…or they might end up doing nothing

I went to see an exhibition in London last weekend at the Mall Galleries – the Photographer of the Year, run by Digital Camera Magazine.

There were some wonderful images of people, architecture and animals. Beatifully framed and expertly lit – just the sort of thing my friend S would like.

Unfortunately, the exhibition finished the day I was there. So I sent her the link to the website.  She could browse at her leisure, and tell me what she thought.

Except she couldn’t.

“I need to register to access anything,” she wrote in an email.

Registration? What registration? All she had to do was click the black and white portrait of the girl and she’d be through to the galleries.

But she didn’t. Instead of hovering and seeing the giveaway hand cursor, she looked around, saw boxes marked Username and Password – and promptly gave up.

All it would have taken is a simple sign saying Click here next to the girl.

So much for point and press.

OOBE or not OOBE

The takeaway is clear: what’s obvious to you is not always obvious to them.

I came to the site with years of web experience. S, on the other hand,  is a cyber novice, and likes to see nice neat pointers that tell her what to do.

If it’s signposted, she’s OK. If it’s not, she gives up.

That’s why as a copywriter, marketer, or just about anyone else who’s putting messages out there, you should indulge in a little out-of-body experience every time you put virtual pen to paper.

It’s not just a call to action you need. It’s a call to action that’s obvious to your reader.

Any colour – as long as it’s black

It’s also about not giving people too many choices.

Just recently, I was on a site that shouted BUY NOW! A little way across the page, there was DOWNLOAD FREE SAMPLE! And out of the corner of my eye, I saw FIND OUT MORE!

Now the thing is, I really wanted to do something. But bombarded by choice, I took the path of least resistance.  I simply closed down my browser, and resolved to go back later (I didn’t).

Admit one (idiot)

As I left the exhibition, I saw a sign that said Photographer of the Year – Free Entry. So why had I paid £2.50?

And then I realised. Two exhibitions were sharing the gallery space, with no boundaries between them. I’d come to see the photography show, but paid to see the print show.

I’d walked in, seen the sign on the counter, and only three words had registered.

Admission. Adult. £2.50.

They told me what to do. I did it.

But don’t tell S.

Find out more:

• Give your readers something to do, on seomoz.com.
• How to call to action on seosmarty.com includes a fascinating insight into the colours to use for your call to action.
• Digital Camera magazine’s Photographer of the Year 2007 (do remember to click the girl’s face).

Direct orders are an obvious tactic – but they work

Over at Copyblogger, Brian Clark has an interesting article about ‘actionable anchor text’ for links.

It means that the link tells people what to do. So instead of writing:

Know your audience

You write:

Know your audience: Click here to read.

Simply telling people to click makes them click. It runs contrary to all best practices in web design and search-engine optimisation. A link that says ‘Click here’ is a wasted link they say.

But it’s not. Clickthrough rates are much higher when you tell people to click.

It’s hardly surprising. If you’re cruising along in your car on the open road and you see a sign that says Slow down, you’ll probably check your speed.

The same applies to Now wash your hands or Don’t walk on the grass. Nobody’s forcing you to do it and nobody’s watching. But that little voice inside your head is telling you to do what the sign says.

Dates are another powerful way to reinforce a call to action. Offer ends 23 September! is guaranteed to provoke a response, especially if coupled with Buy now or Order while stocks last.

Negative orders can also be effective, but you have to be careful. Don’t buy in Spain! doesn’t work unless you see, in a smaller font (until you read this FREE report).

And sometimes, negative orders don’t work at all. Recently, I received a big white envelope – unaddressed, but delivered with my regular mail. Don’t open if you don’t care about the environment it said.

I hesitated, unsure what they wanted me to do, and what I should do. And then I found the perfect solution for the unopened letter.

The recycle bin.

• And here’s the acid test. Brian Clark’s blog entry Does Telling Someone to “Click Here” Actually Matter?: Click here to read.