CUSTOMER DRIVE

A Matter of Call-to-Action

An effective website is always action-driven – it helps users accomplish the most important goals as quick and easy as possible. Many internet users do not have an unlimited supply of time in their hands, which is why any website that makes them go around in circles will probably not encourage them to find out more about the offers. Even though it is good to tell users about your company and what you are up to, it is even more important to show them what you can do for them. Call-to-action is one of the key methods to achieving this goal. It gives you three major advantages: a.) website focus, b.) a way to keep track of your customer conversion rate, c.) direction for your site visitors.

According to the authors of Call to Action, Bryan and Jeffrey Eisenberg, “virtually all websites have a persuasive purpose; to get someone to subscribe, to register, to inquire or to buy something.” The goals would of course, vary according to the nature of the websites. An academic website would persuade students to enroll or an online shopping store would persuade people to purchase. There are many more examples and all of them would have one common ground – they all want you to do a certain something. During the process of web design, it is your job to make all the elements work together to persuade users. Every factor is important, right down to the last word – right words would drive users to action while wrong words could distract them. Aside from that, there are other factors to keep in mind:

· Colors – Make sure they stand out and capture the viewer’s attention. At the same time, the colors complement your overall design. Check out the color table below as a guide:

Vocabulary – Appropriate vocabulary should be used. Think of words that would make the objectives clear for the users. Use language that would inspire users to act immediately – call, buy, register, subscribe, donate, download, etc.

Emphasis – Do not be content with just a word or two when it comes to call-to-action. Just be careful not to give users too many options because that would confuse them. It is possible to keep mentioning objectives in a consistent and tasteful manner: a.) research on synonyms and mention them every now and then, b.) place the key call-to-action buttons on every page, c.) give them a trial option aside from the purchase, d.) instill a sense of urgency by using words like ‘now’.

Benefits – As much as possible, make the users think that they need to get your product instead of just want it. Show them why buying from you would do them a world of good: a.) include testimonials, b.) devise easy payment methods, c.) include gifts and reward points, d.) assure users that they could unsubscribe without any hassle involved if they are not satisfied, e.) include a catchy blurb as could be seen in the screenshot of the Skype website below:

· Deadline – Users have a tendency to think ‘I’ll buy it later’ and then forget. One good way to avoid that is to give them a deadline, especially in the case of seasonal/limited edition products. To motivate users to buy right away, you could notify them about a price increase after the cut-off date, or give them a special discount along with giveaways if they order from you before the deadline.

· Connection – Giving them relevant information is good but do not assume that they would know what to do about it and take action immediately. You ought to do something that would drive them to action. For example, when Amazon sends out newsletters about their latest offers, they always include calls-to-action in the form of link texts and buttons to make it easier for you to add product/s to your shopping cart.

· Instructions – Not all internet browsers are experts in the virtual world. That is why clear instructions should be provided.

· Convenience – Consider the steps that would be taken after a user responds to your call-to-action. For example, if a user registers, do not make them suffer a long, tiresome process because that might change their mind. Make the registration process short and sweet and only ask for necessary information.

Location – In addition to putting buttons on places where they could easily be seen, a research by marketing experiments also shows that following the primary eye path would help.

Space – Avoiding clutter is a must. Make sure that you allocate an adequate amount of space for your calls-to-action or they might get lost in the shuffle.

Size – In the case of call-to-action buttons, making them bigger would make them more noticeable to viewers. Color and space might play important parts but that does not mean that size does not play an important role.

In conclusion, a call-to-action is one of the primary concepts of converting users to customers. Call-to-action encourages your viewers to evaluate your products and services and hopefully decide to purchase by the end of their visit to your site, which just proves the extreme importance of including multiple calls to action in your website. If you do not have sufficient amounts of calls-to-action, your website visitors are not likely to figure out what they should do and how to do it.

Somni Creative, Inc., rich media marketing professionals from Los Angeles, California, specialize in providing online customer acquisition services, such as Call-to-Action Tuning. Call us at (310) 6973199 or visit www.somnicreative.com.

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References:

E-mail Marketing - Wikipedia

E-mail Marketing Strategy: Shortcuts to Success

Best Practices for Bulletproof E-mail Delivery

4 E-mail Marketing Strategies: Improve Your Sales or Traffic Via Effective E-mail Marketing

Effective E-mail Marketing Campaigns

E-Mail Marketing Campaign Guide

Technological progression made it possible for people to communicate online aside from the more traditional direct mail method, which people also referred to as ‘snail mail’. Electronic Mail (E-mail) is today’s primary means of online communication, which is one of the reasons why e-mail marketing has turned into an extremely popular method of online advertising. According to Wikipedia, researches show that United States firms spent approximately $400 million on e-mail marketing in 2006.

E-mail marketing is a direct marketing method wherein written and electronic forms of advertisements are spread out through e-mail. Every e-mail exchanged between you and a potential customer has the potential to be considered a form of e-mail marketing. Your e-mail, to be considered a part of your e-mail marketing campaign, should have the following factors:

· Intention to strengthen the bond between you and your current or previous customer

· Intention to convince a potential customer to purchase your products

· Advertisements from related and affiliate companies

· The use of internet e-mail as opposed to network e-mail or FIDO.

For those who delete the advertisement e-mails in their inbox, it might be hard to understand and appreciate the importance of e-mail marketing. However, that does not change the fact that there are several good reasons why a good e-mail marketing campaign is greatly beneficial to your company and give a good impression to your customers:

· You can share information with a broad range of clientele for free or at a very low cost.

· E-mail is less expensive than direct mail and newsletters.

· E-mail marketing is considered to be the most effective online marketing strategy, next to search marketing.

· E-mails are delivered faster than mailed advertisements.

· E-mail advertisements get the message across stronger since they are delivered straight to the user’s inbox as opposed to a website which the user has to visit to find out more about your products and services.

· E-mail messages are automatically included in your archives.

· Regular correspondence with your audience is convenient and affordable.

· Most internet users check their e-mails everyday.

· E-mail marketing is paper-free.

· The results of your e-mail marketing campaign are very easy to track.

How do these advantages and benefits come to play? Your e-mail marketing campaign will not live up to its full potential if you are not prepared enough for it. Planning will save you time, keep you in budget, and will ensure your decisions and actions are consistent with your company goals.

1. Observe your competitors – It is always worth it to check out what they are doing. Learn what you can from their campaigns before you brainstorm about your own. Analyze the pros and cons of their methods so you can come up with even better ones. To apply this technique to e-mail marketing campaigns, it will be good for you to subscribe to their mailing list using an account that will not give away too much information about your company.

2. Ask for permission from the members of your mailing list – Permission-based e-mail marketing lists mean a positive response because the subscribers are truly interested in the information your company is distributing. When you ask for contact details, make sure you let your target users know why you are doing so. It is only common courtesy to give them the option of whether or not they want to receive messages from you.

3. Screen your advertisers, partners, and subscribers – Do not expose yourself to spammers. Verification might take time but it will keep your reputation reliable. It will also decrease the chances of your e-mails ‘bouncing’ back to you.

4. Be creative with your design – Advertising via e-mail does not really limit you to black-and-white paragraphs. You can research on more attractive design templates. Just don’t forget to make sure that your layout is user-friendly and artistic. You can also include visual aids (pictures of your products, etc.) in order to give users a better idea of what you have to offer.

5. Make sure everything about your e-mail comes across as a powerful message – Your audience should not regret subscribing to your mailing list. Give them a reason to look forward to receiving more information from you.

6. Aim for a well-worded subject line – That is the first thing the users see when they check their inbox so think of a subject that would compel them to click on it.

7. Take advantage of e-mail marketing tools – Research on various e-mail marketing templates. Learn from the experts and modify those techniques to make them your own.

8. Do not pressure your prospects with follow-ups – One of the most important facts to remember is that people do not like to be nagged. Instead of asking for feedback repeatedly and risk annoying your prospects, it will be better for you to include a short note at the end of your e-mail asking nicely for feedback, no matter how short.

9. Avoid including large files – There are times that it has to be done but as much as possible, avoid attaching large files especially when it comes to compressed files because they increase the possibility of having your e-mail marked as spam. Just give users the address to your website portfolio or include a few pictures of your best works.

10. Use a consistent, professional e-mail address and sender’s name – Do not confuse your audience. Many of them are probably not patient enough to keep up with changes. Pick an e-mail address and sender’s name that they would easily identify as yours, which means not using vague e-mail addresses like “admin@yourdomain”, or aliases that would only make sense to your family and friends. Using your real name, without numbers or symbols, as a sender’s name is the best way to go.

11. Never put a link before important information – Do not distract them from your e-mail. Once you make them go to another page that they are not familiar with, you face the risk of them not going back to your e-mail or worse, deleting it and marking it as spam.

12. Test the effectiveness of your e-mail campaigns – Try changing one element at a time and see which changes produce the best results.

13. ‘Snail mail’ is best used for follow-up – Sending a ‘snail mail’ follow-up and referencing your e-mail is a great way to stay in contact with your subscribers.

In summary, effective e-mail campaigns are characterized by (1) powerful and relevant content, (2) well-planned strategies, (3) permission-based mailing lists, (4) credible company reputation, and (5) good relationship with subscribers.

Somni Creative, Inc., rich media marketing professionals from Los Angeles, California, specialize in providing online customer retention services, such as Direct e-Mail Marketing. Call us at (310) 6973199 or visit www.somnicreative.com.

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References:

E-mail Marketing - Wikipedia

E-mail Marketing Strategy: Shortcuts to Success

Best Practices for Bulletproof E-mail Delivery

4 E-mail Marketing Strategies: Improve Your Sales or Traffic Via Effective E-mail Marketing

Effective E-mail Marketing Campaigns