Page 25 - 100 Great Copywriting Ideas: From Leading Companies Around the World (100 Great Ideas)

6 BUSINESSPEOPLE LOVE
OFFERS TOO

In business-to-consumer promotions, everyone uses offers. I’m sure
you’re familiar with the kind of thing I’m talking about: get a free
calendar, save £10, win a holiday. But in business-to-business, some
marketeers are a little wary. “Our customers are too sophisticated;
they’ll see what we’re trying to do” is a common reason given for not
running an offer.

Well, it’s true that businesspeople are clever and complex
creatures, but they also love an offer. After all, businesspeople are
consumers, too, and they respond to offers addressed to them at
home, don’t they?

The idea

From an international research consultancy
One of the best offers I ever ran for a client was a pocket calculator
that we bought in for £3 as an incentive on a £550 reference book.
We had librarians falling over themselves to place their orders and
saw a big uplift in response. For a cheap calculator. These people
must have owned at least two calculators each already. But it was
free. (And let’s remember that “free” is one of the best words any
copywriter has at his or her fingertips.) If you’re not already using
offers to lift response on your mailings, now would be an excellent
time to start testing. Here are a few things to remember:

Always limit your offer. Either by time, which is probably the most
common way, or by quantity. To limit by time, you could say, “Reply
by October 31st and you’ll save 10%.” Or “Remember, you must reply

16 • 100 GREAT COPYWRITING IDEAS