The secret to great sales copywriting is to never forget the overriding objective: making a sale. Even with the online environment changing apace, with social media and brand awareness taking on ever-greater importance, the ultimate aim of copywriting is to push the reader towards a sale. And the simplest way to achieve this? Effective use of a call to action (CTA).
Failing to craft an effective CTA puts to waste the hard work put in to writing engaging copy. Imagine the scenario: you’ve written eloquent, aspirational copy reviewing the latest product for sale with your company. The reader is excited by the engaging introduction, is impressed with the range of features, and is thrilled by the images used. But then what? What should they do next? While it may seem obvious to you and I, some people need clear instructions of what to do – this is your call to action.
Don’t leave people hanging
Identifying the precise steps potential customers need to make is fundamental, regardless of how obvious it may be. Whether long or short, the sales copy being used needs to have a purpose. After all, you’re trying to sell a product or a service, right? Or, at the very least, trigger an emotion or a response?
We writers are often guilty of thinking that people should connect with our work, regardless of the message we’re trying to send. And, no matter how intelligent, radical, or superb that writing is, there will always be those that miss the point (there’s probably people out there who still think ‘Animal Farm’ is just a story about some animals on a farm). It’s by no means condescending, therefore, to simply swallow some pride and give the audience a nudge in the right direction.
Repetition and urgency
Repetition works. Repetition works. Remember when you were at school and you were revising for a test? How did you learn the facts you needed to learn in order to pass? It was probably, like most of us, repeatedly reading and reviewing them until they were embedded onto your mind so that there was no way you could forget them. Don’t be afraid, therefore, to repeat your call-to-action. Whether you’re writing a 1,000-word article or have a three-stage sign-up process, liberally placing your CTA where it’s clear to see is important. Repetition works, you see?
For those companies looking to sell a product or service, meanwhile, it pays to optimise your CTA copy to have urgency. Using words such as ‘now’, ‘today’, ‘limited’, etc. puts your audience on their toes. Creating a sense of urgency makes people act quicker, so the simple addition of such words can help boost sales and make your audience react. Combine this with repetition, and you could soon see your customers converting on a grander scale.
In conclusion…
Ensuring that your page design features suitable space for an effective CTA is fundamental to the success of any marketing campaign. Similarly, the language used in your copy can make the difference between abandoning a shopping cart and increasing conversion. Always ensure the CTA is present and prevalent, and try split testing to determine what works best for specific audiences.
To find out more about copywriting and copywriting services, contact Minerva Copywriting today on 0800 180 4085. Our experienced copywriting team can help develop the content you need to boost sales and increase conversions.
