Why You Need One and What It Could Look Like

Did you build your business website just for visitors to have something pretty to look at? I didn’t think so. You want site visitors to do something, right? Read stuff. Share stuff. Sign up for stuff. Buy stuff. Basically, interact with your company in some way on a regular basis. This is where a Call to Action comes in handy.

A call to action (CTA) is an instruction telling your readers exactly what you want them to do and guiding them where you want them to go without them having to think about or figure it out for themselves.

Why would you need a call to action, you say? 

Gently encouraging your site visitors to complete an action, instead of just reading and leaving, results in more conversions and more engagement with your business and your brand which will eventually boost sales. For example, links to your social platforms at the bottom of a blog post with “Follow Us on Instagram for More Great Info!” helps build your community. 

A call to action to sign up for a newsletter builds your subscriber list so you can engage with them and create relationships to build on later when it’s time to sell something. A simple call to action can do a lot for your business so it’s important to include them often.

Think about the goal of your website, blog, article, social post, etc. When you have a specific goal in mind then the call to action should be obvious. Are you trying to build a community? Do you want to get info out to as many people as possible? Are you selling something? Are you trying to widen your audience? Are you trying to get people to sign up for a free trial? Do you want people to contact you for more information?

Calls to action don’t have to be just getting people to buy something. You might want people to follow social channels, sign up for newsletters, enter a contest, respond to questions, re-share or repost on social media, or any number of other things that allow them to interact with your business.

What could a call to action look like?

Since a call to action can impact your conversion rate you want it to be powerful. The technical aspect of the CTA can be a clickable button or image or a text hyperlink. Once you’ve decided on the type of CTA, there are a number of things to consider when creating the wording.

Let’s say your health club is adding a new type of exercise class to the schedule and your goal is to generate interest and fill the first few classes. Here are a few things to keep in mind using this example.

1. Your call to action should be clear, direct and short. Don’t mince words or be wishy, washy about what you want visitors to do. You want them to reserve their spot in this exclusive class, so say “Reserve Your Spot Today.” Make it simple.
2. Start with a verb. Action words produce actions. Some examples: Buy, Shop, Contact, Try, Donate, Reserve, Add to cart, Give, Join. These are all direct, actionable words that clearly explain exactly what to do.
3. Create a sense of urgency. This encourages customers to act right then and there. In the above example, using the word “today” suggests that site visitors should sign up right now. You could further that sense of urgency by saying something like, “Reserve your spot today before classes fill up.” Or “Classes are limited so reserve your spot by August 1st.” Putting some type of time limit on the CTA, even if it’s not a definitive date or time, will help your visitors make a more immediate decision rather than leaving your site and coming back later. For example, “Subscribe today and never miss an update” doesn’t include a specific time limit but does imply that visitors will miss valuable information if they don’t sign up right away. 
4. Minimize the risk to the visitor. If these classes you’re trying to fill are being offered for free, make sure the visitors know that with clear, bold language. “Free Trial Class! Reserve Your Spot Today!” Disclaimers like “no obligation” or “no credit card needed” or “full refund if not satisfied” or “free trial” can ease anxiety about the decision for your visitors. Lowering their personal risk will make first time visitors more likely to convert.
5. Make it easy. Avoid giving your potential customers a complicated form to fill out. Request the least amount of information as possible. Obviously, something like a purchase is going to require more personal details than a newsletter sign-up but keeping it easy makes it more likely that people will do it. To sign up for your free class, all you need from them is their first name and email address to confirm their spot. If you really don’t need their home address or gender or birthdate then don’t ask for it. You can gather more information from them in subsequent interactions as they become more comfortable with and trusting of your company.

Calls to action are usually at the end of a blog post or article but can also be text links within the article or as a side bar or call out. Having multiple calls to action within your post increases engagement as long as it’s not overkill. If you plan to use multiple calls to action within one post, they should all be for the same thing. You could include an in-text link in the body of the post as well as a brightly colored call out box on the side and a P.S. at the bottom of the article. Just make sure they are the same call to action! Don’t try to have your visitors do more than one thing in a single post.

One last thing to consider is if your call to action includes a clickable button, make sure you change the wording on the button to be as specific as possible. “Click here” or “Join now” are not as effective as “Complete your purchase” or “Join our community”. Buttons aren’t always big enough to hold a lot of words but changing it from a generic phrase will give your visitors that gentle nudge to follow through.

If you’re looking for help to write posts and articles with strong calls to action for your health and fitness business, contact me today.