In general, the basic ecommerce formula works like this:

Step One: Drive traffic to the website.

Step Two: Convert those eyeballs to leads.

Step Three: Convert leads to customers.

Step Four: Generate repeat purchases.

Bonus
products are an essential variable in this formula. However, offering
bonuses isn’t just putting the words “But wait – there’s more,” in your
offer. The key is to know what types of bonuses will have the strongest
effect on your prospects.

1. The Eyeballs to Conversions Process.

As
a business owner, you have several tasks to make your business
successful. First, you must drive traffic to your website. In addition,
once you have website visitors, you must convert those visitors into
clients or customers. While a lead does not necessarily equal a sale,
it does equal a future potential sale. Once you have a prospect’s name
and email address, you’re able to move into step two – converting them
to customers and making sales.

Bonus products work very well
as a tool to build this opt-in list and free giveaways in exchange for
an email address are a common lead generating tool. What you offer and
how you offer it largely depends on your target audience.

In
cases where you’re selling an expensive product, a substantial bonus
product or a series of bonus products can help convince your prospects
them they’re making the right decision.

You can use bonuses to
build your sales in a number of alternative methods. Here are just a
few ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

One way to do
this is to tier rewards so that the more the customer buys, the more
bonuses the customer receives – for example, increasing membership
status from silver to gold and gold to platinum.

Consider giving
away bonuses to customers who help you build your opt-in list. For
example, you could reward every email a friend gives leads toward a
bonus.

Consider giving away bonuses to prospects and customers who are active and participate in your online community.

2. Why Do Bonuses Work?

In
general, bonuses are defined as products or services you give away to
incite a purchase, a subscription, a referral, or even an opt-in.
You’re probably very familiar with bonus items, so let’s take a look at
why they’re so effective. Bonuses tap into several psychological
triggers, including:

Reciprocity. Reciprocity is the tendency
we have as people to respond to something in kind. Bonuses are the
epitome of positive reciprocity. Customers receive a free guide, a free
video, a free e-book as an opt-in bonus – now they’re feeling
grateful.

Commitment and Consistency. Psychologists tell us that
we’re more likely to say yes to something big if we’ve already said yes
to something smaller. In short, it gets your prospects in the habit of
saying ‘yes’.

Liking. Who doesn’t like someone who gives them
something for free? People buy from companies they like, and from
personalities they relate to.

Scarcity and Urgency. Use a
limited bonus or give an extra bonus to customers who act quickly. It
motivates people to purchase now rather than wait and possibly change
their mind.

3. How to Create Bonuses for Your Target Market.

Even
though your business may involve a niche topic, your customers are
probably diverse and have diverse personalities, interests, and
technological capabilities. We all have our own motivations and
behaviors influenced by our personality. Learning to meet the needs and
wants of the characteristics can help you create bonuses that cover a
range of personalities. Keep in mind that your customers will likely
include many or all of the following:

Emotional Personalities – Many of these people make decisions based upon their feelings.

Thinking Personalities – These are the people who like to plan, schedule and solve situations.

Extroverted Personalities – These are the folks who tend to be open and comfortable in new environments.

Introverted Personalities – These want to take it slower and make personal connections.

Intuitive personalities – They have a natural ability to think outside the box.

Remember
that each prospect has their personality. Give them options and
consider creating one great bonus to be packaged in a number of
different formats.

4. Creating Your Bonuses.

This is
where many people drop the ball – they throw together sloppy bonuses or
simply by resell rights to something that’s been distributed by a
million other websites – in short, they stop taking their prospects
into consideration.

Let’s take a look at three primary ways you can create eye catching and valuable bonuses.

Resell
Rights/PLR: The internet is full of companies and websites that
mass-produce bonuses for you to give away on your own website. Although
these can be beneficial, they can also be a slippery slope. You want to
have bonuses unique to your niche and specific to your products or
services.

Creating Your Own Product: While creating your own
eBook, video tutorial or software program can be a bit of work, it can
also be tremendously rewarding and you’ll be sure you’re creating the
quality products your prospects and customers deserve. If you already
have a stockpile of great content, you can repurpose it to create new
and valuable bonus products. Creating multiple bonuses from one packet
of information is a great way to accomplish that task.

Outsource
The Job: Hire A Company Or Individual To Develop Your Bonuses. When
outsourcing there are a few success tips: Determine in advance exactly
what you want the freelancer to accomplish. Outline your project in
advance – it will ensure communication is clear and the project is done
the way you want.

Armed with this information, you can start planning and preparing the bonuses that will give you more paying customers.

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