Call to Action Button

When I first talk to new prospects and clients, one of the first conversations is about their GOALS for their website. 
Is this a business looking to attract new leads and prospects? 
Are they a non-profit looking to educate people about their mission and attract new volunteers or donors? 
Is this a membership site that wants to enroll people into a program?

Once the goals are articulated; we define the ACTIONS we want visitors and prospects to take. From clear goals, clear “calls to action” can be planned and designed.

“Call to Action” as you may know is the action we introduce or suggest to our visitors and prospects via eye-catching buttons or boxes. 

We are the leaders of our business and if we wish to help people, we show them or tell them how to get in touch with us, how to get started with us, and exactly what to do.

Here are examples of goals and calls to action:

Goal: New Clients
Action Examples: Who We Can Help
How We Help
Read Our Case Studies
Sign Up for a Free Quote/ or a Free Analysis/ or Our Newsletter/ or a Free Report
Contact Us

Call to Action on Hubspot Homepage

Goal: Increase Membership
Action Examples: Learn About Membership
Join / Sign up as a Member
Download an Application

Membership Page for the Monterey Aquarium

Goal:  Increase donations
Action Examples: Read Our Success Stories
See How Lives Were Changed
Donate

Donation Call To Action

Next I’ll be talking about what makes a Call to Action stand out or visible to your prospects. What do you like about these calls to actions?  Are they clear to you?

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Karen Nierlich

Karen Nierlich is a internet marketing consultant, parent and artist in Albany, CA. In her work with small and medium business owners she takes pride in helping them make the right decisions so they attract more leads and prospects to their business or non-profit. She and Tod Abbott are co-owners of Almost Everything Communications.

A Big Ball of Wax

In writing this article I started researching the meaning of A Whole Ball of Wax and I found this photo. I hope you’ll find it funny in a Monty-Python-sort-of-way. I can’t even be sure that’s wax.

So moving on to the reason for this article, one of the ways I feel I am extremely helpful to my internet marketing clients is ensuring every site we build has effective web copy. (That’s keyword rich copy.)

The information I’m giving you here isn’t just my advice. These points are agreed on by many/most internet marketers. (With the exception of the item on “hype”.)

Thanks to research done via blind tests, I know what works and doesn’t work online. Corporate marketers with large mailing lists have been able to send the same product or service out with different sales copy and see which people respond to best.

1. Don’t use long sentences and paragraphs. I create text for my clients that draws visitors in and flows. Once they start reading they just keep going. There are no unusual words or long complicated sentences to distract them. The ideas might be complex, but I break everything down so they can be grasped easily. If I must use a specialized term, I explain it right away. In writing for the Web, short sentences and short paragraphs is one secret to making your copy highly readable and keeping readers reading effortlessly.
2. Don’t use hype. Hype is everywhere. It’s probably what gives marketing a bad name, and why some people don’t want to be associated with marketing. Don’t use hype to sell your services. “10 Easy Strategies To Make More Money With Your Web Site” is better than “Make Millions Effortlessly On The Internet.”  On the Web what works best is a congenial, friendly, and direct voice. Hype does not fit with an expensive service. Instead, you want people to trust you and believe in your expertise.
3. Don’t forget the testimonials. I write about testimonials all the time because so many people forget them. Aim to have around 5 testimonials on your site. If people are interested in what you’re offering, reading a few glowing testimonials can cement their confidence in you and your service. If you need ideas on how to get or write testimonials, you can look at some of the articles on our site.
4. Don’t talk about the process up front. First, talk about results.  There’s a place to talk about the process, but it’s usually pretty far along in the presentation. You can include that information on your Web site. But first talk about results:  what solutions do you offer and what results do your clients get?
5. Don’t have copy that is too short. Having only a paragraph or a few bullet points is the real evil here. Your Web site is your main marketing vehicle and your window on the world. If the copy is skimpy it looks like you have no energy, little commitment and little to offer.
6. Don’t make your copy too long. This problem is less common. I prefer copy that is concise and a page or 1.5 pages long per section. I love to read, but I’m busy. I like clarity and focus.  I don’t want to wade around to find the important stuff:  I want you to do that for me. So I think it shows good organization and a commitment to good communication to hit the main points in well under 2 pages. Most people don’t want to keep scrolling down.
7. Don’t forget to tell people what to expect when they call. It’s common knowledge that it’s a good idea to put your contact information on every page of your site. The next thing is to tell people what will happen when they call you. This can go on the Contact page or the How We Work page. Do you have questions for your clients? Do you first speak by phone or do you meet them in person? Giving people this information makes it much easier for them to call you.
8. Don’t use a hard-to-read font, print white on black, or fill the entire width of the screen with your copy. You want people to read your copy because it will sell them on your service. The entire width of the screen is too hard to scan. The width you see here is about right. Often people, including Web designers, pick a width that is too wide and impedes reading.

Got a couple more important points on what NOT to do with your web copy coming up in future issues. Those are—Don’t talk about yourself first and Don’t use jargon or unusual words.

__________________________

Karen Nierlich

When not researching the origin of obscure sayings like a “Whole Ball of Wax,” Karen and her partner Tod lead the Internet Marketing Firm Almost Everything Communications. They work with independent businesses who want to grow their business 10, 50 even 100% using the power of the internet. Let me know if this photo is humorous, repulsive or something else to you? I’m formulating a future article on the selection of photos for blog posts.

Internet Marketing Consultant and Business People

If you have ever shopped for a preschool or school you know there was a long list of things you were looking for. Is the school clean? Stimulating? What curriculum is covered? How do they resolve conflicts that come up and what are the strengths of the teachers? And finally, most importantly, do you feel you and your child will enjoy spending time there!

Don’t laugh but you need a similar list when shopping for web services. In many cases, your internet marketing consultant becomes a key partner in your business. Success with internet marketing can make all the difference to the success and future of your business. Hire someone you are sure can deliver and be there for you in the future!

I’ve written about this topic years ago, and the need for business people to be shrewd consumers of internet marketing services is no less today. About 20% of our clients have negative experiences with previous internet marketing consultants or web designers. Sometimes they’ve spent money for a website that was never completed. But more commonly they learned later that their site was not optimized and they received no consulting on how to get traffic to their site and new clients to their phone.

Here’s what you need to look for:

Web Design and Development Portfolio

I recommend you start by looking at the internet marketing firm’s online portfolio. The first question is: Have they done projects similar in type or complexity to yours? Do you see any of the features you might be considering?

Secondly, do all the website designs look the same or are the designs more eclectic? It’s OK if all the designs look the same; many designers do have a specific, recognizable style. However, you have to like their style. If designs are more eclectic that means you have found a designer who varies their style to match the desires and needs of the client.

References

Always ask for references when hiring someone to do any large job whether it’s a housepainter or an internet marketing consultant. If the business has happy customers they will be happy to share that information.

Experience

This may be less important if the business has great references. But do be sure the person has experience to match what you are looking for.

Here are some specializations:

Search Engine Optimization 90% of the sites I look at are not optimized. Make sure there are unique page titles on the websites the firm built recently.

High-end design. To give you that indulgent or clean, modern look.

E-commerce. Building online stores is complex, challenging and changes rapidly.

Databases, photo galleries, and online class registration,all require lots of technical expertise as well.

Small business marketing: Your website is a marketing tool. You need a website that intelligently and persuasively builds the case for your expertise, credibility, reliability, and why you are great to work with. You don’t want a site that is just attractive: you site needs to have clear “calls to action” that encourage prospects to engage and communicate with you. If you need marketing help, then look for that as well.

Years in Business

Is your internet marketing consultant or web designer someone you can consult about how to use your website to grow your business now and in the future? Be sure your internet marketing consultant will be there in a year.

Communication and Chemistry

A lot of back and forth communication takes place between you and your web designer or internet marketing consultant. Are they good listeners? Do they ask the right questions and make good recommendations? Who will be building the site and doing your search engine optimization (SEO) and can you talk to them directly?

Do you feel comfortable and will you enjoy working with this person? This is very important because you are not just handing the job over to the designer or project manager. Rather, you will work as partners to develop the site and you may be talking to your designer or project manager once a week as your project moves forward.

That’s what you’ll want to hone in on: web design and programming skills, search engine optimization (seo) and online marketing skills, references, experience and communication compatibility.

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Karen Nierlich

Karen Nierlich works with the Internet Marketing Firm Almost Everything Communications (AEC) in Albany, California. AEC prides itself in helping clients grow their businesses 10%, 50%, even 100% using the power of the Internet. They specialize in web design, web programming and development, search engine optimization, and social media.