What Do You Want Me To Do?
Too many marketing communications leave the potential respondent asking: “So, what exactly do you want me to do?” Too often the communication takes too long to get to that point (or, in the worst cases, never gets there!), or offers too many choices (overwhelming and confusing — and therefore — paralyzing the prospect), or is too bland and uninviting, or is simply too fuzzy or hidden.
It’s the job of your call-to-action (CTA) to blow the bugle loud and clear.
And in the case of online communications, to do it quickly.
I like these call-to-action tips for online appeals from Mandy O’Neill at ConnectedNonprofit …
- One call-to-action per email, blog, post.
- Multiple links (with same CTA) are good, but more than 3-4 per email is overdoing it.
- Remove obstacles in the process that require time.
- Link to a consistent, dedicated landing page — never to a generic home page.
- Must create sense of urgency.
- Front load your best copy.
- Keep the CTA ‘above the fold’ — but tough to do for all those mobile readers.
- Be clear about the value of clicking — you can do better than ‘Learn more’ , ‘Submit’, and ‘Donate’.
- Being specific trumps generic — ditto the last point.
- Consider a light box/pop-up — but don’t over-use.
- Segment CTA’s when possible — message relevance is paramount.
- Use your ‘P.S.’ effectively — a second headline and your last chance!
- Test. Test. Test.
What do I want you to do? Make your calls-to-action work harder for you.
Good advice. Thanks, Mandy.
Tom
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