So you have amazing products/services that you’re passionate about.
So you have amazing products/services that you’re passionate about, you have an AWESOME website and you have people actually visiting your website! What more do you need?
Well it sure would be great if those visitors actually spent their money with you! That’s where, what we in the bizz call, ‘Call To Action’’s are crucial. Especially for website conversions.
Call To Action’s (CTA) broadly put are phrases & buttons used to prompt your site visitor to take action and spend their hard earned dollars on your website. CTA’s tell the customer to take a specific action on your website and then shows them how to take it.
“Click Here” “Sign Up” “Subscribe” “Buy Now” These are some of the most popular CTA’s found on the web because they are simple, to the point and they are telling you exactly what to do.
What I do need to make clear though – is that you cannot just slap up a couple of big flashy “Buy Now!”’s on your home page and expect that to be enough.
Does that always work on you when you’re on a website? No, me neither…
Targeted use of CTA’s can turn your website visitors into customers.
Use your marketing, social media, word of mouth or even a google search – ie most of this step is done not on your website but you still want to have CTA’s to lead them to your website initially – even if they weren’t looking for it.
Teach your visitors about your products/services, the different options they have to choose from, and about your values as a company. People respond positively to authenticity and you want to entice the customers to “Learn More” by guiding your visitors to the information
This is where an effectively worded and well-placed CTA is critical. It’s where you convince people to take an action towards a purchase.
Customer information is of high value to you, as it means you can directly contact people in the future when you have a special, an event, an upgrade etc. and you can build up your (hopefully!) loyal customer base.
So, how do you actually go about writing an effective CTA? Firstly, you need to have a clear idea of what exactly it is you want the customer to do. Whether it is to purchase a product or service, to subscribe to a newsletter, to educate them or to start a conversation about becoming a client.
Once you have this in mind, have a think about the journey you want your customer to take. Will helping them understand your product/service encourage them? Will having the opportunity to test your service for free increase their desire for more of it? Do you have a time bound promotion that requires a more rapid action?
From here, the next step is to develop this journey into simple, clickable actions. Check out these examples and consider what might work best for you and your business;
“Our Work” → “View More” → “Buy Now” → “Sign Up”
These are direct actions that have measurable results. They get straight to the point and get the job done.
“Let’s Talk” → “Book a time now”
A more subtle way that includes inviting a connection without the commitment just yet. Make sure you collect their contact info at this stage so no one gets missed!
“Sign Up to our Free Newsletter”
The slow burn here, that will keep interested parties informed about the happenings within your business (provided you actually send newsletters!). With this you can specifically target your marketing to turn an interested person into a paying customer!
Side note; This is also a great way to advertise any time-bound offers you might create! We all love a good deal and your customers want to feel like they are getting special access to one! Chuck in a “48hrs Only!” to really capture their attention!
Give some of these examples a go, but also keep in mind – if something doesn’t appear to be working – then change it! Give something else a go! Websites are flexible and so so easily changeable and they are there to service you and your business.
So there you have it. Why Call To Actions are so important to have on your website and the impact an effective series can have on growing your business is phenomenal!
If you need any help with this, let us know! We are always keen to help you grow your business in an efficient and effective way, so hey, let’s have a conversation! iona@growmybusiness.co.nz
Iona is the founder of Grow My Business. She brings a strategic view to web design ensuring all websites are customer...
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