Calls to action work – so why are they not on your lawn sign?
The best advertisements always have an offer and a call to action. That’s because calls to action are proven to work. According to Ellie Mirman, former Marketing VP at restaurant software company Toast, CTAs boost clicks by more than 3x and sales by more than 16x. And custom CTAs that are personalized by name and other identifiers are even more successful. Whether it’s “buy now,” “learn more,” “sign up,” or something else, people who view an ad are more likely to take action if invited.
Think about every ad you’ve ever clicked on online, clipped a coupon from, or engaged with after seeing it on TV. There’s always an offer that requires an action. $15 off that pair of pants you almost bought? 0% APR? Free engraving? Free shipping if you call in the next 15 minutes? Those same psychological principles that you’re already used to encountering in the real world have applications everywhere.
Lawn signs should be no different.
We always print lawn signs because it’s part of the motions of campaigning. People are used to seeing them, putting them up, and complaining if a campaign doesn’t have them immediately. Let’s assume those are constants. Why not optimize what you’re already paying for? There are plenty of opportunities to innovate in the signage space. Every year, committees and candidates go back and forth about fonts and colors and all these things they’re confident contributed to the win in past years, but there’s no data there. It’s all voodoo disguised as clairvoyant intuition.
What you should be discussing is how to augment your existing space with proven sales and marketing techniques.
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Try including a slogan that provides value to your audience, or printing a QR code that goes to a video or a landing page which elaborates on your campaign themes. QR codes can go to custom links which track website visits, so you can actually see how many people are getting the most out of your money, plus it can deliver messaging that signs can’t. Got an issue you want to discuss but can’t fit it on a sign? Send the viewer to a YouTube video or a blog post. Get the most mileage from that real estate.
There’s room in this marketing funnel for the hook, line, and the sinker. Just remember that brand recognition and brand affinity aren’t the same thing. Just because someone knows what Coca-Cola is doesn’t mean they’ve ever bought it or even wanted to buy it. Enticing an audience with value and prompting them to take action is exactly the one-two punch that will help you get their vote.
