Cracking your call to action

Having a call to action is a simple idea. You want someone to do something after they’ve read your content.

• You want them to call you for a quote.
• You want them to download your white paper.
• You want them to update their details.
• You want them to sign up for your newsletter.
• You want them to buy your product.

But even though it’s a simple idea, it’s often really hard to articulate. You want your reader to do something. You’ve spent the whole page trying to convince them why they should do it. Heck, you’ve convinced yourself that there is nothing more to do to close the sale.

But be careful.

You may be so close yet so far away from that sale/download/contact.

You may lose people if you aren’t clear about exactly you want them to do.

How?

Simple calls to action are fine

You often just want someone to pick up the phone and call you to arrange a quote. That’s fine. But make sure you add to that action. Tell them that you’ll  listen, tell them what questions you will ask, tell them what information you’ll need.

Take “Contact us for a quote” to “Contact us to arrange a quote. Make sure you have the dimensions of the room you want carpeted so that we can give you an accurate price”.

An analogy or imagery often works

Set the scene…

“Sit down and have a cup of coffee and look around your lounge room. Do neutral colours suit your personality? Or does something more vibrant work better? Have a think then call us on <number> to arrange a consultation.”

Making it easy for them to do it

Don’t say ‘Contact us’ then hide  your contact details! Sounds obvious but I’ve been to a number of sites like this. Drives you mad. Add your phone number or email to the page – it’s not a treasure hunt.

Test what works and what doesn’t

The wonderful thing about websites is that you can usually change your content easily. So test what works and what doesn’t. Use your metrics. Experiment.

What are your tricks?