11.19.2010

What’s Your HPA? Are You Marketing It?

After reading “Always have a Call to Action” in Entrepreneurial Woman, I started questioning: How well am I presenting my call to action?  What is my Highest Paying action? & How can I market it effectively? Read on for business building tips using your HPA.

What Consumers Want

According to Karen Dodd. of Entrepreneurial Woman,people want  easy-to-understand, bite-sized marketing messages and most of all, be told what to do next.

3 Parts of a Compelling Marketing Message

The author advises-truly compelling marketing messages :

  • Ask critical attention grabbing questions.
  • Reassure readers there is a solution for their situation.
  • Tell them exactly what they need to do next.

How it Works

Targeted questioning resonates with your ideal client,  forcing them to confront what is not working in their life. Questions like: “are you: frustrated by, struggling with, embarrassed about…?” remind them of their “pain.”

Reassuring engages them further. We all want to think we are experiencing the same thing as others, but want to discover a better way. In effect, you're saying to prospective clients, “you're normal, there is a way out of your situation and it's not your fault that you haven't been shown the solution yet.”

Presenting the Call to Action Tell them what you want them to do next. Direct them to take your “highest payoff action” (HPA). Your HPA is the action that gives the highest likelihood of prospects becoming paying clients. What is your HPA? Call for a complimentary consultation?  Fill in info and email it to you, Register for a free teleclass you're offering?

Using Your HPA Ms. Dodd emphasizes-Put a  clear, compelling “call to action” on all your prospecting material: your website, ezine, brochures, business card, special offers and mailings. If your call to action is missing from any of your marketing messages, you're wasting time, energy and money. 

People often think of a website as only a means to establish an online presence, not realizing it can get them new business, It shouldn't be that way. Karen says, “All too often, (I see) entrepreneurs sacrificing utility for beauty. …beautiful marketing doesn't get you new clients.”


Take Action! Karen Dodd’s 3 Steps for Maximizing HPA

1. Take a really critical look at your website: (yes, now!)

Does the very first page remind visitors of their discomfort through compelling questions and tell them exactly what to do next?  People visit your website for a reason. Get their attention and  help them solve their problems. You're not being negative or hitting them over the head, you’re saving them time!

2. Look at your business card:

Is it simply a calling card with contact information, or does it actively brings you business?  Two must haves on  your business card:

  • Free Special Offer in exchange for their name and email,
  • Minimum 3 "pull marketing questions," and what they should do next, to see if you can be of help

3. Review your marketing materials:

Is the HPA you want people to take clearly indicated every time you send out a mailing,  newsletter, or special announcement,? This is especially critical with mailed marketing pieces, (conversion rates, even with expert marketing, are typically very low). Anything (even a warm friendly update letter) without a clear call to action, is a waste of your time, energy and money. – (Tip: Save time by putting it in your email signature.)

Ms Dodd Summarizes If you made an in-person sales call, then didn't ask for their business or tell them the next step in the process, wouldn't you be disrespecting them and their time? When someone is interested enough to stop by our website or look at our marketing materials, they're looking for help and it’s our duty to share how we can help them. It's their responsibility to make their own decision, you're simply making it clear to them how to take the next step, to get the help they came looking for. 

Related Articles:

The original article: Always have a Call to Action.accessed16/08/2010

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