Entries Tagged 'Call to Action' ↓

Is there a definitive template that will guarantee a successful sales letter?

No.

The only reason I say “no” is because there are far more factors that have to be taken into consideration when it comes to successful sales letters.

Yes, you can include all the elements that draw your reader in (I’ll talk more about that in a minute), but you must remember that there are external factors that could scupper your chances of a sale, including:

• Your audience
• How they’re feeling when they get your letter
• What you’re offering them
• When you send your letter

Now I’ve got that out the way, let’s take a look at the humble sales letter.

Once the bread and butter of your marketing department, they have been usurped by email marketing because it’s faster and cheaper. The problem is that now so many companies are doing email marketing, its effectiveness is being watered down. So, a well crafted letter could be more effective.

Earlier I mentioned there are certain elements in a sales letter that will draw your reader in. So, without further ado, here they are.

1. Powerful start

If you want someone to read your letter it has to grab them from the start.

Think carefully about your headline (if you’re using one), or first sentence. Either must tell the reader instantly why they should continue reading – that means outlining the main benefit you are offering.

Some companies will try to be clever and write something that’s so creative it completely misses the point. The best advice I can give is always go for clarity over creativity.

2. Problem/solution

There are lots of different ways to structure a sales letter, but the problem-solution approach is the most powerful.

Empathise with the reader and then show them how your product or service will get rid of their pain and enhance their life.

There’s no need for paragraphs of elaborate prose. Just get straight to the point.

3. Benefits

Always, always focus on the benefits not the features. The number of colours or sizes your widget comes in isn’t going to sell. The fact that it will make the reader the envy of their friends will.

4. Offer

Your audience would much rather accept your offer than buy from you any day.

Eh?

When you go to the opticians you don’t buy a pair of glasses, you go for the buy one get one free offer.

It’s the deal people want more than the price.

5. Guarantee

If someone is thinking about buying from you for the first time they will want to know that they can get their money back if they want to.

Providing a no quibble guarantee not only puts their mind at rest it also shows your confidence in your product or service.

6. What’s next?

Once your reader has stuck with you and got to the end of your letter they’ll want to know what to do next. That’s where your call to action comes in to play.

Make it as simple as possible to buy from you. Let them do it through email, over the phone, even snail mail (always include a stamped addressed envelope) and give clear instructions.

That’s as close to a sales letter template as you’ll get. Just remember by making sure you include each of these you’ll give your sales letter the best possible chance of success. Even though there are several factors you can’t anticipate, if the content of your letter is focused on the needs and wants of your audience you won’t go too far wrong.

Any marketer worth his or her salt knows the power of the call to action, but some feel it too much to include them in their social media marketing.

Really?

Surely the addition of a ‘share’, ‘like’ or ‘comment’ gives the subtle nudge needed by your readers to…well…share, like or comment.

Whilst ambling through the web recently, I came across this infographic from Dan Zarrella that looks at power of social media calls to action.

Find it useful?

Please share, like or comment below and help spread the word.

Your call to action is a small, but vital element of your website copywriting.

Without it your customers will wander off in search of another site that has a call to action to direct them as to what to do next.

The simplest form is “Buy”, usually superimposed on a big red button so it can’t be missed. But is that the most effective call to action?

It would appear not.

Dell’s call to action

The computer giant, Dell, boosted their sales by a whopping $25 million by simply changing their call to action.

What did they do?

Well, on their website they were using the fairly standard “Learn more” call to action after the sales copy for their computers.

The only issue was that the people reading their website were already going to buy a computer, so the term “Learn more” wasn’t relevant to them.

However, what they did want to know was which computer it was they should be buying.

Bearing this in mind, Dell changed their call to action to “Help me choose”.

Brilliant.

By switching to those three little words, Dell was using a call to action that actually gave their customers want they wanted – help in choosing the right computer for their needs.

What you can learn from Dell

Rather than using the standard call to action you always use, think about where your customers are in the buying process at the time they are reading your copy.

How far through the decision making process are they?

Are they still thinking about whether they need your product and want to “Learn more”?

Do they know they want your product, but are unsure of which model so they need a “Help me choose”?

Perhaps they have already made up their minds and are ready to “Buy now”.

Before you write a bog standard call to action, think carefully about the needs of your customers and choose your words carefully.

If your copy helps and supports them in their decision they are more likely to buy from you.

Author: Sally Ormond, Briar Copywriting Ltd, one of the UK’s leading copywriting services agencies.

Woohoo – look at all those visitors you’re getting to your blog.

But are you getting any benefit from them?

Are they sharing?

Are they coming back?

Are they signing up for your RSS feed or newsletter?

No?

Ah, that’s a problem.

If you’re getting shed loads of traffic, but not doing anything with it, what’s the point?

People are coming to your blog, but they’ll only subscribe to it (or your newsletter) if you ask them to.

It’s true.

So how do you do that?

Boosting your sign ups

Well the best place to start is by adding a passing comment along those lines in your blog posts. Add a footnote, or something in your author’s bio that lets them know you offer a newsletter, what it usually contains and how often it’s sent along with a call to action to get them to sign up.

Social media is also another great tool to boost your sign ups. Send a tweet out or Facebook update before your next issue is due out, urging people to sign up so they don’t miss out. If you’ve hit a milestone (such as your 100^th newsletter), shout about it.

A great way to boost your blog subscribers is to announce that you will be publishing a series of blog posts on a particular subject. Of course, they won’t want to miss an instalment, so they’d better subscribe to your RSS feed today.

Of course, then there’s the good old-fashioned call to action. Make sure these are liberally dotted about, especially at the end of a really hot blog post. You know the ones – they’ve been attracting loads of traffic for days or weeks, so make the most of that exposure by placing a sign up call to action at the end.

By following these simple steps you’ll see your subscription numbers soar, boosting your exposure and reputation.

Author:

Sally Ormond is an international copywriter and founder of Briar Copywriting Ltd.

We all know that our marketing content has to be interesting, compelling and focused on the needs of our marketplace.

But that’s only part of it.

If your content doesn’t contain powerful and commanding calls to action, it’s essentially dead in the water.

A call to action is a critical part of your marketing. It signifies the next step you want the reader to take along the relationship-building road.

But contrary to popular belief, a call to action (CTA) isn’t simply ‘Buy Now’; the type of call to action you use will depend on what you’re trying to achieve.

The different types of calls to action

 There are 3 main types of call to action:

1. Getting a sale

 This is the simplest form and is the archetypal ‘Buy Now’.

Once your prospect has read your website, brochure, newsletter etc., it is designed to get them to take the next step in your business relationship: to buy from you.

Frequently, this call to action will be a button, which should standout and be obvious.

2. Building your list

 If your customer isn’t in a buying position just yet, you can still use a call to action.

In this case it’s more likely to be a request for them to download an eBook, white paper or sign up for your newsletter. Capturing their email address in this way will enable you to start building a strong relationship with them.

3. Displaying your expertise

 In the very early days, potential customers want to be reassured that you’re an expert in what you do so they can trust you.

That’s where the third type of CTA comes into play.

When writing blogs and articles make sure you add in hyperlinks to take your readers to other related content that they might find useful. This cross-referencing will enhance their experience and display your depth of knowledge.

The result? They’ll get the information they need and you’ll show off your expert credentials.

So as you can see, calls to action are a major part of your marketing writing and can take on various forms.

Any writing where you don’t include a form of CTA is wasted writing.