The Importance of the Offer in E-Mail Marketing

It would be great if all you had to do was say, "Here's a great product, buy it." For example:

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Pretty good copy -- benefits, features, price, call to action, and how to get one -- but no "offer."

I'm sure that some of you will buy one from my friend Dr. Ed Carboy as a result. But how could we boost Golden Retriever sales by 100%, 200%, or more? Direct marketers have found that a carefully crafted offer can stimulate readers to purchase where a regular ad may not.

What Is an Offer?

The offer is the "deal" you are giving the prospect. It includes price, but it's more. "The offer consists of everything that impacts the value or perceived value of the product or service, and everything that impacts the process of getting it from the seller to the buyer," says George Duncan in Streetwise Direct Marketing (Adams Media, 2001).

Two time-tested offers are: (1) money-back guarantee and (2) free trial, or a combination of them both. If you see an offer that says, "If you decide our honey-baked ham isn't the most succulent ham you've ever served your guests, just return the uneaten portion within the next 30 days and we'll return your money -- no questions asked." Just hope you don't get too many of those half-eaten hams back! :-) But even if you do, many more people will order because of the guarantee, since you assume risk rather than your customer. Direct marketers have found that money-back guarantees make you far more money than the cost of spoiled ham returned via UPS.

You want your offer to be so good that your prospect just can't afford NOT to buy.

What Kinds of Offers Are Possible?

William A. Cohen, in his book Building a Mail Order Business (Wiley, 1996), discusses dozens of varieties of offers. Why don't you read through this list now and write down the ones you might be able to use with your product or service. The idea is to increase the value (or the perception of value) to your customer by the way you structure the offer. I don't advocate trying to deceive your customer -- not at all! But structure the offer so that the qualified customer has a very difficult time saying no.

Examples of Internet Offers

Offers I have used quite successfully are:

Which of these offers is more compelling to you? The second one, of course. How about these?

Of course, if you look, you'll find that the three e-books have been developed directly from content available in the back issues of the newsletter. But people don't value back issues the way they value targeted e-books with titles designed to speak to specific needs. It's a matter of packaging and perceived value. Note the time limited offer, which creates a greater sense of urgency to purchase. Here are some other e-mail offers I've received:

Free shipping on orders over $100.

Here's an incentive to cross a few things off your own list -- $5 to spend toward a purchase of $50 or more from your Amazon.com Wish List.

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Hucksterism or Good Marketing?

Does all this sound like hucksterism to you? You need to retain your integrity -- at any cost. But the fact is, you just may not know how to sell well in the direct marketing world. You and I need to learn how to master this medium.

A couple of years ago as I was learning to write online sales copy, I sent a draft of an ad I was working on to my friend Ken Evoy, author of the classic e-book "Make Your Site Sell!" (http://sales.sitesell.com/myss). I asked him how he thought I might improve it.

He e-mailed back: "If I tell you the truth will you still be my friend?"

I encouraged him to be honest.

He responded, "You write like an engineer. You need to write beyond your comfort level." He was pushing me to stretch, to do things I hadn't done before. To be dissatisfied with past achievements. Good advice, and I'm still learning.

Why Is the Offer Vital in E-Mail Marketing?

If you and I don't learn to frame compelling offers in our e-mail messages, our e-mail ads will never rise beyond the clutter of hundreds of other ads and dozens of competing offers. We have to get the prospect's attention with an offer that's hard to resist. Then, and only then, do we earn the opportunity to establish a relationship with a satisfied customer who will buy from us again and again.

In e-mailings to your house list, on your website, and rented opt-in e-mail lists (if you choose to use them), a well-thought-out, compelling offer will generate a lot more sales than just a product description and a price. Guaranteed.

Direct marketing resources mentioned in this article include:

George Duncan, Streetwise Direct Marketing (Adams Media, 2001)
http://amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580624391/ref=nosim/wilsoninternetse

William A. Cohen, Building a Mail Order Business (Wiley, 1996)
http://amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471109460/ref=nosim/wilsoninternetse

Ken Evoy, "Make Your Site Sell!" (SiteSell, 2001)
http://sales.sitesell.com/myss