A huge number of websites share a common problem: they have a problem bringing people to action. The visitors will go to the page, and they will bounce off without subscribing, making a purchase, or checking out another piece of content on the website. Try a call to action landing page.
Why does that happen? Are you doing something wrong?
Maybe you’re not doing anything wrong. The problem is that you’re not doing enough. Getting people to do what you want them to do is not easy. You want to make them feel like they want to do what you want them to do.
Is there a special trick to achieve that effect? There are few. We’ll list ten hints on how to create awesome call-to-action articles for landing pages that will get you conversions.
Make the call to action as clear as possible
When a visitor gets a great article at a website, they rarely think: “Hey, this was useful. I should subscribe to get more of this.” You should provoke that action by a direct call.
“You liked this? Why don’t you subscribe for more of this awesomeness?”
That’s the kind of call that triggers action. If it’s missing, people will simply read what you give them, and they will leave the website. You want to tell them to sign up, try a service or product in its trial version, shop today, see a video or another article, contact you… There are many different actions you can provoke only if you ask for them.
Pay attention to the content
The overall content at the landing page serves to convince the readers that they will get something great when they follow your advice.
Rush My Essay, for example, has few calls to action on the landing page: “Check Your Price,” “Order Now,” View More Samples,” and “Contact Us.” Do you know why these calls work? The content on the page convinces the readers that there’s something cool about this service. Everything makes sense, and after reading the content, you’re convinced that this is exactly what you need.
Do it in the voice of the visitor
“Show Me My Heatmap” is a pretty effective call to action that’s recognizable for Crazy Egg. Do you know why it’s so cool? It uses the voice of the visitor. It practically tells you what to think at this moment, so you’re listening to that little voice in your head, telling you to do what these guys want you to do.
Make the button pretty
Okay, so you give them a call to action, such as “donate for this great cause today!” Do you just use that as a conclusion to your post? Then what? Should you expect your visitors to scroll through the page or browse through the website so that they could donate? Of course not! You must make this as easy as possible for them, so you should turn the call into an actionable button.
The call-to-action button makes an immense effect. Different placement, color, and size will make a big difference. That’s why it’s smart to do A/B testing to find the perfect position and design for the button.
Call to action landing pages … make a good offer
Your visitors won’t subscribe to anything.
Your offer has to be cool. It may be a great product or service, or high-quality content on a regular basis. Just make it seem attractive through the content you write. You can offer something extra, such as discounts, coupons, or free monthly membership.
Don’t push it
When people land on your website, they won’t be ready to subscribe or make a purchase. They still don’t know what your site is all about.
Do not block the entrance with pop-ups. Do not ask people to share their email addresses just to see what’s on your website. Do not ask them to turn the ad blocker off just to check out your content. These requests usually lead to one kind of action: leaving the website. There are tons of other sites that will give them what they want without making so much effort.
Invest in the visuals
Manpacks, a site that offers men’s grooming products, gets your attention with great visuals from the very first second. They are relevant, manly, and highly appealing.
The call to action, no matter how cool it is, won’t work if it’s placed on a site with the lousy design. The visuals are what gets and keeps the attention of your visitor, so invest in them!
The majority of Internet users are skimmers. They won’t read long-form pieces of content just to get to the call to action even if they need and want this product or service. That’s why your call to action should be placed above the fold. It should be short, sweet, and easy to understand. Action verbs give that effect.
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All these calls are based on action verbs, and they work when placed in the right environment. What’s the right environment? Great content, beautiful design, and a punchy appearance of the call-to-action button.
Offer long-term benefits
This is not a one-night stand. If you want the visitor to take action, you have to build a relationship. Even if this visitor doesn’t take action straight away, you want to keep them as a prospect.
You can build a relationship by offering many benefits to your subscribers, such as free eBooks, exclusive articles via email, trials, and discounts.
Netflix, for example, comes with a really attractive call to action: “Join free for a Month.” Then they ask for a credit card, but this is Netflix, and people already know they can unsubscribe before getting charged. The point is: they are not trying to take the visitor’s money from the very first attempt.
Give them social proof
“Millions of people rely on Evernote to stay organized and get more done. Find out why.”
This statement works because it gives proof of the popularity of the service. If so many people are using it, then it must be good! This kind of thinking triggers the need of a visitor to see what the fuss is all about. So mention the numbers. They matter!
The bottom line
It’s not that hard to craft a great call to action. Fitting it in a proper environment is a bit tricky. Hopefully, you’ll get there when you start relying on the tips presented above.
Brandon Stanley is a professional independent journalist. He is interested in writing articles concerning copywriting, SEO and marketing. Apart from that, Brandon loves traveling and playing the piano. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter
So what’s the conclusion? The conclusion is there is no conclusion. There is only the next step. And that next step is completely up to you. But believe in the effectiveness of word of mouth marketing created by remarkable customer service. And put it to good use.
It’s up to you to keep improving your creative marketing strategies. Lessons are all around you. In this case, your competitor may be providing the ideas and or inspiration. But the key is in knowing that it is within you already.
All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new lessons.
When things go wrong, what’s most important is your next step.
Try. Learn. Improve. Repeat.
Are you devoting enough energy improving your marketing, branding, and advertising?
Do you have a lesson about making your marketing strategy better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add to the section below?
Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way. Call us for a free quote today. You will be amazed how reasonable we will be.
More reading on marketing strategy from Digital Spark Marketing’s Library:
Mike Schoultz is a digital marketing and customer service expert. With 48 years of business experience, he consults on and writes about topics to help improve the performance of the small business. Find him on G+, Facebook, Twitter, Digital Spark Marketing, and LinkedIn.
