How to Write an Effective Call to Action
The term “call to action” means, well, just what it sounds like – it’s instructing someone to do what you want them to do, or calling them to action. For example, a successful call to action can motivate a customer to click on a link at the end of a blog post, reply to an e-mail, or “like” your post on Facebook. After your readers have finished reading your content, a call to action provides web visitors with the next step, leading them one step closer to converting from a visitor to a customer. Whether it’s completing a sale or downloading an article, a strong call to action is an important part of any marketing strategy.
Why is a Call to Action Important?
A call to action forces participation from a reader, either in the form of leaving a comment, sending a re-tweet, and so on. Some readers may only comment if they are told to comment, so a strong call to action encourages readers that it’s ok to share their thoughts. A call to action motivates people to respond to a post that they know the solution to or have a strong opinion about. When people see that others have understood the call to action and are expressing their opinions, they are more likely to do, as they know the site is trusted and fun to participate in.
How to Write a Call to Action
When writing your own call to action, it is important to keep things quick and simple with the addition of a question or comment. This way, people are not discouraged or confused by how to respond. The call to action should not take up a great deal of time or require instruction, as users should be able to easily respond without any confusion. Make your call to action obvious; let your users know exactly what you are asking of them
Call to Action Techniques
When creating your own call to action, remember to keep it simple. It is important to make it obvious what you are asking the reader to do and make it clear where the call to action is. Your call to action should also be obtainable, as the simpler it is the more likely that people will participate. Your call to action should stand out, and encourage readers to interact with your article or website. It is also helpful to put the call to action in bold or even use a different font or a quote box so that it will stand out and look different from the rest of the text. A call to action is also effective when it is urgent, and demands the readers to do what you want, when you want them to do it. Using phrases like “buy now”, or “click here”, encourages readers to respond immediately.
A call to action is a fantastic tool to generate traffic on your website and to gain opinions and comments from your readers. How have you mastered the art of eliciting a response? Share your techniques below!
