Maine Creative Services

You already do. At least if you have cable or satellite TV. Grab your remote and click around the channels some Sunday morning, or any weeknight after say, 2 am. How many channels are showing infomercials?

Yep, you’re paying for them, too.

No, not that kind of action. I’m talking about the call to action in your website copy. The call to action is the final step, when you ask a prospective customer to do something, to take a specific step. It answers the all-important question, “What do I do now?”

Possible answers include:

• Click here.
• Call today.
• Sign up now.
• Order now.
• Add to shopping cart.
• Join our mailing list.
• Schedule a demo.
• Reserve your place.
• Contact us.

You get the idea. The call to action is arguably the most important part of your copy. It’s the destination, the point you’ve been marching toward all along.

That’s why I’m dumbstruck at how many websites (and ads) neglect to include one. Oh, I understand. You don’t want to seem pushy or obnoxious. Maybe it feels… tacky. Besides, the customer already knows you’d like her to buy something, right? I mean, it’s obvious, isn’t it? You don’t need to spell it out for her.

Yes, you do. Never assume the customer will figure it out on her own. Why not?

Well, for one thing she’s busy, distracted, only paying partial attention. She’s surfing your website while at work, or watching the kids, IMing, texting. You probably have only a tiny fraction of her attention.

That’s why you need to tell her exactly what you want her to do next. You don’t have to be obnoxious. But you do need to be clear and specific.

The call to action is the climax of your carefully constructed copy. (Climax? You knew I’d bring this back around to “action.”)

Anyway, as you probably know, persuasive copy is most often built upon a certain architecture, like a house is built with a foundation, four walls and upside-down mortgage. The Magic Copywriting Formula has many variations, but they all try to attract the prospect’s attention and interest. Then whet the customer’s appetite by explaining the benefits they’ll enjoy, and the advantages your stuff has that the competition’s doesn’t.

Good copy also paints a picture of the outcome the customer wants, then provides proof to ease the customer’s fears and overcomes her hesitation.

At this point, if your copy is good, she may be ready to take action. Maybe she’s even ready to buy. (Lucky you.)

More likely, though, she’s interested enough to want to know more, but is still a little gun-shy. Like that guy she used to date, she’s wary of commitments. So she needs a little nudge. The call to action’s job is to provide that little nudge, by:

1. Telling her what you’d like her to do next, then
2. Motivating her to actually do it.

Of course, what you’d really like her to do is just buy the damn thing — right now. Be patient. You can’t rush her. Today’s consumer hates the hard sell, hates being pushed, and will walk away.

Besides, some purchases have a very long sales cycle – weeks, months, even years. (Ask a Boeing salesman how long it takes to get a purchase order for a dozen 787’s.)

OK, but if it’s too soon to ask her to get out her credit card, what should you ask her to do? It depends, of course. Figure out what’s the next logical step in your sales cycle. Then ask her to do it.

** ACTION PLAN ** How many times have you read to the bottom of somebody’s home page, and wondered where the heck you’re supposed to go next? It’s like parachuting into an unfamiliar place without a map or GPS. Don’t do that to your potential customers. At the bottom of each webpage, include links to 2 or 3 relevant pages. Ones that contain info or answers she’s likely to want at this point in the sales cycle.

And yes, it’s Glade. Uh, I mean, yes, each link is another little call to action.

What happens when making a purchase is quick and easy? You guessed it — people tend to buy more often. D’uh.

It’s one of the most important marketing principles, especially in online marketing. But making it easy just as effective in the offline world. Here’s a great example.

Despite the economic gloom, student applications to the the tiny College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY, have soared 25% or more every year for the past few years. Remarkable. How’d they do it?

Simple. They adopted a technique long used by credit card companies. (At least they did back in olden days, when credit card companies mass-mailed pre-approved applications. Remember?)

The college application is packaged in a bright, shiny package to catch the eye. The forms are already filled in with the student’s name, address, etc. They don’t have to do much more than sign it and send it in. The school even waives the usual $40 application fee. Talk about making an ordeal easy!

They’re not the only school using this approach, of course. More than 100 other colleges and universities, including Marquette, Minnesota and Rensselaer, sent out variations of these fast-track applications last fall. For many, applications have doubled or even tripled.

Impressive results, but it’s no surprise when you consider the simple principle behind their success.

What about you? Is your business making it as easy as possible for customers to buy? Or are there roadblocks that require thought and effort by the prospect?

If so, maybe it’s time to take a fresh look at your business processes, especially customer-facing ones. What obstacles can you clear out to speed and simplify the process of making a purchase?

Is there confusion you could eliminate, or objections you could overcome, by re-writing and clarifying your copy? “Don’t make me think” is just as important as “Make it easy to make a purchase.”

Source: NY Times

Buying anything online or from a TV infomercial these days seems to automatically include a one or more bonus items. (“And if you call right now, we’ll double your order!”)

Would you rather get one (or more) free bonuses when you purchase a Snuggie or Sham-wow? Or would you rather buy them as a set, for the same price? Same items, same price, just presented differently. Which approach has the higher perceived value?

Let me ask the same question a different way, which might make the answer clearer. On Christmas morning, would you rather open one huge box containing all your presents – or lots of smaller boxes?

In a soon-to-be-published book, “Priceless: The Myth of Fair Value (and How to Take Advantage of It),” author William Poundstone explains that the central principle of infomercials is what the economist Richard Thaler calls “Don’t wrap all the Christmas presents in one box,” meaning that consumers value freebies that come with a purchased item more than purchasing the same items presented as a set.

“Thaler deduced that marketers should devote less energy to promoting how absolutely wonderful their product is, and more to breaking it down, feature by feature, or selling several products in one bundle,” Poundstone writes. “The one thing you can’t buy in an infomercial is one thing.” NY Times

By the way, Consumers Union tested the Snuggie and was less than impressed. The Snuggie was hard to walk in, created lots of static electricity, pilled and shed when washed and left your backside uncovered. Watch the video.

People buy your services or products for a lot of complex reasons — or so you think. But if you dig a little deeper, you find there are really only two reasons why anybody buys anything —  and that’s great news for your marketing efforts.

I just posted this article on my main website, Maine Creative Services. Please check it out here. If you find it helpful, please spread the word.

Thanks and happy holidays to all!

Tom “No figgy pudding for me, thanks” McKay