Direct Response Copywriter on AIDA. Part 4: Action.

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In the last few emails, I talked about the first three parts of AIDA: attention, interest, and desire.

Now it’s time to discuss the “A” … action.

Take a look at advertisements in the branding world and you rarely see any type of call to action. Take a Budweiser ad, for example. You watch the ad then the ad ends. Nobody says to you, "go into your local convenience store or supermarket and buy Budweiser."

But in the world of direct response, action is vital because action is a vital part of ... well ... DIRECT RESPONSE. A response, by definition, requires action.

But there's more to action to the direct response copywriter than simply organizing a "buy now" button or including a phone number.

In physics, we learned "for every action, there is an equal or opposite reaction." Or something like that! It's somewhat the same in direct response copywriting. For every person thinking about taking the action you'd like them to take, there are 10 people who don't want to take the action, even though they might really like the product or service.

Why the non-motivation?

Pretty easy, really.

They have objections. These range from "it's too expensive" to "it's the wrong color" to "I don't know these people."

One of my jobs as a direct response copywriter is to find these objections then address them. Why? So the person on the fence takes the action I'd like them to take.

Here are some other ways to overcome objections.

  • The guarantee.
  • Two/three different price points.
  • Testimonials.
  • Different ways to respond, if possible.
  • Bonus items.
  • A free sample, if there's a soft offer.

I also like to TELL the prospect what to do next. I see a lot of copy that leaves out the "5 steps to take now" and related copy. Everything must be super-clear in copy, especially the steps you want people to take. A lot of companies just assume that people will know what to do next. I never make this assumption.

When I worked in a store seeling outdoor equipment, I was really good at helping people get interested in something. I was even better at moving them to the cash register and buying. I would find their objections, overcome any, and simply say, "are you ready to buy this?"

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I'm a direct response copywriter working for clients around the world. Enter your information to the right for my free series: Seven Steps to High Converting Copy. Or [contact me here][2] when you have a project you'd like to discuss. I'm also a Dan Kennedy certified copywriter for information products.