A WhizBang! Tip of the Week
TIP: Retail Marketing – Use Clear Call To Action
One of the biggest mistakes store owners make in their retail marketing materials is not giving a clear “call to action.” You can’t just hope that folks will read your postcard, visit your website, or see your Facebook ad and figure out for themselves what to do. As we’ve said before, hope is not a marketing strategy!
Make sure that postcard, or webpage, or Facebook ad shouts “Hey! Do THIS!”
Here are 5 tips for creating an effective call to action:
Retail Marketing Call To Action
1. Tell them exactly what to do.
You should not assume that just because you’ve explained something you’re offering (for example, a special event) that your customer will then make the leap to knowing what you want them to do about that information (register to attend.) As you are creating your marketing materials think about what your purpose is, decide what action you want the customer to take next, and then tell them exactly what to do. Even if it appears obvious to you.
2. Use a direct, active verb at the beginning of your sentence.
Don’t be wishy-washy in your call to action sentences. Use the command form. Here are a few examples of direct calls to action that you might want to use.
Come
Register now…
Click here…
Comment below…
Call the store…
Download your free guide…
Watch the video…
Email me to pre-order…
Donate now…
Sign up for…
Order online…
Come to the party…
Take a virtual tour…
Join the club…
Buy now…
There are many many more, but this list should get the ideas flowing.
3. Have one main action.
Make sure that each marketing piece has just one (or at most two) calls to action. Don’t ask them to come into the store for a clearance sale, register for a special event, donate to the local dog shelter, and save the date for your holiday open house all on one postcard. If you ask them to do too many things they will do nothing. Say one thing, sell one thing!
4. Make it big.
Don’t hide your call to action in tiny print at the bottom of your marketing. If you are creating any kind of marketing it’s because you want your customers to take an action of some kind – otherwise why bother? Make it big, bold, and impossible to ignore!
5. Make it a contrasting color.
One really great way to make your call to action stand out (even if it’s not big) is put it in a contrasting color. For example, if your web page is mostly blue, don’t make your “buy now” button blue. You want that button to be orange, or lime green, or fuchsia so that it stands out on the page.
Not clear where to sign up.
Thanks, Jay!
Hmmmm…. Your Call to Action violates #’s 2 & 4 of your suggestion list.
Just sayin’ as a long-time fan.