How to Ruin an Ad – Part 5

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Welcome to the latest edition of our current weekly blog series, How to Ruin an Ad. As is most obvious from the title of this series, each week we’ll be identifying a key element of an ad that, when missing, is sure to reduce its effectiveness.

Last week’s ad was ruined by drop-out text.

Today’s ad is ruined by: No call to action

There are two different types of advertisements.

There are advertisements intended to create some sort of direct response in those who see or hear it. Let’s call those direct response ads – DR for short.

Then there are advertisements that are meant just to expose you to a brand, make you feel good about it, remind you that it’s there, in hopes that you come away remembering them next time you might need something that company offers. Those are “branding” ads.

If you are creating a branding ad, A) your ad budget must be pretty high, and B) you can ignore the rest of this post. Because brand ads don’t need a call to action.

But if you’re not, if you’re creating an ad that you hope gets the potential customer to pick up the phone or visit your website or take a trip to your store, you need a call to action. You need to tell them exactly what they should do.

The last thing you want is for someone to be exposed to your ad, convinced to take action, and not know what to do next. You might tell me, “Zach, they should really be able to figure it out on their own.” But why leave it in their hands when it’s so easy to go the extra step for them.

A call to action says, “Call 555-555-5555” or “Visit www.mycompanyname.com” or “Click here now”.

Without it, your ad is incomplete. You lead someone all the way to the door and don’t give them the key to get inside.

Did you enjoy this post? Do you have a surefire way to ruin an ad you think we should cover in an upcoming post? Share it with us in the comments or by email.

How to Develop Content – Why

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Are you a content marketer? Maybe not, but content marketers are not the only ones creating content. Most companies have bought into the fact that creating great content is an easy way to connect with prospective customers in the marketplace and grow your brand.

But creating great content is not as easy as it may sound.

Yesterday, we talked about the first step in creating content of any kind, understanding your audience – the who.

Today, let’s talk about the purpose of your content – the Why!

Once you understand who your audience is, you need to establish a reason for the content. All content is not created equal. Some content exists to drive traffic to your website. Some content exists to convert people into customers. Some content is simply meant to establish you as an expert in the field.

Knowing why you’re creating this specific piece of content is critical. You must answer that question before you start writing.

If you’re trying to drive traffic, your content should be more unique and attention-grabbing. If you’re trying to sell someone, you’re content should be inspiring and have strong calls to action. If you’re setting yourself or your company up as experts, your writing should be more technical and detailed.

Without the Why, great content will be one step out of your reach.

Phone Calls vs. Web Visits

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Is your goal to get people to visit your website or to call you?

That’s a question you have to answer when you are putting an ad together. What’s the goal?

The goal will affect the call to action, and the entire structure of the ad in many cases. And it should never be both.

Even though your brain might tell you to give people an option, that when presented with an option people will be happy to do one or the other, whichever makes more sense to them at the time, you’re wrong. Make the decision for them and more people will take action.

The question you have to answer is which would you rather them do?

A phone call is more active than a web visit. If I make a call, I’m more interested than someone who visits your website.

But a website visit is easier. More people are likely to click a link rather than dial a number.

Do you have a proper sales team to answer the phone if I call? Will the experience help convince me to purchase from you or hurt the odds?

Is your website designed to sell people? Do you have a proper landing page set up so that people don’t have to waste time fumbling around your site to get what they want?

Those are the questions you have to ask yourself and the decisions you have to make. If you have historical data, that’s even better. You should be able to tell what converts at a higher rate, a visit to the site or a phone call.

Nine times out of ten, if you have a trained sales team to support the volume of calls you expect to receive, a call will be better. The only hard part is convincing people to make the call. You better design an effective ad.

Marketing Trends – Part 3

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Welcome to the latest installment of our weekly blog series, Marketing Trends. Each week, we will identify a key trend in the world of marketing. We’ll discuss the trend, why it’s important, and suggest ways that you can take advantage of this trend in your company.

Last week’s trend was Peak Google.

Today’s Trend = Negative Calls to Action

We all know what a call to action is. In marketing, we use calls to action in our ad copy or on our landing pages in order to get people to take the desired action, whether that be submitting a form, clicking on a button, or any number of other actions.

But a new trend is rising through the marketing ranks that has people talking about calls to action as if they are brand new. And it’s the use of “Negative Calls to Action”.

Here’s how it works. Instead of just presenting the call to action, you give the person an option. If you want them to click on a button, you present a Yes button and a No button. You force them to choose. But on the No button, instead of just saying No, makes the person feel like No is the wrong choice.

Consider this example:

A landing page with a subscription form for a free newsletter has a place for the person to enter their email and a submit button. But below the submit button is a second button that says, “No thanks, I am not interested in free stuff”.

The change is subtle, but it forces the prospect to take notice. They must actively choose to say no, even in the face of the value being offered, made even more obvious by the way you have presented it.

This may not drastically improve your business, but if conversion rates are an issue for you, this is one test worth trying. It has been shown in testing to improve conversion rates or click through rates when applied properly.

Think about all the different calls to action you use in your marketing. They may be on your website, in your ads, promotional materials, etc. What changes can you make to highlight the value being offered from the “no” stance? What are people turning down when they say no to your company?

What marketing trend should we cover next? Now accepting submissions for marketing trends that we will cover in an upcoming installment of this series. Submit your ideas via our contact page or in the comments section below.

The Marketer’s Guide to Simplifying Calls to Action

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The call to action is defined by businessdictionary.com as words that urge the reader, listener, or viewer of a sales promotion message to take an immediate action, such as "Write Now," "Call Now," or (on Internet) "Click Here." A retail advertisement or commercial without a call-to-action is considered incomplete and ineffective.

You need a call to action. But just having a call to action is not enough. You want your call to action to be clear, attention-grabbing, and action-driving.

How do you do that? Here is a list of 5 ways you can make your call to action more affective:

  • Make sure it’s the only call to action there. An ad or page with more than one call to action tends to do little more than confuse the viewer and usually results in no action being taken.
     
  • Make sure it is clear what the viewer needs to do. Don’t make a call to action vague or ambiguous. Make it direct and active, such as “Call” or “Click” rather than “Learn More” or “Act Now”.
     
  • Make it clear what the viewer can expect when they take the necessary action. Here is where the rest of your ad or page comes into play. If I call, who will I speak to? If I click, what will I see next? Address the “why” as well as the “what” in any call to action.
     
  • Make it easy to take the action. If I’m viewing an ad on a subway, it’s tough to visit a website. If I’m at work, if might be difficult to call. Whenever possible, make it so that the people viewing the call to action can easily accomplish that action right away.
     
  • Be bold. The call to action should stand out among other elements. If I have to go looking for it, you’ve failed. Most people won’t give you that kind of time. Make it very clear what I should do as soon as I look at the ad or page.

Do you have more call to action tips? Share them in the comments below or on Twitter using #CTA.