Promotional incentives are all about finding the tipping point with your potential customers. How much do you have to provide to get them to do what you desire? Consider these real world applications.



Celebrities always look a bit foolish when they talk politics, but one is a bit different. Sheryl Crow wants people to vote and she is using an incentive to entice them. If her fans register to vote, she is giving them free music downloads.

This is a double win for Crow. First, she is getting the action she desires, to wit, people are registering. Second, she is getting positive public relations because she is giving music away for free. It is an excellent promotional strategy.

Casinos have one goal. They want to get you in the door. Promotional incentives are the key. They use loss leaders in the form of cheap food, cheap rooms, free drinks and such because they know they will make it back at the tables.

Sometimes it is good to see the strategy stripped down to its bear elements. With promotional incentives, one need look no farther than the infamous infomercial. Infomercials are just one large promotional pitch.

How do infomercials work? They offer so many promotional incentives that you cannot help but think you are getting a great deal. You get the product and a few more products and a few more still. It is like dangling multiple carrots in front of rabbits.

So, what can we take from all of these approaches? The answer is very simple. The strategy works. This is proven by the simple fact that you see the strategy used over and over and over.

You can also apply this strategy to practically any business including your own. The key is to first identify what action you want the prospects to take. Be specific. Do you want them to call, sign up for a newsletter or what?

Next, think through what potential promotional incentive could be used to entice people to take the action. If you want to promote the sale of a product, think about offering accessories to the product for free.

Promotional campaigns should be an ongoing prospect for your business. Try different things and keep the ones that work. Once you have a few nailed down, the leads will roll in.