Marketing, Issue 3
Now What? The Call to Action.
By Dave Gillaspie
President, Impact Productions
847/530-3214 • http://www.impact.ws

You’re creating a communication piece. You’ve done your homework and clearly defined your target audience.

(See “You Talkin' to Me?” Defining your target audience.)

You’ve distilled your information down to one concise main message. 

(See “Say What?” What’s your main message?)

So now what? What is your audience supposed to do with this information that you have presented to them? The answer to this question may seem obvious to you, but it needs to be spelled out for your reader.

Here are just a few examples of a call to action.

Call for a free sample! Visit us on the web! Come in today! Join us! Sign up today!

Notice that each of these statements starts with a verb--an action word.

Some communication pieces are informational in nature, such as a newsletter or an annual report, and do not require a response from the reader. The only function of these pieces is to present information. But even an informational piece could benefit from a good call to action. Think about how you want your audience to respond to this information, and write it down.

Every piece of marketing communication MUST have a call to action--a way for your audience to respond.

Other than your headline, the call to action is the most important element of your communication piece.

If you’ve done a good job of developing a compelling marketing piece, it will leave your audience wanting to know more, buy something, or get involved. Don’t leave your audience hanging. You need to give them a way to respond.

Let your audience know what to do next.

Since the call to action is a response to your main message, it is typically positioned as the last item read or viewed. It will be at the bottom of a poster or print ad, on the last panel of a brochure, or in the final frames of a video.

Want to create effective communication pieces? View the other articles in this series at http://www.impact.ws/kb.html.  Or let IMPACT Productions help you clearly communicate your message. Call me at 847/530-3214; I’d love to sit down and discuss your communication needs.

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You can email me at dave@impact.ws

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