A powerful offer is one that makes the most people respond, and take action. It gets people running to spend money on your product or service.
Powerful offers nearly always have an element of urgency and of scarcity. They give your audience a reason to act immediately, instead of put it off until a later date.
Urgency relates to time. The offer is only available until a certain date, during a certain period of the day, or if you act within a few hours of seeing the ad. The customer needs to act now to take advantage of the offer.
Scarcity related to quantity. There are only a certain number of customers who will be able to take advantage of the offer. There may be a limited number of spaces, a limited number of products, or simply a limited number of people the business will provide the offer to. Again, this requires that customer acts immediately to reap the high value for low cost.
Powerful offers also:
Offer great value. Customers perceive the offer as having great value – more than a single product on its own, or the product at its regular price. It is clear that the offer takes the reader’s needs and wants into consideration.
Make sense to the reader. They are simple and easy to understand if read quickly. Avoid percentages – use half off or 2 for 1 instead of 50% off. There are no “catches” or requirements; no fine print.
Seem logical. The offer doesn’t come out of thin air. There is a logical reason behind it – a holiday, end of season, anniversary celebration, or new product. People can get suspicious of offers that seem “too good to be true” and have no apparent purpose.
Provide a premium. The offer provides something extra to the customer, like a free gift, or free product or service. They feel they are getting something extra for no extra cost. Premiums are perceived to have more value than discounts.
Remember that when your target market reads your offer, they will be asking the following questions:
- What are you offering me?
- What’s in it for me?
- What makes me sure I can believe you?
- How much do I have to pay for it?