There’s a precept in marketing, and especially copy writing, that says you will get a higher response to your offer when you, “tell people what to do”.
Don’t leave it up to them to figure out. Tell them what to do, even if it’s obvious.
If you want people to call to schedule an appointment, tell them WHAT to do (call 888-555-4321), WHY (to get a free consultation and find out if you have case), and WHEN (now, between 8-5pm weekdays, any time 24/7).
If you leave something out, fewer people will call.
And whatever it is you’re telling them to do, make it easy for them to do it. Filling out a simple form on your web site with spaces for the information they’ll need to submit will get a higher response than an application they’ll need to print, fill out, and fax.
Making it easy also means being clear about what to do. Tell them what form to fill out and what button to push. Tell them what will happen after they do it.
Make it so clear that it is almost impossible to misunderstand.
And don’t change something that’s working. Once people get used to doing things a certain way, changes risk confusion and a lower response.
My wife went to pay our electric bill online. Last month, all she had to do was click the button that said “Submit.” This month, without telling anyone about it, the “Submit” button was now labeled “Save.”
She didn’t want to save, she wanted to pay. Where was the submit button?
She wound up calling the company to make sure she was doing it right. The person she spoke with admitted they were getting hundreds of emails from customers who were confused by the change. How many customers will be late paying their bills this month because they are confused?
Side note: Someone should fire the genius who thought “Save” was better than “Submit” or “Pay Now”. Yikes.
Another side note: If they’re getting hundreds of emails from confused customers, uh, here’s a thought: change the button back to “Submit”.
If you want to get more people calling, clicking, or pulling out their credit card, tell them precisely what to do and make it as easy as pie for them to do it.
If you’re not sure, show your page or email to a ten year old kid and ask them to follow the instructions. If they’re not completely clear on what to do, if they hesitate in any way, you’ve got work to do.
