If your content doesn’t include a call to action, you are leaving lots of money on the table that will never make it into your pocket until those CTAs are put into place. Simply put, a call to action tells your readers to do exactly what you’d like them to. And if your copy is intriguing enough, your readers will have no problem taking action.
While focusing on conversions during CTA creation is essential, your copy doesn’t need to be “salesy” in order to be effective. Here’s how to create balanced calls-to-action that result in new customers, newsletter subscribers, and even brand ambassadors for your business:
Create a Personable Experience
Let’s say that you’re promoting an eBook about do-it-yourself oil changes and you’ve written an article about the importance of regular oil changes for a vehicle. Instead of ending your piece with “Those interested in learning more can click here to buy this eBook,” it’s better to say something like “Click here to buy this eBook and become a master oil changer!”
Unlike the first instance, the second instance speaks directly to the reader as if they’re a personal friend. It also tells a small story that tells readers exactly what they can expect after buying and reading the eBook. And in the end, this personable experience takes readers beyond a basic pitch and creates an engaging and compelling reason for them to buy.
Provide Directions
Most people on the Internet are busy doing things like checking their email, surfing websites, and participating in social networks—all at the same time, so chances are that they won’t want to spend the time trying to figure out how to actually take advantage of your offer after they have read about it. Telling your readers where to click, explaining when to join a live session, and providing links to in-depth instructions when necessary, can noticeably increase your conversion rates.
Go Big and Stand Out
Make sure that your call to actions stand out from the rest of your content so there isn’t a chance that it will be missed by readers just skimming your page. In fact, a good CTA that catches the eye of readers as soon as they reach the page may find themselves more intrigued by the content that precedes it.
You can simply increase the text size or change its font to create a unique vibe, or design a button to go underneath your content that displays your call to action. The idea is to ensure that it’s seen as an enhancement to your written content so it doesn’t get eaten up by all the other words on the page.
Keep it Short and Simple
To avoid giving your CTAs a salesy feel, it’s important to keep them short and simple. Tell just enough of a story to spark interest and get straight to the point by following up with an actionable demand. By simply saying “click here to buy” instead of “check out all the benefits” ensures that readers know what to expect when they do click your link, and it gives all the power to your landing page so it can do the job of selling for you. Each call to action you create shouldn’t be any longer than just a line or two—this will ensure that you don’t leave any room for fluff or desperation.
When creating your CTAs, put yourself in the shoes of your potential customers and imagination living a day in their life before you start typing. This should help you identify and include specific attributes that will interest your readers and make them want to click on your offers.
Author: Steve Lazuka is the founder of Interact Media, creators of the Zerys Content Marketplace and Zerys for Agencies content marketing platforms. Follow Steve @SteveLazuka.
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