We’ve been preaching the gospel of call to actions for years. A well crafted one can compel your audience not merely to act, but to change fundamental habits and beliefs within themselves during the process. If the phrase “call to action” sounds confusing and jargon-y, here are some answers to common questions that can help clear things up for you.
So, what is it?
According to Business Dictionary, a call to action is: “Words that urge the reader, listener, or viewer of a sales promotion message to take an immediate action, such as ‘Write Now,’ ‘Call Now,’ or (on Internet) ‘Click Here.’ A retail advertisement or commercial without a call-to-action is considered incomplete and ineffective.
In the case of a presentation, a call to action can be any combination of text on a slide or spoken verbiage. You could include a website address on a slide, for example, while saying something like “why wait? Learn everything you need to know about this topic by visiting this address.” That is just an example, of course. There are many different actions you could ask your audience to accomplish, and many different ways to say it.
Why does it matter?
If you’re not leaving your audience with a call to action, you’re leaving them with a whole lot of nothing. Giving them a task, even if it doesn’t directly benefit you, also lets them know the WIIFM, or the “what’s in it for me?”
If you have a call to action, your audience won’t just get up and leave the room knowing a few key points. Instead, they will know the first step to take in order to achieve the WIIFM. It helps get them going on the right path, which you have (hopefully) illustrated within the content of your talk.
Hmm….I don’t think my message needs a call to action
Are you delivering a solely educational presentation? Great! Your message can still benefit from having a call to action. If your audience wants to learn more, if they are inspired, or if they want to be introduced to other things in the same vein of your topic, a call to action can help lead them to those resources. All educational materials should have a way for the audience to further their education on the subject. Because frankly, we’re sure there is more to cover than what you mentioned on stage.
How specific should I be?
While we would love to say “very specific” here, we also know that there are all kinds of different reasons you may need to deliver a talk. If it’s an initial sales meeting for example, you may have something high level like “imagine a future with us,” or “let’s make plans,” or “invest in us.” Those all work, just so long as there is something directive at the end of your talk.
If you do have a very specific call to action, you may lead the audience to a website, encourage them to sign up for something after the talk, or download an app. In general, more clear you are with what to do and why, the better.
What if I don’t know what my call to action is?
If you’re not sure how to develop your call to action, then you probably need to take a second look at your content as a whole. What do you want the audience to walk away with? Keeping that in mind, how can your audience take that information and use it in their daily life? What could they do tonight that could make a positive impact in their life, based on your key points?
I’m still very confused!
If you have any other concerns that aren’t addressed on this little FAQ, send us a message on the @Ethos3 Twitter! We’ll be happy to help you out as best we can.
