While I was heading off to work this morning, I saw a huge billboard of a known cosmetic surgeon in the locality where I am. It was really big. The surgeon’s headshot filled the entire space. This is how he looks like. He is bald and has a very fair complexion. That photo has a dark background that his baldness really stood out. What is so disturbing about that?

I mean the man has a pretty smile. He actually looks good. But the billboard will only make the onlookers focus on him and maybe jest about his features. His own photo was so big that you will no longer mind looking at which part of the ad did they put the contact number. I really don’t know what the ad is for because I didn’t have much time to look for the hidden tagline.

But there are good things about that billboard. The quality was okay. The material looked like a vinyl banner. It was maybe done by a good printing company through the latest digital process. It was placed on the right location. And he is known in this area so the product must also be good.

What was wrong with it? First of all, the design was bad. Why? I did not respond to it the way they want me to as a customer. Aside from the wrong decision of putting the popular surgeon’s face all over the vinyl banner, it didn’t have any Call to Action.

The Call to Action

Here’s a good piece about this concept that I read at About.com. You can integrate these ideas to your marketing tools, may it be postcards, catalogs, brochures or the large format ones like posters or what the surgeon had resorted to, vinyl banners.

What is the idea behind Call to Action? Simply put, it is how you engage your target market to act and do something, do exactly what you want them to do. Here are some of the better techniques on how to go about this.

1. Deadline. Most people love cramming. If you will present a very tempting offer and tell outright that such proposal will soon end, you will get your target market’s interest. If they want it, then they will do something before time runs out.

2. Price increase. Tell your audience that you are letting them have such products for their old prices during the duration of the promo. And after that, there will be a price increase. This will make them think that this is really the best time to avail such products.

3. Freebies. Who doesn’t love getting anything for free? This is an effective tool. Just make sure that you will be giving out items that will be worthy of your clients’ efforts.

Read the rest of the article for more interesting tips. As for quality printed materials that can contain all your good ideas for your ads plus your chosen Call to Action, Digital Room can do that for you. Check its web site to find what marketing tools fit your promo and, of course, your budget.