What would happen if there were no road signs?
Imagine if drivers had no indication of which lane they should be in. Imagine if they did not know where roads were leading, or which exit to take at a roundabout. Traffic would grind to a halt in chaos. People wouldn’t know what to do.
If there is no clear instruction on what we should do next, we end up confused.
Everyone needs clear instructions. This doesn’t just apply to the roads. It is equally true when it comes to marketing. If we want the recipients of our marketing to do what we want them to, then we have to give them the right instructions. We need to give them a clear call to action.
What is a call to action? (It may not be what you think!)
A call to action is a single instruction on what someone should do next. Many marketing pieces make one of two mistakes. The first error is that the recipient is given too much choice. When someone is given several options, they often don’t know which one to take. So they do nothing. Any marketing piece should have just one call to action.
The second marketing error is that many calls to actions are too vague. Many pieces ask the recipient to “contact us now”. Few do, because there is no clear reason to. Other marketing pieces ask people to buy when they are rarely at the point when they are ready to commit.
A good call to action takes a prospect on the next stage of their buyer journey. This requires a channel partner to understand the different stages that they typically take their prospects through before they are ready to purchase.
What are the right calls to action for production printing companies?
Here are three examples of calls to action that are relevant for this type of prospect. They are focused on press sales, but can be equally applicable to more complex software sales.
- Tell the recipient to request or download press information
Rather than offering a press specification, offer a comparison of presses. How do presses compare in terms of sheets on the floor, uptime, toner availability and costs etc. These are the pieces of information that are most important to production printing companies. This example of an email designed for Xerox Channel Partners to send to their customers is a good example.
- Offer practical advice to help company growth
These used to be called white papers, but the term is rather out dated now. Production printing companies are still interested in how to become leaner and more efficient, how to reduce costs and how to increase sales. These reports are not sales orientated, but they help build the relationship. The 6 Cross-Media Trends Print Providers Need to Jump on Today from Xerox is a good example of a report that outlines opportunities for printing companies rather than sales information. Again, prospects should have to request these so that you can start a dialogue.
Three examples of successful calls to action to use when marketing to production printing companies.
- Invite prospects to events
Consider putting on your own events at your show room. The best events offer a mix of press demonstrations and presentations from outside speakers.
Make sure your calls to action are trackable and are followed up
E-mails responses are easy to track. But make sure you put a personalised url or similar response mechanism on your direct mail pieces. Then you know exactly what action prospects have or haven’t taken.
This allows you to create different follow-ups for those who request or download information, those who click through but do not register and those who do not respond.
Remember, at each stage make it crystal clear what you want to the prospect to do
This prevents confusion. The last thing we want is a marketing traffic jam!
For more tips on marketing your business, subscribe to the Channel Connection blog today. To learn how partners just like yourself are succeeding with Xerox, join the conversation on our private Xerox Channel Partners LinkedIn Group.
Become a Xerox Channel Partner
Contact your Xerox account manager, or review the Xerox Global Partner Program and apply to become a Xerox channel partner today, to find out how we will help grow your business.
