In the mid-1990s I was a direct response marketer.
My job was to send letters to convince strangers to send a cheque for a product – usually a newsletter, book or live event.
When you think about, it’s astonishing that people would send money just from reading a letter.
But there were specific methods we used to achieve this.
One of the most important was the “call-to-action”.
This is a direct request near the end of a sales letter for the prospect to do something. To make it work you needed to spell out every step in detail. It was like taking your prospect by the elbow and guiding them into your business.
This principle remains just as important for online business…
A clear call-to-action is essential, whether it’s a landing page, email recommendation, advertorial, banner advert, or pop up.
If you don’t clearly state what you would like your customer to do, how they should do it, and when, then you will lose sales.
Examples include…
“Click here to order now”
“Fill in your email address below to claim your instant download”
“Pick up the phone and call 0800…”
However this isn’t just about selling…
Every single communication must have a call-to-action.
If you want to bring your customer to act on your sales message, they need to start acting on your non-sales messages, including email newsletters, blog posts, videos and free reports.
In every communication you should try and push the reader to do one of the following: pick up the phone, carry out an action, click on a link, visit a website, change a habit, or make a decision.
These call-to-actions should be things that help, inform, delight, enrich and entertain your prospects without them needing to pay for it. Link to free websites, articles and videos they will find useful.
By doing this, you train your readers to associate your call-to-actions with positive, life-enhancing experiences – not just spending money. They won’t be able to tell if you’re about to sell them a product, send them to a great website, or give them a free gift.
The result?
They’re MUCH more likely to click when you ask them to.
And they’re MORE likely to see you as a source of value than a drain on their wallets.
Here are some call-to-actions you should try in your regular blog posts, news updates, articles and videos, with sample copy for each.
Please note, the words in blue are not real links, they’re just examples to illustrate the call to action:
• Drive the reader back to a previous blog or article
“If you’d like to know more about how to avoid high gas bills, there’s an article on my website with everything you need to know. Click here to read it now”
• Send the reader to a free website (don’t be afraid to recommend other people’s sites, it makes you most trustworthy)
“There are some great Paleo Diet recipes on this website, including a demonstration video series I really enjoyed. You can find it here: www.yourbrilliantwebsitehere.com.”
• Sign up for a free report, video or email alerts
“These tips are just a few that I’ve found. If you’d like to know more, I’ve put together a special video series that will explain how to put your Etsy business together from scratch, step by step. Put your email address down here now and get instant access to it for free: Sign up here.”
• Ask for feedback
“I’d love to know what you think about this topic. What frustrations have you had? Is there anything in particular you’d like my help with? If so, drop me an email here: youremailaddresshere@address.co.uk.”
• Get them to fill in a survey/take a quiz
“I’d really like to help improve this service and help you earn more from your Forex training. I’d be grateful if you could spare just 5 minutes to fill in this survey: Your link here.”
• Encourage them to try out the tips and advice you’ve just provided
“Once you experience this natural insomnia remedy, you’ll never look back. Try it tomorrow. Make sure you don’t eat anything after 6pm. An hour before you go to bed, drink one mug of valerian and chamomile tea, following my recipe. Do this for the next 7 days and see how your sleep improves.”
• Conclude any tips or advice with a call-to-action
“According to police sources, the Horse Racing Tips Elite Club is a scam and to be avoided at all costs. Please watch out for letters signed off by Mr Bill Bloggs as he’s promoting this service heavily through direct mail. If you get one of his letters please email hotline@emailaddress.com immediately or call this number.”
• Encourage them to take an offline action
“After my glowing report, are you still unsure about Asian crispy duck on pizzas? If so, order it the next time you come into the restaurant and try it out. If you’re not absolutely delighted we’ll give you the next one for free.”
• Ask the reader to share
“If you’ve been affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder and you’ve got tips or advice that might help your fellow sufferers, please do share. Send an email to youremail@adddress.co.uk.”
• Invite them to join your social networks
“If you’d like more up-to-the-minute news, then please follow me on Twitter. please It’s a great way to stay in touch and ask me any questions for a super-quick response. You can find me at www.twitter.com/yourbrilliantname.”
• Invite them to share your content on their networks
“If you liked this, please share it on Facebook or Twitter.”
Try it and see what happens…
Go and look at all your website copy straight away, as well as your draft emails and sales copy. This includes any sign-up boxes or sales promotions.
Are you spelling out precisely what the reader needs to do?
If not, make it clear whether they need to carry out a task, change a habit, click a button, fill in a form, submit an email address or call a number.
And remember to measure your results!