In a recent Marketing Tip of the Week, we talked about calls to action and how to stay confident enough in your pitch to seamlessly make them (read that tip here). Now that we know why to do it, I wanted to take this opportunity to explore HOW. For a lot of business owners, it is uncomfortable to switch from building excitement to calling to action. But there are a lot of ways to do it and there are a lot of calls to action to make. So, today we will explore some techniques for making effective calls to action.
Before we do that, I want to point out that I am not just talking about call to action buttons on websites. Making a call to action is a thing that happens in a lot of different forums. At a nonprofit fundraiser, it is often called, “making the ask.” In a conversation, we might think of it as a sales close. Yes, there are certainly some differences in delivery, but not as many as you might think.
Let’s explore some of different techniques that can produce an effective call to action. There are a lot of right ways to make a call to action.
There are a lot of right ways to make a call to action. #sales #business #smallbusiness #smb Share on XStep by Step
This technique is especially well-suited for slowly building a volume of long-term relationships. It is useful to think about in a forum like social media marketing, where you don’t have a ton of visibility to your audience. In this setting, you can’t see how they are reacting and you can only take your cues from actions they take or don’t take. In this case, ask yourself how you can divide the big call to action into mini steps so you can lead them from one to the next. At each point, you are nurturing them and getting insight into their behavior.
Instead of going from the first touch point to “Buy 10,000 ft. of this product,” what are the easy sells in between? Maybe it’s getting them to agree to receiving a sample from you, then picking up the phone and asking for their opinion on what they saw, and then asking what product they are using now and suggesting they check out a one-sheet you’ve created that compares your product with the competitor’s side-by-side, then starting them with a small order to show them what you can do. There were calls to action at every step, and they get in the habit of saying yes. But the jump from one step to the next is never too overwhelming.
Emotional Build
Emotion isn’t a tool we always use, but when we have the option it’s an important one to use. Whenever you have an emotional motivation that ties in with your product or service, you want to tap into the emotion during the set-up before the call to action is made is key. This is an area that nonprofits often leverage overtly at fundraisers. Before the speaker gets up on stage and asks everyone to pull out their checkbook, someone else probably gave a compelling speech or video that made everyone feel connected to the cause. PLUS, that person finished by pointing out how the host organization solves the problems and changes lives.
In this case, the call to action you make can refer back to the emotion you brought up. “Think about John. Now imagine he’s YOUR grandfather. Imagine how SAD it would be to know that he is ALONE. But now imagine that with your support, our organization can be there for John. And he wouldn’t be ALONE anymore. Pull out your checkbook right now, and you can make it possible for us to be there. You can help seniors in this city. Seniors like John.”
You don’t even know what organization this is, but don’t you feel like you do? These calls to action tend to go on a bit longer, often weaving the emotion back in. Online, this might translate to having a page with more copy and visuals and having call to action buttons in more than one place.
Data
Emotion isn’t always the tool we use. Some buyers need data. Oftentimes, those people need data, and then they need to be left alone with it to make their own decisions. This is a type of buyer, so you want to be ready for them with information (if you want to learn more about this buyer types, read here). You can build your calls to action by giving them informative, data-driven materials. Your call to action is to get them to read it and to ask you questions once they take a look. Your call to action is to ask them what they found out and what problems they noticed. This is a chance to uncover objections and meet them with more data until it is obvious that your solution is the right choice.
Fear of Missing Out
This is another type of buyer. This is the Driver (read here to learn all about this social style for buyers). Drivers are the people who want to win and who are driven by competition and getting the most of what is offered. These calls to action need to read like that! But also…this type of person is not usually that patient, so you need to get to your point quickly. The website call to action button was invented for the Driver, more than other personality types. Show them very quickly the action you want them to take and the consequence of not making it. “200,000 copies sold. Get yours now.” You don’t want to be less cool than 200,000 people, do you?
Long Copy
On the other hand, there is another type of person who needs more nurturing. Have you ever seen a sales page online that went on for-e-ver? The ones that are so long that you think, “Come on. Really?” These were constructed this way for a reason. The theory here is that the people who took all the time and care to read this information and get all the way to the bottom of the page are interested. You have given them so much value, so much proof, so many reasons, so much information, so much encouragement, that now you just put a quick call to action button at the bottom of the page and the work is done.
This translates to real life, too. For example, in some industries that are more focused on prestige and high-priced sales, there is a period of wining and dining before the call to action gets made. The relationship comes first, the trust and rapport is built, and then you can say, “I found the perfect one. I thought of you the second I saw it. Let’s check it out together.” This might happen over many conversations, but the “let’s check it out together” is the beginning of the close!
Epiphanies
Breakthroughs go a long way. They are an incredibly powerful tool for you to move your leads along. This one has a lengthy set up as well, but the call to action is a natural fit from this technique.
This is about introducing the audience to you or someone else and making that person relatable. You want it to be someone who has exactly the problem your audience has. Talk about the frustration and the challenges they have because of the problem. Talk about the thing they finally realized that changed everything. (Note: that thing should have something to do with what you are selling). Talk about the action they took to make it better (Note: that action should be related to what you are selling). Talk about how they’re on the other side of that problem now and things are so much better.
Everyone loves an underdog, and connecting to the relatable part of the story helps them see how that story could be their own. Your call to action can be simple at this point. Let them show you they are “ready” for the next step. “I’m ready to get out of debt” buttons or “Call me when you’re ready to get out of debt” as a prompt.
These are just a few ways to do it. Effective calls to action come from addressing someone’s personality the right way. And by doing that, you find a more natural fit.
Effective calls to action come from addressing someone's personality the right way. #sales #business Share on XAs you can see, calls to action are not a thing that exist independently. It’s the story you create around it – and the story you allow others to create for themselves – that get you across the line. And when it is time to get across the line and see who is ready, understanding the psychological approach you are going for helps you to formulate your words!