Get your customer's attention and give them an incentive to act now!

Your marketing piece should have a clear call-to-action that expresses to the customer exactly how you want them to respond. To implement a call-to-action, simply ask yourself how you want the recipient to react to the piece and include it in the creative and messaging.
A call-to-action can take on many forms. It could be to respond to a personalized URL or generic URL, go to a website, call a phone number, contact a representative, attend a trade show, or go to a retail location. Ask the recipient to act now! Include this call-to-action in an obvious and noticeable location in your creative. Perhaps bold letters, in the headline, or in a star burst.

The call-to-action seems to go hand in hand with an incentive. Infomercials utilize this tactic regularly to get buyers to have a sense of purchasing urgency. Call in the next twenty minutes and receive an additional ______ free! Incentives give the receiver reason to act on your call-to-action. It can be in the form of a giveaway, a discount, a contest, or a free gift with purchase.

Again, you must think like your consumer. Is a free $5.00 Starbucks gift card enticing enough or would they prefer to be entered in a drawing to win a new iPod Touch? Some offers can be pertinent to your business or others can be fun items that you think your customers will appreciate.

In any case, a call-to-action linked to an attractive incentive will give receivers all the more reason to react to your marketing piece.

Amanda Moore

www.piptampa.com

Make sure your message helps you stand out in all the clutter!

The message and copy on any type of marketing piece is the most important component. Messaging should be clear and concise while communicating your offer to you buyer.

First you must decide what it is you are marketing. What is the single most important message that this project must communicate? Is it a specific product, service, event, or special? Be sure that the receiver will have a clear understanding of what you are advertising.

Next, you need to examine the content of your marketing piece. Is it meaningful? Does it add interest or value to the piece? If not eliminate it. Nothing kills a marketing piece faster than too much text (the receiver will overlook it).

Your buyer is just like you and will respond similarly to marketing. So think like a consumer and ask your self would I care enough to read this? Would I skim it and throw it in the trash? If you don’t care enough about the copy then chances are, your customer wont either.

Amanda Moore

www.piptampa.com