Why isn’t anyone going to your wedsite? Here’s a tip from an advertising pro

I just sent out the Save the Dates and I've been watching my wedding website like a hawk for early RSVPs, Guest Book entries, song suggestions… all the good stuff.

I got a couple RSVPs and Guest Book entries from the gals I work closely with in the office since they heard me bitching about the lack of interest in the site, but that was it.

No one was going to the site! How could this have happened? I put it in a large font right there at the top of the Save the Date. It was clear, right?

While we examine what happened here, allow me to point out that I work as a Project Coordinator at an interactive ad agency. I'm looking at web banners, mailers, websites and ads ALL day long. I know what it takes to get your point across. Or at least I do most of the time.

Our CEO comes in my office to tell me how cute the Save the Date card is and I ask if she's hit the site yet. She hasn't. She picks up her card and says, “Well, it looks like you've learned an important marketing lesson, haven't you?” I sit there confused for a minute and it hits me — there's no “call to action.” Nothing that says “go here for more information,” just a website. Shit.

Definition of Call To Action: “The ‘call to action' is one of the most important concepts in marketing and promotion. Simply put, after you've established that you have something of value to offer and that you're the perfect choice to deliver it, you want to ask your prospect to take the next step. You deliver a call to action.”

So no one is going to the damn website. I mean, people are going. But not a lot. UGH. I've resorted to just TELLING people to go, which totally defeats the purpose of sending out the damn thing to begin with. Yargh!

Anyway, fellow offbeat brides, this is a chance for you to learn from my mistake. If you're putting your website on your Save the Date or your invitations, for the love of god, include a call to action!