The concept is mind-blowing. The art direction will make one cry. The copy could sell a bootleg DVD to a Unifi user. But if you disregard what should be the superstar of any piece of communication, then even the greatest creative could become B-grade.

This critical ad element is called a Call-to-Action; and you’re losing potential customers if you don’t have a strong one.

Believe it or not, consumers want to be told what to do. Dance boy, dance... ACTION!

The purpose of almost all marketing communications is to make people do something: call, SMS, walk-in, log-on, click or purchase. The thing is if you want someone to take a specific action, you actually have to ask them to take that specific action.

Yes, this belief is borne from my many years as a direct response copywriter. But here are recent researches on the matter to help illustrate why a strong call-to-act is important:

1. A research done by Marketing Sherpa to their e-newsletter readers show that a specific call-to-act increased response by over 8%.

Click-through Rates on different Call-to-acts:

“Click to Continue” = 8.35%
“Continue to Article” = 3.3%
“Read More” = -1.8%

2.  A research done by University of Connecticut asked 2 groups of people to mail back a stack of 30 post cards, 1 each for 30 days.

- The first group was given the request while under hypnosis
- The second group were just asked nicely

The result? The second group mailed back more postcards, which goes to prove that people will usually do as they are asked; as long as you ask nicely of course.

And this is true across all media; be it print, TV, web, social, radio, BTL, POS and what-have-you. Clear, powerful calls-to-action can make or break a campaign.

Ask and you shall be given. Now share this post with a zillion people, please? Don’t make me hypnotize you!

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You’ve heard this before from your boss, colleagues and maybe even a client or two. But is it even possible to be able to think outside the box? No way in hell it seems.

No matter how far away from a ‘box’ you are, there are still various mental constraints that each and every one of us needs to adhere to.

There's no such thing as thinking outside the box... kapish?

Even if you do manage to jump out a box; you’ll find that you are in a much bigger box. And that big box is in another much, much bigger box. And the boxes just seem to get bigger and bigger.

Look around, you are probably in a box disguising as a cubicle or office space as it is. Then there’s the company culture, your boss’ preference, the politics and not forgetting your own likes and dislikes. Now we know why office buildings are often in the shape of a box – hardly conducive for innovating.

Let’s say you manage to claw your way out, then there are market constraints, client politics, consumer preferences, cultural nuances, industry practices and the hard-coded mentality of “this is how things are done”.

So is there a way to really think out of the box or is this just some slick-ass marketing term concocted to confuse clients and ourselves?

Frankly, I have no freaking idea. Look at it this way, if someone asked me to write outside the box, the copy will hardly be on point. It would be like working without a creative brief.

Let’s face it, we’re not Einsteins, so the box may well be our savior. It gives us a frame of reference, guidelines and limitations (often too much). It’s how creatively we work within these confines that matter.

So when someone asks you to think outside the box, pile some boxes next to your desk. There’s one right on my desk

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Remember the times when you read an ad and it spoke to your soul. Or browsed a website and you felt like clicking the ‘Buy Now’ button. That’s because you were convinced by a copywriter that used a secret weapon – BUSTING OBSTACLES.

What obstacle? It’s anything that would have prevented you from buying.

You see, it’s highly unlikely that an ad will create the need for someone to buy just because the copy spot-on. I mean, if you have no intention of buying a bike; you will not buy a bike no matter how awesomely compelling the copywriting is.

The road to purchase is filled with obstacles... bust em'!

This is what normally happens; you first aspire to own a particular product – let’s say an iPad – because you think it’s somehow made for you. Then you take notice of Apple’s ads and visit their website to justify a purchase decision you have already made in your head.

You think you’re doing it “for more information”, but in fact you are doing this to look for any reason to buy. And this is how it often becomes a copywriter’s job to remove as many obstacles that would prevent a prospect from buying. But how?

Don’t hide the benefits
Yes, a purchase decision has been made but there’s no harm reassuring the prospect. Don’t ever assume they already know. And even if they do know; repeating a benefit will only make them feel smarter; that “they are in the know”.

Don’t be shy with your product
Appeal to emotions by demonstrating the product in use. This paints a picture that the prospect is happily using the product in his head. People buy things to realize their aspirations and dreams; put the product there. Think how Apple advertises.

Don’t always stop short
Short copy works if you don’t have much time to convey the message, but long copy is the one that can turn a “no” into a “yes”. Websites offer the perfect opportunity to be copy intensive; start concise in landing pages, but go wild with content when users click-through.

Don’t over-expose
Resist the urge to say everything all at once. Leave that special something to be desired, because we all like to be tempted and teased. This goes against conventional wisdom, but works really well to push prospects over the tipping point.

Don’t forget the spouse
More often than not, the spouse has to be consulted before making any major purchasing decisions. Give reasons prospects can use on their partner to help close the deal. In case of the iPad, being able to read in bed without the lights on could convince your significant other to approve the purchase; because he/she can finally get some sleep.

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