There are 4 common mistakes mistakes businesses make in their marketing. ONE is having a weak (or non-existent) call-to-action. Why is this important? Because having a clear and powerful call to action can massively impact the effectiveness of your marketing – giving prospects a clear path to take the next step and engage with you. Too often I see calls-to-action that are either lame, too risky, or not valuable enough for the prospect to take action.
What Not to Do:
1. The Website Call-to-Action. One lame call-to-action I see far too often is, “Check out our website” and then sending a prospect to the home page of your website. It’s an easy way to throw your marketing dollars out the window. If you want to send people to your website, what do you want the prospect to do once they get there? Be sure you guide them to a specific page that’s relevant to what you’re offering in your marketing piece, and make it really easy for the prospect to engage with you.
2. The “Call for Quote” Call-to-Action. Another ineffective call-to-action is, “Call for your free quote.” Well, let’s face it – it’s not that valuable of an offer, and frankly, most people can get a free quote anywhere these days. Not to mention, a prospect will immediately feel that if they call they will probably be pitched something they’re not sure they’re ready to buy yet – or they’re just unsure if you’re the company they want to buy it from. It’s important to remember that your marketing is not meant to sell your stuff – it’s only meant to get the prospect to take the next step in the sales process. So ask yourself, how can you make it really easy for the prospect to get some information, even if they’re not ready to buy?
3. The Discount or Deal. I see businesses offering discounts or other deals as a way to entice buyers, but what it really ends up doing is attracting price shoppers. It also devalues your Don’t make your call-to-action a discount on services – it erodes your profitability, and devalues what you can offer. Adding on value instead will help position you as the expert and go-to authority in your industry.
What to Do:
1. Make it Easy. It’s up to you to make sure you map out each step you want the prospect to take in your sales process. Again, make sure you make the first step as easy as possible – keep it low-risk and/or no obligation. You just want the prospect to take the first step, which is engaging with you.
2. Valuable Offers. Create offers or “opt-ins” such as downloadable guides, tips sheets, or any other free, valuable information that the prospect can enter in their name and email and receive some great value from you. Now you’ve collected their contact information and can start building a relationship.
I hope this helps you craft your call-to-action, so leave a comment below to let me know what you found most helpful, or if your business has a great call-to-action that works well for you!
Cheers, Karie
