Calling Customers to Action
If you find that your marketing and sales efforts don’t achieve the results you expected, perhaps you are missing one of the most important elements--the call to action.
The call to action is where you tell customers what they should do next. Do you want them to telephone for more information, come in during a sale, visit your web site, mail in an order, call for an appointment, request a free sample, subscribe, renew a membership, or take another action? Whatever action you desire, the customer needs to be told what their next step should be.
Of course, customers are not so easily influenced that all you have to do is say ‘Order now!’ and your phones start ringing off the hook. However, if you have a great ad that gets customers excited about what you can do for them, don’t let them down by failing to tell them what to do next. They want you to make it easy for them.
Read your marketing materials to make sure they have strong calls to action. What do you want someone to do after reading your brochure? Perhaps you want them to call for an appointment. Make sure your phone number (or numbers) are displayed prominently in the brochure, and say something such as, ‘Call today to schedule your consultation.’
When you expect to receive orders as a direct result of an ad or mailing, make ordering easy and obvious. Include an order form with plenty of room for a customer to write his name and address. Make sure your mailing address is easy to read, and pricing information is clear and complete. Include alternate ways to order, such as a toll-free number or web site.
Sales presentations should also include a call to action as the closer. After asking questions, listening to the customer’s needs and showing how your product meets those needs, do not forget to ask for the sale.
On your web site, make sure the call to action is obvious. If you want customers to sign up for your mailing list, put the sign up form front and center where they can’t miss it.
A call to action should also be included in each press release you send. Although you can not control what the media say if they pick up your story, including a call to action in your press release and during an interview makes it more likely that the call to action will be included in the story. For example, I often point out resources available at my web site to encourage the media to include my web address in the story and give their audience a reason to visit the site.
You can enhance your call to action with urgency, such as a limited-time offer or sale price. Give customers a reason to respond to your call to action NOW.
Once you’ve built up interest in your business, don’t leave customers hanging. Tell them what to do with a strong call to action.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
