Use A Soft Offer To Catch More Customers

Written by Jerry Crockford Sunday, 10 April 2011 13:01

When you design the content of your website, you need to walk in the shoes of your prospective customers. They will be at different stages of the "buying cycle" as they gradually move towards the point of purchase.

When you design the content of your website, you need to walk in the shoes of your prospective customers. They will be at different stages of the "buying cycle" as they gradually move towards the point of purchase.

While many people could be described as HOT prospects who are ready to act immediately and plonk their hard-earned dollars into your coffers, there are also other people who will not be ready to take that final step just yet. They are earlier in the buying cycle, and are back in what is called the "investigation" phase.

You will no doubt have been there yourself many times over the years. This is the point when you have an interest in a particular type of product or service, and you want to find out which is the RIGHT brand or model for you.

When researching, you will be looking for opinions, reviews and tests. You are seeking information and confirmation.

If you were thinking of buying a laptop for instance, you would be reading reviews and comparisons to work out which brand is the best for you. You'll want to read about disk capacity, processor speed, peripherals and battery life. You'll be reading user reviews and any other information you can access to make sure you make the right decision.

All of these issues need investigating before you can move forward towards making a decision.

So what does this mean for your Internet strategy?

One option is to ignore the buying cycle, and just target those people who are ready to buy now, this minute. This "Buy now or go away" attitude is the underlying feel of many websites. A smarter way to go is to widen your net, and find a way to connect with people who are further back in the buying cycle as well.

One way to achieve this is to provide the resources that these people are looking for. Include reviews, tests, personal experiences with different products in the range and even customer feedback. An ideal way to handle this is with a blog, which can be easily updated. If you are a service business, you could include information about the various levels of service you offer, showing the advantages and benefits.

If you can present this in an unbiased, 'non sales' language, all the better.

The other consideration is the long-term view of building relationships. For some people (and with some products), they may be researching for weeks or possibly even months. If you can off an incentive for them to make contact with you, then the relationship can be built over time. An incentive that can work is a free newsletter, or access to in-depth information that is only available to people who register their email address.

On my website for example, have a Marketing Ideas Bank, and people can register for special updates and business development ideas. Once the subscribe by giving their name and email, I can then maintain contact with them over a period of time.

You could offer a similar resource on your website.

When you do this, look for ways to add to the perceived value of the offer. For instance, rather than just offering a free newsletter, offer them a "Free newsletter that is packed with up-to-date information and reviews and which will help you to buy wisely.

Building the perceived value of your 'Soft Offer' is very important. Get this right, and you will significantly increase the number of people who respond.

There is nothing like the Internet for meeting people on their own terms. But you need to plan to do it, so as to gain an advantage over those who haven't thought it through. You need to think about the buying cycle for YOUR product or service, and structure your website to meet the needs of as many people as you can. Get this right, and you'll be the supplier that people think of when the time comes to do business.