{"id":40620,"date":"2021-07-07T15:19:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-07T19:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crazyeggblog.wpengine.com\/?p=40620"},"modified":"2026-01-06T15:14:32","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T23:14:32","slug":"tripwire-marketing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crazyegg.com\/blog\/tripwire-marketing\/","title":{"rendered":"Tripwire Marketing: Lure in More Customers With 12 Slam-Dunk Ideas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Tripwire marketing is a conversion-acceleration hack that convinces target consumers to buy something small from you rather than a more expensive product or service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are actually two versions of tripwire marketing you can use to produce more conversions.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first one involves luring in customers with low-cost offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imagine for a moment that you sell online courses. You offer a monster e-course with dozens of videos, articles, and other assets, and it\u2019s priced at $1,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s a lot of money for a consumer to spend on a company with which he has no experience. If you haven\u2019t been in business long, you might not have strong social proof or other ways to speed up conversions and overcome objections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To incentivize conversions, you might create a mini-course that supplements your primary course. It could include one or two short videos, a couple checklists, and a few articles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pricing this much smaller course at $20 or even $100 makes the product far more attractive to new customers. Most people are more willing to spend small amounts of money than a huge chunk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You then set up a tripwire marketing campaign. The tripwire \u2014 your mini-course \u2014 serves as proof of concept. It shows your customers that you deliver what you promise. They become enmeshed in your sales funnel, so you can market to them via email and other means to convert them on the larger product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second tripwire marketing strategy focuses on consumer behavior.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s say you run a subscription service for which you charge $30 per month. Customer A has been a loyal subscriber for six months, then suddenly cancels his membership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s a tripwire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can then use email marketing to reel in Customer A. Reach out via email to ask what went wrong or if you can improve your subscription service in any way. Then you offer a can\u2019t-miss deal, such as one month for $5 instead of the standard $30 \u2014 with the option to cancel at any time, of course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both tripwire marketing campaigns can produce incredible ROI<\/a>, but let\u2019s explore the reasons behind their often-impressive results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>How Tripwire Marketing Can Help you Get More Conversions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Your conversion rate is the percentage of people who, when presented with an offer, take you up on the deal. It\u2019s that simple.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you make your offer more appealing \u2014 such as creating a low-cost alternative to an expensive product \u2014 your conversions will increase. You just have to make sure you\u2019re providing sufficient value to warrant further purchases.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes it\u2019s better to offer a product or service at a low price point than to offer it for free.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why? People don\u2019t always value free.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Business Insider<\/span><\/a> published an excerpt of famed <\/span>marketer Ramit Sethi’s<\/span><\/a> bestselling book, \u201c<\/span>Your Move: The Underdog’s Guide to Building Your Business<\/span><\/a>.\u201d In it, Sethi says: <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople value what they pay for…You’re not doing [prospects] a disservice by charging them, you’re actually doing a profound service for the people who want to take action.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sethi says he used to give away free copies of his $2,000 course. He just wanted to help people. However, most never even logged in.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He makes a good point that, if you don\u2019t put a value on a product, your prospects probably won\u2019t, either. But when you charge even a nominal amount, you send the message that you assign value to your own product \u2014 and so should everyone else.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Tripwire Funnel Examples<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"tripwire<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tripwire marketing should become part of your overall conversion funnel strategy<\/a>. It deserves its own place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tripwire itself can belong in a few different places in your funnel depending on how you use it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, many marketers use tripwires as a top-of-funnel strategy. They use SEO and content marketing to increase web traffic, then offer an insane amount of value for a low price. That\u2019s a great way to convert people quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also use it in the middle of the funnel, though. Let\u2019s say you have an email list full of people who converted on your free lead magnet. Set up a drip campaign \u2014 a series of emails \u2014 that promotes your tripwire offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, consider tripwire marketing for the retention part of your funnel. Bring customers back by offering a great deal on something of immense value, then slip them into another drip campaign \u2014 one designed to promote your more expensive product or service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Building your Tripwire Strategy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a reason I call tripwire marketing a strategy. It isn\u2019t something you just throw together and toss into the air, hoping consumers grab it. Make your tripwire an integral part of your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Go back to the questions you ask yourself when designing any marketing strategy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Who is your target customer?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. What do they want?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. What\u2019s preventing them from getting what they want?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. How can you provide a solution?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Once you answer those questions accurately, you can apply them to creating a tripwire product and marketing it effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you want to lure back customers who have stopped buying from you, use the tripwire as an excuse for them to come back. You might send an email that says, \u201cHey, I just launched this super affordable product I think you might be interested in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    When the prospect converts on your offer, remind him or her that you still have the original product available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/a>How to Create a Tripwire<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Now that you\u2019re familiar with tripwire marketing, let\u2019s dig into some specifics. How do you create a tripwire that will boost conversions for your business?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The best tripwire ideas come from specific needs or desires. Analyze data you already have based on consumer buying habits and other user behaviors so you know where to start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Step 1: Examine your product or service line<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    What products do you already offer? How much do they cost? These two questions become integral to creating a tripwire because you need to know what motivates your audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Think about common objections to your products or services. Maybe your target market finds them too expensive, for instance, or perhaps you\u2019re new to the space, so you haven\u2019t built sufficient trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Step 2: Find the product or service that gets the most sales<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    If you sell multiple products or services, figure out which one gets the most sales. That should become the basis for your tripwire because your most popular item already creates demand.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Maybe you create and sell hidden object games that customers can download and play. Most games cost around $12, but your conversions are lower than you\u2019d like.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Look for the games that get the most downloads. You can decide how many you want to focus on. These will become the basis for your tripwire in the next step.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Step 3: Create a new version that costs much less, but still contains value<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    I\u2019m not suggesting that you should take a huge financial hit for your business. If you sell online games, don\u2019t give them away for free just because nobody\u2019s buying.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Instead, either create a new version of an existing product or service \u2014 think \u201cproduct lite\u201d \u2014 or bundle several low-cost items at a great discount.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The goal here is similar to that of a <\/span>lead magnet<\/span><\/a>. You want people to buy your product because it\u2019s a great deal.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Step 4: Start an email drip campaign for customers who buy the tripwire item<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    When you sell a tripwire item, don\u2019t stop there. Nurture your leads by communicating via email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You want those customers to come back and spend more on your business. To do that, you must remind them of the value they received from your tripwire products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Direct them to your blog, invite them to follow you on social, and end each email with a CTA<\/a> for your more expensive product. Make sure it\u2019s directly related to the tripwire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For instance, if your audience bought a hidden-object game bundle for $1, don\u2019t ask them to convert on an offer for first-person shooter games. You\u2019re targeting the wrong audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Step 5: Feature your tripwire product throughout your website<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Exposure is critical to the success of your tripwire marketing campaign. If prospects can\u2019t find it, they won\u2019t buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Consider adding the tripwire product to your navigation bar or header. You could also use a Hello Bar<\/a> to capture your website visitors\u2019 attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Don\u2019t forget to emphasize the value proposition. It isn\u2019t just what the customer will get, but the low price involved. Your CTA might look like this: \u201cGet 4 of our best-selling games for just $1! Offer ends soon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Creating a limited-time tripwire can boost conversions even further. Consider rotating your offers if you have more than one so you can take advantage of urgency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Step 6: Add a lead magnet to your conversion forms to capture more emails<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Lead magnets, tripwire marketing, and email marketing can work together in harmony. In most cases, you want to focus on one CTA at a time. Giving your prospects a choice, however, can sometimes pay off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Let\u2019s say you have three products:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. Huge online course (main product)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Mini course (tripwire product)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Short e-book (lead magnet)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      The tripwire creates a happy medium between free and expensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The same strategy can work for other industries, including SaaS. Your three options might include the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n