Do you generate lots of web traffic but never bag as many sales as you’d like?  I often get asked by clients, ‘how do I turn website visitors into customers?’

Of course, your website content has to be good, and your site has to look professional to generate confidence in your product or service.  But there’s one thing that most people forget, a “call to action”.

What is a call to action?

A call to action is a guide to encourage your reader to react to your content.  It’s your chance to tell the reader how and when to take action.

Click here; Buy now; Contact us; Download today; Sign up here.

You’ll be familiar with many calls to action. But how do you make it work for you?

Why does my website need a call to action?

Imagine you need to send your friend some flowers, so you’re browsing a few websites, trying to decide which company to buy from;

• Company A tells you, “Don’t miss out on today’s special offer, Order  NOW on Tel 12345”,
• Company B has similar offers but no obvious call to action

Both websites look reliable and the flowers seem good value.  Who do you choose?

You’re more likely to be convinced by Company A.  They provide an “offer”, a “what to do next” and a “how to do it”.  Company A make it easy for their customers by clearly outlining what the reader should do next.

Techniques for a successful call to action:

• Limit your reader’s time: pop a deadline on your action; “Buy 1 get 1 free – today only”.
  Demand immediate action and avoid your reader thinking ‘I’ll do it later’.
• Emphasise calls to action: draw attention to the action by thinking about colour, size and placement on your website.  Never leave a visitor thinking ‘I like it, but how do I find out more’ or ‘where can I sign up’.  Make it obvious.
• Build trust: have you ever clicked on a ‘free’ link and been faced with a request for your credit card details? Let readers know exactly what to expect when they click, call or email; “click here for your 30 day free trial.”
• Minimise the risk: if your reader might be worried about the time or cost, then be clear and  tell them;  “download now for free” or “register in just 30 seconds”.  It’s your chance to calm their concerns and make them commit.
• Be direct: don’t assume your reader knows what comes next.  Avoid sentences such as, “you know where to reach us”.  Do they know?  People are impatient and if the information isn’t in front of your audience, they’re likely to leave without taking that final step to contact you.
• Multiple calls to action: You can use more than one call to action, but make it very clear what the preferred outcome is.  You’re primary action should be that which gets the reader closer to your goal – a sale.  With a choice between signing up or requesting more information, “buy now” should stand out as the primary action.  The secondary action, “learn more” can be made available but with a little less emphasis.

Will a call to action help convert visitors into sales?

It’s always important to monitor your success rate.  Try out different phrases, make your calls to action unique and persuasive.

Be creative with your design and placement. Every visitor counts and so you need to make those sales stick.  If you don’t include calls to action in the right way or at the right time, your conversion rate won’t improve.

Make your call to action easy to achieve, clear and simple.  If you do this effectively, you’ll keep your reader interested and engaged and that website traffic will soon turn into sales.

What do you think? Please leave your comments and thoughts below.

Image credit: Omacaco

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 21st, 2011 at 8:00 am and is filed under Copywriting. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.