For my 2 Step Direct Response tool I’ve created a free “Intro to Bellydance” class for my business, Scarab Studios. Scarab Studios is an online dance studio that features a variety of dance and fitness classes, with a specialty in Bellydance. We offer classes that are accessible for all levels of dancers, and a curriculum that is designed to take students from absolute beginners to more advanced levels.

The Marketing Tool

My Direct Response tool has 4 main components: the social media advertisement, the email form landing page, the automatic email with the class link that will be sent once someone subscribes, and the landing page for the free class itself which the subscriber would then have lifetime access to.

The Free Intro to Bellydance class itself is about 25 minutes long and covers the foundational movements of Bellydance (hip and chest isolations, and shimmies) and includes both a warmup and a cool down to act as a well-rounded class, and an example of other classes available in the membership.

To advertise, I created a social media post (to be shared on both Instagram and Facebook) with the headline “Want to learn how to Bellydance?? Try out this FREE class!”  The verbiage for the post itself says “You read that right – it’s FREE! All you have to do is sign up with the link below and you’ll get lifetime access to my Intro to Bellydance Class” Along with the direct link to the landing page with my email form.

Each Step

1. The Advertisement
   
   
   
2. The Landing Page
   
   
   
3. The Automated Email
   
   
   
4. The Free Class Landing Page
   

The Feedback

To gather feedback on my Direct Response Tool, I had 3 of my current students (who are not already members of Scarab Studios) test out the full process: Step 1. visit the page via the advertisement and sign-up for the email list, Step 2. use the link in the automated welcome email to visit the free class page.

1. The Advertisement – My students thought the ad was eye-catching and clearly explained the offer and agreement (email address in exchange for a free class).
   
   
2. The Landing Page – The consensus on the first landing page was that it was simple to navigate, informative, and sign up was quick and easy, and described it as “exactly as much information as I need, not too much or too little.
   
   
3. The Automated Email – The email was noted to be clear and concise, but one of my students did suggest that I should include a direct link to the main page of my website, as well as my business email to contact me with questions. Another student noted that it took about 8 minutes between submitting the email form and actually receiving the email.
   
   
4. The Free Class Landing Page – I also received generally positive feedback on the class page, two students did actually try out the video class and reported that they enjoyed it and felt like it was a good introduction to my teaching style. Some suggestions they had were to include a direct link to my membership signup page, or a page that lists the full catalog, with some verbiage like “Ready to learn more? Click here to browse our available classes”

Overall Analysis

I’m very happy with the feedback I received from this process. It confirmed for me that I’m at least heading in the right direction and also provided me with few good suggestions that I plan on implementing into the process. It’s clear that my market values free resources with simple and clear information, and that having a full-length class to try out for free will help to build trust in my business before they commit to subscribing.

Overall, I feel that this was a successful test of my Direct Response tool, and I’m looking forward to pushing it out into the real world and seeing how well it works for trust building and lead generation.