Get Results With a Strong Call to Action
If you have a website or mailing list, chances are you’ve wanted your audience to perform a specific action from time to time. Whether you’re asking people to download white papers, sign up for a newsletter, click on a webpage, or purchase a product that’s on sale, a strong call to action will lead them exactly where you want them to go. The following tips can help you craft a call to action that gets results.
Use strong command verbs. When it comes to persuading your audience, you don’t want to mince words. People who read your newsletter or come to your website should know exactly what you want them to do through the use of strong verbs. Phrases like “download today,” “buy now,” “start your free trial,” and “subscribe here” tell people what they should do to get access to content, services, or products.
Offer value. The more you can communicate that you understand your audience’s pain points, the more likely they’ll be to trust you to alleviate them. After you’ve done that, use your call to action to show people how you can help with their problems. If your audience is clear about the value proposition you have to offer, they will be more motivated to act.
Create a sense of urgency. No one wants to miss out, so creating urgency in your call to action will get people to do something right away. By mentioning that your offer has a limited supply or availability, you activate readers’ desire to click before it’s too late.
Exploit psychological needs. Using your call to action to address people’s basic psychological needs is an effective way to persuade them on a subconscious level. For example, people have a need to belong, so you can exploit that need by mentioning how many readers have already taken advantage of your product or service.
Use placement to your advantage. It doesn’t matter how effectively worded your call to action is if the audience doesn’t see it. If you’re placing it on your website, position it at the top center of the page where it can’t be missed. And don’t forget to add the call to action to every page of your site, so visitors can see it no matter where they are. Similarly, in a newsletter, it’s a good idea to add your call to action above the fold, so you can grab subscribers’ attention as soon as possible.
A strong call to action is an effective way to increase your conversion rates and get the results you want on a marketing campaign. But it’s also an extension of the relationship you want to build with current and prospective customers. When you deliver on your promises and give people what they need, you build trust with your audience that extends far beyond any one call to action that you create.