We’ve all been exposed to marketing – be it direct mail, email, paid search ads, or even television ads. How many times have you seen an infomercial that tells you have to call in the next 20 minutes because it’s a limited time offer? Does that really work? Well studies show 60% of online sales occur in the first 30 minutes, so impulse buying can have dramatic results. There are many tried and true marketing tactics that have been proven to work and are subsequently used ad nauseum for all types of products.
But the question is, what offer is the right one for you and your customers? The truth is, only you can know that. Small business blogger Tim Berry recently talked about the “special offer” concept, and even though he lamented the fact that they exist at all, was forced to admit that they worked. Some sites use coupons or coupon codes to drive traffic and promote unique sales, and that has proven to be successful for many.
Any offer, at it’s heart, must encompass a few things, and only you as a small business can determine what messages and offers will speak to your customers. But you can keep a few things in mind. For example, make sure that the offer has an attention grabbing headline, make sure that it motivates your customers to buy, and ensure that it’s something your customers want. You can tie it to an event or special circumstance, but at the end of the day, your products or services have to stand on their own.
What has been your most effective offer, and how have you evolved over time?
*Image courtesy of http://www.clean-image.co.uk.
I couldn't agree more about services having to stand on their own... which is why we are currently focusing on getting that message across to our customers.
We find that special offers really serve to stop visitors on a web page, and it makes them go away happy as they have had a deal. So they are more likely to come back again.
Danny
P.S. Thank you for crediting us for the picture!
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