Motivating people to do something may be one of the hardest parts of content marketing, but it is also one of the most important. Whether you want visitors to schedule a first meeting with your team, sign up for your newsletter, or share your content, calling them to action is key. But what is a “call to action”? A call to action is what you use to persuade your clients and prospects to take whatever action it is that you want them to. Having a well-designed call to action can increase your rate of conversion, therefore helping you reach your goal as a business. Here, we share five ways to create a compelling call to action.

Use Precise Language

The first thing you need to do is decide what you want your viewers to do. Our FMG websites include an option to add a “Contact Us” form on different pages of your website. This is one form of action, but depending on your practice, others may be more appropriate. For example, if you are trying to increase traffic on your blog, you could encourage your viewers to share or comment on your content.

Regardless of what your call to action is, make it very clear to the viewer. Use precise language that explains exactly what the action is. Some examples may include:

  • Call Us Today
  • Sign Up for Our Monthly Newsletter
  • Share on LinkedIn/Facebook/Twitter
  • Schedule a First Meeting

Although these calls to action are very different, they all have one thing in common: it is clear what the individual should do.

Make it Clickable

This is more of a design tip, but make sure that your call to action is clickable and easy to access. If your contact form asks individuals to provide their name and email, it should be simple for them to populate these fields and for you to receive the information.

You can also add multiple social media buttons on your website for users to follow you. This is a great example of a call to action that is simple because it’s clickable.

Make it Easy

There are few things more counterproductive than a complicated call to action. You want your users to take action, but if that action is too difficult, you won’t get very far. For example, if a contact form has too many fields to fill out, chances are the majority of people will give up. Contrarily, if the form only has users fill in their name and email, it will be much easier.

Likewise, the call to action shouldn’t request too much of someone. As a general rule, it should only include one or two steps. After that, people lose interest.

Give an Incentive

How does a client or prospect benefit from doing what you are telling them to do? What do they get out of the deal? Viewers are going to be more likely to take action if there is something in it for them. This could be showcasing what you include in your newsletter or a free first meeting. If possible, include a “first customer only” deal.

Create Urgency

Creating a sense of urgency is an age-old marketing technique that you can take advantage of with your calls to action. Our experience shows that people don’t want to miss out on a limited time deal, which will motivate them. Some examples include:

  • Take advantage of this limited time sale today
  • Our promotion is ending soon. Act now!
  • Sign up for next month’s newsletter before it’s released

There are countless ways to craft a call to action, but the goal is simple: motivate your viewers to do something! Comment below or reach out to us on Twitter to share some of your favorite calls to action.