The internet is one of the best ways to generate more leads for your business. However, you can’t simply start a website or blog and expect business leads to magically appear. There are certain methods that internet marketers use to attract their target audience. One such method is using a call to action to get an immediate response from prospects.
Get an Immediate Response from Business Leads
A call to action (or CTA) is a marketing method that encourages potential leads to perform a specific action. The actual CTA is a brief sentence or statement that appears at the end of a video, newsletter, sales letter, or other sales-oriented material.
The goal of a CTA in web design is to get the person reading or listening to the message to immediately contact your business.
Using a CTA makes things easy for your target market. You tell them exactly what to do if they’re interested in your product or service. Without a CTA, your prospects might click away and forget all about your business. Or they might decide to check you out later, but then later never comes. It’s your job to make sure prospects know how to do business with you by using a CTA.
The Importance of a CTA
No one likes to feel forced into anything against their will. And it’s true, some people are averse to certain marketing tactics. This thought is what causes some business owners to shy away from using a CTA.
They worry that leads will feel pressured or annoyed, and simply ignore the entire message. But if a prospect is truly interested in your product or service, they’re likely to respond favorably to a CTA. And the person who is truly interested in what you have to offer is the person you want to attract.
Another misconception is that prospects already know how to contact you. A business owner might think a CTA is unnecessary because everyone knows to call or email for more information.
Making that assumption is the perfect way to lose leads. Never leave it to chance that people know what to do. A better idea, at least from a marketing perspective, is to tell people exactly what you want them to do.
Where to Place a CTA
CTAs appear all over the place. Have you ever watched a late-night infomercial selling beauty products or health supplements? If so, then you’ve seen CTAs in action. Some popular ones are “call right now for a free sample” or “the first 10 people to call get two for the price of one.” CTAs work for commercials, and you can make them work for internet marketing.Do you have a website, blog, newsletter, or social media presence? You can use CTAs in all of those situations and more.
For example, say you want to create an email list of prospects. You can provide some useful information to your Twitter followers, and then encourage them to sign up for a free report. Or perhaps you have a blog that provides insightful articles. At the end of each article, you can encourage readers to follow you on Facebook for frequent updates. These are only a few ways in which you can use CTAs for marketing.
One popular CTA method is to create a sense of urgency. Most people fear missing out on something good. And they’re likely to take action if waiting means they’ll miss a good deal. That’s why limited-time offers work so well.
Some popular CTA verb statements include:
- call now for more information
- register today for immediate access
- click here now for more information
- subscribe now to receive weekly coupons and discounts
- contact us now to schedule a free consultation
- act now to receive a 50% discount
- request more information today
Creating Your Own CTA
Include a clearly defined CTA on your marketing materials. This includes your website, sales letters, brochures, videos, and more. Keep the CTA simple and easy to follow. People will feel overwhelmed if you provide too many options. If that happens, they’ll likely ignore your CTA altogether or start but fail to follow through. Make it easy for them to take the next step.
You’ll also get better results if you have a specific end goal in mind. For example, your website might contain a CTA that encourages people to join a newsletter. Then once they join the newsletter, you might have a CTA in the newsletter that encourages them to buy a product. Instead of using a generic CTA, you can create several specific CTAs that fit your goal for each step in the process.
Sometimes it helps to differentiate the CTA from other text on the screen. It’s common to see bright red text used for a CTA. In addition to color, the CTA can also use a larger font than the rest of the page. The goal is to avoid letting it get lost on the page. Make it stand out so it’s obvious to the reader.
A Call to Action Generates More Leads
An effective CTA is a great way to gain more business leads. But it’s important to track how each CTA performs. If you find a CTA that’s not performing, then it’s time to make changes. It doesn’t matter if you’re a small business owner or the owner of a large business. An effective CTA is a smart internet marketing method that works.
