As marketers we can spend a good deal of time fixating on the amount of traffic our website is attracting.
However, when the leads fail to come rolling in we have to take the time to evaluate the effectiveness of our call-to-action.
The most profitable sites have mastered the science of a compelling CTA and use it to convert traffic into loyal readers and customers. Whether you want to persuade your visitors to sign up for a newsletter or membership, download a guide or purchase a product or service you need to have an effective CTA.
In addition to providing marketers with a tool to enhance conversions, CTA’s also present an opportunity to engage with consumers, but if they are used incorrectly they will not produce the desired results and may even harm conversion potential. The following list outlines some of the most common CTA mistakes and tips to counter them.
The biggest mistake is having no CTA at all. The likelihood of conversions without one is very slim and all the effort spent on optimizing your website and pulling in traffic will be wasted. You need to give your visitors an opportunity to take things to the next level or you may forever lose the chance to win them over.
If you don’t ask for it it’s not going to happen. Simply hinting at what you want your visitors to do is not going to cut it. You need to tell them exactly what action you are looking for and do it with authority. If you don’t have confidence in your products or services why should they?
CTA’s that are not specific enough or offer too many choices can be confusing and can cause you to lose out on conversions. Your job is to simplify the process and provide your visitors with a direct request. Determine one or two actions that you want visitors to take and lead them straight to those points.
If no one can find your CTA you might as well eliminate it completely. The placement and size of your CTA are both important factors to consider. Visitors should not have to scroll to the bottom of the page or search for a tiny CTA. Place your call to action near the top of the page and make it large enough to garner some attention.
If what you are selling is so wonderful then why are you the only one excited about it? By proving that others have taken an interest in or benefited from your products or services you can build credibility around your offer. Be sure to display testimonials and other endorsements leading up to your CTA.
In order to motivate your visitors you need to clearly outline the benefits they will receive by taking action. Tell them EXACTLY what you can do for them and offer them something that they REALLY want.
If your CTA requires detailed contact information or a financial transaction then it is essential to use trust signals to boost conversion rates. Try to look at your website from the user’s perspective to determine what you need to do to encourage people who are uneasy or skeptical about proceeding with your CTA.
Adding a sense of urgency to your pitch can work to enhance the effectiveness of your CTA. While a visitor may still be interested in your product or service, if they do not feel the need to act quickly you may end up losing them to your competitors. This strategy can involve limited time offers or other types of promotions.
Do you know how to speak your customer’s language? Try to keep things simple when you are attempting to persuade your visitors to take action. Instead of using complicated jargon focus on outlining the benefits of your offer using everyday language.
The landing page that your visitors click through to should be designed to prepare them for the CTA by building anticipation. Web copy that has a logical flow and tells a captivating story will guide readers to the climax of the CTA. The CTA is an essential component of conversions but the content leading up to it also has a major hand in convincing visitors to take action.
The CTA should not be viewed as an individual factor in the conversion process. It is one component of many in the marketing and sales process and needs to be in harmony with every element on the page in order to promote the desired action. Finally, it is important to keep in mind that most of your visitors are already interested in what you are offering.
You just need to give them a reason to take the final step.
