Are Your Response Incentives and Marketing Goals Properly Matched?

When prospecting, many marketers use some kind of incentive to boost response. But let’s face it. Not all incentives are created equal. To be successful, you need to put as much thought into the incentive as you do into your list, your creative and your message. You also need to match the value of the incentive to how much the response is worth to you.

When one company wanted to add more value-added resellers, for example (something in which even bringing on one more could bring in millions over time), it offered a sweepstakes featuring a trip to the Caribbean. When another wanted to access high-level executives, it offered remote control cars personalized with the recipient’s name.

Just because your incentive has a high dollar value, however, doesn’t mean that it’s the right incentive. For example, you might not want to give away free digital cameras to a camera-savvy audience that most likely already has one — or three. Instead, you might want to offer something more unusual, such as a digital picture frame that attaches to a key ring.

Also keep in mind that an incentive doesn’t need to cost a lot to be highly motivating. One marketer used the “hook” during its Christmastime promotion of allowing respondents to help select the charity to receive its end-of-year donation. Others have given away free saplings to environmentally conscious prospects around Earth Day. The point is to match the incentive to your specific audience. One size doesn’t fit all.

Need some help with incentive ideas? Talk to us about getting the right match for your next campaign.