Do your readers know what you want them to do? It’s an honest question. Here’s four things that you can do without becoming too “sales-y” that will move them along in the right direction. Communicating your idea with the sharp focus that you see it, is the trick.
Have you told them? A call to action can mean many things. Do you want them to comment on your blog? Do you want them to buy your product? Do you want them to sign up for a newsletter? Sometimes the best way to get somebody to do something is to simply ask.
Are there easy links to your contact page? You can end your product and services pages with a link to your contact page. You can put it in your footer. Whatever you choose to do, make sure that it’s somewhere that people can find it. This is being helpful. It’s a far cry from the salesman telling you over and over what you can get for the mere price of $19.99.
Have you focused on benefits? Your readers care a lot more about how your product or service makes them feel better, than the technical aspects of what it’s made with. Save the details for shop talk, and geek speak.
Did you get to the point? In a world made of short attention spans, the best thing you can do is provide what you promise. Tell people what they can expect, and deliver. Sometimes you have to delete good writing simply because it doesn’t bolster what you’re trying to say.
Practicing these things will make your copy more efficient. Your readers will have a much better idea of what it is that you are asking them to do.
Matt Brennan is a Chicago-area marketing writer and copy editor. He is also the author of Write Right-Sell Now.
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