How Important Is The Offer,
by Alan Rosenspan
How
important is the offer? If you look at most direct mail pieces you receive
- the offer doesn't seem to very important at all. Many either have no
offer, a weak offer, or they hide the offer instead of making it the hero
of the package. But it is the offer that can influence response to a far
greater degree than anything else. There's a rule that goes like this: If
you change the creative, you can multiply response twice over. If you
change the offer, you can multiply response three-fold. I believe this is
still an understatement. I have been involved in direct marketing programs
where changing the offer lifted response seven-fold and ten-fold. It
should be something of value. Ideally it should be something the prospect
can't get anywhere else. However the most important is this: if you can
tie your offer to your main benefit it can be exponentially more
effective.
(Taken
from "Making An Offer They Can't Refuse.")