MediaVision Blog : Search Engine Marketing

You’ll notice it most when you’re looking to buy something online. You arrive at a top-ranked site, you’re convinced by its flowery and flattering copy, and now you want to take action. Usually, there’s a “click here for a 15 day free trial” or “contact us now via our number/email address” or even “register and receive a discount on your purchase” or whatever. If there isn’t a call to action, you move on, feeling frustrated for wasting your time. Persuading a reader to take action is so important in terms of conversion optimisation. A simple sentence inserted here and there can crush the bounce-rate, bump up sales, and by extension, improve your site’s ranking simply by flagging your customer down.

My friend recently purchased a laptop (it’s a Macbook, and although it’s mercifully black, I’m so ashamed of him). He spent days, nay, weeks researching the specs, size-functionality ratio, warranties, etc. The sites he read, more often than not, neglected to speak in his terms – in other words, they seldom differentiated a target market in sales speak, seldom gave sufficient specs to warrant the kind of investment he was willing to make, and seldom addressed his specific needs as a buyer looking for a durable, portable PC – ugh, sorry – Mac. In the end, he bought it at a discounted rate from a man in a Porsche in the middle of Cape Town central, who hadn’t opened the box yet, but was flying to Australia the next day and didn’t have space to pack it. But that’s another story.

What I’m saying is, it’s important to write your calls to action so that they speak directly to your qualified or optimal visitor. You can’t say to a client booking a room in the city’s most plush hotel, “book now for a 15% off discount on your next visit”, because that doesn’t communicate the essence of the business, nor will it address the customer accordingly. Something like, “make a reservation with us simply by leaving your contact details, and we’ll get in touch with you” is more on the mark. The hotel telephonist will know how to sell their discounts elegantly; you’ve just go to connect him with his clients.

Publishing content without calls to action is pretty much like a door-to-door salesman without any wares to sell. His customer opens the door, is kind enough to listen to what he has to say, and then even asks to see more, but the salesman comes up empty handed. Craft your calls to action while keeping in mind the buyer, the business and the action, and it’s likely that you’ll see a marked improvement in conversion