It’s that time of the year again. The weather is changing, people are eating pumpkin lattes and enjoying their favourite shows on TV.
Halloween is just around the corner, which means one thing: copywriting season is here. And it’s time to stack up on those fright nights with this terrifying yet hilarious call to action campaign from Viva La Vida.
If you’re looking to create a marketing piece for your business, product or service, but lack the skills required to write a compelling call to action, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered.
In this article, you’ll discover the step-by-step process of creating an effective call to action for your marketing campaign, including:
The Anatomy Of A Great Call To Action
If you’re struggling to figure out how to write a call to action for your marketing campaign, it can be a bit overwhelming. After all, a great call to action should be easy to understand, logical and relevant to the target audience. Let’s take a close look at each component of a great call to action to see how you can craft the perfect message to encourage consumers to take action.
1. Audience Analysis
The first step in building a great call to action is to identify the target audience for your piece. You’ll want to choose the right words and phrases to fit the demographic most likely to benefit from your product or service. When selecting your target audience, make sure to include all relevant demographics (e.g. gender, age, nationality, etc.).
Start by brainstorming a potential customers’ list. You can also use a tool like SurveyMonkey Audience to easily create customised audiences. Next, map out the buying journey for these individuals. What will they need to understand to become a potential buyer?
2. Product Analysis
Once you have your target audience, it’s time to move on to the next step – analysing your product. What are you trying to sell? What is the main benefit you’re offering?
You can start by gathering as much information as possible. Some things to consider:
- The Product’s Features
- The Product’s Size
- The Product’s Price
A product’s features and benefits should match up with the call to action, and vice versa. When someone reads your copy and thinks, “this product sounds great. But, I’m not really sure what it is or does,” it will be very hard for them to take the next step and make a purchase. Being as comprehensive as possible is the key to creating a great call to action.
3. Action Analysis
Now that you have your target audience, product and call to action in place, it’s time to figure out what action you want your audience to take. What step should they take after reading your writing to complete the buying journey?
The action you choose should be relevant to your audience. However, it should also be natural and easy for people to follow. You don’t want to choose an action that doesn’t seem fitting based on what you’ve written. For example, if you’re marketing a product to Millennials, picking the “buyer’s remorse” action as your call to action might not seem right. You might want to consider choosing “confused” or “dumbfounded” instead.
4. Writing
When you have a clear picture of what you want the completed copy to look like, it’s time to start writing. As mentioned, a great call to action should be easy to understand, logical and relevant to the target audience. Following these simple guidelines will help ensure you create an effective and persuasive sales pitch.
5. Testing (Optional)
After you’ve written your copy, it’s often beneficial to re-read it from the perspective of a reader. In addition to being logical and relevant, your writing should also be easy to understand. Test the language and the ideas you’ve used to ensure everything is clear and concise. If there are any words or phrases you feel could be improved upon, it’s also a good idea to re-word them or add more detail to make your point.
When you’ve tested the written copy and are confident it’s ready to go live, it’s time to create the desired effect on your audience by designating a lead on the piece and setting up automated email campaigns. The more you can do to drive traffic to your website, the more you’ll see conversions.