{"id":732,"date":"2014-06-13T14:20:23","date_gmt":"2014-06-13T14:20:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thatwhitepaperguy.com\/?p=732"},"modified":"2021-02-01T11:43:28","modified_gmt":"2021-02-01T16:43:28","slug":"how-to-make-an-effective-call-to-action-in-a-white-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thatwhitepaperguy.com\/how-to-make-an-effective-call-to-action-in-a-white-paper\/","title":{"rendered":"How to make an effective call to action in a white paper"},"content":{"rendered":"
A call to action answers the question, “What do we want our ideal prospect to do after they finish reading our white paper?”<\/strong><\/p>\n An ideal call to action keeps your reader engaged with your company, encourages them to take the next step in the sales cycle, and converts their interest into action.<\/p>\n Knowing how to craft one can make a big difference in your results.<\/p>\n Here are 10 tips on how to write a more effective call to action in your next white paper.<\/p>\n A call to action is not<\/strong> like a “Buy now” button that you can sprinkle all through an online sales letter.<\/p>\n You use it once, right at the end of your white paper. That means at the end of your concluding summary.<\/p>\n A call to action doesn’t have to be long and involved. In fact, it can be conveyed in one sentence.<\/p>\n Here’s the simple formula I use to write a call to action: “To find out more about how your business can gain [key benefit explained in white paper] with [product or company name], [do something].\u201d<\/p>\n The rest of these tips focus on the “do something” part of this formula.<\/p>\n In a call to action, you want to be as precise as possible.<\/p>\n Think of this\u00a0like giving directions. Do you say, “Go down here a-ways and after that you’ll need to make a turn?” or do you say, “Keep going on Main Street for three blocks, and then turn right at the stoplight.”<\/p>\n As a rule, the more specific the call to action, the better… and the easier it is to measure the results.<\/p>\n So tell them something specific:<\/p>\n A phrase like, “For more information, visit AcmeSoftware.com” is not<\/strong>\u00a0an effective call to action.<\/p>\n The only exception is a business with quite a simple value proposition and just a few pages on the web.<\/p>\n For example, I wrote a white paper for one\u00a0client that uses proprietary software to cut corporate wireless\u00a0costs. The value proposition was easy to see, and their website only had three pages.<\/p>\n For that white paper, I used this call to action:<\/p>\n “To find out how much your business can save on wireless, contact [company name] at [phone number] or visit [website] for a free analysis.”<\/p>\n Many salespeople think that a call to action means to ask for the order. After all, they’ve been taught, “Always be closing!”<\/p>\nTip #1: Put it at the end<\/h3>\n
Tip #2: Keep it short, clear, and precise<\/h3>\n
Tip #3: Don’t be vague<\/h3>\n
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Tip #4: Don’t send them to your home page<\/h3>\n
Tip #5: Don’t ask for the order<\/h3>\n