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Six Techniques to Adding Heat To A Lackluster Offer
By Denny Hatch
Direct mail maven and guru Axel Andersson has often said: "If you want to dramatically increase your response, you must dramatically improve your offer."
The old Ed Mayer formula for successful direct marketing—40-percent lists, 40-percent offer and 20-percent everything else—remains very much in play, whether the medium used is direct mail, e-commerce, telemarketing, off-the-page advertising or DRTV.
Why do offers make a difference? "Because," says British direct mail wizard Drayton Bird, "they enlist one vice—greed—to overcome two others: sloth and fear."
The Challenge: Improve the Offer Without Breaking the Bank
In his book "Profitable Direct Marketing," Jim Kobs proffers a checklist of 99 proven direct response offers. Included are: free gift, discount, sale, sample, time limit, guarantee, build-up-the-sale, sweepstakes, clubs and continuity, and specialized (offers that defy categorization, such as fundraising donation requests where nothing tangible is given in return for a contribution).
The beauty of direct marketing is the ability to test in relatively small numbers; if the results are positive, then you know rollout should be very profitable. When the performance of a direct marketing campaign begins to flag, it makes sense to assemble the marketing and creative teams with Kobs' list and figure out how to improve the offer. Using Mayer's formula, a new copy and design approach might incrementally improve results, while a powerful offer improvement can result in a breakthrough. What follows are six offer-improvement ideas that might be worth testing.
1. Free Shipping
This offer has been around for a long time. L. L. Bean used to include standard shipping in the price of each item, so it appeared as if it were free. The current catalog offers free standard shipping and a free monogram if payment is with an L.L. Bean Visa—a variation on the free-shipping deal and a nifty incentive for consumers to get the house credit card.
Rob and Diane O'Connor, proprietors of Creative Irish Gifts, find that a free shipping offer works in
getting lapsed customers to start ordering again.
2. Private Sale
Tom Meyer, a Florida-based freelance copywriter, has successfully used the private sale as a staple in the retail business. It is especially effective when presented as a personalized VIP pass. Direct marketers often have used the same technique—a private sale to best customers. The late guru Dick Benson put it another way: "An exclusive, reduced price to a house list will more than pay its way."
3. The Nifty Fifty
You have seen these contests on envelopes and as insert pieces in direct mailings: "If your order is among the first 50 that arrive, you will receive a thingamajig."
One mischievous magazine circulation director used this "fast fifty" offer to hype a subscription offer to his magazine. Orders came in fast and furious—almost every one a "bill me." He then wrote all these new subscribers a letter that started: "I have some bad news and some good news." The bad news was that the recipient was not a fast fifty winner. The good news was that the gift was so popular it was being specially ordered so that every new subscriber would receive it. However, it would take three months to have it manufactured in Taiwan and shipped to the United States. The message: Please be patient. (And pay for your subscription.)
Your nifty fifty can be less mischievous, but still be effective.
4. The Limited-time Offer
This is not necessarily an improved offer, but rather a technique to hype response. Freelance copywriter Andrew J. Byrne says that the limited-time offer continues to outpull conventional offers. However, this cuts two ways. Adding an offer deadline can stimulate orders, but be prepared for the order flow to fall off once the deadline is past. The second conundrum is timing. If the limited-time deadline is on the Web, it is instantly known. But use it in direct mail, where delays can occur, and the prospect might receive the offer after the deadline.
One way to counter this is to extend the cut-off date. However, if the deadline is too far in the future, the sense of urgency is lost and the test could be a waste. Above all, Book-of-the-Month Club founder Maxwell Sackheim counsels, "If you are making a time-limit offer, give a reason for it—a good reason."
5. The Power of "Free"
One of the most powerful words in the English language is "free." Benson called it a magic word. To move merchandise and raise cash, marketers often resort to holding sales. "Save 50%" is one favorite offer. It also can be stated, "Half-Price Sale!" However, for maximum effect, you might try "Buy One, Get One Free!" Similarly, "Buy Two, Get One Free" is stronger than "Save 331⁄3%."
6. Above All, Dramatize Your Offer
"You may have the greatest offer in the world," freelance copywriter Richard Jordan has said, "but it will do you little good if it's buried where your prospect can't find it."
Make a bargain offer tangible with certificates, coupons, vouchers, checks, etc. Always get your offer out in front of the prospect early and often. Mention it in your letter superscripture or Johnson Box, or use a corner slash to do the job. Drive your designer nuts by insisting that the offer be displayed somewhere on every reading surface, with an overliner, a burst, a panel or whatever. Recap the offer on all elements of the mailing: in the letter, the folder, the outer envelope, the lift note and, of course, the order form.
"If you possibly can, weave some kind of copy story around your offer—e.g., 'My boss says I'm nuts to make you an offer this big, but I think you'll prove the boss wrong.''
After all, your snazzy new outer envelope or beautiful brochure photography is for naught without a strong offer.
DENNY HATCH, contributing editor, consultant and freelance copywriter, is the author of the books "Method Marketing" and (with Don Jackson) "2,239 Tested Secrets for Direct Marketing Success." Visit him online at www.methodmarketing.com.
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