Jon Bell |
on September 29, 2008 |
category: creative |
You don't have because you don't ask.
I regularly get busted for being too pushy. In my marketing copy, not in real life. In real life I’m a teddy bear. Just look at my photo. It’s obvious.
But, on behalf of clients, I’m a tiger. When it comes to asking for a response, I go for the jugular immediately. Sometimes clients think it’s a little too much -- but I beg to differ.
Too much advertising is mere mush. It’s entertaining. It’s funny. It’s clever. But it’s too shy to say, "So buy me, already!"
There’s no shame in saying, "Call now." It shouldn’t embarrass you to say, "Find it at your favorite department store." No one will be put off if you say, "To get this great offer, go to www.xyzxyz.com." In fact, if you’ve done your job right, they should be chomping at the bit to get your great widgety-thing.
I learned long ago that a direct marketing appeal has a much greater chance of winning when you ask for a response as early as possible. Even in a long-form medium, like direct mail, if you don’t ask for a reply on the first page, your letter is doomed to fail.
On the Web, you put the Get It Now button right at the top of the page. You don’t let people wonder whether there’s a reason to click on your banner -- you give them a reason.
Same for emails. Ask early. Ask often. Don’t worry about being obnoxious. I never do.
