Someone gets to your website by searching your company name. They want to know more about who you are and what you do. After exploring a few pages, they decide that they are in need of your product or service and are ready to get going. So… what happens next?

A call to action.

Why are calls to action important?

A call to action (or CTA) is simply an instruction to a reader to tell them what to do next. It can be to give you a call, download a whitepaper, send an email, or get more information. So why is this important? Shouldn’t your customer be able to figure out what to do on their own?

No! There are a lot of courses of action that someone can take after they browse a website. And I can’t tell you how many times I wasn’t given specific instructions to call or email, so I didn’t do anything at all.

Calls to action are also important to YOU, to ensure that you are being contacted in the way that you prefer. If you don’t want the phones ringing off the hook, you can have them fill out a form. But if your service requires a conversation, you can tell them to give you a call. It’s easier when everyone knows what they need to do next.

Too much of a good thing.

One big mistake that businesses make is offering up TOO MANY CTAs to their customers. While it is good practice to list every mode of communication on your contact page and social networks, if someone is reading an article that lists a phone number, but then there is a link to live chat, fill out a form, send an email, and watch a demo on your sidebar… how will they know what their next move should be?

You know that overwhelming feeling when someone leaves you a list of tasks and you aren’t sure which to do first? Don’t make your customers feel like that. Be sure that you are giving one clear CTA on each page, so that your customer knows exactly what to do once they’ve collected all of the information that they need. Because when it comes to CTAs, you can definitely have too much of a good thing.

Creative Examples

If you’re tired of the old “give us a call,” here are a few more creative ways to urge your customers to take action:

• “Like our Facebook page”
• “Schedule a visit”
• “Download a fact sheet”
• “Get a free infographic”
• “Watch this helpful video”
• “Fill out this survey”

No matter what you want your customers to do in order to start a relationship with you, make it clear and easy for them to do so. Once they know how to act, they will be more likely to get in touch!