It truly amazes me to see advertising that is weak and lackluster. Advertising should stand out right from the start to entice customers to be impressed right away and become interested in what you are offering. Sure, it’s hard to get just that right formula to make a successful banner ad, but every company has that “unique” quality that makes them stand out from their competition.

Online advertising becomes effective when you get that right “call to action” idea which achieves the desired behavior. This might involve something engaging like watching a video or playing a game. Pursuing the right mix is very important to keep bringing people back. Immediate value and enticement is what makes great advertising. People need that bond right away to be lured in to make choices and see offers that are appealing to them.

Here are ten good calls to action to keep the customers coming in for more!

1. Cost

Cost is enough to motivate anyone. In fact, isn’t cost one of the first things that comes to mind when you’re out shopping? What’s peculiar though is that while people are willing to haggle over the price of clothing, when it comes to technology, they are more willing to put it into the ‘need’ category and are more likely to ask for a quote. Entire businesses make their leads based on the ability to give you a quote – an estimated cost – right in the ad or at least promise a quote. Once you have the person clicking on your advertisement for that quote, you’re in! J. P. Morgan once said, “When you expect things to happen – strangely enough – they do happen.”  In other words, when people ask for a quote, request more information, or show interest, then they want an answer – and once they have that answer, they are more likely to buy!

2. Give Something to Benefit the Reader

When you download a white paper, guide, or research of some sort, it makes it more interesting to the reader or consumer if the call to action is concise, shows benefits, and is informative to them. A call to action that is interesting might be “ten things to ask when buying a car” or “ten things to do to save money” instead of “read this research report” or “white paper info”. Give them some meat that they can sink their teeth into. They will enjoy the process while learning something about your business, and you’ll be giving them something worthwhile so they will come back again and again!

3. Show Interesting Visuals

People love to visualize what you are trying to sell. It’s nice to see your brand on a poster, magnet, notepads, etc. This is a call to action that they see often. The next time they see your brand, they just might realize they need something that you are selling. These calls to action give potential customers something tangible and visual at the same time.  People love little tokens and free things – especially if it is something that benefits them.

4. Coupons

This will really bring the people to you. Every time I get a coupon to my favorite store or site I am ready to spend money.  We all love rewards and discounts, don’t we? Go even further and make sure it shows the particular item that you want to sell as well as the location of the store to lure them into the store.  For example, Bed, Bath, and Beyond always mails a 20% coupon to customers.  This brings customers back into the store even if they hadn’t planned to. Plus, they know that a coupon is coming in the mail, and many wait eagerly for the next one.

5. Videos

A great video is 60 seconds long; that’s all it takes!  Either you can do one yourself or you can pay a professional to create one. Video is a sure-fire tool for any website. Be precise in your information. Instead of saying “this is a demo of our products”, you should talk about how the product will work for them, and show them the product in action. At the end of the video, insert the web address where they can buy the products or services. Again, a good “call to action” entices the customer, making them want to take action.

6. Social Media is Imperative

Facebook is such a popular tool for any company. A good “call to action” for getting Facebook fans is “Like our page for relief from allergies,” instead of “Hit the ‘like’ button and become a fan”.  Giving them a reason to hit the “like” button is very important.  People love information about how things can help them, and don’t want to just waste their time.

7. Distribution of Material

The little “Chiclet buttons” on Facebook and Twitter let posting become a vital part of your business’ success, giving users the opportunity to share your business with their networks. Your goal is to get everyone involved to share the item or items you are selling, so by using Facebook and Twitter you are advertising widely instead of putting a banner or landing page that is stagnant — spread the word through these social media outlets. Furthermore, you don’t have to pay a cent to get advertising! Now how cool is that?

8. Good Old Email!

Yes, emailing is still popular and can be a very productive tool. Getting people to subscribe is still a good tactic, and getting them to opt in keeps you on their radar screen. To get email signups, say something like, “Get savings alerts” or “Valuable information about Vitamin E”. Keeping it concise and to the point encourages people to opt in for valuable information. They will sign up for your email lists more often by enticing them with good “call to action” words.

9. Human Connection

Just because the world thinks that we’re desk jockeys and glued to our computers – which most of us are these days – doesn’t mean that we don’t still like human contact.  Phone calls and talking to prospective clients is still magic when it comes to sales. Getting people to call you is extremely important, so a good “call to action” would be something like this, “Call now and talk to a live person today”; that’s music to the right pair of ears and a good way to get conversions. Personal service and following up is a key to any successful business, so use a call to action that encourages that human connection.

10. Trading on the Desire to Buy Now

Why not offer deals to customers that want to buy now? Creating immediate desire and enticing them at the same time is very effective.  Offer them something that will want to make them buy now, such as a discount, or prompt them to add a related item to whatever they already have in their cart. Another popular tactic is to offer free shipping when you spend X amount of dollars; that one gets me every time! A good salesperson is someone that listens and creates desire, but doesn’t twist someone’s arm to buy.

Sales are fun and the more creative you are the better the outcome.  A good “call to action” with any type of advertising is a must to a successful business.  Keep that in mind the next time you are marketing or putting an advertisement together.  Keep it concise, informative, interesting, and keep them wanting more. You’ll find this is the key to bringing people to your site or business.

Nitesh works with BannerWeaver.com – a site that specializes in designing Flash banners for your affiliate campaigns as well as ad campaigns, specifically, Adwords campaigns in Google’s Display network. So, next time you need a custom banner design, feel free to give us a shout!

© guestposter for DazzlinDonna, 2012. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Advertising, Call To Action
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Now What?

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When site visitors take the time to read your website copy, do they know what to do next? It’s important to lead potential customers through your copy and offer an easy call-to-action on each page. For example, you may want to provide a big button that tells visitors exactly what to do and what happens when they click on that button (Add to Cart, Questions?, Yes! I want your newsletter!, etc.). Try to make it as easy as possible for potential customers to sign up for a newsletter subscription, contact your sales department, read your blog, or make a purchase.

>> Follow Melanie Rembrandt

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Standing on a stage in front of a group of smiling and supportive audience members, I felt on top of my game. The message resonated, the content was useful and the delivery connected. I had done my job. Afterward, as I mingled in the crowd, people pulled me aside and said “I loved the presentation Pam, but you didn’t sell anything! How can I work with you?” Coming from a blogging and social media culture where direct selling from the stage is frowned upon, I was kind of shocked. Don’t people hate to be sold to? I had a profound mental shift right on the spot. I realized that people hate to be pushed irrelevant crap that does not solve their problems. But they are extremely happy to hear about useful products and programs that will add value to their life and their business.

>> Follow Pamela Slim

Goals

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Set a single goal that you want to accomplish this year — I know that we probably want to do 12 goals, but it’s too difficult to maintain your focus on more than one goal, and it diffuses your energy. Pick one goal for the next 12 months, and then a single 3-6 month goal that will lead to your 12-month goal. Then choose something you can accomplish within the next 1-2 weeks that will lead to the 3-6 month goal. Now focus on that short-term goal, giving it all your energy, and when it’s achieved, set your next short-term goal until you’ve accomplished your medium-term goal.

>> Follow Leo Babauta

Each of these special people has a message worth sharing, and I know that their tips are ones you and I can all learn from.

© Donna for DazzlinDonna, 2010. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Call To Action, Goal, Leo Babauta, Management, Melanie Rembrandt, Pamela Slim, Selling
This feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this in your news aggregator/reader or on DazzlinDonna, then the site you are looking at is probably infringing upon my copyright.