The latest Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero’s Copywriting TNT newsletter issue has been released. The featured article is titled “The Cult of Branding”. [eZine Article Reprint]


The latest Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero’s Copywriting TNT newsletter issue has been released.

The Cult of Branding

As a copywriter and marketer, I always want to learn (and re-learn) the fundamentals of my trade. I rely on what’s proven and works, and am usually skeptical when I hear marketing people buy into and promote the latest marketing fad. Lately that fad-du-jour is what I call the ‘Cult of Branding.’

These true believers say something like: “If you just have the right brand or phrase that you’re known by, that’ll solve your marketing problems.” Being a contrarian, I never buy into what ‘the herd’ (or masses of people) are doing. After doing some research on the topic, my skepticism was confirmed. Here are some reasons why I prefer direct-response marketing instead of the branding approach.

Consumers are bombarded with hundreds (if not thousands) of messages and images every day from radio, TV, newspapers, magazines and the Internet. It’s more expensive and time-consuming to build a brand than to market through direct-response methods, which can exhaust your most precious resources: Time and money.

Because of this information overload, today’s consumers have very short attention spans. Even if they see your company’s brand several times, there’s no guarantee they’ll remember it or your business . . . much less buy from you.

The only benefit I can see goes to ad agencies that collect big fees by implementing this branding approach for their clients. Always remember what the ultimate purpose of your marketing is: To make a sale. Claude Hopkins says it well in the advertising classic Scientific Marketing:

“The only purpose of advertising is to make sales. It is profitable or unprofitable according to its actual sales. It is not for general effect. It is not to keep your name before the people . . . Treat it as a salesman.”

When a prospect first discovers you and your business, she wants to know if you’re competent, trustworthy, and can solve her problem. Your initial contacts with her should include valuable, usable information; establish your credibility; develop trust and a good relationship.

A brand, by itself, doesn’t meet any of these objectives. Having said that, it is good to have something unique that people remember you by. Ali Brown is known as the ‘E-Zine Queen.’ Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero is known for ‘Red Hot Copy.’ Adam Urbanski is remembered as the ‘Marketing Mentor.’

These monikers help you remember who they are, which is good. But what makes them great is the valuable information, expertise and value they provide their customers. The brand doesn’t do that on its own merit.

Lorrie, Adam and Ali have gotten to where they’re at by putting in hundreds (if not thousands) of hours studying and honing their marketing and business skills. It didn’t happen just because they had a catchy name or brand.

The basic premise behind branding is that if you put your name/logo/brand out to the market enough times, people will recognize your brand and eventually buy from you. It doesn’t consider if you’re providing valuable information and help, and what your target market really wants to solve their most pressing problems.

The branding mentality originated during the dot.com days of the late 1990’s. The typical dot.com business model usually worked like this: First, get a round or two of venture capital funding. Then build brand awareness and get a lot ‘eyeballs’ or clicks at the website. This traffic would make the company attractive enough to be bought out by a company such as Google or Yahoo, and lead to a cash windfall.

It was never based on a solid, realistic business plan where customers received real value, and the business brought in consistent cash flow. The ‘branding’ approach is flawed because it’s based on inaccurate assumptions that were started during a crazy time in business and marketing history.

One of Napoleon Hill’s Laws of Success is Accurate Thought. In summary, it’s based on the use of testing relevant and important facts, and proving an assumption to be true or false. You won’t be successful if your course of action is based on a premise that just isn’t so, no matter how badly you want to believe it.

I know that direct-response marketing has been around for over 100 years. When it’s done correctly, it produces profitable results. Branding is a relatively new approach to marketing, and there isn’t a clear definition of what it is – much less how your business can profit from it.

Any business owner who buys into a marketing approach that isn’t time-tested or proven definitely could be financially ruined. That’s what I don’t like about the branding approach: There’s not much evidence that shows how – or more importantly, IF – branding produces profitable business results for small to medium-sized businesses.

When you use direct-response marketing correctly, you can measure the results of your advertising, and adjust accordingly if needed. With branding, it’s difficult to judge the effectiveness of a single ad or marketing campaign.

Today’s business world is fast-paced, and changes quickly. You need marketing methods and messages that you can change quickly as well. Direct-response marketing lets you do this, branding doesn’t. Ad agencies or consultants that promote branding will say you have to take time to ‘build your brand’ and use the same kind of marketing for awhile – even if it’s not producing results.

I know this may sound harsh and goes against conventional marketing wisdom. But my livelihood depends on producing positive results for my clients. I won’t gamble my business on an approach that may or may not work – and neither should you.

About The Author

Brian Ochsner is known as The Investing Copywriter, because he’s invested in what he writes about – financial and investment-related companies. He produces no-nonsense, results-oriented copy and marketing communications for clients in a variety of industries.

To contact Brian about increasing response rates and profits for your website or business, send an e-mail to: Brian DOT Ochsner AT gmail DOT com, or call him at 720-747-5895.

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