Brand Response Marketing

Look at that ... Zara, with more than eight million followers on Instagram.

What's that? You say that social media doesn't work? You are on Instagram too and you have 14,384 followers and you have only been able to track $9,439.37 of sales in the past year?

Here's the thing, folks. Maybe there are three types of marketers. Those who love the co-ops and those who love Google tend to be direct response marketers. These folks want to do something today, and see sales come in tomorrow.

There are "brand marketers". We've all dealt with this phenomenon. We spent $1,000,000, see little return on investment, and then are told that the money was well spent because it helped "build the brand", whatever that means.

Then there are "brand response marketers". These folks amass more than eight million followers on Instagram, and don't ask a thing of any of the followers.

"Brand Response Marketing" is different than "Brand Marketing". Brand Response is about planting seeds. Brand Response is about fertilizing the soil, about rotating crops, so that the work you put in during April is rewarded in October.

Zara is executing "Brand Response Marketing".

Most of us either execute "Direct Response Marketing" or "Brand Marketing".

Those with the best customer acquisition programs tend to be brilliant "Brand Response Marketers". They are constantly planting seeds, they are constantly fertilizing the soil. Consequently, these businesses tend to get a lot of new customers for free. When you get a lot of new customers for free, you generate profit on a first purchase. When you generate profit on a first purchase, you can invest a ton of money elsewhere within the business.

The Brand Response Marketer is happy with eight million followers on Instagram, because the Brand Response Marketer doesn't have to pay somebody for access to the eight million followers (though some day, I'm sure Instagram will ruin that and then the Brand Response Marketer goes elsewhere).

Describe the percentage of your marketing efforts that are focused on each area. Are your efforts skewed too heavily toward Direct Response Marketing?

• % Spent on Direct Response Marketing.
• % Spent on Brand Marketing.
• % Spent on Brand Response Marketing.