eLearning Series
2. Not making an offer
One of the top mistakes we see again and again in direct mail marketing is not making an offer. This is different than a call to action, which is also important to get people to act in a timely manner.
What’s the difference? To break it down, here’s an offer and a call to action: This is a real offer, by the way!
” Call us in the next five days at 303.499.9318 to schedule a free 1 hour appointment to discuss your print design needs.”
The offer: a free 1 hour appointment to discuss print design The offer gives them the reason why they need to take an action.
The call to action: Call us in the next five days at 303.499.9318
The call to action tells a person what to do, and creates a sense of urgency… because if they don’t act soon, the offer may no longer be available. According to direct marketing guru Charlene Mosher and fellow Rocky Mountain Direct Marketing Association member, “An offer is more than just a call to action – there has to be real value. You can call someone to action by saying ‘jump off that cliff’ – but they would be a lot more likely to act if you instead said ‘jump off that cliff and I’ll give you a really great new mattress to land on.'”
So how does not making an offer relate to the world of physics? Newton’s first law is often simplified to read: “An object that is not moving will not move until a force acts upon it.” Think of the people who receive your mail as objects. (My apologies for objectifying people, but it’s mostly to make the metaphor work.) The target audience for a direct mail campaign is made up of people (objects) who are trying to go about their busy lives.
Your direct mail piece, while compelling to you, is an interruption to their lives. If your offer is sufficiently strong, you can act upon your target “object” so that the person veers slightly from the course of their day and takes an action (such as calling a phone number, visiting a website, or coming into a store). What makes a great offer? Usually a great offer incorporates at least one or more of the following motivational factors: – Save time – Save money – Avoid pain or embarrassment – Makes them look really good to their friends and peers.