You could have killer sales copy, an excellent product and a fantastic marketing campaign, but without a call to action you're unlikely to make many, if any, sales.
Why?
Because the call to action is arguably the most vital part of your sales copy, and is the stage at which you tell your prospect how to become your customer. That's not to say that sales copy is completely redundant without it: in fact, sales copy without a call to action may merely be pushy PR, but it's unlikely to give you a high conversion rate.
Buy Me!
Once your prospect is 'sold' on your product or service, you need to tell them exactly what it is you want them to do next. The complexity of your call to action will depend on what it is that you are selling, whether you require your prospect to ask for further information, to register their interest or simply to enter their card details on the next page.
Be Assertive
Your call to action may be at the bottom of your sales page, or if you are using long copy, you might have a cumulative call to action, or several calls to action that are placed in strategic areas throughout your copy. When writing a call to action, you should ensure that you are direct but not rude. By including a simple but effective call to action you can increase responses to your marketing considerably. For example, "Call us before 9pm tonight and we'll take 25% off the cost of your order" is better than "For more information, or to place an order, phone us on this number."
Make It Urgent
An effective call to action should inject urgency into the prospect's mind. Deals that are 'only available to the first 100 customers', offers that are 'while stocks last', or 'sale ends Friday' are all time-sensitive and provoke a 'now or never' type of response.
Avoid Complications
Remember to keep it simple. Giving your prospects a choice is rarely, if ever, an effective call to action. Ask yourself what you want people to do once they've read your sales letter or web copy. It may sound stupid but it's worth revisiting your existing copy with a critical eye. Do you tell them exactly what it is they need to do now? Don't be afraid to experiment, either. Monitor your success rates, and you'll be able to identify the words that are the most effective for your business.
Why?
Because the call to action is arguably the most vital part of your sales copy, and is the stage at which you tell your prospect how to become your customer. That's not to say that sales copy is completely redundant without it: in fact, sales copy without a call to action may merely be pushy PR, but it's unlikely to give you a high conversion rate.
Buy Me!
Once your prospect is 'sold' on your product or service, you need to tell them exactly what it is you want them to do next. The complexity of your call to action will depend on what it is that you are selling, whether you require your prospect to ask for further information, to register their interest or simply to enter their card details on the next page.
Be Assertive
Your call to action may be at the bottom of your sales page, or if you are using long copy, you might have a cumulative call to action, or several calls to action that are placed in strategic areas throughout your copy. When writing a call to action, you should ensure that you are direct but not rude. By including a simple but effective call to action you can increase responses to your marketing considerably. For example, "Call us before 9pm tonight and we'll take 25% off the cost of your order" is better than "For more information, or to place an order, phone us on this number."
Make It Urgent
An effective call to action should inject urgency into the prospect's mind. Deals that are 'only available to the first 100 customers', offers that are 'while stocks last', or 'sale ends Friday' are all time-sensitive and provoke a 'now or never' type of response.
Avoid Complications
Remember to keep it simple. Giving your prospects a choice is rarely, if ever, an effective call to action. Ask yourself what you want people to do once they've read your sales letter or web copy. It may sound stupid but it's worth revisiting your existing copy with a critical eye. Do you tell them exactly what it is they need to do now? Don't be afraid to experiment, either. Monitor your success rates, and you'll be able to identify the words that are the most effective for your business.
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