A “tripwire” offer is a very high value, low cost “soft yes” / “shy yes” way for customers to get a sense for the value you provide.
Not all people will opt into your tripwire offer, but those that do are much more serious, and more likely to buy from you in the future for higher prices.
Internet marketing should reflect a customer’s journey along a series of transactions, wherein they trust you more as you honor your promises, and deliver real world value.
Each interaction is a bridge to the land of greater trust and greater mutual value.
Tripwire offers are to…
- Build trust above just a simple free offer, so that someone gets a very high value for what they paid. This opens up future transactions.
- Recapture the cost of lead generation, if you’re doing paid advertising.
- They are a gentle 2nd step along a customer journey.
To get your own tripwire offer set up, answer this question:
First, you need a free offer, which should also provide real-world-value. Presumably, you have some “full commit” offer as well – is there something in the middle? This should be your tripwire.
People pay with data or cash.
You reward that purchase tenfold so they’re happy.
Example Tripwire Offers:
- Real Estate: A CMA – this is your chance to get more info and grow the relationship. Naturally, if you do this, you’d better wow ’em. Alt option: Top 10 hand-selected below-market properties for buyers / investors based on their criteria. This is a bit tricky with real estate as there isn’t a real “bridge value” – you either get the listing or you don’t, so we recommend coming in honest and high-value, but instead of paying money, this is where you can ask for a lot of data – not just 5 fields of info, but, say, 20 and really get a profile. These people are paying you in data / time, not cash, so don’t just send some autoresponder fluff for these people – wow ’em.
- Restaurants: A free appetizer, no strings attached, or free drink – just for coming in. No purchase required. Will a handful of people abuse this? Yes, but most won’t, and some eaters will turn out to be repeat customers… OR a $7 for $20 gift certificate. Huge value, low cost. tip: We have a WordPress Plugin for gift certificates & e-commerce if it helps!
Case Study: Digital Marketer
Ryan Deiss is a great marketer – one of the top 10 out there, in my humble and subjective opinion. His team tests, tests, and tests some more, so they’ve got solid actionable intel to apply to any business.
That said, let’s do some analysis:
Notes on the Tripwire Offer below:
- The tripwire offer sells info. Personally, I’m bit tired of info-marketing because everyone wants to sell info – ideas are easy, execution and implementation is more often what stops people, not having more info. We at SwiftCloud sell tools, and the info is usually given away with it for free, which is arguably undervaluing ourselves. Nonetheless, this is good: I didn’t buy in this case, and am not a good customer for them, because I’m reticent to buy more info. Those who DID buy demonstrated they are willing to spend money for info / education – perfect. That’s a bull’s-eye customer for them. [Note: I have bought multiple products from them, and have been happy – I just didn’t buy this one].
- Notice they include a phone number. This builds trust, even though statistically the vast majority of people will not use it, and if they do, I’m guessing they’re as on their game with the phone as well, offering consultation packages etc. Studies show that simply _having_ a phone number visible increases conversion, and subconsciously reassures people there’s a live body they can call.
- Notice the CTA Call To Action button – add to cart – just $7 – is unquestionably clear, above the fold, adjacent to the headline offer. The secondary CTA, Learn More, simply moves the user down the page. As you scroll down, notice there are six – yes, 6, call-to-action buttons – ready for whenever you do cross the value-proposition.
- Last, the dark footer makes it clear this is the end of the page emotionally, capped off by one more value proposition: let us help you become the smartest marketer in the room.
Our own specialty is converting action into real-world implementations. If you have a business, and have a budget, contact us to learn how we can convert your plans into reality.