What Is A Call To Action And How To Write An Effective One
No matter how amazing your product or service is, an expertly written call-to-action is essential to getting the results you're after, whether that's increase newsletter sign ups, follows on social media or downloads of a white paper or making a purchase. A good call-to-action is crucial to getting the results you want as it gives consumers a push in the right direction, and can be the difference between performing your desired action, and ignoring it completely. Implement the following steps to make sure you write a proactive call-to-action and get the results you want.
Command Verb
Using a command verb to start the call-to-action is a fantastic way to make a strong impact and make your call-to-action clear to the consumer. You don’t want to drag the advertisement on, so be sure to be concise with your wording. Good command verbs include “Buy”, “Subscribe” or “Order”.
Provide A Reason
Give your customer a reason to do what you are asking them to do. Expecting them to do something without explaining the benefit is a certain failure. Be sure to mention the benefit, and ensure it is hard for your target audience to refuse, such as "Loose 5KG in 5 weeks," or "Reach 1000 Twitter followers." Consumers are much more likely to respond when they feel they are getting great value, and have a reason to act that resonates with them.
Play On FOMO
What is FOMO? FOMO is the acronym for "Fear Of Missing Out." How often do you hear of sales that are for "one day only" or reduced because "limited stock" is available? Do do you get sucked into the sense of urgency and make an impulse purchase so you don't miss out? You probably just got played by FOMO, so give your call-to-action a time limit, so consumers act immediately, rather than sit on it for weeks deciding whether it's right for them.
Be A Show Off
If you have any awards or received any prizes for your products or services, use them to your advantage when promoting new products and services. Be sure to include the success of your corporation, your accomplishments and testimonials from previous customers in your call-to-action to convince consumers that you are the authority in the field, and your product or service is superior. Showing off your accomplishments and success also helps to instil trust in your brand and make it more desireable too.
Make It Easy To Act
Don’t expect customers to work hard to complete your call-to-action. If you want them to call, make sure your phone number is in a prominent position or if downloading a white paper is your end goal, ensure the download button is clickable and have the process set up to automatically deliver the resource to their inbox after entering their email. Also, it is important to keep it short and sweet, so trash the detailed "personal information" form and simply ask for their name and a credit card number, email address and/or posting address.
These are just some of the many elements we use to write an effective call-to-action. Of course, some tips will work better than others depending on the industry and audience, so you may need to experiment and test different approaches to receive the best results.
Do you have a tip to add about writing an effective call-to-action? Share the love and leave it in the comments below.
