When it comes to commercial printing, a call to action is an essential marketing concept. Call to action refers to a request made on behalf of the advertiser for the prospect, or potential customer, to do something in regards to a product or service. Basically, an advertiser issues an effective call to action in order to persuade a buyer to move closer toward making an actual purchase. Understanding and effectively employing this concept is absolutely essential to directing a successful marketing or advertising campaign, and a good call to action answers the following question in the mind of the advertisement’s reader: “That’s interesting. Now what do I do?”
Commercial printing applications for the call to action concept are as diverse as the possible mediums for advertising. Web to print applications could include buttons that visitors click in order to begin purchasing a good or service. Web to print applications above all others, in fact, require a sound understanding and implementation of this concept, considering the sheer volume of retail business being done on the internet every second.
In terms of hard copy media, some examples of effective calls to action include instructions for a customer to call an 800 number in order to discuss the product with a company representative. Coupon campaigns in local supermarket pamphlets or direct mailing packets are another effective call to action, as they inspire customers to directly seek out the goods and services that are being discounted. In terms of the internet, every time an advertisement mentions a website to be visited for more information, they are essentially issuing a call to action.
To this end, it is the responsibility of the marketer to drum up fresh and exciting ways to issue effective calls to action to their customer base as well as new prospects. A local business owner could promote a new opening by distributing materials that advertise rock-bottom opening specials so long as patrons come within a certain small window of time.
Successful web-based marketing campaigns have used the full spectrum of today’s available technology to reach customers at home and on the go. Offering free content such as ringtones, pictures or music in exchange for the telephone numbers of customers that SMS or text a certain number via a cell phone is one way that clever marketers are generating current and active customer data.
Specifically to the realm of the web, today the name of the game is free give-away content or service. Many successful sites offer a compelling web or information based service at two simultaneous levels. New users that register using basic personal information are eligible to use the service at a basic level for free, but may be restricted to a certain number of uses per day or bandwidth constrictions, for example. Once they are thusly introduced to the service, customers often opt to pay a flat monthly fee or one time upgrade fee in order to enjoy the full features of the service with all trial restrictions lifted.
