The offer. For most marketing people this is the easiest step in writing content. Problem is, it’s what many in traditional marketing schools of thought actually do too much of. Offer, Offer, Offer.
The call to Action
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Buy… Buy… Buy
Have you ever thought that NOT everyone who calls you, reads your flyer, surfs your website is ready to BUY right now? As I mentioned in the last post, Step 3, 67% of the customers who call you today will by in the next 12 months. 81% will buy in the next two years.
So if the only offer you make is to BUY NOW, you just lost the connection with the 67% who will buy in the next 12 months and 81% who buy in two years. Do the math, that is the majority of the people your company touches so you better have an offer that keeps them engaged while they figure out all the information they need to know so they can buy.
Don’t get me wrong. Your communications need to allow the customer to buy now but you also need to provide an offer to educate and keep the conversation going. Attention Connection, maintaining the conversation for 12-24 months. offer them a free buyer guide, a white paper, product comparisons, education, education and more education until they are ready to buy.
Boy is it hard to get away from that mentality, too! On the creative end, its easy to plug the “new book,” but my book hasn’t been new since 2007. I have to keep in mind to try and keep getting it out there somehow. Something like a book by an unknown author would especially need to be re-introduced a few times, I would imagine, before people will think about buying it.
Once when I was very discouraged, my 18-year-old son said that he doubted it was anything to do with me or what I’d written. He said “when I think about picking up a book, its usually Roger Zelazny or Fred Saberhagen, who are my two favorite authors.” And when I thought about it, I usually reach right for Stephen King or H.P. Lovecraft. It takes awhile to get something new in mind. As both a creative personality and a marketer of sorts, sometimes I forget that when the personal feelings creep in. Part of me seems to still think the world works on MTV time when really “the mills of the Gods” grind much slower.
Hello, need your help.
Beer ad with a train in it and everthing turns to ice?
Thenks. I am vaiting for answer!!!