What's Your Call To Action?

A call to action is a vital aspect of any marketing or promotional campaign. Defined in basic terms as an ‘objective which a company would like potential users to complete', a call to action provides focus to a certain area of a business, a way to measure success and a direction for customers. After all, what good is a flyer or leaflet without the means to decipher if its message has been received? Convincing potential customers to call, email or visit a website is a great way to establish whether the promotion has worked and to track the progress of a marketing campaign. In the digital age we live in, it is all too easy to succumb to digital marketing strategies, but it is important to remember that tangible printed leaflets and flyers are still a very important resource that can make a real difference to campaigns and promotions. There are many things to consider when placing a good call to action on a flyer or leaflet. Making it stand out is obviously vital, as it is the focal point of the entire flyer. Having a separate section for the call to action makes great sense, as it could get lost when placed amongst the graphics and text on the rest of the flyer. Online leaflet printing services often offer double-sided printed leaflets for low prices, so the call to action can occupy the back page without upsetting the aesthetics of the front. Distinct colour designs also help, although ensuring they are in keeping with the palette of the rest of the document is important – garish, clashing colours tend to be harsh on the eyes and will more than likely result in the flyer being binned. The language used within a call to order is also important. Authoritative, active words such as ‘register', ‘buy', ‘subscribe' or ‘call' work best, perhaps paired with an expiry date to encourage swift action. Offering a little extra for those who complete the call to action is also a great strategy. "Call Now & Receive 10% Off Your First Order" sounds much more appealing than a demand to simply call and order. These extras can also include competition entries or even free gifts. If there is more than one call to action on your printed flyer, try to keep them concise and simple. In the multimedia world that we live in, it can be hard to avoid the temptation to provide contact information for every single social network, as well as phone numbers, websites, addresses, fax numbers and mobile numbers, but this is the easiest way to confuse readers. Limiting the choices a reader can make reduces the mental effort and makes completing the call to action a more viable task. Choose which actions are the most important, using three as a guideline (usually phone number, email address and website) and position them accordingly on the printed flyer.