lying to clients like you
• Pretty creative execution over relevant, meaningful work that’s designed to get results
• Lack of testing – the right way typically takes a bit longer, but the payoff is huge
• Disbelief that a proven process does exists that both enhances your brand and gets you the results you need

As I type this I really, truly hope that you’ll give me a chance to show you how effective and measurable your advertising/marketing can and should be. That’s why we’ve developed and refined a process called Direct Branding. Ask yourself if your current programs are getting you results like these:

• Doubled the sales rate of a specialty insurer by implementing Direct Branding, helping them compete with HUGE competitors
• Opened not one, but two new channels profitably for a high-end manufacturer of natural vitamins & supplements
• Re-branded a capital goods manufacturer to compete globally with a player that is much, much larger
• Helped re-brand and better position an insurance provider to fend off a competitor who entered the market and outspent them 15:1
• A gourmet food company that realized a 7% lift in sales thanks to our process

My passion is helping companies grow, getting good people promoted and helping to make your advertising/marketing as testable and measurable as possible.

So why does it work? Because it combines the best of branding with the best of direct marketing. It has taken us years to refine and get the process correct. It utilizes a test-centric approach that’s predicated on fact-based analysis, market research, deep-dive analytic crunching and relevant creative/message positioning to help you compete more intelligently. It uncovers where the market potential is and shows you where to allocate your marketing resources based on relative market potential. It also uncovers new opportunities – markets that are underserved or are being missed by you and your competitors. It really works!

As the economy remains tight, this process has helped us to discover how to position your messaging (yes, it needs to be different now), so that you can succeed. Again, I do not want to over inflate expectations, but do want to help as many folks as possible to market smarter and grow during these tough times. I hope you take this email seriously and call me at 1-262-782-2750 ext 131, or email me at grant.johnson@johnsondirect.com

Once we talk we can determine if a fit exists between us. I am only interested in helping those who will commit to the process and those who rely on marketing to drive sales and need a lift in their ROMI. If that’s you, let’s talk for 30 minutes. If not, that’s ok and I truly thank you for your time. Here’s to better marketing results for you and your organization…

Grant A. Johnson

I was asked by a prospective client the other day to provide him with an advertising/marketing system that would be a sure-fire, proven way to increase his business. As you and I know, in marketing there are no absolute guarantees…but his question really made me think hard about what we do and the success we have helped clients achieve.

As I contemplated his desire for marketing success, I began thinking about a process that our JD team collaborated on and have refined over the years called Direct Branding. The process has been employed by Health Care Companies, Insurance Providers (Health, PNC, Life and Specialty carriers), Capital Goods Manufacturers, Industrial Products, Gourmet Foods, Vitamin/Supplement firms, Seminar Specialists and, well, a variety of industries, both service and manufacturing driven. I slowly went through each and every client that has gone through the process and I discovered something truly amazing: Direct Branding has always delivered results that are greater than the marketing that was done before the process was implemented. True, the degree of return-on-investment has varied, but it has always been positive.

I went back and re-examined the process and the programs where we implemented it to double and then triple check them to make sure that the Direct Branding process has always worked and, again, to my delight, it has always worked. If we “skip” a part of the process results are good, but not as convincing as when we follow the system.

A few results to show you what the process does:

• Doubled the sales rate of a specialty insurer by implementing Direct Branding, helping them compete with HUGE competitors
• Opened not one, but two new channels profitably for a high-end manufacturer of natural vitamins & supplements
• Re-branded a capital goods manufacturer to compete globally with a player that is much, much larger
• Helped re-brand and better position an insurance provider to fend off a competitor who entered the market and outspent them 15:1
• A gourmet food company that realized a 7% lift in sales thanks to our process

I’m not a sales-hype kind of guy but I had to share this news with you. This process has worked in good times and in bad. Based on the tightening of marketing spends and the fact that you have to justify each and every dollar you invest in your advertising/marketing programs today, I figured you just might want to consider an approach that’s proven, one that you can rely on and commit to now to get you through the tough times. An investment now and into the future.

A few misconceptions need to be explained. Direct Branding is NOT direct mail. Is mail part of the equation? Sometimes. It depends what the process determines, but oftentimes the web, microsites, PR, ads, email and blogs, along with a mix of traditional media are incorporated to garner results you can count on. Does it work overnight? No, it’s a process and if you commit to it you will see results in 3 to 6 months, a year for sure.

So why does it work? Because it combines the best of branding with the best of direct marketing. It has taken us years to refine and get the process correct. It utilizes a test-centric approach that’s predicated on fact-based analysis, market research, deep-dive analytic crunching and relevant creative/message positioning to help you compete more intelligently. It uncovers where the market potential is and shows you where to allocate your marketing resources based on relative market potential. It also uncovers new opportunities – markets that are underserved or are being missed by you and your competitors. It really works!

As the economy remains tight, this process has helped us to discover how to position your messaging (yes, it needs to be different now), so that you can succeed. Again, I do not want to over inflate expectations, but do want to help as many folks as possible to market smarter and grow during these tough times. I hope you take this email seriously and call me at 1-262-782-2750 ext 131, or email me at grant.johnson@johnsondirect.com

Once we talk we can determine if a fit exists between us. I am only interested in helping those who will commit to the process and those who rely on marketing to drive sales and need a lift in their ROMI. If that’s you, let’s talk for 30 minutes. If not, that’s ok and I truly thank you for your time.

Measurably yours,

Grant A. Johnson

Just the other day I received a phone call from a potential new client. “At last, I’ve finally tracked you down,” the voice on the other end of the line said. “I’ve been doing my homework on you and your firm and the marketing successes you’ve had and it is quite impressive.”

I thanked the caller from a large, very reputable East-coast company and he continued on. “I’ve heard about your innovative processes that reduce marketing costs and increase revenue for clients. Tell me more about how you increased the results for a client over 700% and how you reduced the cost per lead from over $200.00 to only $7, if you don’t mind.”

“Slow down, slow down” I urged the caller and asked him how he had heard of my firm, Johnson Direct. “Well, I was calling around and contacted a few colleagues who have had mixed results with some of the larger firms that specialize in our market. They are quite expensive and I kept asking if there was anyone they knew that was customer service driven, understood our market and was not too big and got great results at fair prices. Your name came up several times,” he said.

I went on to explain about our Direct Branding process, a proprietary approach that helps to truly define your best customers and prospects and is centered-around a wise, test-centric approach to marketing and incorporates multi/cross-channel media including TV, print ads, direct mail, email, web, social media and public relations. We do marketing that’s measurable and combine the best of brand building with the tenants of direct marketing to drive real results. “That sounds like what everybody else does,” was he reply.

The difference, I reminded the caller, was in the real-world proven results we continually achieve for our client partners. The results do the speaking for us. The truth is, we are not very good salespeople, I told the caller.

And that’s precisely why I am reaching out today and posting this blog. I figured if this prospective caller was that interested in our process and if several of his colleagues mentioned my name and my firm, perhaps it would be smart to reach out to professionals like you and let you know what we do and how we might be able to assist with your marketing efforts. I guess it’s my attempt to “sell” you, or at least get you interested enough to reach out and contact me.

I’d like to say we are a great match and could do wonderful things together, but I am not sure of that. We have to talk and see philosophically and personality-wise if we are a good fit for each other. You and I will invest a lot in a relationship and if it’s broken from the start, it’s an exercise in frustration, that’s why discussing needs, goals, timelines and budgets upfront is always prudent.

You are more than welcome to visit my website at www.johnsondirect.com and/or www.insurancedirectmarketing.com for more information. Feel free to call me at 1-262-782-2750, ext 131 or email me at grant.johnson@johnsondirect.com

I hope we have the opportunity to talk and discuss your unique challenges and marketplace opportunities in the very near future.

I wish you continued success and prosperity.

Sincerely,

Grant A. Johnson

P.S. As for the caller, will we work together? We are both still determining that. It’s a process that takes some time but so far things are looking good.

I came across a good article on advertising during a recession. It talks about how companies can grow during a downturn and how companies like GM, General Electric, Ford, Exxon Mobile and others were started during poor economic times.

The part of the piece I most enjoyed, however, was when they mentioned Hyundai Motors America and how they have grown in this recession. Their VP of marketing said: “And consumers look at us differently because of the offer.”

As a measurable marketer it’s nice to be vindicated for something that’s been preached for years. Assuming you know your target audiences, the offer is the most critical component of any campaign. Why? Because it defines the relevancy that’s required in this over-communicated, less-than-robust day and age.

It goes on to state: “Today’s digital marketing options change the game in myriad ways. Online marketing campaigns are less expensive, more targeted, and more personal, not to mention that it’s easier to measure return on investment in the digital world. It also means that the era of the annual planned marketing budget is over. Marketing, which has always been a sort of performance art, has become more improv as teams learn how to test and adjust, test and adjust.”

So what’s the delay? Go ahead, start testing offers right now. Once you do and your bottom-line prospers, you can buy me a beer the next time you see me. I look forward to hearing your success story.

Grant A. Johnson