Here’s a top tip that every marketing professional needs to know: When including a call-to-action on your promotional materials, make sure any information about where to go or what to click on your website is accurate.
Sounds painfully obvious, right? Well, the truth is, many marketers forget to double-check the accuracy of their online instructions when reviewing proofs. Granted, there’s not much to double-check if the call-to-action simply says to visit your website’s homepage (although you should certainly verify that the web address is correct!). But things can get a bit more complicated when the instructions attempt to direct readers to a specific page. For instance, it isn’t uncommon to see this type of text in marketing copy:
Visit [web address] and click “Mortgages” under the “Loans” tab to learn more!
Sure, this call-to-action may seem extremely simple and straightforward, but what if your website recently underwent an overhaul and the “Loans” tab was changed to “Products” without your knowledge? This discrepancy could lead to great confusion for audience members who visit your website and fail to find the expected “Loans” menu heading – not to mention it could lead to a huge lost opportunity for you when those audience members eventually give up and choose to disregard your promotion altogether.
Luckily, errors like these can be easily avoided. Simply review proofs carefully and test out any online instructions for yourself to make sure you can easily find the pages or information mentioned on the marketing piece. Keep in mind that your readers won’t be as familiar with your website as you are, so if a certain button or tab is difficult to find, tweak the copy on your marketing piece to explain exactly where that button/tab is located. Here are some additional points to keep in mind:
- Consider using “greater than” symbols to guide readers step-by-step through the various pages of your website. The example sentence above, for instance, could be rewritten in the following format: Visit [web address] > Click the “Loans” tab > Click “Mortgages”
- Whether you choose to list the instructions in a sentence format or with “greater than” symbols, remember that consistency is key. If you opt to put the tabs/headings in quotation marks, do so throughout the piece. Conversely, if you decide to bold the tabs/headings, don’t switch to quotation marks later.
- If your website contains a login box for online banking, don’t use the terms “username” and “ID” or “password” and “passcode” interchangeably. Select one option and use that same word in every instance.
With these tips, you can ensure your marketing pieces contain accurate, easy-to-follow instructions to guide readers to the preferred sections on your website – ultimately boosting response rates and generating greater success for your campaign.
Know of any additional tips or best practices for online instructions? We’d love to hear from you! Just drop us a line in the “Comments” section below.