Who hasn't received a mailer that included an offer to purchase a product or try a service with the stipulation that all you have to do in order to activate the offer is peel off a pre-printed label and stick it in the box marked "I ACCEPT" and then send it off in the mail?
Direct marketers send millions of these post cards or printed coupons everyday and have been doing so for many, many years. Why?
Simply because they get response!
The peel off sticky label and its postcard or coupon are what's termed a "bounce back."
The prospect "bounces" your offer to your attention (thereby qualifying themselves as a targeted customer and potential buyer) and you "bounce back" your product or service in hopes that the prospect will try your service or make a purchase (the first of many, hopefully) of one of your products.
Why use this type of offer?
It easily and readily captures the prospect's name, address, and phone number for your mailing list and it allows the prospect to get a free trial or discount on one of your products. Hopefully, the prospect will turn into a loyal customer that will buy repeatedly from you.
The Bounce Back can be specifically addressed to a prospect, yet that person can pass the offer along to another and you will still receive the contact information of a potential customer since the responder's name and address come back along with the request to fill the offer!
How do you make your offer great? What should you include in the mailing?
1. A headline that grabs the reader's attention and lists the one greatest benefit that comes with your offer.
2. A photo or graphic that stands out from all the other boring mailing pieces that one receives every day of the year.
3. A product or service that will fill a "want" of the prospect. Remember there is a great difference between "wants" and "needs." People buy what they "want" and not necessarily what they "need."
4. Often the best introductory product or servcie to place before a new customer is one that solves a problem or concern that the customer may have. If he sees that you can make him feel better, save money, look younger, or be safer, he will be really interested in what you are selling.
5. A bullet list of benefits that the product or service will bring to the prospect. We're not talking about product features, but rather "'what the product will do for the user."
6. Compelling copy in the offer. Always make your copy stand out by including words that will make your offer seem new, exciting, one-of-a-kind, the latest breakthrough, amazing, professional, scarce, or thrilling!
7. Always include a great testimonial or two if you have the space. Testimonials legitimize the offer and make prospects more inclined to buy if they believe that "other regular people" have used your product and it really did solve their problem.
8. Don't forget the "call to action." So many marketers never actually request that the prospect make a purchase. The offer should include a simple phrase or sentence that tells the prospect what to do next.
"Mail this offer today"
"Call this number for your free product"
"Order right now"
"Send in your coupon before August 31st!"
All these actions are designed to get the prospect to take the next step.
The bounce back is a great strategy for:
1. Getting the prospect's mailing or phone contact information;
2. Offering a trial product or service that will expose the contact to your business;
3. Getting the prospect to "raise his hand" saying he's interested in what you have to offer;
4. Tracking and testing your offer details (headline, body copy, call to action, etc.).
Why not give the bounce back strategy a try with your next product or service offering?
