If you think about all the things we do as marketers, it is to get people to eventually say ‘yes’ and download our content offers or purchase our products. That’s why it is essential that you are able to create offers for your audience that are simply hard to say no to!
Although creating content offers is geared more toward those of you in the business to business (B2B) sectors, those who are business to consumer (B2C) brands can also benefit from the below tips and apply them to your sales strategy.
Use the element of scarcity
Limited time offers
These are the kinds of offers that are the most popular when it comes the using the element of scarcity. Slapping on a time offer creates a small element of panic, ‘what happens if the time runs out and I don’t get the offer – it might be really useful!’ is the reaction you’re trying to evoke from your audience!
This offer works really well for e-commerce brands, too. Once the offer is gone, it’s gone!
Limited quantity offers
Again, a strong, persuasive tactic. With the element of limited quantity, you instantly increase the exclusivity of the offer – so people now feel they need the offer. With retailers, this is also a great strategy to implement with select offers. Brands including Very have counters on their products so the user knows when there is only a handful of offers left.
With this tactic, you’re completely cutting out the element of procrastination!
P.S. Why not add both of the above tactics together? A limited time and quantity offer? Your content offer is a must-have now!
The bandwagon effect
We all copy each other all the time, it’s natural and you’re probably doing it without realising! A great way to encourage more downloads of your content offer is to tell your users how many other people have already downloaded it.
You need to make sure what you’re telling them is true, though, transparency is key!
Leverage newsjacking
Think back to 2011, Prince William and Kate Middleton got married, and everyone was discussing Kate’s wedding dress. Within the hours after the wedding, brands began making nearly identical wedding dresses to the one Kate wore.
This is the perfect example of newsjacking. Newsjacking does require a very quick reactive response, but when you’re able to deliver a piece of content relevant to current affairs, it’s more likely to get your business noticed.
Focus more on your titles
As HubSpot CEO and co-founder, Brian Halligan said, ‘you can have a great offer with a bad title and no one will download it. But if you have an amazing title, suddenly everyone wants it’.
This is the classic ‘judging a book by the cover’, but it’s true. How they to know your content inside is way better and much more valuable than the lacklustre title on the front cover?
Put simply, your content offer title can make or break the success of your content, so put some serious brainstorming time into creating a catchy and clickable title.
Create offers to appeal to different buying stages
As you know, when visitors visit your website, they aren’t always ready to buy. That’s why it’s important to create a variety of offers that appeal to different users. So what should you create? For someone at the top of the buying cycle, they might be more interested in an informational piece such as an eBook or a guide.
If you’re creating a piece of content for someone more toward the end of the buying cycle, they might be more interested in a demo or a free trial.
Avoid using corporate jargon
You can’t assume your audience understands your business’s jargon terms. This can alienate them from the get-go and should be avoided at all costs.
HubSpot suggests keeping away from the following words when describing your offer:
- Next generation
- Flexible
- Cutting edge
- Robust
- Ground-breaking
- Best of breed
- Mission critical
- Easy to use
- Scalable
Learn how to generate more sales with these 30 handy tips, tricks and ideas for your business – download the guide now!
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