It was in hour 9 of our 13+ hour drive to Colorado.
We were cruising at 85mph in the middle of nowhere Kansas when a car came flying up behind me.
I was in a line of cars in the left lane, passing some slower trucks. But Miss I’m-In-A-Hurry decided to throw driving etiquette out the window and tried to pass a bunch of us on the right.
It’s the kind of disrespectful, boneheaded move that gets my road-rage mojo mojoing (which, for me, just involves muttering a string of expletives that I hope my headphone-wearing daughters in the backseat don’t pick up on).
As I was seething and cursing the driver, my wife started chuckling. But not at me (at least this time).
She was laughing at the car trying to pass us – who, to my delight, was now stuck behind the slower traffic in the right lane.
When I looked over, I noticed this Danica Patrick wannabe had writing all over the rear windshield of her car. It read…
“Moving from South Carolina to Colorado. Venmo (her Venmo username) to help me get started with my new life.”
And, in the middle of all the writing, there was a big green sticker in the shape of a marijuana leaf, making it clear what the money would really be going towards.
Even if she hadn’t tried to cut the traffic line, I wouldn’t have sent her money. (And not just cause I’m an old fart who still doesn’t have a Venmo account.)
But her attempt at fundraising did make me laugh. I give her credit for trying.
How effective was this homemade billboard in her rear window? I’ll never know.
But I did note it had two key things going for it that many marketing messages from established businesses do not.
First, it gave a reason why.
A lot of top copywriters talk about “reason why” copy. And it’s just what it sounds like…
… your prospects need a reason why they should act. Why they should buy from you. Why your product is in short supply. Why your prospect should act now.
Our little pothead did that by saying the reason to help her was to help her “get started with her new life.” (Wink, wink. Nod, nod.)
Second, and more importantly, Ms. Leadfoot had a call to action.
She told you what to do – send her money. And how to do it – by giving her Venmo username.
It still amazes me how many websites, emails, ads, etc., skip the call to action. (Or bury it.)
People need to be told EXACTLY what to do next – sign up, click here, buy now, add to cart…
… and it needs to be crystal clear to them how to do it.
So if you’re struggling with conversions, take a look at your copy.
See if you give people a reason why to act.
See if you have a clear call to action.
If not, add those two things and you should see a nice bump in conversions – whether you’re asking for the sign-up, the sale… or just some money for weed.
