Tell People What You Want Them to Do for You
In marketing and advertising, a ‘call to action’ is a message or statement which encourages the prospect to perform a specific action. Most of the time this involves buying a product, making a donation, subscribing to a newsletter or requesting for more information. The specific action to take is defined by the marketer in accordance with his/her goals.
If you think about it, call-to-actions are really a natural result of most human interactions. You call a friend to chit-chat and before you hang up, you ask her to have lunch together tomorrow. She thinks about her schedule for a moment and says “Sure, let’s do that”.
It’s just a way to conclude a moment of interaction. It’s telling the other party ‘what’s next’ and how to continue. If used alongside exceptional content, the call to action no longer becomes a gentle request but an imperative that requires your immediate commitment.
I often feel that way when I’m reading well written brochures from charity organizations. And it works the same way (sadly) for get-rich-quick scams that prey on the human desire for happiness, of which wealth is widely seen as the best means. If the message is overwhelming enough, people will generally do whatever it is you want them to do.
Even in day to day interactions, people react to call to actions that are coherent with what they are currently feeling or thinking. It flows on from an initial encounter: Here is how you can get even more of the same. Here is how you can continue down the path of success. Here is how you can share your love (or hate) for this brand.
We have a predilection for sharing information: We often tell people about our good or bad experiences with products or places, sometimes even if no one asks for our opinion. If you want someone to spread the word about your content or service, ask them directly. They will do it even if you don’t give them an incentive. This is what I believe from experience.
Modesty and pride are usually the main obstacles. You don’t want to come off as too conceited and you’re too proud to beg. So you publish free content and give away free tools without asking for anything in return. Maybe its just a hobby for you and you don’t care. That’s cool. But if you’re interested in reputation or revenue, this won’t help you at all.
There’s Nothing Wrong With Asking for Help
I’ve been using Ozh’s Admin Drop Down Menu, a Wordpress plugin that arranges the current admin area menus in a horizontal, instead of a vertical format. This is a great feature that helps me work faster and better with Wordpress websites.
In the settings menu for this plugin, you’ll find a series of call to actions:
People have a few options of what to do after installing and using the plugin. Two of them involves increasing its social proof (rating and sharing the plugin) and one is a revenue generator (donations). Generally, people are more willing to part with compliments (free) than money (cost involved) so I would imagine that most would pick the first two options.
The plugin has a perfect 5 star score (with 316 ratings) at the Wordpress plugin directory, which as some will know, is a rare feat for any plugin that has over 100 ratings. Impressive stuff, although part of its success is also due to the simplicity of the plugin itself.
This is a free tool. Some would have just installed it and forgot about sharing if they were not prompted to do so. We have things on our mind, goals to fulfill, people to meet and jobs to do. Call to actions break through the clutter and say ‘do this now’. Don’t let your prospect’s interest or satisfaction fade beneath the noise of other things that demand their attention.
If you give away free content, you should not only ask why you are doing so but learn to embed call to actions in some of them. Don’t be too modest or proud to tell someone what you want them to do for you. And never underestimate the power of reciprocity. It’s an influential social norm that you can use to your advantage when marketing online.
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This is a great post. No one would normally think about “donating” to an author or blogging about their great plugin unless they provide that call to action. I think I’ll throw one up on my site. “If you appreciate my effort uploading games, tell some friends!”
thanks.
It really can be heartening to see what people will do for you if you only ask (within reason, of course!).
When I read an excellent blog post, it certainly feels like the author has given me something — receiving fires up the urge to reciprocate, to somehow show your appreciation. But as you point out, we need to offer readers a simple way to reciprocate.
I’ve noticed this to be true as well. I think sometimes we might not know what we can do to help someone out, unless of course they tell what would help them! I’m just learning how to embed these calls to action in my own writing, especially since I’m giving away a lot of content on my new blog.
I think you’ve really explained the concept of how human beings interact with each other. We want to reciprocate and we want to know “what’s next”.
I’m I took the time to read this post! I feel you are right on target with what you said about the power of reciprocity. I never take for granted the good things I receive. I like what Zoe said in her comment
“It really can be heartening to see what people will do for you if you only ask”. It really is uplifting when people do something for you out of gratitude.
Many times people need to be told what to do next, as you point out it’s not rude or inconsiderate…people actually want you to tell them.
I see businesses all the time saying they wish they had more repeat customers, but when you ask them “did you tell your customers to come back?” they sheepishly say “no”.
You have to “give permission” for your customer to do the next thing you want them to do, sometimes it’s as easy as saying “if you liked our service, come try us out again”. That way you are top of the mind the next time the customer goes shopping, and you’ve given them “permission” to come back.
Great stuff here!
Matt
So here course of action is to download this plugin … isn’t ?
Well this one is really nice but where you are using this ? I did not see any such …
By the way I really like the way you have started this post …
Hi Maki,
Have been following your blog. It’s so interesting how you use an anime picture for each of your blog entry.
Is there a way to combine anime and marketing, since I love both of them?
@ZK
The only clear call to action I see here is to subscribe to the post and to tweet it. Or maybe Maki has hidden another call to actions which we probably all miss ?
Good post. I agree that many people will reciprocate if they’re asked, the seed just needs to be planted. It’s also easier for recipients to be told what action they can take that is most beneficial, useful and valuable whether it be a donation, a reference, a blog post etc.
Very neat article sounds like you have it down pack .. liked the way You explained things out!
Norman Flecha
This is my single biggest one to grow on as a blogger – no doubt – I am loathe to ask anyone for anything. It is nothing more than stupid pride and I must get over it. As always, thanks. You’re dead on.
To piggy back off this most excellent article about the call to action: you have to not only tell people to act, you have to give them a reason to act right now.
For example, I was asked to write an ad for a real estate firm. Like all beginnings, I ask to see the ad they are currently running. The call to action was, “Call John Doe at xxx-xxxx”.
This is a very weak call to action. I noticed they had a special on the apartment that said $500 a month for the first 3 months.
I took this special, changed the name to call it a Spring Special (memory hook), then reworded the call to action to something like, “You have until March 21st to take advantage of this once in a decade Spring Special. This apartment will rent fast. Don’t miss out. Call John Doe Now at xxx-xxxx.”
The second ad with this call to action performed 200% better.
If someone throws your ad or sales letter down on the desk and thinks, “I’ll get back to this later.” It probably means they never will. “I’ll call you back” or “I have to check with my wife and then I’ll call you back”, almost always means no.
In summary, always have a call to action. Tell people want you want them to do. Give them a reason, a good reason, why they have to act right now.
You always have to have some type of call to action, otherwise the customer will not know what to do next. Should they call, request info, purchase, sign-up? They need to know and you need to tell them.
You know, I bet some blogs out there grew quickly and efficiently due to their ability to ask others for help. And by engaging in reciprocity.
Granted it had to be a good blog to begin with, only, I don’t think this concept can be over emphasized.
This is, by far, one of the best skills a blogger or online business or whatever can have.
Maki, I’ve been reading your posts for a little while, and you seem to care for people. That may not sound noteworthy, but so often marketing content focuses on products, presentation, delivery, ROI, etc., not human beings.
Excellent article as always. In that case, My CALL TO ACTION is for everyone to come and check out my blog and give me loads of wonderful praise and a thousands of stumbles and Digg votes.
Great advice! And I love how you demonstrate your point by sharing someone else’s work with us. I’m now considering adding that wordpress plugin.
I have been featuring a number of popular Digg users on my site … I just always end the post asking about if readers love the content, they should add me on twitter or else subscribe to my feed
This is a great idea. The “Call to Action” is a traditional marketing tactic. It’s fascinating to see how traditional methods translate in the digital realm.
Nice to see this post ! The call to action is indeed great advice, and one I will add to my future projects.
I just donated a little money to WP-Super Cache because in the last release the author added a Donate button, never thought of doing so before. I use that plugin extensively (an it keeps my server from melting occasionaly) so its a nice way to say thanks.
I completely agree on how simple human motives and instincts will somehow over conquer a person’s ability to use their common knowledge on simple get rich schemes, even if they are ridiculously obvious that they are scams. The call to action shows how powerful it can be used in simple scandals as well as being a super powerful marketing tool to actually asking up front what you want them to do.
I don’t think anyone should hesitate to ask this question because we all want a little bit of something from someone, but in most scenarios it is pride over the ability of telling them what to do as you bring up boldly in your statement .
I believe article marketers can also make use of the information in this post. What they can do is call for action in the author resource box. in the article, I believe they already giving away free information. Once the reader goes to the resource box, it is time to reciprocate. I agree with you that all posts must be as direct as possible. There is no need to be too humble.
Darren Chow.
@ Zoe, Nathalie Lussier, Keith Smith, Laurie
Reciprocity is really powerful. Even if you don’t consciously feel grateful, there is a positive memory associated with the person who did you good. A collection of positive memories can really make someone very receptive to what the other person has to offer/say.
@ Matt
Yes, you’re right. People can only act on what they know or can see… never underestimate their interest in your brand.
@ZK, Ditto Rahmat
Subscriptions and twitter sharing are the subtle call-to-actions here. I actually have them on every post as well but this is pretty subdued. But blogs are a little different since they’re conversational. I really want something, I’ll ask by making a new post specifically for that.
@ Jen
Maybe work as an online marketer for an anime company? I’ve thought about doing that. It would be a fun experience. Or maybe you could just do an anime site and apply your marketing techniques on it, it doesn’t always have to be anime + marketing like doshdosh.com
@ Writer Dad
Pride is a huge obstacle in so many other ways too. You don’t learn when you think you know it all. Nobody knows it all!
@ Lance Jepsen
Time constraints (either false or real) work wonders in marketing, don’t they?
@ Craig
It’s also basic usability. A good site should always guide the user from the moment he/she touches down on the page. There should always be a conclusion to an interaction.
@ Bamboo Forest
Definitely. I’ve noticed some blogs are very open to asking for help. A lot of things can be solved and achieved when people pool their resources together.
@ Sam Van Eman
Maybe its because I’m not too immersed in the marketing industry. I don’t work as a consultant or as a professional marketer so don’t have think about marketing topics all day. I really do want to make a difference in the world with the skills I have, instead of just endlessly chasing money so I can buy possessions that I’ll get bored of.
@ Cassandra Rae
Yeah its really a great plugin. You should really try it!
@ Jonathan
Hope you got what you wanted!
@ Martijn
I noticed the donation too. Its a cool idea to embed it in the dashboard for easy access. I thought about donating for Ozh’s plugin but decided to blog about it instead since it’ll get other people to use it. ^_^
Excellent post! I have learned that you cannot assume anything when it comes to making money online.You need to tell people exactly what you want them to do.For instance, In my thanks page for the newsletter I have made step#1, step #2 and step#3 for confirming the email address, white listing the email address and then collecting the bonuses.By doing this, the response rate has doubled!
DOSH,THANKS FOR YOUR ADVISE,IT WILL HELP ME TO IMPROVE.
Great post. I definitely recommend people doing things but I never want to come off like I am telling them they have to. Otherwise, I feel like they will be angry with me if what I say does not work. But I will always tell people that they should comment on other Blogs. It is one of the best ways to get traffic. I guess if you definitely know that it will work for everyone than it is okay.
Excellent excellent point!!!
Sometimes we either afraid or just forget to implement call to actions on our Blogs or in Business
And it is might not be honest to people if you want then to take some action but holding it back
Thanks
The power of a smoothly delivered call to action is undeniable. I remember in college I found myself dialing the phone up to order a pizza at a strange hour when I wasn’t even slightly hungry. I wondered why I was doing it, and I remember a TV commercial I had seen just 5 minutes earlier where they said to “Just Pick Up the Phone and Call 555-5555!” a couple of times with a catchy touch-tone sound hood. I’d been had! Pwned by a call to action.
Very true. Free stuff with an authoritative statement gets more respect. Otherwise the value of free stuff degrades. But i wonder how many donations bloggers earned through the above trick?
I think “donation” can not be natural in a world wherre everything has a price. It takes great imagination efforts to think about donation culture can. The funny thing is that what we call free culture would not be possible without donation. Wikipedia only relies on donation. Donation is a kind of subjective price!
So a “call to action” means that your a mature enough to involve yourself about a subjective price. Woohoo.
Hi,
I believe that related to this subject is the abbility to create the “need” or a negative feeling of not having or not doing.
The meme factor, often considered by advertisers, is also something to be taken into account.
Have a nice weekend,
José
Maki,
The call to action is a classic bit of marketing, but you really hit the nail on the head in terms of how it works and how important it is. Too many people forget this most important bit, then are confused when they’re not getting the conversions, user feedback, etc. that they want. Your phone example is near-perfect and really gets to the heart of how human interactions work, and how as a writer, marketer, or business, you’re just replicating our natural ways of relating in a different context.
i must try this one,, thx maki. lets see how its work
Really enjoyed this post. Call to action is so easy to forget and you are right about free articles why not ask for something you want or need? I forget this to much so I am posting this on my bulletin board to remind me of the importance of this in my business.
Thanks
Great post–I’m going to rework my website text now. Thanks!
Calling to action has sometimes its many benefits. People overlook the fact that we all do sometimes need help. A positive call to action, elicits a positive response oftentimes. All you have to do is simply ‘ask.’
Surely its a good idea to have to tell people what you want them to do for you. But sometimes, its not that easy to be frank and say it on the face. It is kinda weird to be honest.
Here for the first time, but it certainly be the last. Awesome article, cheers for sharing.
haha.. for me, i want people trust me, love me..
no chaos..
I always found this blog to be informative and exciting to read…Great job.
It’s a good point you make (in one of your responses to a comment) that making that call to action easy to access is also making your site user-friendly. I think we tend to focus too much on other aspects of user-friendliness, like navigation and so forth. But thinking about a simple “call to action” as a facet of user-friendliness makes me less shy and more inclined to ask. I do put questions at the bottom of my blog posts to encourage more interaction and that has been working some. I have not ventured forth with polls or quizzes as yet, as I think management of those may be more complex. But you’ve given me a lot of ideas for inspiration. Thanks and cheers!
Although I agree that calls to action can be effective, there are a few things that are important:
Use requests for dontions with caution: they can hurt your reputation with some users
The best way to get people to cooperate with your call to action is to be humble and self-depreciating. Joke about yourself.
Be sincere and straight-forward. Say something like, “If you find this post useful, do use a favor and let a friend know about it.”
I’m asking more of my readers to subscribe to my blog. I’ve posted an article asking people to comment on my blog.
Recently, I’ve changed my subtitle of blog from “Videos and Stuff” to a paragraph asking people to submit videos for me to post.
No hurt in asking.
Quite true, and it’s so easy to forget this simple rule. I’m forever reminding people of this elementary principle, and yet overlooking the fact I often neglect to do it myself.
VlogHog – post here in three months time to let us know how that works out for you. I’ll try to do the same too.
Excellent post addressing the power of the ‘call to action’. As the old saying goes, “Don’t ask, don’t get.” Are you asking?
Yes, I agree with you. “Modesty (or false pride) and pride are indeed obstacles for us getting what we
want from other people, not only online but also in real life. You have a very good point on this.
I will try to download the plug-in too. thanks for that info.
I come from a sales background…it never goes away…if you ask for the order in a reasonable way, you will often get it. Not always, but often enough. People just don’t ask for what they want!
@Ditto Rahmat –
So have you done that … or still waiting for something.
I would disagree. I think you have to distinguish between a sales page and a review page.
On a sales page, you’re trying to sell the product. Then you should tell the customer what to do. That’s because your job is to sell the product.
On a review page, your job is not to sell. It is to review. In a blog post, you are meant to review the product. Write like a user of the product without promoting it. I find that to be more effective.
This is a great. No one would normally think about “donating” to an author or blogging about their great plugin unless they provide that call to action. I think I’ll throw one up on my site. Thanks
I found this to be a helpful post – simple strategy really – you never know until you ask – and the worst someone can say is no. I have just discovered your site today via ProBlogger and enjoy it very much. Clean, clear pages with well written, concise writing. Thanks for the motivation!
This post is an excellent way to illustrate and integrate the things we, humans do in our day-today living.
True enough, some bloggers kind of get sad when there are few people commenting on their posts. Just like what your post said, why not have a call to action? Who knows, maybe you can earn a lot more comments this way. There is no guarantee really that this call-to-action will work on you since a lot of people have no initiatives nowadays, but what will you lose in trying? Asking for help or anything doesn’t make you a weak person, in fact, it strengthens your personality. Aside from y opinions, this call-to-action can indeed help you interact with your subscribers giving them space for feedbacks or suggestions to improve your blog or site.
I used to think that everyone who came to my site would know what to do — that is, before I understood that not everyone wants the same thing when they visit a site. But once that finally sunk into my head, I now tell everyone what I want them to do and sometimes even why I want them to do it. Seems kind of strange to do it, however it does work…much to my surprise.
Thanks for the great article.
Sara
So a “call to action” means that your a mature enough to involve yourself about a subjective price. Woohoo.