Learn how to write adverts that generate clicks and lead to more sales.
There are 5 fundamental elements that every successful ad must contain. The 5th and final is to ask your reader to take action. In this series of posts we are teaching you how to write adverts that work, and we are talking about the 5 fundamental elements of an ad.
To summarise, the 5 fundamentals of a successful ad are:
- To get attention
- To show an advantage that can be obtained through the use of your product or service
- To prove your claims
- To persuade people to grasp the advantage
- To ask people to take action
Asking For Action – The 5th ad fundamental
Your call-to-action is what you have been working towards with your ad copy so far.
You have managed to grab their attention, show an advantage, proven that advantage, and given them the motivation to grasp the advantage – now you need to ask them to take action. Without this call-to-action, your ad loses the ability to drive sales, turn prospects into customers, or create a list of leads that you can nurture.
You would have done all the hard work for nothing if you don’t ask your prospect to take some sort of action at the end of your ad. You can’t assume that your readers or target audience will know what to do once they have read your ad – it’s your responsibility to let them know what to do next. You need to be very clear and specific regarding the action you want them to take.
What sort of action should you ask them to take?
Direct response
A direct response call-to-action is where you ask your prospect to take some sort of immediate action. This immediate action could be to click a link, make a purchase, download a report, subscribe for more information, etc.
This is the most effective type of action you can ask for because it causes your prospect to follow through on your requested action right there and then, whilst they are still in the interested frame of mind you have created with the rest of your ad copy.
If someone has read your ad or watched your video sales letter till the end it means that there was something about your product or service that interested them enough to read or watch the whole of your ad. Your job is to now capitalise on the interest you have generated by asking them to take some sort of immediate action whilst that interest is still present.
You have no way of knowing if your prospect will still be interested in your product tomorrow or the day after, so it’s important to ask them to commit an action whilst they are in the favourable frame of mind that your ad has created. Even if they aren’t ready to buy now, you can ask them to subscribe to your newsletter, join your FaceBook group, register for a free trial or sample, or signup to receive more information, etc.
Capturing their details and permission to contact them allows you to nurture these leads and convert them to paying customers when they are ready to buy.
Types of action you can ask for
- Ask them to buy
- Join your newsletter or email list
- Sign up for a free trial
- Download a free lead magnet – report, ebook, checklist, etc.
- Register for a webinar
- Follow you on social media
- Inquire for more information by visiting your website
- Take a quiz/survey
How to ensure they take action
Asking your reader to take action doesn’t always guarantee they will! They may be in a state of inertia and not willing to follow through on your call-to-action just yet. Sometimes you need to give them a gentle nudge in order to move them into action.
Here are some things you can include in your ad that will increase the chances of your prospects following through on your call-to-action.
Guarantees
Guarantees such as money-back guarantees help to induce immediate action because they remove all doubt, risk, or buyer’s remorse.
Time limits
If you put time limits on your offer you will create a sense of urgency that will induce your prospect to act now before it’s too late.
Limited supply
If you mention that your product or offer for a free trial is limited in number to the first x amount of people you will be invoking scarcity and the fear of missing out (FOMO), which is a great motivator in getting people to take action now.
Imminent price increase
If you mention that your price is going to increase shortly and that your prospect only has a limited window to get your product at this bargain price they will be more incentivised to act.
No one wants to pay more for something if they can get it for less now.
Bonuses if they act now
Incentivise your reader to take action by offering some sort of bonus if they act now. This bonus should complement your main product and increase the perceived value of your overall offer.
One-time offer
You can include a one-time offer for people that act now, which they will never have access to again.
Again, this uses the principle of scarcity and fear of missing out to inspire them to take action.
Make your call-to-action easy, simple, and specific
Whatever action you ask your prospect to take you should make it:
- Easy to understand
- Simple to perform
- Specific and non-confusing
When you create your call-to-action you should ask yourself two questions:
- What do I want my readers to do?
- How, where, and when do I want them to do it?
By being very specific on exactly what you want them to do you make your call-to-action simple for them to follow and easy to do. If your instructions are too complicated then they won’t bother to do anything. If you are not specific in what you want them to do you will end up confusing them.
As a general rule, you should only ask them to take ONE action. Don’t confuse them by giving them multiple options like – “sign up by clicking here or visit my website to buy.”
Giving them options or choices to make will reduce your conversion rates. Keep it simple and your conversion rates will be much higher.
Summary
All effective ads ask their readers to take some sort of action.
You can ask for the sale outright, or you can ask them to take some sort of action that places them at the front-end of your sales funnel and allows you to build a relationship with them before they buy.
Asking them to opt-in for some sort of lead magnet is a great way to get them to take action if they aren’t quite ready to buy now. There is no point in creating an ad that contains all the other 4 fundamentals we have discussed in this series of posts if you don’t include this 5th and final fundamental element.
Your ad copy thus far has been geared to prime and pre-frame your prospect into taking action, but you must ask for it! Don’t assume that they will know what to do, or that they will automatically follow up your ad by conducting their own inquiries or research on your product.
Clarify what you want them to do, and make it clear how, when, and where you want them to do it. Make your call-to-action easy to understand, simple to perform, and specific.
To read more about the 5 fundamentals of an ad please read the posts below:
1st Ad Fundamental – To get attention
2nd Ad Fundamental – To show people an advantage
3rd Ad Fundamental – To prove it
4th Ad Fundamental – To persuade people to grasp the advantage
5th Ad Fundamental – To ask for action
If you incorporate all the fundamentals in your ad copy you will have much more success at getting people to read your ad copy and turning those eyeballs into leads and sales.
