The Offer - How To Make One They Can't Refuse
Jan 19, 2018
The all-important direct response marketing offer – the thing that gets John and Mary’s attention and makes them respond to your content or advertisement, either to buy, get something special , or more information. We’re not just talking direct mail here, we’re talking all channels and media where you place content that you hope engages a prospective customer. And, the rules of offer development and execution apply in both business-to-business and business-to-consumer marketing. They also apply whether or not you advertisement / content is soft sell or hard sell, or story-telling experiential engagement relationship development oriented. Your goal, as a marketer is to get them to act (respond), and hopefully eventually buy and to do that you need to make them an offer they can’t refuse.
In the world of direct marketing advertising and content development, the “Direct Marketing Offer” is the second most important aspect of developing a direct marketing campaign. After identifying and targeting the right audience, it is 2.5 times as important as the least important factor. It is the whole proposition and incentives that you offer for response.
What is an 'Offer'?
It's more than your product or service. It's your total proposition to the prospect or customer. Besides product, the components of an offer might include a free gift, introductory or discount pricing, low finance rates, free shipping, to name just a few. Offers have a major impact and they can positively or negatively impact your programs response.
The more generous your offer, the greater the response will be. If you're after really large response, then make a really generous offer. If your goal is to attract qualified leads from very interested prospects then a lesser offer will be more effective.
Make sure your offer is relevant to both your target audience and the product you are selling. If you mismatch the offer to the audience, it won't be attractive and you can discourage interest on the part of potential buyers.
Before working up your offer, check to see what your competitors are doing.
If you can make an offer without reducing the price of your product, this is the best path to follow because customers acquired at reduce margins or special pricing generally continue to respond only to these kinds of offers and are very hard to convert to full pricing offers.
Why is the 'Offer' so important?
The offer is so important, because the right offer can sell almost anything. The offer is one of the simplest and most dramatic ways to improve direct marketing results. All other things being equal, it is the most crucial of the three parts of response creativity. It is important to think of your market as you are structuring your offer. What’s their sex, age, educational level, special interests, and social-economic status? How you state the offer counts. It both selects and involves the prospects. The offer determines the quality of the customers who respond.
It’s an important aspect of direct response creativity to find new ways of stating an existing offer. And, it is important to find new offers.
What makes up an 'Offer'?
The following factors make up the total offer.
- The products/services
- The price of the product/services
- The payment terms
- The way the offer is worded or pictured
- Any incentives, bonuses, extras, premiums
- Any time limitations or restrictions
- Any free literature or booklets
- Any special fulfillment options – e.g., free shipping
What types of 'Offers' are there?
Over the years, various marketers have develop a wide variety of offers to entice buyers to respond and/or buy. Depending on whom you talk to that list is probably in the realm of 75 to 100 or more different offers. These offers fall into various categories and the table below gives you a good overview of the offers you might consider using depending on your audience, what you are promoting and how you want the person engaged to act.
|
General Category |
Examples |
|
Basic Offers |
Right price |
|
Discount offers |
Cash discount |
|
Sales offers |
Seasonal sales |
|
Sample offers |
Free sample |
|
Time limit offers |
Limited time offers |
|
Guarantee offers |
Extended guarantee |
|
Build up the sale offers |
Multi-product offers |
|
Sweepstakes offers |
Drawing type sweepstakes |
|
Club and continuity offers |
Positive option |
|
Specialized offers |
The philanthropic privilege |
For more on offer development, download our white paper "The Direct Marketing Offer - They Can't Refuse. Click here.
Click here to download the "Direct Response Marketing Offer Guide & Checklist."
Dudley Stevenson, founder and CEO of DWS Associates, has over thirty-five years’ experience in consumer marketing, business-to-business marketing, and direct marketing, including developing, planning, and implementing go-to-market strategies. He's also the author of "Marketing Direct: Breaking Through The Clutter." Working with organizations ranging from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies, he and his team have helped clients such as IBM, Sony, Neiman Marcus, Arizona Highways, Marshall Field & Co., Mrs. Field’s, UNICEF, and Patagonia implement successful direct marketing programs. A longtime member of the Direct Marketing Association and the American Marketing Association, Stevenson is also a sought-after speaker. He’s given hundreds of presentations and workshops on marketing and direct marketing. His “Marketing Planning 101” workshop alone has reached more than 100,000 marketing and sales professionals.
Add Pingback