AeronTV for Business Owners:
Episode 2 - Foolproof
Ways of Gaining Clients
Through 'Call to Action'
Business owners need to realize that their customers
don't really care about them or their business.
It probably took you a lot of time and effort to get
where you are now but honestly - nobody cares.
Hi and welcome to AeronTV, a show dedicated to business owners. My name is Martin and I am here to share with you the things I learned the hard way when starting and running my own business. The topic for today is:
Foolproof Ways of Gaining Clients Through 'Call to Action'
I want to talk to you about a mistake many business owners make. I did it too at the start, but then I read a few interesting books on the subject of marketing and realized how wrong I was.
Business owners need to realize that their customers don't really care about them or their business. Yeah, I know, it's devastating but it's true. It probably took you a lot of time and effort to get where you are now but honestly - nobody cares.
I know very well how difficult it is to start a business with a small budget and while it is a great achievement, your customers are focused on your product or service only - they have a very limited interest in you and your history.
Yet so many business owners write long passages of text about their business on their brochures, leaflets and websites. Stop wasting your customers' time and focus on 'call to action' and the benefits of your product; benefits, not features! Your customers have a very short attention span - you have merely a few seconds to catch their interest and believe me, they are not interested in your biography (unless this is what you sell).
Another point is - don't give your customers the benefit of the doubt. Tell them exactly what to do!
Take a look at these websites: [showing the list of websites on the video]
They have two common denominators - short and catchy taglines and a button with 'call to action.' The message is simple - "This is the problem our product solves and here is how to get it."
You don't have to be a genius to understand it. Always assume your customers are very demanding, in a hurry and totally unpredictable. To add insult to injury, they are focused on 10 different things at the same time. Think of that when writing your sales copy and get to the point. Unfortunately, many business owners (especially beginners) are so passionate about the business itself, they feel compelled to write something about it.
They are proud and rightly so, but sadly, people aren't interested.
If you are not sure what to write about and how to do it, then I strongly recommend the book "Write to Sell - The Ultimate Guide to Great Copywriting" by Andy Maslen. It goes much further into the above mentioned issues and explains many aspects of good business writing. It's short, to the point and well structured. You will be coming back to it before the introduction of every new product and new marketing campaigns. If you are a business blogger, it will save you from many disasters.
If you want to read some great articles online about 'call to action,' have a look at "Call to Action Buttons: Examples and Best Practices" which can be found at: (http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/10/13/call-to-action-buttons-examples-and-best-practices/) and which shows great examples of call to action on different websites. Also, check out "10 techniques for an effective 'call to action'" by Boagworld, covering the same subject with more beautiful examples, which can be found at: (http://boagworld.com/design/10-techniques-for-an-effective-call-to-action).
Similar principles rule the print world. It is not about cramming as much information onto your brochure or leaflet. It is about motivating your customer to take action - call you, send a mail order, or visit your store.
That's all for today. Thank you for watching and, as always, I appreciate your comments, suggestions and opinions. Don't forget to share this video with your friends, using the links below.
