If the sales letter is the meat and potatoes, the Call to Action is the desert. A Call to Action is simply the words that tell the user what they should do next.
Why must you tell someone what you want them to do next? Shouldn’t it be obvious by the time they’re through reading your sales pitch? You’d think so, but that’s not the case.
Back in the days before push-button e-mail marketing; back before telemarketers interrupted your dinner to sell you timeshares marketers sold billions of dollars worth of products using direct mail. They still do.
In this era of e-mail and pop-ups, many marketers have forgotten the old ways. Heck, many of us our so young that we don’t even know the old ways – but those ways worked then and they still work now.
A multi-page direct mail letter always had the words “turn page to continue”, or something similar, at the bottom of each page. Copywriters knew that most readers would simply stop reading at the end of the first page unless you urged them on. A mini call to action, to be sure, but that’s what it was.
At the end of the sales letter, or tucked inside the envelope as a separate response piece, was the biggie. It usually looked something like this:
Please complete the enclosed form and send it with your check for $34.49, which includes Shipping & Handling to:
Save Big Money On Your Next Car
PO BOX 12345
Chicago, IL 60605
|
…sure, you’ll make some sales. Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn now and then; but there are very few
fat blind squirrels…
|
|
Readers need a call to action because, well, they aren’t particularly motivated to figure out what you expect of them. Think of someone reading your e-mail sales pitch as if they were a robot. They follow a pre-determined program. And, unless you step in and alter that program, you’re not going to make a lot of sales.
Oh sure, you’ll make some sales. Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn now and then; but there are very few fat blind squirrels. If you want to fatten up your bank account, pay attention to this:
Tease Then, Don’t Sell Them
It’s very rare to make a sale directly from an e-mail pitch. You don’t have the luxury of being able to write enough words to be persuasive. Plus, since e-mail is inherently mistrusted by so many, you don’t have a chance to build a rapport either.
That’s why your e-mail message should be designed to pique the reader’s attention and leave them wanting to know more. “More” is what they’ll find on your web site. The Call to Action is what’s going to get them there.
Don’t be Subtle
If your copy magically led the reader to the call to action, don’t let up now.
Which call to action would you be more likely to respond to?
1. “Click here to learn more…”
- OR –
2. “Don’t even THINK about buying a new car until you know all of the insider car pricing and negotiating tips & tricks that I’m going to reveal to you when you read your very own copy of “How To Save Thousands of Dollars On Your Next Car". Click here and I’ll tell you right now what day you should NEVER buy a car on (NEVER!) and why…
If you said #2, you’re ready to start writing your own call to action.
Here are some parting tips to make your Call to Action effective:
1. Create two calls to action. Use one towards the middle of the letter, as a trial close, and once at the end. The first one should be shorter than the second.
2. Don’t leave them cold.
“Call me for an appointment,” is not as strong as “Pick up the phone right now and call me at 1-800-325-3535 to reserve your appointment time before I’m booked solidly. If it’s after business hours, leave your name and number and I’ll call you back.