The Call to Action - Have a Read
A call to action is any written or visual element on a website that prompts a reader to do something that you want them to do.
You may want a web surfer to call you, email you or visit you. You may want them to buy your products or utilise your services. Or you may require the reader to click over to the next page, so they keep reading about your business. A call to action may be a very subtle hint or it could be a blatant, neon-flashing sign saying, BUY NOW.
Either way, having a stipulated call to action is very important. As a website copywriter, I take the view that even the most adventurous web surfer needs a little prodding. After reading the great content, convincing them they want your product or need your service, they still need that extra nudge to go ahead to act on their desires.
A confectionary company asked me to write strap lines for their confectionary range. The strap lines needed to be fun, playful and engaging. These strap lines would keep the web surfer amused, so that they remain on the site longer and kept smiling all the way to the check out. However, within each confectionary strap line, I also crafted a subtle call to action. Have a read of these:
- Outrageous Apples: Take a Bite
- Banana Bevy: Pick a Bunch
- Berry Bounce: Bop Along
- Psychedelic Worms: Glow All Day
- Beaut Bottles: Line Yours Up
- Happy Feet: March on Down
- Lazy Lizards: To Lounge About
- Strawberry Surprise: Make Your Patch
- Happy Hearts: to Keep You Beating
- Wiggly Worms: Open Your Can
I took inspiration from the type of confectionary, re-named it and gave it an amusing strap line. Most importantly though, in exactly the same words as the joke is a call to action, playing on the customer’s sub-conscious. This isn’t a blatant, BUY A BAG NOW. It’s a subtle, subliminal message to encourage them to purchase the product: a highly effective and economical prod to buy.
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