“Buy now.” “Get my free ebook.” “Attend this event.” “Register for my webinar today.”
*YAWN*
“Why should I?” If that’s not a question you’re asking yourself when you’re crafting a call-to-action, it should be. WHY? Because it’s definitely a question your reader is asking.
Business bio-crafter extraordinaire, Nancy Juetten, once posted a funny blog about her Y.A.W.N. system for selling, as in: “Y–ou A-bsolutely W–ill N-ot get the business when all you talk about is your generic program, delivery method, or book.”
And she’s absolutely right; you’ve got to give your reader “the why.”
Are your calls-to-action getting lost in the noise?
Think for a moment about how many “calls-to-action” (CTA) you are bombarded with each day: commercials on radio and TV, billboards, banner ads and popup ads online, telemarketers calling, spam email…
Your audience has gotten savvier. They have become more adept at looking for sincere, authentic content and are avoiding hard-core sales pitches or over-the-top hype.
The skill, then, for copywriters in this digital age, is not simply to remember to use calls-to-action (although, if you’re not using a call-to-action at all, you’re really missing the boat!), but to make them more compelling.
And a call-to-action becomes more compelling when we couple it with an important “why.” (TWEET THIS!)
How to make your call-to-action more compelling with one simple word.
Jonathan Goodman of Viralnomics talked about a psychological study that focused on the power of a single word: because.
In short, the study found that when someone used the word “because” when asking to cut in line for the Xerox machine, even if the reason given was “because I need to make copies,” people were 93% more likely to comply. Now that’s compelling!
Whether you’re writing blog posts, web pages, advertising, or any other copy, be sure you include a call-to-action along with a compelling reason why your readers should act, “…because you need to tip readers over the edge and give them a reason to take action,” as Jonathan Goodman says.
Whatever the reason may be, give them the BENEFITS of following your CTA, and encourage more of them to follow your directions
So now, it’s your turn to take action. Go to your website or another piece of copy you’ve written recently and check your CTA. Have you given your readers a reason to respond?
Drop me a line and share your thoughts because I’d love to hear from you. Thanks a million. Here’s to your sweet success.
