The MAGIC of THE OFFER for Rapid Customer Attraction
How One Little Twist to Your Online (or Offline) Approach Increases Conversion
So. Here you are, one of one million cottage foodies with a mediocre ecommerce website, products all in a pretty row.
How do you differentiate?
When someone comes to your website 99+% will just continue on their merry way. And even if you send them there (cold traffic) from Social Media, it’s not much better.
(Now if you do custom orders only, this is more of a sales issue…we will talk about that in a future Substack.)
But let’s assume you are just trying to get customers for standard products you love to make.
You sell cookies, muffins, brownies, pies, fudge and/or candy… along with other cottage foodies online. And of course, there is competition at the vendor booth level offline as well.
Either way, the mysterious, magical OFFER gives you a leg up.
Do you have an OFFER? Something to get first-time prospects to try your tasty goodies and move into customer-hood?
So what are examples of offers?
Here are 20 courtesy of ChatGPT that a baker might use to attract first-time customers or boost sales:
Buy One, Get One Free - Buy one dozen cookies, get the second dozen free.
Free Sample Offer - Get a free cookie with your first purchase.
Discount for First-Time Customers - 10% off your first order.
Limited-Time Bundles - Special combo pack: 6 cupcakes + 6 cookies for $15 (normally $18).
Loyalty Program Sign-Up - Sign up for our loyalty program and get a free cupcake on your next visit.
Free Delivery on Your First Order - Get free delivery for your first online order over $20.
Birthday Special - Celebrate your birthday with us: free cupcake on your birthday when you show your ID.
Flash Sale - 20% off all cookies and cupcakes for the next 24 hours.
Seasonal Offer - Valentine's Day Special: Heart-shaped cookies and cupcakes 15% off.
Referral Discount - Refer a friend, and you both get 10% off your next order.
Pre-order Discount - Pre-order cupcakes for a party and get 10% off.
Free Cookie with Coffee Purchase - Free chocolate chip cookie with any coffee order over $5.
Social Media Exclusive - Follow us on Instagram and get 15% off your first order.
Family Pack Special - Family pack of 24 cookies for $20 (normally $25).
Holiday Gift Box Offer - Get a free mini cupcake in every gift box for the holidays.
Weekend Deal - Every Saturday, get a free cookie with any cupcake purchase.
Try Something New - New flavor alert: Get 10% off any new cupcake flavor.
Group Order Discount - Order 3 dozen or more cupcakes for a 15% discount.
Custom Orders Special - Order 12 custom-designed cupcakes and get a 5% discount.
Flash Deal on Cookies - Chocolate chip cookies on sale for $5/dozen for the next 2 hours only.
These types of offers can help create urgency, attract new customers, and encourage repeat business. And you can do non-food giveaways too, such as recipes, or a list of serving ideas.
Plus you can do a lot of these on the fly! You can edit your website or social media, or throw up signage at your vendor booth in minutes.
Note that some of these ideas are a bit rich… in other words, they give away too much. But you get the idea.
Thing for a moment…if a cookie yielding competitor does not offer an OFFER (lol) on their home page… or with signage at their farmers market booth, and you do… who gets the sale?
Product differentiation only goes so far…combines with offers, you discover a killer combination.
Online marketers, at least the successful ones, use the following sequence:
HOOK ==> STORY ==> OFFER.
Even though OFFER is LAST in the customer journey, you develop it first. Then the HOOK (to attract curiosity going in), then the STORY which is the bridge from the HOOK to the OFFER.
Of course, for selling consumables, sometimes the OFFER is all you need.
PS Developing your engaging story about WHY and/or HOW you started your business is a critical piece of your future success…even if you embellish a bit. You can extend the benefit even further with interesting stories about individual products as well!
(More on HOOK and STORY in future emails.)
So, how do you choose what to offer?
Consider:
What products are most profitable (so I have the margin for a deal)?
What products did I make too many of (discount or eat)?
What products can I easily get out?
What products sell the best?
What new products do I want to test market?
What products get the best tasting feedback, and therefore more likely to entice prospects to become regular customers for all of my goodies?
What offers can I create that cost little or nothing, but offer high perceived value?
What offers can increase average order $ize?
And there are things after the sale you can do to develop raving fans.
Think of your goodie as the main meat or cheese or PBJ in the center layer of a sandwich. You put bread down first (OFFER) as the foundation (it tastes even better, cuz they got a deal!).
Then comes the main course (your goodie). And if you are an exceptional business person, you put on another slice of bread in the form of FOLLOW-UP.
Follow-up may look like a coupon for their next purchase inside the packaging or go-bag (you stack your offers). Or maybe include a favorite recipe card.
Or, say you are building a customer list (very wise). When you go home and add their collected email into your autoresponder system, an email goes out with a thank you, and/or maybe another offer or incentive. Or maybe include your farmers market vendor schedule they can tack up.
Do you see your purpose as selling out your goodies, or developing active customers? The OFFER SANDWICH does one. The average small business serves the cookie open face… or with no supporting bread at all.
OFFERS are often a difference maker in the confusing Cottage Food world of increasing competition. Especially when starting out, and trying to get your first paying customers.
Get creative with your offers. Even consider co-marketing offers with other vendors, when she or he makes a complementary product.
Mal Dell
The MONETIZATION CHEF
Helping Foodies Create Profits!