Ch. 9: Creating Your Main Call to Action

Creating Compelling Calls to Action on Your Website

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This episode explores the importance of crafting clear and compelling calls to action (CTAs) for your website, drawing lessons from historical marketing successes such as Nintendo’s 2007 Wii campaign and P.T. Barnum's circus strategies. The episode outlines why vague CTAs fail and emphasizes the need for action-oriented directives that address visitors' intent. It provides a step-by-step framework for creating effective CTAs that convert, including identifying visitor intent, using strong action verbs, speaking to self-interest, and being specific. It concludes with an exercise to analyze successful CTAs, draft several versions for your site, and test them for optimal conversion.

00:00 Introduction to Effective Calls to Action
00:03 Historical Examples of Successful Calls to Action
01:03 The Importance of a Clear Call to Action
01:57 Crafting a Compelling Call to Action
02:40 Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
04:12 Step-by-Step Framework for Creating Calls to Action
05:38 Using Action Verbs to Drive Engagement
06:53 Appealing to Visitor Self-Interest
08:03 The Power of Specificity in Calls to Action
09:16 Common Pitfalls and Optimization Tips
09:53 Day Nine Exercise: Creating Your Call to Action
10:43 Key Takeaways

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Transcript

Speaker 37: 0:40

Hello and welcome to the Market Your Message show. I'm your host, Jonathan Milligan, an author of the Your Message Matters book series. We are currently going through book number two in the series called Launch Your Platform, a 21 day launch plan to build your personal brand and share your story online as a writer, coach or speaker. And as a special thanks to you, my podcast listeners, I'm releasing the audio book. One chapter at a time. If you'd like to grab any of the books in the series, just go to platformgrowthbooks. com. Okay. Let's jump in to today's reading.

1:24

Chapter nine. Your main call to action. The year was 2007. Nintendo wanted to launch it's groundbreaking. We gaming console. However it needed a campaign to show Wes' innovative motion controls. So they created a brilliantly simple call to action. We would like to play. The message was direct humanizing and action oriented. People instantly grasped how the, we worked in wanting to try it themselves. Sales exploded and the, we became a worldwide cultural phenomenon. Over a century before circus pioneer, PT, Barnum Lord crowds with irresistible calls to action like this way to the egress. Exit. Once inside the visitors were wowed by his spectacles and unwilling to leave. Through bold commands. Barnum turned tickets into profits. Like these showman. You need to speak directly to visitors the moment they enter your website. A clear customer focused call to action is crucial for turning awareness into action. This chapter, explore why unambiguous calls to action dramatically boost conversion. It will also explain how to craft one that compels. Let's learn from creative marketers, how distinct directives engage and convert. Day nine, your main call to action. Your website homepage is like the front door to your business. It's the first impressions visitors get of who you are and what you offer. Most homepages, unfortunately, fail to make strong impression. They lack clarity on what the business does and what action the visitors should take next. It's a vague uninviting as a front door with no knocker or doorbell. This chapter will explain why you need to display a main call to action on your homepage. We'll explore common mistakes people make in this area and how to create a compelling call to action that converts visitors into leads. You'll learn a step-by-step framework for crafting the right messaging and visuals. This will prompt your ideal customer to take their crucial first step with you. An effective call to action is one of the most important elements for launching your platform online. With the clear and prominent call to action. You can turn your website from a digital brochure into a lead generation machine. Let's get started on creating one that works. Most homepages lack a singular unambiguous call to action. Instead. They have generic texts, like learn more or contact us. As their primary button. Or they rely solely on their navigation menu for visitors to choose their own path. The problem. This provides no clear direction on what you want users to do first. Without specifics on the intended action visitors filled disoriented. Studies show that giving users too many options reduces conversion by as much as 40%. A vague call to action fails for three reasons. Number one, it requires too much thinking. Visitors want to know right away what you want them to do. Forcing them to stop and evaluate options creates friction. Too. It kills urgency. Strong calls to action. Use action verbs that convey the need to act now, like start today or get your free guide. Non-specific calls to action. Communicate no urgency. Number three, it doesn't speak to customer intent. Visitors come to your site with a specific intent to solve a problem, get answers or satisfy a need. A generic call to action does not address their motivation. An effective call to action directly responds to what brought the visitors to your site. It gives them an obvious next step that moves them closer to fulfilling their intent. Here's a step-by-step framework for creating one that converts. Number one, identify your visitor's intent. Put yourself in your target customer's shoes. What need or desire brought them to your site? What problem do they want solved? Your call to action should promise to address their intent. Let's say you run an online cookware store. Visitors arrive at your site, looking for help cooking faster, healthier meals. Your call to action should speak directly to that intent. Something like get my five day meal prep guide or download 100 quick and easy recipes. To identify intent, engage in an exercise. Corporate strategist called the five whys. Keep asking why visitors come to your site until you get to the root. Why do they come to my site? To find cookware. But why do they want new cookware? To cook meals faster. Why do they want to cook faster? To eat healthier. Why is that important? To lose weight and have more energy. Boom. That's the intent your call to action. Should address. As organizational guru, Simon Sinek says people don't buy what you do. They buy, why you do it? Structure your call to action around their deeper. Why? Two. Lead with action verbs. Use commanding action verbs that convey urgency, like start. Join. Or download. Avoid passive verbs, like learn more. Action verbs, get attention and create momentum. They implied that the desired action will lead to a positive end result. For example, download your home buying checklist sounds more compelling then. Learn about our home buying process. Download implies receiving a concrete tool to aid in homeownership. Learn sounds vague and nonspecific. Strive to use simple one syllable action verbs. Here are a few great options for calls to action. Get tri by. Join. Start. Order. Reserve. Download. Watch. Listen. Read. And begin. Ask yourself. If each word packs a punch. Does it spark immediate interest and a sense of urgency. The right action. Verb will get visitors itching to click your call to action button. Three. Speak to their self-interest. Promote the benefits they'll receive by taking action, not features. For example, say, download your stress management toolkit. Versus download a PDF. Effective calls to action appeal to the visitor. Self-interest. How they will personally benefit. Highlight the concrete outcome of following your call, not just the action itself. President Franklin D Roosevelt applied this tactic in his campaign for the new deal programs. He didn't use bureaucratic language about policy changes. Instead, he focused his messaging on how Americans would benefit. His famous refrain, quote, a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage into quote. Painted a vivid picture of prosperity for all. Like FDR boil down. What's in it for the customer. For a financial advisor instead of download my investing guide. Try secure your retirement dreams. By speaking directly to their concerns. You spark action. For B specific. Tell them exactly what form the action takes. Is it to download a guide, watch a video, or sign up for a free trial. Vague calls to action or like a store clerk who says, let me know if you need anything versus one who asked, would you like to try that on. Specificity removes doubt. When Chipola trained staff to ask. Would you like chips or a drink with that? Rather than anything else. Sales of soda insides increased. Like the Chipotle lay staff, explicitly state what you want visitors to do. Say download my seven day meal plan instead of get cooking. Use clear nouns, like guide. Checklists or class? Quantify with timeframes, like 30 minute video masterclass. With increased specificity, you'll likely see increased conversion rates, just like Chipotle. We did. Remove ambiguity and watch more visitors. Take your desired action. Common mistakes. The two most common mistakes are using a vague call to action. Or having no singularly obvious call to action. Other pitfalls include bearing it below the fold. So visitors have to scroll to find it. Making it visually blend in instead of stand out. Using confusing language, like industry jargon or unfamiliar terms. Asking for too much upfront, like phone number and mailing address. An optimized call to action allows you to guide visitors seamlessly into becoming leads. Day nine exercise. Decide your main call to action. To create a compelling call to action. Follow these three steps. Number one. Study any calls to action on competitor or non-competitor websites you admire? What works about their messaging design and placement. Two. The draft five different phrasings for your call to action. Based on this chapter's guidelines. Three. Test the different versions on your site and track conversion rates. This can be done manually or use affordable a B testing software. With a great call to action. You have a 24 7 sales person on your site. Prompting visitors to convert. Day nine key takeaways. Speak directly to your visitor's intent with the customer focused promise. Lead with action verbs that convey urgency. Be specific on the action requested in link directly to the action step.