“Yes” is one of the most powerful words in the human language. And if you think about all of the things that we do as b-to-b marketing professionals, it’s ultimately to get people to say “yes” to our offers.

When an offer is exclusive, scarce or in high demand, it becomes more desirable. Whether you are offering a whitepaper, free trial or download, you can use these attributes to overcome a lead’s typical friction, doubt or concern.

Why do these tactics work? Because people need to perceive the value of your offer to be greater than what you are asking for in return. The higher the perception of value, the more irresistible the offer.

How to Create Irresistible B-to-B Marketing Offers
So how do you create irresistible offers? Here are 5 highly effective tactics that you can use.

Create Offers for Different Buying Stages
The most common offer on most websites is “Contact Us.” Of course you want every prospect to talk to sales, but most buyers want to do their own research first. Every prospect is at a different stage of exploration, and some may need more education than others. That’s why it’s important to create different offers for each phase of the buying cycle. Someone at the top of the sales funnel is more interested in an informative guide or ebook, while someone closer to the bottom of the funnel is probably looking for a free trial or demo.

Avoid Corporate Gobbledygook
A professional image is necessary, but be sure to avoid the dreaded corporate gobbledygook in your offers. These words are meant to add more emphasis of a particular subject, but instead they have been over-used and abused to the point that they have become meaningless. Here are a few words to avoid when describing your offer:

• Next generation
• Flexible
• Robust
• Scalable
• Easy to use
• Cutting edge
• Groundbreaking
• Best of breed
• Mission critical

Use High-Value Offer Formats
Not all offers are created equal. Some offer formats perform better than others at converting leads. For example, what’s more valuable, a whitepaper or an ebook? According to HubSpot, a leading marketing automation firm, the following types of offers, in order of performance, are most effective for new lead generation:

• Ebooks or guides
• Templates or presentations
• Research or reports
• Whitepapers
• Kits (multiple offers packaged together)
• Live webinars
• On-demand videos
• Blog (including offers in the sidebar)
• Blog posts (if there is a CTA in the post)
• Middle-of-the-funnel offers, such as free demos, contact sales, RFP, etc. (i.e., more sales-ready offers)

Leverage Newsjacking
When something is newsworthy, it creates high demand. In situations like this, you can align offers with “what’s hot.” For example, in 2012 a petroleum industry association revised recommended trade safety practices. Our client knew that a well-timed content marketing offer would create incremental sales of products, whose use was outlined in the recommendation. Our campaign capitalized on this industry news story with a robust content marketing program – the API RP 2350 Readiness Kit – that provided the market with a single source for essential details about how to comply with the new guidelines.

Focus on Creating an Amazing Title
When it comes to content marketing, people truly do judge a book by its cover. According to HubSpot, “you can have a great offer with a bad title and no one will download it – but if you have an amazing title, suddenly everyone wants it.” Including a number in the title of your content is a proven way to capture readers’ attention. In fact, the MOZ Blog reports that most readers prefer headlines that include a number.

Source: The MOZ Blog