How to make an effective call to action in a white paper
by Gordon Graham, That White Paper Guy
Any white paper without an effective call to action is wasting a huge opportunity.
A call to action answers the question, "What do we want our ideal prospect to do after they finish reading our white paper?"
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An ideal call to action keeps your reader engaged with your company, and encourages them to take the next step in the sales cycle. Knowing how to craft one can make a big difference in your results. Here are 10 tips on how to write a more effective call to action in your next white paper. |
Tip #1: Put it at the end
A call to action is not like a "Buy now" button that you can sprinkle all through an online sales letter.
You use it once, right at the end of your white paper. That means at the end of your concluding summary.
Tip #2: Keep it short, clear, and precise
A call to action doesn't have to be long and involved. In fact, it can be conveyed in one sentence.
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].”
The rest of these tips focus on the "do something" part of this formula.
Tip #3: Don't be vague
In a call to action, you want to be as precise as possible.
Think of it like 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."
In your call to action, you're giving directions to an interested prospect, not just a stranger who happens by.
As a rule, the more specific the call to action, the better... and the easier it is to measure the results.
So tell them something specific: Go to this landing page. View a short demo. Take an online survey. Request a free trial of our product.
Tip #4: Don't just send them to your home page
A phrase like, "For more information, visit AcmeSoftware.com" is NOT an effective call to action.
This is boilerplate to tuck at the end of "About the Company."
The only exception is a business with a simple value proposition and just a few pages on the web.
I have a client that uses proprietary software to cut corporate wireless costs. Their website has three pages.
For their white paper, I used this call to action: "To find out how much your business can save on wireless, contact [company name] at [phone number] or visit [website] for a free analysis."
Tip #5: Don't ask for the order
Many salespeople think that a call to action means asking for the order. They've been taught, "Always be closing!"
There's nothing wrong with selling, at the right time and in the right place. But a white paper is not the time or place.
Instead of selling, a white paper works best if it helps, teaches, and explains.
There will be time for selling later, after your company has established itself as a trusted vendor.
Tip #6: Build your white paper into your sales cycle
Most B2B companies that use white papers have a more complex sales cycle than the one mentioned above. For best results, build your white paper into your sales cycle.
How? Sit down with your sales manager or product manager and explain the plans for your white paper.
Discuss where this paper fits in your sales cycle, and what makes sense for the next step.
This may take some hard thinking and negotiating. But without it, your call to action can never be as powerful.
Tip #7: Consider your purpose and audience
Your call to action should ideally match the purpose and intended audience for your white paper. This is where your planning comes into play.
Let's say your purpose is to generate leads, and your target audience is COOs in mid-range enterprises with problems making good hires.
You probably can't expect a busy executive to download a demo version of your HR software to test-drive.
But you could ask them to take a 2-minute survey to see how their company's hiring process compares to other firms in the same sector.
Tip #8: Bring prospects back to your website
Another good tactic is an ROI calculator, where a prospect can enter numbers into a widget and see how much they could save or profit with your solution.
A ROI calculator can be ideal for a CFO audience.
But keep it believable. Don't just pull numbers out of thin air. Use real customer experiences or metrics to build your calculations.
Always be looking for ways to get an interested prospect to interact further with your company, most likely through your website.
Tip #9: Get the resources to create the next step
But wait a minute, that 2-minute survey doesn't exist yet. Neither does that ROI calculator. So you better get busy.
In other words, if there isn't already a "next step" in your sales cycle, you need to create one.
You may need a researcher, a writer, and a Web developer... and the resources to engage them.
This suggestion goes beyond creating a call to action, but it will help generate much better results.
Tip #10: Think ahead to the NEXT call to action
At the end of the next step, always have ANOTHER call to action to keep prospects engaged.
Perhaps this is a good time to ask them to watch a short video, or subscribe to your e-newsetter of monthly tips.
Your goal in each step is to engage each prospect more, collect a little more information from them, and draw them deeper into your sales funnel.
To repost this article on your Web site, e-mail a request to Gordon@ThatWhitePaperGuy.com.
