People say ‘it isn’t about the destination, but how you get there that really matters.’

It’s a fair point – but for your webpages, social media and emails, the end game is pretty high in terms of importance.

The images you attach, videos? They are the lure for the reader.

Everyone has the world at the end of their thumb, so as people scroll through their emails and social media, you need something pretty eye-catching to stop that scroll.

But once you’ve stopped them, what next?

You don’t want an awkward moment where you’ve shouted someone’s name, ran over to them and then said nothing. Once you’ve snapped them from their scrolling routine, you now need to convince them that stopping was a good idea.

Is there something in it for them? Time is precious to us all, so you better have something lucrative, shiny or mind-blowing for them, otherwise their thumb will continue its exercise routine and walk right on by.

And that is where the writing comes into play.

You have to make a mark in that opening sentence. Make people want to read more. It could be a sentence that leaves you in suspense;

“Frozen fruit and veg juiced in just 5 seconds? It WAS impossible, until now…”

Or you could focus on a single aspect, one that you know is a cause of pain for most customers in your sector;

“Eating healthy is great, but there’s no time in the mornings. There is now, because everyone has five seconds for the freshest fruit smoothies.”

Or you could tell a story, one that might be aligned with what your customers want to hear;

“Julia G.lost a stone in just three weeks by including a fresh fruit smoothie into her diet. But at the beginning, she didn’t have the time and often skipped breakfast…”

With a solid, well-directed couple of paragraphs, you’ve moved your reader onto the next step – and it’s the most difficult one.

The clincher. The ole’ fish in the net. The rabbit in the trap. The bona-fide, concrete, confirmed lead.

And that’s done in part by the first two steps above and one final thing.

The call to action.

That humble little button at the end, often in a rainbow of colours. The problem is, with so much online shenanigans from dodgy types looking to grab your details and money – there’s trepidation in clicking a button.

It used to be an innocent action, but now there needs to be trust involved.

So your website better look sharp. Your words had better be convincing and your product had better be as good as you know it is.

Once all those hurdles are leaped, you must now decide how you want to approach the CTA (call to action).

You can’t just rush in and press a pen in their hand and force them to sign. It’s a bit eager, right?

It will scare them off.

You’ll require something a bit savvier than that. You’ll need to underline. Remind.

And dazzle.

So repeat again how you can solve their worries. How you can save cash/time.

And then make sure they remember how brilliant what you’re offering actually is.

If you’re running a promotion with a discount or a freebie? Say it again.

And lastly? A quick note to tell people that this is an uncommitted action. You’re not signing them up for 24 months. You’re not going to take their prized Spaniel in the will.

It’s jus t a button to register an interest.

And the button itself? Try and keep it short if you can, but if it’s longer than a few words, at least make it memorable.

And the good news is I’m available for garden centre openings, Bar-Mitzvah’s and baby gender reveal parties.

I’ll get your business the attention it deserves.

All you have to do is click the button and get in touch.

Speak to you next week!