Why ‘Wait and Hope’ Won’t Skyrocket Profits

Ripped from the headlines on this day (September 16) in 1931:

A blimp tried, but failed, to dock at the top of the Empire State Building.

When they opened the skyscraper in May 1931, planners imagined the Empire State Building would be a station for blimps.

Tie the airship to the top. Drop a gangplank to the building’s upper deck. And let tourists or delivery people stroll into the building — right where King Kong hung out.

But September 16, 1931 was the first and only time a blimp attempted this feat because…

…trying to dock a football-shaped airship at the top of a 1,200-foot building, with fierce, unpredictable winds is…

…a DUMB idea.

Speaking of dumb ideas…

Imagine you have a pile of cash under your mattress. 

You hear a knock on the door. It’s the door-to-door blimp salesman. And he has a deal for you. 

Invest some of that capital in his blimp. Paint your logo on the sides. Hire some pilots. Pay a television network and a sports league to allow you to fly your blimp above the stadium during the big game.

All those fans packed into the stadium will glance skyward and see the blimp with YOUR LOGO. 

And once or twice during the game, the television network will point a camera at the blimp and millions of viewers will see it again – YOUR LOGO. 

75,000 fans in the stadium. 17 million television viewers…

…all…

…saw…

…your…

…logo.

The ultimate in paid brand awareness. 

So riddle me this…

What are you going to say to those 17,075,000 people in the follow-up email you send them? 

Answer: You’re not going to email them. You didn’t get their email addresses.

Will your website be able to handle all the traffic when 17,075,000 football fans flock to your landing page to download the free report you offered? 

Answer: Nothing to worry about there. No one is headed to your website. You didn’t offer them a reason to visit. 

Are you ready to fulfill all those orders that come from the fans who rush home and buy your products and services? 

Answer: No one is going to rush home and order your products and services. 

You spend big bucks to build brand awareness…

…and then you wait and hope. 

You hope 17,075,000 football fans will be aware of your brand.

You hope they will remember your logo and your brand when it’s time for them to purchase whatever it is you sell.

I know. The blimp salesman has never knocked on your door.

None of you spends piles of capital on blimps or Super Bowl ads. 

But many business owners spend a nickel here and a dime there to buy awareness for their brands.

They pay to put display advertisements in newspapers.

They pay to run radio ads with catchy slogans and jingles.

They pay to elevate social posts with inspiring quotes and amusing memes.

…and then they wait and hope.

Dan Kennedy once said:

“I believe in brand. I have brands of my own that I relied on my entire career – starting with ‘No BS…’ But I’ve never spent a nickel trying to BUY awareness for that brand…Instead of spending money, figure out ways to get paid to build a valuable brand…Build it by direct response instead of by capital.”

When Kennedy says, “…build it by direct response,” he’s saying:

You don’t have to wait and hope.

Direct response marketers give people a reason to raise their hands.

Their marketing solicits – get this – direct response.

Sign up for my email list.

Download the free report.

Attend a training.

Buy something.

The call-to-action is not implied. It’s explicit.

Instead of waiting and hoping, you acquire leads.

You move prospects through your sales funnel.

You generate sales. All while building your brand.

That’s what Dan Kennedy means when he says, “…figure out ways to get paid to build a valuable brand.”

Figure out ways to get prospects to raise their hand, to opt-in, to buy.

Include direct calls-to-action.

And measure results.

You’ll get further quicker — and you won’t need to find a place to dock your blimp.

p.s. Here’s a the ultimate playbook to create story-powered, direct response marketing without getting stuck.