3 Keys to Magnetic Advertisement Offer
This might sound a little bit like a stretch here, but it’ll make sense. In some ways, Direct Mail campaigns are the written versions of infomercials. Right? Do you see it yet? Think about it.
More often than not, an informercial is trying to get you to buy something right then, right away…right now! A Direct Mail campaign is asking the prospect to do the same thing. The messages are both intended to produce the same results (a sale), but they’re delivered in vastly different methods.
What they have in common, though, is the ‘offer’. And whether on the screen or in someone’s hand, for the offer to grab attention, to make the absolute most of the limited time you have to impress a prospect, you must incorporate these 3 Powerful Offer Elements:
1.) The SUBSTANCE – What are you actually ‘giving away’? And why would the prospect find it valuable (see…word choice) enough to take the steps outlined in your Call-to-Action and request their prize? Are you offering a free white paper download? Are you chopping the price by a third, or in half? Is there an incentive for someone who’s never been a customer or client of your company to take the chance and reach out? If what you’re putting on the table for your prospect isn’t inviting, you’re wasting everyone’s time.
2.) The WORD CHOICE – We’ve all heard that ‘words matter’. It is super critical when you’re betting on your prospect, standing at their mailbox giving you seconds out of their day to instantly judge you and your company. Fluff won’t cut it. Be direct, be pointed in your word choice, and leave out any potential for confusion. You want them reading and committed…not deciphering and confused.
3.) The DESIGN – Postcard design, much like informercial production, has a bunch of ways to attract and hopefully keep a prospect’s interest. Unlike television, though, the design of your postcard is static and requires you create some instant connection; a lasting and sensible impact strong enough to keep them hooked for the 10-15 seconds (approximate) it’ll take to absorb what you’ve put in front of them. Color, placement of pictures and the offer, itself, make a huge difference. Bold-faced, underlined, Italics, colors and font choices…they ALL play into how the offer is received by the brain.
As my grandmother would have said, there are a ‘flat ton’ of offers you can pitch to your prospects and current clients. To name just a few:
- Free newsletter
- Free booklet
- Free product sample
- Discount for new customers
- Money-back guarantee
- Seasonal sale
- Free consultation
- Free mobile app download
- Free white paper
- Free analysis/testing
- Volume discounts
- Surprise gift with purchase
I’ve said before – and it bears repeating – that the offer is not something you’ll want to take lightly, or tack onto a Direct Mail campaign at the end. There are all kinds of strategies and templates regarding the usage and creating of the offer.
In purely lead-generation scenarios where you aren’t necessarily making money on the back end, perhaps the offer doesn’t cost you anything (ex., downloading a free white paper). When you’re pushing a true sales campaign and expect to generate actual sales where the cost of the offer can be covered by a percentage of new business, maybe you pick something with a high actual or perceived value (ex., a discount on the sale, or something physical like a gift card or movie vouchers).
Give us a call at Opportunity Knocks. We have Success Coaches standing by to consult you on the best and most useful ideas around the creation and positioning for your offer. Let us help you get the word out, and not give away the store in the process.