There are many truisms in advertising and marketing that have stood the test of time, and one of them comes to us from Claude Hopkins, a pioneer of advertising in the early 20th century, who advised that one of the keys to successful advertising is making a compelling offer to your target audience.
“The right offer should be so attractive that only a lunatic would say no,” wrote Hopkins, whose advertising methods were so effective that he has been credited with popularizing tooth brushing. (Literally. His campaigns for Pepsodent got people to start brushing.)
“Only a lunatic would say no.” In other words, your direct marketing campaign must not only include a call to action, but also give the recipient a compelling reason to take action — because, after all, the offer is so good, they’d be crazy not to.
For example, will anyone be motivated by a coupon for a nickel off a brand new car? Well, no. But if the offer is 5 percent off a brand new car, even the lunatics are listening.
You can apply the same rationale to any product or service. An offer that’s not aggressive enough will not prompt action. (“Call today and save 25 cents on a $1,000 purchase!” Who’s picking up the phone for that?)
But there are limits, too. Hopkins also wrote that an advertising offer is an opportunity to build trust with the audience, and if your offer just gives away your core product for free — which, after all, could be compelling — then the potential client is less likely to value the product. It was free, after all. That’s perhaps the most compelling word we know, but it can both work for you and against you.
All of this isn’t to say you can’t include something for free in your offer — it just means you don’t want to give away the store, so to speak. You might make a special introductory offer (“The first month of your 1-year gym membership is FREE!”), or it could be the classic “buy one, get one” (“Get a second widget FREE with your purchase!”). It could even be a gift that further builds your relationship with the customer — for example, you might offer a free e-book to someone who signs up for your seminar.
In such cases, the offer is compelling while at the same time creating a value connection to the core product. There’s a happy medium. The offer needs to be compelling enough to attract even the most skeptical of consumer, but also must establish value and trust in you and your product or service.
So where do you begin? We can help. At Mellady Direct Marketing, our experienced experts will help you craft the right offer — one that has the greatest likelihood of prompting action from your target audience, enabling you to build a relationship based on value and respect.
There’s nothing crazy about that!
With nearly 30 years of expertise in successful direct marketing, Mellady Direct Marketing can help you. Contact us today to find out how we can help you take your marketing to the next level.
