Marketing Lead Generation Part Two (of Five): Creating Eye Catching Calls-to-Action

Last time, we showed you some tips on how to make your customers an offer they couldn’t refuse. That’s a good start, but we’re really just … well, just getting started. In this second part of our five-part series on Lead Generation, it’s time to concentrate on that most magical of acronyms in all of business-land — CTA. Or, as we all know them, Calls-to-Action.

Part Two: Creating Awesome Calls-to-Action

Back before the west was won and people knew what true dental care was, the “flimflam man” was born. These were the guys who pulled around a cart full of elixirs that supposedly did everything from grow hair on a bald man to help people walk again. Of course, these were all scams, but their business sense was sound — seize a person’s attention with whatever you’re selling by creating awesome Calls-to-Action. In today’s market, this can be explained in six steps:

Utilize Line-of-Sight

Did you know that when you go to the grocery store, the more expensive items or ones with a higher profit margin are placed at a person’s average eye level? There are actually experts for this kind of thing that stores consult with on a regular basis in order to maximize profit. The same is true with the way you design your website. When a person visits your website, he or she is much more likely to be entranced by something “above the fold” (the area that’s immediately viewable) rather than something “below the fold” (the area that you must scroll down to see). Because of this, your Calls-to-Action must be be located at the user’s line-of-sight.

Don’t Replace Being Clear with Being Cute

Although Internet users love to be entertained while browsing, your Calls-to-Action should always be clear in their intent. Leave your stand-up skills at home (you know you’re really not that clever, right?), and concentrate on providing offers that are clearly spelled out so that no one misinterprets them. If you’re offering something for free, for example, be upfront and forward about exactly what it is that the user will receive, whether it’s a guide, an actual product, or something else. No need for confusion.

Avoid Camouflaging Your CTA

One big mistake that’s been made by many companies over the years is to use a Call-to-Action that actually blends in with the rest of their page. They’ll create a new button to click for the offer, but choose the same color as the page. This is a recipe for disaster. Your CTA should stand out against the page at all times, forcing a visitor’s eyes to go straight to it.

Remember to Use Dedicated Landing Pages

You might be surprised to learn how many websites include Calls-to-Action that link directly to the company’s homepage. This technique makes absolutely no sense. When you create a CTA, it should take the visitor to a landing page that’s been created specifically for that Call-to-Action. This helps everything stay nice and neat, and enables you to add more CTAs to that landing page.

Thank You Pages Aren’t Just for Saying “Thanks”

Whether a visitor to your website is ordering a product or receiving a free download of some kind, it’s imperative that you include a “Thank You” page. What many businesses don’t realize is that this provides you with a final chance for a Call-to-Action. You already know that the person is at least somewhat interested in what your company offers. So include an extra offer such as a subscription to a blog or e-mail service that will provide special discounts or announcements. In fact, this is the time to go all-out and offer a second CTA on the same page.

This brings us to the end of part two of our lead generation guide. Calls-to-action are an imperative part of a business’ success, and we hope that you like what you’ve read. Stay tuned for part three of this series, where we will discuss How to Make Landing Pages Count. Same Bat-time. Same Bat-channel. (Or, at least same marketing website.)