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What’s Your Call to Action?
The Sprocket Report
This article has been updated on 4/26/2022 with the article entitled “Enhancing your Website? Don't Forget a Rousing Call To Action!”
Folks spend a huge chunk of their marketing budget on revamping their website and then eagerly await the rush of new business. Instead they get crickets. Oftentimes the lack of activity is due to a very simple and easily remedied mistake: The website has no obvious Call-to-Action.
You might assume that if someone arrives at your website they must be planning to do something there, but don’t leave it to chance! It’s up to you to decide exactly what it is you want your web visitor to do. And make sure to tell your web designer, too, so the pages are created to direct the visitor appropriately.
What kind of calls-to-action are there? “Buy now” is common for ecommerce sites, but it’s not necessarily right for service businesses. Here are some other frequently-used calls-to-action:
- Download our whitepaper
- Sign up for our newsletter
- Call us
- Print the coupon
- Order now
- Make a reservation
- Get directions
- Ask a question
- Request a quote
- Have an agent call you
“Buy now” might be the most direct route to putting money in your pocket, but it’s not the only way or even the best way. For branding or awareness-building, your calls-to-action might be “read this post” or “watch this video” with the measure of your success being how many times web visitors do what you asked. For many small businesses and organizations, the call-to-action is more often used to generate leads for sales associates, which means you need to get contact information.
The rest of the world is just as wary as you. People don’t easily share contact information any more. One way is to offer something in exchange like a discount, a coupon or a white paper. Just make sure to offer something people actually want! If you aren’t getting the response you expected, you might have to tweak your offer until you find one that works.
Also, don’t push your visitor too far. It might make perfect sense to you to have them fill out a lengthy questionnaire in exchange for a free evaluation, but many studies show people simply won’t do it. Consider this a first step in a longer relationship. Be grateful for an email address and then use it wisely in your sales process.
Finally, make your call-to-action easy to find. If a website visitor has to scroll down to see it, you’ve already lost a good portion of your audience. Put it “above the fold,” as they say, so it’s immediately visible. You can also put one near the bottom for visitors who are reading your content and scrolling down the page.
Some folks are afraid that a call-to-action is too “sales-y,” but if you don’t guide your website visitor, they are just looking at your page, saying “That’s nice” and leaving. Prospective customers want your product or service – make it easy for them to get what they want.
Take a look at your website now and evaluate your call-to-action. If there’s room for improvement, contact us and we’ll work with you to find a better solution. We’re always happy to help!
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Kate Gingold
I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.
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I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.
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