Advertising
A Power of a Strong Call-to-Action
The CTA is actually a command, a motivation to take some action, and an invitation to take another step in the sales process.
Successful marketers understand the power of guiding the prospect toward making a purchase once the sales offer has been presented in full.
I would like to offer some ideas or suggestions on how the make you next CTA a more powerful sales agent.
First, be sure that your CTA is direct, specific, and detailed enough that there’s no question about what action you want the prospect to take next! Credibility and believeability are important so think about using any supporting material you can think of . . . like statistics, percentages, endorsements, testimonials, etc. Your prospects will see you as a more credible marketer when you use supporting data and facts that make your case stronger.
Second, coupons, sales, and freebies can be a part of any CTA. They usually increase the perceived value of an offer. They often motivate people sitting on the fence and not able to make a decision. A flash sale, a one-time coupon, and even quantity discounts can be just what a CTA needs to move a non-committing prospect.
Here’s an example: instead of simply ending your sale page with “Click Here” or “Buy Now” . . . you might want to say something like “Get this Free training that has been increasing my sales conversions by 50% this past month!” Or something similar – be creative and come up with your own hot idea to add value and power to your next CTA!
Third, add the principle of urgency to your CTA. Many would-be purchasers are in a hurry, a rush, or are anxious to get on with life. If you don’t give the prospect good reasons to buy now . . . he probably won’t buy at all. But here’s a caution – most marketer’s overdo this principle and insult the intelligence of the buyer in the mean time. We all hear many marketing messages on every form of media telling us that we have to act fast before the offer is gone forever! People see right through fake or false urgency and when they do . . . often they feel manipulated and not inclined to buy from this merchant.
If there is a buying deadline, tell prospects exactly what it is (i.e. Friday at 10:00pm Eastern time.)
Instead of saying “download your free copy” of something, provide a specific number or quantity that will be available. You might say it this way: “Hurry, there are only 25 copies being given away!” It’s important that the marketer follow through and be truthful about the CTA happening as stated. Don’t give away 50 copies if you said you were going to give away 25. Be honest and up-front as some people will check to see if you are good for you word!
Fourth, be sure to make the CTA simple and uncomplicated. Only promise one offer, one gift, or one solution at a time. Too many results complicates the CTA and sometimes confuses the buyer. If you want to add additional “goodness” to any offer, do it after the fact (for example, on the download page or as a “surprise unannounced bonus.” It’s best to keep the CTA short and hard hitting.
Fifth, only give one command in the CTA, otherwise you stand a good chance of making it boring and not so urgent. Don’t ask the prospect to do more than one thing – like visit multiple web sites, remember multiple facts, or take a series of actions.
Sixth, make the CTA stand out! Boring, run-of-the-mill, vanilla or “lazy” CTAs don’t cut it these days. We are all bombarded with hundreds, even thousands of marketing messages each day and it is easy to a prospect to filter out or ignore bland CTAs.
Often the design or graphical elements used in the offer’s CTA can make it really pop and be something that is difficult to ignore. It can grab attention and direct a prospect to take quick action.
There is a big difference between a small narrative link that is black and says “Click Here” compared to a large red button, a pretty model pointing to it, and a CTA that entices the prospect to “Download 101 Tips Guaranteed to Triple Your Online Sales.”
Seventh, be extremely clear and straightforward in “commanding” the prospect in whatever action you want him to take next. Remember, one action only per CTA. Make the CTA easy to understand, easy to execute, and easy to justify as being the next logical step in the buying progression.
Eighth, keep track of all your CTAs and split test them so that you can compare their performance based on facts rather than hunches! It will pay you dividends to track how well various CTAs perform and keep a swipe file on hand so you can use the best ones over and over in your marketing. Just use split testing and keep all other variables of the offer constant.
I hope these eight suggestions will make sense to you. Crafting a powerful and valuable CTA is not really a difficult thing. CTAs can make a noticeable difference in your marketing results so don’t underestimate their power!
To your online business success,
Steve Browne
www.SteveBrowneDirect.com