(Extracted from The 1-Page Marketing Plan by Allan Dib)
Here’s the other big reason you want to avoid selling directly from your ad: at any given time (on average) about 3% of your target market is highly motivated and ready to buy immediately. These are the prospects most mass marketing hopes to convert. However, there’s a further 7% who are very open to buying and another 30% who are interested but not right now. The next 30% are not interested and finally the last 30% wouldn’t take your product, even if it were free.
If you tried selling directly from your ad, you’d be targeting only the 3% who are ready to buy immediately and losing the other 97%.
By creating a lead-generating ad, you increase your addressable market to 40%. You do this by capturing the 3% who are immediate buyers but also by capturing the 7% who are open to talking, as well as the 30% who are interested but not right now.
By going from a 3% addressable market to 40%, you’re increasing the effectiveness of your advertising by 1,233%.
This also has a secondary side effect with the people who are ready to buy immediately. They see you’re not desperate to sell or discount your product or service. They see that you are interested in building a relationship first rather than just going for the jugular to make a sale. This kind of marketing is similar to sowing seeds on a farm. It is an investment in your future because, as your database of interested prospects grows, so will your business and your results.