Whether your website is dedicated to buying and selling, or promoting a specific service, it is essential to pitch offers just right in order to make money. As copywriters our internet marketing antennae are finely tuned to twitch when we see a well-written offer, from the parent-pleasing ‘Kids Eat Free” to the kid-pleasing “Free Kitten With Every Baby Cappuccino”.
Irresistible offers are the life blood of any successful online marketing strategy, whether you’re writing a product description, a squeeze page, or a call to action. Here we are a few simple tips on how to write a compelling offer.
Show me the money
In order to formulate a winning offer, we must first address how people think about pricing.
How many times have you lingered at a glass cabinet of shiny goods with the price tags face down. What do you do – interrupt the busy assistant to find the key to the right cabinet? Or move on? Most of us are inclined to move on. Don’t let this happen on your website.
Research shows that including pricing in your web copy is good for business. It tells prospects more about where you sit in the market, whether they can afford you, and more importantly, allows them to make the decision to buy, there and then, without wasting their (or your) time making enquiries. If your prices have to be tailored to a client’s particular needs, consider offering a package stating ‘prices from …’.
And if you feel that advertising your prices ‘cheapens’ your service or you prefer to discuss costs with customers to convey how you add-value, don’t. Providing you have hard working, well-written, persuasive web copywriting to entice customers, you don’t need to; so put your prices out there.
Make me an offer
Offers are important to demonstrate you value your customers. After all, shops have seasonal sales, supermarkets have buy one get one free, so why should your online venture be any different? People appreciate that they are getting something extra and, bottom line, it keeps them coming back for more.
Of course, an offer doesn’t have to be a financial incentive, such as a discount or a deal, it can be a promise.
Who hasn’t timed a pizza delivery to see if it arrives within the 30 minute deadline in the hope of a free dinner? Or chosen a supplier for their promise of next day delivery?
A winning offer is clear
Once you have considered the financial implications, duration and terms of your offer, the copy itself need to be short and to the point. A copywriter needs to remember their target audience has precious time to waste, so keep your offer succinct.
Also, remember to feature your offer prominently on your website, using bold colours or a graphic that draws attention to your awesomeness.
There are entire books dedicated to writing irresistible offers. Check out Mark Joyner’s The Irresistible Offer: How to Sell Your Product or Service in 3 Seconds or Less
The Price Is Right
Psychology plays a pivotal role in maximising the effectiveness of your offer and understanding how people think about pricing in general will make a big difference to your turnover.
In his post about Mental Price Barriers Daniel Socco outlines how the human brain has very clear patterns when assessing the cost of a product or service.
To give you an example, let’s say you’re in the market to buy a snazzy new watering can and want to spend a maximum of £10.
You find three on sale, one priced at £6.80, the other at £9.80 and a third at £19.10.
According to the Mental Barrier theory you will automatically group the first two prices together because they have the same number of digits left of the decimal point, while the third would fall in another group.
Because the first two prices are in a similar group, this means you would be open to paying either amount as they are below the £10 mental barrier.
In which case, watering can vendors seeking to maximise their profits would do well to price their products at £9.80 not £6.80.
Remember writing a winning offer is about making your prospect feel valued and giving them something they won’t get from your competitors, so make it clear, concise and catchy.
Seen any good offers lately? Let us know
