By following my past few blogs, you have developed a great plan to drive leads this Fall. Here’s what you did:
• Identified your target audience.
• Negotiated great pricing from your media vendors.
• Scheduled your campaign.
• Crafted an offer to beat all offers.
• And created some killer artwork.
Are you ready to go? Not yet. You can’t assume that your prospects will know why they should act, how they should, or when they should. Your “Call-to-Action” answers these questions and it will be the single biggest success factor in your campaign.
It seems obvious to include response information in a lead solicitation, but in a recent marketing study I did 44% of contractors’ websites missed the target. Some didn’t have an online reply form and others did but didn’t say why or when. The best offer will not work without a clear call-to-action.
Marketing gurus will tell you to that you should start planning your campaign with the call-to-action and work backwards from there. When combined with the right offer, a compelling call to action can increase your lead response by 30% to 50% or more. Here are some suggestions to create a winning combination for your next direct marketing effort.
• Start with the end in mind. Before you start planning your creative identify what your goal is. Are you looking to build your e-mail list, increase walk-in traffic, schedule appointments for in-home estimates, or sell something directly?
• Give it a deadline. A limited time offer can often cause a procrastinator to act sooner than later (or never). Your response rate will be better if they feel there is only a short time to take advantage of a special opportunity.
• Provide something the prospect will value. Instead of a “Free Estimate” offer an “energy audit to save you money” or a “roof inspection for your peace of mind”.
• Present your call-to-action early and often. On your website place the call to action prominently on your home page and the banner of every other page. A good direct mail guide is to put the call-to-action in the headline, the body, and the close.
• Make it easy to see. Use a larger font, color and white-space online or on printed material.
• Sell your offer and not your product. If the goal is to get a lead that’s where you should focus your offer and call-to-action. After that you can pitch your product or concentrate on closing the sale.
• KISS – Keep it short and simple. Your call-to-action should be a one step process if possible.
• Provide multiple ways to respond. Some prospects prefer the phone over email so give them the choice.
• Explain what happens next. Instead of just having a “click here” link explain that submitting their request will add them to your newsletter or be followed up with a call to schedule an appointment.
• Be clear. Make the response mechanism so clear there is no possible way it can be misunderstood. Use a “Submit” button or add your phone number right after “call us today”.
• Test, test, test. Measure your response rate then make changes for improvement one at a time. This will make future campaigns more successful.
These tools will be useful in designing a more successful sales presentation, too. Remember you won’t get the lead, or the sale, unless you ask for it clearly.
Seymour Turner writes every Friday. Click here to see his other articles.
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