direct-marketing-diet

name	direct-marketing-diet
description	WHAT: Dan Kennedy's Direct Marketing Diet — 6-step framework for direct marketing success WHEN: When applying direct marketing diet knowledge

Direct Marketing Diet

No B.S. Direct Marketing: The Direct Marketing Diet

The Framework

Dan Kennedy's "Direct Marketing Diet" is a 6-step process for planning and executing direct marketing campaigns.

The 6 Steps

Step 1: Identify Your Target

Who is your customer? Be specific — demographics, psychographics, buying behavior.

Step 2: Define the Offer

What are you selling, at what price, with what bonuses and guarantee?

Step 3: Choose Your Media

Where will you reach this audience? Email, direct mail, paid ads, etc.

Step 4: Create the Creative

Develop the actual marketing message — ads, emails, sales letters, videos.

Step 5: Test

Run small-scale tests before full deployment. Measure results rigorously.

Step 6: Optimize & Scale

Take what works, kill what doesn't, scale the winners.

Key Principles

Test Before You Invest

Never spend more on marketing than you've tested and proven.

Track Everything

Response rate, cost per lead, cost per acquisition, customer lifetime value.

The Direct Marketing Math

Revenue = (List Size) × (Response Rate) × (Average Sale) × (Margin)

Common Mistakes

1. Skipping testing — Going full-scale with unproven campaigns
2. Ignoring numbers — Not tracking metrics rigorously
3. Wrong list — Marketing to people who don't buy
4. Weak offer — Not enough value or wrong positioning
5. Premature scaling — Scaling before optimization

Application

For any campaign:

1. Who is the target?
2. What's the offer?
3. Where will you reach them?
4. What's the message?
5. How will you test it?
6. How will you optimize?