Ken Kerry

#200: How to Use Storytelling in Your Direct Response Advertising

#200: How to Use Storytelling in Your Direct Response Advertising

To sell any product or service you have to grab the attention of the consumer and show how it provides them value. But we live in a world where attention spans are fragmented and developing a meaningful connection can be difficult. That’s why it’s critical to truly listen to the stories your consumers tell you so you’ll understand how to connect with them.

What do companies like Bare Minerals, Keurig, Oreck, Bose, and plenty of others have in common? They have all worked with our guest, marketing guru Ken Kerry, to competitively position their products. Ken is the co-founder of Script to Screen, a leading direct response agency, and author of the new book This Works Marketing: The Proven System Generating Billions in Sales for Brands and Every Size Business. He shares how their approach to direct-response storytelling has generated over $6.5 billion in sales for products and services.

What is direct response advertising? Essentially, it’s when you urge a prospective customer to respond immediately through the use of a ‘device’ provided in the ad. Devices can be things such as coupons that need to be mailed back or brought in store, business reply cards, or link to a specific URL.

Ken realized early on that using story to connect with consumers and to understand what their needs and/or wants truly are will set you apart from the competition. The stories your customers tell will allow you to understand their pain points and appreciate what drives them.

If you build something that you like, the consumer will recognize it and let you keep it. Build something the consumer wants, tell the story that they want to hear and then you will get them in. ~ Ken Kerry

So, utilize the power of storytelling to create products and services that your customers will actually want, and to make meaningful connections so that they chose your brand to buy that product or service from.

Topics Discussed in this Episode

• How Ken Kerry’s big mistake gave him the tools for success
• How Ronald Reagan’s deregulation of television advertising time in 1984 gave rise to the infomercial
• How David Oreck created immense success with the 8-pound vacuum from interacting with actual customers
• The importance of stepping out of the rational brain and into the emotional brain
• How much advertising has changed in the last 30 years and what you need to do to win

Resources & Links

• Ken Kerry’s This Works Marketing: The Proven System Generating Billions in Sales for Brands and Every Size Business
• Oreck XL Classic Upright Vacuum Cleaner Lightest Weight 8 LBS 
• Script to Screen
• Ken Kerry’s Linkedin
• Ken Kerry’s Instagram
• Ken Kerry’s Twitter

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