What’s Better: “Credit in Your Account” or “Special Savings”?

Last week I got an email from iHerb.com.  I buy some of my supplements from them.

This email caught my attention because subject line was: $5.00 Loyalty Credit in Your Account.

The email went on to say they had “upgraded” my account to include their new Loyalty Credit Program.

This new program entitles me to automatically earn a 10% credit on every iHerb order, regardless of size.  The 10% credit can be applied toward my next order, placed within 60 days, once my current order is shipped.

They mentioned, to give me a jumpstart, they’ve deposited a credit of $5.00 in my iHerb account, a 10% minimum of the average order value, based on the orders I placed over the past year.

            This was a very effective mail for three reasons…

1)    The idea that I have a “credit” in my account was very appealing.  Better than the standard, BOGO Free or Special Savings.

2)    Being “upgraded” made me feel valued and appreciated.

3)   Getting on-going credit sounded very appealing—I like building up credit so I can get something at a big discount or nearly free.

Guess what?  I used the $5.00 credit for my next order.

This is a good lesson in how to get the attention of your customers…make them feel valued…and get another order.

Sometimes all it takes is a fresh look at old sales tactics.  Works like magic!

The Fear of Loss is Often More Powerful Than the Desire For Gain

In my seminar, Why People Buy or Don’t Buy, the eight most powerful buying motives are revealed.

Two motives that often trigger the most buying are the Desire for Gain and the Fear of Loss.

The Desire for Gain is when you have something good and you want more, whether it be money, health or any other prized object.

The Fear of Loss is often tied to financial loss, but likewise could be the fear of poor health or losing freedom and independence.

If you can tie one of these buying motives to an urgent problem, you can get the attention of prospects.

For example, a landing page I wrote for a unique prostate formula uses this headline:

                                  Prostate Rip-Off Leaves      
                                Millions of Men in Misery

Countless men are suffering with urinary frequency and urgency, even feeling helpless in the bedroom, because of FAILED prostate supplements.
                 

                                             Learn how a new breakthrough delivers      
                                    15 times more powerful prostate and urinary relief.

 

The landing page goes on to reveal why a special type of saw palmetto is being effectively used by men in Europe to alleviate their prostate, urinary and performance problems, yet most Americans are not taking it.

It also exposes five Saw Palmetto Rip-Offs that are leaving many U.S. men in misery. 

The solution?  A superior Saw Palmetto comparable to that used in Europe that’s 15 times more powerful that typical saw palmetto.

What’s more, it’s been clinically proven to increase maximum urinary flow by 51.4 percent…reduce frequency of nighttime urination by 73 percent…decrease prostate size…and improve sex!

The Fear of Loss has powerfully motivated men to order this unique prostate supplement—and the promotion is currently running very successfully.

Could a landing page design make a big difference in sales? You bet!

It’s been known that in direct mail, graphic design excellence can boost sales and profits.  This is why the best graphic designers are most often the ones behind pieces that mail in the millions.

         

But would this hold true for a landing page selling a nutritional supplement?

         

A recent split test by one of my clients showed the value of hiring a top-notch graphic designer for landing pages.

In this test, a landing page I wrote was laid out by one of my freelance designers and by an in-house designer
 

Every send was split tested to see the difference between the designers.  The results?  Eye-opening!  The freelance designer’s piece generated 60% more $$$ per name and 50% more $$$ per click. The end result?  Over 53% more dollars generated!

Proves this point:  It's worth it to hire a freelance graphic designer.

   

The Direct Marketer’s “Ultimate” Customer

Ask any direct marketer of consumable items such as natural health supplements who is the ultimate buyer and the answer is likely, “Anyone who buys on Auto-Ship.”

As you know, “Auto-Ship” is when a customer signs up to buy a product AND also agrees to have more product automatically shipped at an agreed upon time, like every three months.

Of course, this new shipment is automatically charged to the client’s credit card (with approval)…so for a direct marketer, this means a steady stream of income without having to send out renewal notices or additional promotions. 

           

Ideal, right?  You bet.

Normally, I’d say you should test “Auto-Ship” offers.  In the past, I’ve only had one package that went out with an “Auto-Ship” offer and while it did well, it wasn’t a super winner.

But now that’s all changed with a piece I recently wrote which is now rolling out.

The offer was not tested.  The client made the decision to turn the “Best Offer” 6-month supply, with the greatest savings and FREE Gifts, into an “Auto-Ship” offer.  We also included typical 3-month and 1-month offers with no “Auto-Ship.”

To be frank, I was a little worried about the offers—as you know, the offer is 40% of the success or failure of the promo.

The piece is a winner!  Surprisingly, 50% of the orders are coming in on “Auto-Ship”—making the piece even more profitable!

I’d still recommend you test “Auto-Ship” offers.  But this has opened my eyes to the HUGE benefit of “Auto-Ship” orders.  If most or all of these customers stay on “Auto-Ship,” this product’s sales could be off the charts!

Can subject lines affect size of average order? You bet!

You know testing subject lines is vital for on-line marketing. 

These tests can result in significant differences in open rates, click through rates and of course, orders.

         

But could they make difference in the size of the average order?  Yes!  And this can make a huge difference in your profitability.

         For a natural testosterone boosting product, I wrote two different subject lines:

         Subject: 3 reasons why most testosterone boosters fail

         Subject: Will the next great testosterone booster be unjustly banned?

The first subject line (3 reasons) was followed by an email that revealed that most testosterone boosters fail because they work too slowly…have only been tested on rats…or lack high enough dosages for fast results.

The second subject line (unjustly banned) was followed by an email that revealed that most every low testosterone solution has come under scrutiny by Big Government.  I then added that if history is any indication, the government may soon ban many legitimate natural testosterone boosters by lumping them in with steroids and unnatural hormones.  I then told readers that this new breakthrough T booster is perfect legal, over the counter, clinically tested and still available “at this writing.”

The results of this test?  Both subject lines produced similar open rates and click through rates.  But the average order of the “Unjustly banned” subject line was much higher—so it was the clear winner!

“Ultra Specificity” in Headlines Boost Response

When I write a headline, for a direct mail piece, a landing page or a video sales letter, one thing I have to ask is—is the headline specific enough to make it stand out?

“Ultra Specificity” is a term coined by American entrepreneur and writer Mark Ford.  It’s one part of the four “U”s he and his business partner Bill Bonner identified in studying successful headlines.

They discovered that all great headlines had a sense of Urgency…contained something Unique…offered something Useful…and were Ultra Specific.

So when I write a headline, I want to make sure it includes specific features and/or benefits, facts or statements that make it stand out among competing headlines and make it more authentic and more believable.

Here are three examples of very successful headlines…

For Reconnect, I came up with a headline that doesn’t just promise conquering hearing loss—but 5 types of hearing loss.  As the prospect reads on, he/she learns these include age-related hearing loss…blockage of normal sounds…vertigo (imbalance)...ringing in the ears…and noise-induced hearing loss. 

For Advanced Cell Rescue, I zeroed in on the secret of healthy 100-year-olds, not just healthy older people.  If these centenarians could escape major age-related health problems, I figured prospects would want to know their secret. 

And for Seanol I first asked the question if this rare sea plant was better than green tea.  Then wrote you’d have to “drink 200 glasses of green tea a day to get the antioxidant protection of a daily dose of this 62-cent extract.”

I always try to write headlines that single out a product or service, headlines that are “ultra specific.”  As the examples above show, these work like gangbusters.