After weeks/months of hard work, your website is finally up and running…except no one happens to be purchasing your products or services. How can this be? The answer to that could be any number of things, but it’s important to consider how you call your visitors to action. There are generally two types of buttons you provide your audience and we’ll cover that here with the top two calls to action that increase sales.
Direct Call to Action
It’s important to understand that most customers will not make a purchase unless challenged to do so. A direct call to action is a straight forward request to make a purchase. It’s the most important button on your website because it keeps you in business. Buy now, schedule an appointment, join now, or whatever it may be, challenge your audience to take action on your products or services.
A direct call to action is also just that, direct. While many fear overselling, don’t be afraid to push the sale. By pushing the sale, you come across as confident in your products or services. Place these buttons in plain sight, multiple times throughout the page. Front and center on your homepage, in the top right corner, at the bottom of the page, and anywhere else it makes sense as users scroll. Challenge your users to take action and give them the opportunity to buy.
Transitional Call to Action
Let’s face it, the “buy now” button may seem a little intimidating at times. Maybe your potential customer isn’t quite ready to make the commitment of a purchase. At this point in the sales funnel, the potential customer needs further validation. This is where a transitional call to action builds that validation.
A transitional call to action is a way of building trust with your audience. Learn more, download a PDF, watch a webinar, as well as many others, build that trust for future sales. These options allow the user to take action without taking on the risk associated with a direct call to action.
Three Benefits of a Transitional Call to Action
- Proves Competency: PDFs, video trainings, ebooks, etc, will prove that your are an expert in your field.
- Reciprocity: By giving away information of high value, you create a sense reciprocity. Audience members who grow to enjoy your material are more likely to make a future purchase.
- Mentor: By offering free material, you position yourself as their mentor. When they have a problem in an area they feel you can help with, they will be inclined to make a purchase.
Types of Transitional Calls to Action
- Free Information: Webinars, PDFs, eBooks, video training, anything of value to your audience.
- Free Samples: Provide access to samples of your product to remove the risk associated with an up-front purchase.
- Free Trial: Provide access to your product/service, allowing customers to experience the value you provide.
- Testimonials: Testimonials allow the user to see how others have succeeded with your product or service. This allows them to imagine a success story for themselves.
Bringing The Two Together
Either your potential customer is ready to purchase or they are not, but you must continue challenging them to take action. The dialogue is similar to this:
- Business: Are you ready to buy? (direct)
- Customer: No
- Business: Here’s some helpful information (transitional)
- Business: Are you ready to buy? (direct)
- Customer: Yes
In the above scenario, the customer feels uneasy about making a purchase right away. The provided transitional call to action allows the potential customer a way to learn more about the company and what it has to offer. With the hesitation then removed, the potential customer converts into a paying customer.
We all work hard for our money, so it’s no surprise we desire value in exchange for it. By providing information and options that reduce risk for the consumer, they’ll be more likely to make a purchase in the future. If your website is lacking in sales, make sure you provide both transitional and direct calls to action to challenge your audience to take action.
What are your thoughts, have you found these call to action buttons to be helpful in your business? Leave a comment below!
*Some of the links above are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions I make if you decide to buy something.
