Many times CTA’s are written a bit too much like a wedding invitation. As soon as your guests open the envelope and see the velum and calligraphed “You are cordially invited…” they know exactly what they are looking at, and are free to begin creating preconceived notions of what may be in store.

But what if instead, you had slipped a scrap of paper under their door, a ransom note, giving strict direction, a command, on what they must do? Something like:

“Bring an envelope with unmarked bills to such-and-such reception hall on June, 25^th at high noon for the Smith/Jones wedding…Confirm today, or you will never see your good friend Jim again (or until he is back from the honeymoon, anyway)!”

Instantly the event is framed in the way you intended, clear instructions are given, and the words on that note have the reader’s full and undivided attention. Let’s assume your friend actually enjoys your company, and that you can safely assume that he/she would like to see you off.

So they quickly confirm, get a gift together, and have a blast at the reception.  Everyone lives happily ever after…The end.

Let me explain how this relates to your internet marketing success.

As you have surely heard, lead generation is the engine that makes any inbound marketing plan work. Without an engaged audience, your undoubtedly brilliant content, found just beneath the surface of your site, will never be unearthed.

You might very well have a wonderfully thought-out email newsletter, a flawlessly executed free whitepaper, or a killer webinar series…but first you need that compelling “ransom note worthy” call to action in order to make your very best content stand out among the rest of your site. So it can accomplish what was written for…feeding the lead generation engine with new subscribers.

So what exactly makes a call to action “ransom note worthy?”

1. It’s personal

Now, I’m not suggesting that this needs to be quite as personal as our ransom note example, but it’s important to understand the motivation behind why your reader is viewing the page where your particular call to action appears.

For example:

• If someone is looking at a price comparison page, a call to action like: “5 unorthodox ways to save on…” might fit the bill nicely.
• Your “About” page might be a good place to include a call to action for samples/trial of your product, a great way to build your list.

2. It provides unavoidably immense value

More importantly it draws on what is already valuable to the reader. This is just another way of saying that you must highlight your strongest benefits in your calls to action, not your products features. People want to feel good about themselves, eliminate a pain or problem, have more time to do what is important to them, have fun.

Instead of: “10-tips to get you started with email”

You may want to try (and test): “Learn how to stay in touch with your kids with email: 10-simple steps”

The first attempt is not all bad. But, in the second attempt, by focusing in on the benefit to our target customer first, we are following much stronger headline writing technique. It shows the customer the real value that they will get in return for giving you their contact information. This is critical for increasing your call to action conversion rates.

3. It creates urgency

Why should your reader take advantage of your offer right now? Will they miss out or experience some perceived “pain” if they don’t take action? You know that your product is amazing and that it’s a “no brainer,” but you must convince your readers of this. I like to try and imagine that I have a thousand dollars ready for the taking, and that all I have to do is convince a stranger that I’m not crazy and that if they simply take action in the next 30-seconds, that we could split it.

The only way to create urgency in others is to have at least the same level of urgency yourself, it will show through in the way that you convey your message.

There is a great quote by Brian Clark of Copyblogger that probably sums this up better than anyone:

“Never allow readers to question why they are bothering to pay attention.”

Tips:

• Don’t assume that your readers will take advantage of your amazing offer because it’s in their best interest to do so. Undoubtedly you will need to “sell” them on doing so.
• Be adequately assertive. If your product is great your customers will thank you for it.
• Use words and phrases that evoke urgency and action. If your offer is limited, tell your customers to “click here now” or “call today.” When your offer ends tomorrow or your limited supply runs out, your customers will thank you for reminding them to get in on your offer before it was too late.

Show your readers why it’s important they take advantage of your offer, why it’s important to them specifically, and why they should do so right now. 

Think “ransom note” not “wedding invitation” and watch your call to action conversion rates grow.