Have you heard the term call to action or CTA but aren't sure what it means or why it is applicable to your company? A call to action is a trigger for Internet marketing success. Implementing them into your website is easy. A call to action can be anything that grabs people's attention and directs them to targeted products and specific offers in order to generate leads. They attract customers with free offers and trials, eBooks, newsletters, etc. You can use a button or graphic, text, or even a video clip, as long as it includes a link to a form or order page.
Why are Calls To Action so Important?
The concept of calls to action seems simple enough. You may still be left wondering why they are a key for success with so many businesses. Think about what happens when a potential customer reaches the end of your online content. They will start looking for another place to go. If you've done a good job with your content, they will be interested in staying on your site. This is great news. You have potential customers excited about your business and looking for more. You don't want to lose them in a sea of vague promises, poor graphics, and generic information that they can find anywhere else on the web. You want customers to sign up for a product purchase, a newsletter subscription, or donation, for example. There you have to make this process happen quickly or it may not happen at all.
Through the process of creating calls to action, it is important to keep in mind that you are doing more than just helping your business’s profits. Yes, you want to get people to buy your product and sign up for services. However, you also want your web presence to be about improving the user's experience. What can you offer that will be of value to them? For example, if you offer a free eBook download with SEO tips for start up companies, new business owners are more likely to come back to your site and purchase a course on the same topic.
Call To Action Tips for Businesses
As you develop calls to action for your business, keep the following tips in mind.
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Keep the CTA short and to the point. Potential customers aren't going to stick around if they can't figure out what the offer is within a matter of seconds. You want to use powerful, succinct words that convey a clear message. For example, “Save 25% when you order now!” or “Learn valuable industry secrets with our free webinar!” are concise and straightforward.
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Follow up with your promise. This may seem like a very basic concept, but we've all seen calls to action that did not actually deliver. For instance, maybe you clicked on a link for a free download and then found out that you actually had to pay for it. Or maybe the download wasn't there at all. A call to action link should take potential customers to the promised content.
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Experiment with different formats. It can be hard to know what will and won't work with your target audience. Don't be afraid to try out multiple formats for a single call to action. Play around with different wording, graphics, fonts and/or videos, and different color schemes. Pay attention to what is and isn't working well and make adjustments accordingly.
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Track your results. All of this work will be for nothing if you don't know what it is doing for your company. Use a website analytics tracking tool to watch how your site visitors respond to your calls to action. Pay attention to the numbers for your business and use them to make improvements for future calls to action.
All in all, your business or company needs a call to action on its website in order to compete and stay afloat in this digital age. Incorporate CTAs on any page that is appropriate. A blog is a great place to insert a CTA. CTAs are a simple yet successful web strategy so don’t neglect to take advantage of them.
For more information on CTAs and other tips for Internet marketing success, download our Free eBook!
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