Today I received an email from the video conversion software company ImTOO that perfectly demonstrates how to use this marketing idea when sending email marketing messages to your subscriber list.

I’m a customer of ImTOO, using their conversion software to convert one type of video format to another.  I’m a big fan of this company because of how easy their software is to use…

Now I’m a fan because of their effective marketing.  Here’s a screen capture of the email I received that illustrates perfectly how to use a free marketing incentive offer.

There are four important elements to note (and to model) for your own “free marketing incentive” offers.

1. The Subject Line (a.k.a. Headline) FEATURES the Free Offer – notice that they are very specific and clear about the fact that they are offering something free with my purchase.  It’s also related to the actual product they are selling, making their marketing aligned (more on aligned marketing next week)
2. They Provide a REASON for the Offer – this is a psychological trigger and has to be reasonably valid; in this case, to “celebrate the release of iPhone 4″, which they have a supporting product for.
3. Sell The Main Product AND The Free Markting Incentive – it’s not enough to sell one product or the other, both need to be viewed by the reader of as being EQUALLY valuable and worthwhile – the free item needs to be perceived as being worth the investment in the primary product, even if it has a lesser value!
4. Create URGENCY Through Limitation – in this case, this is a “Limited Time Offer” as noted at the bottom of the advertisement.

Hopefully this example illustrates how you can take the model of product bundling and use it to create a free marketing incentive for your next advertisement.

P.S. Do you have experience working with a free marketing incentive?  Share your experience by leaving a comment below.  Also a great way to get a question answered about how to apply this small business marketing idea to your own business.

Related Post: Small Business Marketing Idea – Offer a “Free With Purchase” Incentive

Here’s an idea you can use to motivate and persuade your target audience to respond to your small business ad by visiting your store or website and making a purchase:

Offer a “Free With Purchase” incentive for anyone who makes a qualifying purchase within a specified period of time.

This is a powerful marketing idea that can work for many different kinds of small business owners.

Let’s use a golf equipment retail store as an example.

Create Your “Free With Purchase” Incentive Offer

Let’s say it’s spring time and you’re a local golf equipment retailer planning a marketing event to kick of the season. The first thing you will need to do is determine what product to give away.

You’ll do this by selecting something that is purchased fairly frequently and which costs very little to purchase, but has a high perceived value and a high margin or mark-up.

An obvious example might be a package of golf balls since every golfer is constantly losing golf balls and needs to replace them on a regular basis.

Ideally, you’ll contact your golf ball supplier and try to negotiate a discounted rate on a bigger order of golf balls under the assumption that you’ll have more foot traffic in the store during your sale event.

Next, you’ll need to determine under which circumstances you’re going to give away those golf balls.

You can select from a minimum purchase amount such as ‘anything over $50 or $100’; or the purchase of a specific item such as ‘free with every putter sold’.

You’ll also want to set a timeline parameter so that you maximize the immediacy and the urgency to act quickly.

Creating The “Free With Purchase” Incentive Advertisement

Now that you know what incentive you’re going to offer and under what conditions, you’ll need to create a compelling advertisement to let people know about your special offer.

First, you’ll need to craft a powerful and compelling headline that advertises the key benefit and catches the attention of your target audience.  It should be VERY specific and engaging.

Something like: FREE Sleeve of Golf Balls With This Ad!

That will grab the attention of most amateur golfers and at least get them to read more about how they can get free golf balls.

In the body of the ad, you’ll write about whatever it is that you’re trying to sell, either the minimum purchase amount, the specific putter you’re promoting or whatever else you’ve decided to offer.

You’ll also mention the dates during which the offer is valid and remind them to “clip this coupon” and bring it in to the store in order to claim their gift.

Tracking & Measuring Your Marketing Results

Finally, you’ll want to include some kind of identifying code on the coupon itself that lets you know which newspaper, magazine or flyer it came from.  You’ll also want to write down the items purchased by the person redeeming the offer for tracking and measuring your results.

This is critical because after the promotion is over you can then review your coupon redemption and count the number of people who responded to the ad by coming in to the store and claiming their free gift.

If you’ve done a good job of targeting the placement of the ad, the message and offer to the desires of the target market and combined that with a strong call-to-action, you should end up with a positive return on your marketing investment.

You’ll know this by adding the order total of all the coupons that were redeemed and then deducting all of your costs including the cost of the advertisement.

If the result is positive, you have a winning formula that you can repeat.  If the number is negative, you lost money on this advertisement and it needs additional work to make it successful.

P.S. Got something to say?  Leave your comments below!

Related Post: Free Marketing Incentive – A Real World Example from ImToo