Finally you’ve reached the final stage of the AIDA saga. The past few articles have shown you how to grab your readers’ attention, get their interest, and create a desire for your product. Now all you have to do is get them to take action.
The best way to get your reader to take action is through the use of testimonials. These are a fantastic motivator and a tool that every freelance copywriter should have in their writing armoury. Avoid the temptation edit client testimonials. They may contain the odd grammatical or punctuation error but this is exactly what you want – it makes them real.
Another way is by offering free samples, statistics, a free trial or money-back guarantee. If you have the option of using these why not use them all or a combination plus testimonials (if possible).
The call to action
This is one of the most important aspects of copywriting. If this is weak, the rest of your hard work would have been wasted.
Don’t think that you have to save them for the final paragraph. Sprinkle them throughout the sales letter or, if using email, use hyperlinks so once your reader has made their buying decision they can act immediately.
Here are a few things to bear in mind when writing your CTA:
- Ambiguity is bad – don’t confuse your reader
- Watch your wordiness – you’ve made your pitch so get straight to the point
- Don’t be vague – leave them in no doubt as to what they need to do
In a nutshell, your CTA should be short, simple, direct and clear:
– Give them different ways to get in touch/place their order (e.g. email, fax, phone)
– Give them a clear and simple-to-complete order form
– Be commanding – ‘order now’ ‘order by 1st February’
It doesn’t matter what you’re writing – always remember: AIDA – Attention – Interest – Desire – Action and you can’t go wrong.