Postcard Campaign Elements: Unlock Response with the Right Offer

Your offer is a promise you make to your target audience that is so good they are compelled to take action.

Branding vs Direct Response

An offer is the prime distinguishing element between brand marketing and direct response marketing.

While brand marketing aims to increase awareness and familiarity with a particular company, product, or service, direct response is built different.

Direct response marketing is focused entirely on getting the audience to engage with and respond to a campaign, whether that be by requesting more information, signing up for a free product or service, or making a purchase.

One-Step vs Two-Step Selling

Often times direct mail campaigns are used for new customer acquisition. This means your campaign will likely be their first interaction with your business.

A One-Step direct sales campaign will use an offer that calls the recipient to make a purchase immediately. Generally only a small portion of the campaign audience will be ready to buy, so while this approach can bring in quick sales, the response may be low.

With a Two-Step lead generation campaign, the goal of this initial interaction is simply to capture interest and begin a relationship for future sales offers.

Irresistible Offers

The offer is the number one driver of response, so you want to give them something so good they can't refuse. And it doesn't necessarily have to be a deep discount.

Here are some ideas for crafting an irresistible offer:

Bundling products and services
Giving exclusive access
Using limited time offers
Delivering VIP content
Adding social proof
Options for personalization or customization
Include points or rewards
Provide an amazing guarantee

Using an Offer to Get a Customer

Some business owners may be concerned about creating an offer so irresistible it may be bad for business.

You may wish to take a long-term perspective when creating your offer. A direct sales or lead generation offer both have the ability to attract new customers into your marketing and sales funnel.

Over time, the amount of sales brought in from a specific campaign may be outdone by the repeat sales and referrals generated from a new customer.

Offers Aligned for the Customer Journey

Making a purchase is the last step to becoming a customer on a path that started much further back.

Your offers can help address needs and establish a trusting relationship that moves a prospect along on the customer journey if they are not yet at the stage of making a buying decision.

Here are a few examples:

Has a problem — provide access to more information that can diagnose and presribe a solution to a problem
Considering a solution — help differentiate and show proof of effectiveness of potential solutions to the problem
Ready to buy — demonstrate the value of solving the problem with your solution and supply the urgency to act

Overcoming the Reluctance to Respond

Offset the skepticism of an unsolicited offer by limiting exposure to a surprise or disappointing outcome for your audience. Here are assurances that can help:

free
no risk
no obligation
strong guarantee

The Secret to a Winning Offer

The secret to a winning offer is no secret. It all boils down to these aspects:

High value and low risk
Clear terms and benefits
Earnest reason to act now