3 Call-to-Action Strategies You Hadn’t Considered

The right call-to-action strategies can help boost response rates. Although sales can decline for many reasons, two main causes are a hard-to-navigate ecommerce site and a lack of clarity about customer procedures.

Consequently, visitors usually will not stay long. Or, worse, they may do some shopping but then abandon their carts before checkout—simply because they’re not sure what to do next or even why they should do it.

And so they need to be persuaded to make a purchase, thus the call-to-action (CTA). Marketing professional Mindy Lilyquist agrees. “Calls to action,” she notes, “are essential in directing a prospect to the next step of the sales funnel or process.”

But plan for the basics first. Otherwise, you risk losing money. To that end, here are three fundamental call to action strategies to help strengthen your CTA plan:

Strategy 1: Plot direction and destination like a road map

“A call to action that acts like a road map toward sales can be helpful,” says Lilyquist. That’s because it shows a prospect not only what to expect, but when and where to expect it. And this can lead to an increase in response rates.

Always be clear about what you want prospects to do next. This gives them a sense of clarity and transparency, which makes it more likely they’ll follow through.

Ideally, you should use this strategy throughout the entire sales process: providing detailed direction every step of the way, from initial marketing to the final sale.

Strategy 2: Use phrases that appeal to your ideal customer

Paying attention to language is always critical in your calls to action. That’s because the words you choose can dramatically improve conversion rates—especially when they speak directly to your ideal customer.

Simply put, language is an effective tool for making a CTA irresistible. Action-inducing verbs, for example, create excitement and a sense of engagement; while the right phrases can provide direction or focus on help and advice.

Using appealing language in your CTA copy comes down to knowing what your prospects want from you, and then tailoring your words and phrases accordingly.

Strategy 3: Keep the CTA short, simple, and to the point

Ultimately, your marketing plan should include a selection of call-to-action strategies you can use as needed, but with one important caveat: they should be easy.

In other words, don’t make it difficult for your prospects to follow through. This includes such things as offering too many options or any lack of clarity in your CTA.

Lilyquist concurs that calls to action work best when they’re not complicated. “Don’t make your potential clients and customers go through a maze or jump through hoops,” she adds.

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