Many blog writers focus on content, which is good. However, these same writers also encourage their readers to leave and never come back.
How?
There’s no “call to action” built into the blog. Every great blog that has substantial readership is really nothing more than a giant sales site.
You may not be selling a product or service directly to visitors, but you are selling something: yourself.
Maybe you have some great affiliate products or services you want to sell. Maybe you want to sell your visitors something that you’ve created yourself. Maybe you want to refer them to really useful, but free, products and services. Any way you slice it, you have to ask visitors to take some kind of action and that involves selling.
AIDA
There’s an old marketing formula: AIDA. It stands for Attention, Interest, Decision (or Desire), and Action. This formula applies to every human action. Every single one. It doesn’t matter whether you’re giving away freebies or selling $10,000 computer software programs.
You have to grab your visitors’ attention. Then, you have to raise their interest level. Typically, visitors to your site have a low interest level. This low interest level has to be overcome by something you write or offer to your visitors.
You only have a few seconds to capture their interest so make it good. Decision or desire refers to your ability to invoke enough desire in your visitor that he wants to take action on whatever it is you’re offering. Finally, Action refers to a call to action. You have to make it explicitly clear what it is you want him to do.
What Makes A Good Headline
Good headlines draw people to your content like flies to honey. A good headline is actually the start of your call to action because when you suck your reader in with a good headline, they want to read more. Before they know it, they’ll be taking the action you want them to take.
Examples of good headlines always start with “How To,” “The Truth About,” “10 Tips To,” and other variations that you might find in trashy tabloid magazines or magazines like Cosmo. Why these types of headlines? Years ago, a marketing genius names E. Haldeman-Julius discovered that these types of headlines sell the best.
Julius was a publisher, and sold booklets that he called “little blue books.” These little blue books were on a variety of different topics and sold through his catalog. They were also sold primarily on the strength of the title, with no other ad copy being presented to the public. He would constantly change the title of the booklet to see if it made a difference in the sales for that booklet. It did.
In fact, it made an incredible difference in the sales. It makes sense. Magazines like Cosmo live and die by the headlines. If its headlines were not pulling readers in, and getting them to buy the magazine, then the company would go out of business. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel on this one. Stick with what works.
Crafting the Offer
A good offer is something that will get your readers to take action. Your offer must be compelling. Next to the headline, this is the most important thing you should focus on. Some marketers think that this is where you should start.
Craft the offer first, and then write the headline. Which ever way you choose to go about doing this, know this: the offer must take away all of the risk for the buyer. Even if the product or service is free, people will still tend to be skeptical of it. Guarantee that your product or service will do what you say it will do.
Promise “no-hassle” service or a “no-questions-asked” money back guarantee. Provide a “no hassle” shopping experience on your e-commerce site. Offer a discount for people if they act before a certain date. Offer a 12-month money back guarantee. Offer to give them the product or service for free for 30 days before you even charge their credit card.
These kinds of offers entice people to do business with you and practically eliminate the fear that you’ll run off with their credit card like a thief in the night.
About PeterNevis
Twitter: taxfile_india
says:
Really agree about the point, “How to”, “The Truth About”.
The thing with these headings is that they make the potential reader to believe that the content of the post is inevitably something he doesn’t know about.
It’s psychological. Great.
This article is as intriguing as it is informative. I read through this information and couldn’t find a thing wrong with it. I can’t imagine anyone writing this article better.
nivce posting,I really impressed by your post and read through this information and couldn’t find a thing wrong with it. I can’t imagine anyone writing this article better.
paket aqiqah tangerang recently posted..Paket Aqiqah Tangerang
I really impressed by your post and read through this information and couldn’t find a thing wrong with it. I can’t imagine anyone writing this article better.
paket aqiqah tangerang recently posted..Paket Aqiqah Tangerang
Putting a time limit and a money back guarantee is the best one-two punch I can think of. You make them ‘rush’ into purchase where they might usually sit back and think about it, but you also reassure them by letting them know that even though they’re going to make a quick decision, doesn’t mean they are ‘trapped’
Twitter: daclements
says:
Your points are good, and make sense, however, I feel that there has to be a balance. I for one, see through all the marketing bullshit that people put out there, like a “no-hassle experience” or “excellent customer service”. I run a trusted website and am very low-key on the call-to-action type lingo. I might not be earning as much as I could, but my readers trust me, and I make a nice little living on the side by being honest about my opinions and recommendations.
Dave Clements recently posted..Making CSS Edits in WordPress
Dear PeterNevis,
Thank you for the article! At a recent “blog meeting,” my boss emphasized the importance of utilizing CTA’s. Then I find your article, further cementing the importance of getting the reader involved beyond just leaving comments. Although not all of your “Crafting the Offer” tips are relevant for what I am trying to sell, reading your article is forcing me to reassess how I blog – content AND call-to-actions are important.
Thanks,
Miranda Goot
Miranda Goot recently posted..How do I find the best keywords to improve SEO for my small business?
Twitter: saidu_parvez
says:
so i love it more because it ‘s helpful to every one……………
waqasikram recently posted..How to Create a Lighted Mosaic Wall
Twitter: saidu_parvez
says:
Many blog writers viewing on this content, which is good.so i love it more
waqasikram recently posted..How to Create a Lighted Mosaic Wall
You’re absolutely right. This is the time to be making the correct website
Canon t3 Review recently posted..Canon T3 Review
very rightly said….a very helpful post. At times all we focus on is creating quality content and miss out on other aspects.
Hey Peter
Thanks for sharing this informative post. Writing good content is not enough for attracting visitors, the main aim of any blogger is to grab the readers and induce them to make frequent visits to their blog. I completely agree that AIDA approach is important to any business.
s.
Twitter: antonrsa
says:
Hi Peter,
I do agree with you – the AIDA formula has alwyas been an effective method used when marketing on- and offline. Thought the imp[ortance of a slaes funnel is so important in achieving an conversersion and sale on a website – once the user has landed they need to know exactly where to go and the CTA’s is one of the most important aspects of guiding them to the point of sale.
Anton Koekemoer recently posted..Word of mouth marketing with social media
Twitter: life_pro_tips
says:
Even though you’re talking about blog posts, I’d like to talk about call to action in ads. I’ve run multiple microsoft and google ads and oddly enough, my highest click-through-rate was with the ads WITHOUT calls to action. It stumped me too but I think my non-call-to-action ads appeal to users optimism about success.
Twitter: Janis167
says:
+1 for AIDA, But we all probably would like to see those A’a swapped, so the Action comes first :)) Great article from great mind thank you a lot and have a nice day :)
Really helpful tips, and it is actually what I had been searching for. I just want to get out of stuck, I feel so stressed because of my blog nowadays. I’ve just started my new blog, and I have heard so much about the importance of fresh content etc. But somehow I have lost my motivation, there are too many things to do with a blog. I unfortunately haven’t done anything like this before, so your useful tips could be very helpful for me. Thanks for sharing them!
Lisa recently posted..Wolken auf dem Himmel
Twitter: quality_technic
says:
I agree with some point you said..I think it’s hard for some bloggers to really integrate a full concept behind it
Twitter: thiarthea
says:
Excellent! I am often too busy thinking about the content and then forget to make a headline that sells.
Looks like I need to change the way I work. The title first, then the content.
Thanks for the great post
Thiar Thea recently posted..Gamis Anak UK13
Wow what a nice post.I am impressed from this post.Can you more share at here.I will come back as soon.
I love seeing flowers during my travels too… Thanks for sharing here.
Hi Peter
Nice tips on the headlines. I totally agree it is so important to have the right headline and call to action text.
Great article and information that if used correctly will help you get the results your looking for. Above all you should believe in your self and your site. You should also give people visiting a reason to care about you and your site, namely by providing them with what they want. That can be a good interface, quality content, etc. Market yourself and your site correctly and people will not only come, they will come back.
Wow, what a great article full of tips to increase conversions with good call to action! Hopefully I have applied these tips on my blog. :)
Jasmine recently posted..Free Web Hosting and Free Domain Name Giveaway
Twitter: geekbuzzer
says:
the thing where i lack behind is writing attractive headlines
Aakash Goyal recently posted..LunarPages Hosting Review and Discount Coupon
Twitter: semaglive
says:
Hi dude…..fantastic post definitely we should grab attention n interest of readers….
I totally share your point of view, as we really need to make our readers to come back. In this manner, we could enhance our personal brand and create a significant mass of returning visitors. From my own perspective, I think that the key is to differentiate from others. Therefore, we have to come up with something new, which cannot be found anywhere else.
Julian King recently posted..How to build a simple shed
Twitter: morganbarnhart
says:
You’re absolutely right with your tips. I think it can be difficult for bloggers to get into the mindset of sales or calls to action because that sales mindset just isn’t there. Like, for me, it’s really difficult because while I want to sell myself and my services, I also want to be helpful and don’t want to come off as too sales-y. But I know it’s necessary.
Thanks for the tips!
Morgan recently posted..What Are The Benefits of Social Media Outside of Sales?
Twitter: MigrationAngels
says:
Hi Peter,
Interesting post – and a few good points to concentrate on whilst blogging. I usually enjoy thought provoking articles and sometimes unsettling articles work quite well too. I read a blog quite a while ago now but it has stuck with me and if you’re into blogging and triggering actions from your readers I highly recommend giving it a read. Here’s the url: http://uxdesign.smashingmagazine.com/2011/10/13/design-with-dissonance/
Rob Francken recently posted..Promotion: Reduced Australian Migration Agent Fees
Twitter: TheArbazKhan
says:
Hey peter,
Great article. I think that a blogger who only wants money out of his blog treats it like a business and eventually end up in frustration because he is unable to get any monetary benefits.
Great information :)
Arbaz Khan recently posted..4 Blogging Myths prevailing in the Blogosphere !!!!!
Hi Peter, you have made a very good point. I think it’s hard for some bloggers to really integrate a full concept behind it. Another problem is probably branding…how they brand themselves and how appealing it is to their audience.
Mariella Lombardi recently posted..I Am Dying For A Brownie – Can I Have Sugar When Trying to Lose Weight?
Twitter: igorgriffiths
says:
Well hello Peter
The biggest problem with many peoples blogs is that they think it is their business, a blog is not a business but merely part of an overall business plan which is where the call to action comes in.
Once you understand how the blog fits into your business then you can have consistency in the call to action presented in each post until ultimately it becomes clear to the reader what your blog is about, of course it should not degenerate into a pitch fest but combine content with a subtle push towards your desired action.
igor
igor Griffiths recently posted..Creating Your Mastermind Group