Turn Tire Kickers Into Customers: How Calls to Action Create Leads

Increased traffic to your website can be a good sign you are speaking your customer's language, but why isn't any of that traffic turning into leads?!? It almost always comes down to calls to action.

May 24, 2022

Increased traffic to your website can be a good sign you are speaking your customer's language, but why isn't any of that traffic turning into leads?!? It almost always comes down to calls to action. 

Let's look at an example. Imagine a business named Wally's Windows that specializes in energy-efficient windows. Wally and the team have done a great job answering frequently asked questions from clients on their website. 

A homeowner finds their website while researching on Google. They read a page that answers all their questions and are grateful to the site that helped them learn about energy-efficient windows. They think, "I bet energy-efficient windows would keep my house cooler in the summer and extend the life of my heat pump." 

So they hit the back button and search "energy-efficient window installation near me."

Why didn't the customer call Wally's Windows? Wally had earned their trust. He'd established his expertise. As a matter of fact, there is only one reason another business got that lead. 

Wally didn't ask for it. 

Calls to action. That's the difference between websites that win business and those that don't. Let's look at what you can do to win more business. 

Call to Action

A call to action is a word or phrase that offers the reader a next step. It is a marketing strategy that actively leads users down the marketing funnel that feeds your sales pipeline. 

By including calls to action on your website, blog posts, social media, and other marketing channels, you can:

Creating Calls to Create Action 

So, how do you create effective calls to action? It starts with understanding what your customer wants and what you want. Effective calls-to-action bridge that gap so that everyone gets what they need. Let's take a closer look. 

Know What They Want

Start by determining what drew these users to your content. What were they searching for? What do they hope to accomplish? Hint: keyword research is one effective approach to start answering this question, but discerning the user's intent is even more important. To effectively gauge a searcher’s goal, you have to look beyond the words they use to determine what problem they are trying to solve with that search query. If you know what they want, you gain insight into resources, offerings, and calls to action that would help them on that journey. 

Let's look at what Wally could have done. Let's say a user searched "how much of a difference do energy-efficient windows make?" They are in a research phase, so they are delighted to read Wally's post, "How much can energy-efficient windows save on your power bill?" A few paragraphs into the post, Wally could have offered a checklist called "10 Easy DIY Efficiency Tips To Decrease Energy Usage." Users in the research phase respond well to infographics, ebooks, white papers, and checklists. They aren't quite ready to buy yet, but they are more likely to call Wally in the future if he extends the engagement and gets an email address. 

Now let's look at a user who searched, "how much do energy-efficient windows cost?" They click on "Estimating the cost of Energy Efficient Windows For Your Home." Wally shares some great insights into estimating project cost, but after the first paragraph, he offers a link that says, "Get a Free, No-Obligation Quote On Windows For Your Home." This user isn't going to hit the back button, and the competition never gets a chance. 

Know What You Want

We love customers, but you can't take care of them if you don't take care of your business. What do you want website visitors to do next? Where do you want people who see your social posts to go next? Curate your calls to action in a way that leads these visitors to the answers they want to find, AND the results you want to achieve. They win, you win!

Types of Calls to Action

  1. Lead Generation - find prospective clients!
  2. Form Submission - get more information!
  3. Read More - show your expertise!
  4. Share - expand your reach!
  5. See More - highlight your products and services!
  6. Lead Nurturing - keep them interested!
  7. Close Sale - gain a new customer! 

CTA Here, CTA There, CTA Everywhere

Where do you need to add a CTA? 

The answer is yes. 

On your website? Yes.

On each page of your website? Yes. 

In the emails you send out? Yes. 

On blog posts? Yes. 

In your social media posts? Yes. 

Put those suckers everywhere. Let people know that you know your stuff, and that you have what they need. 

Isn’t That Pushy? Too Salesy?

Compelling calls to action can be powerful without being pushy. If the only CTA your potential customers see is “Buy Now! Buy Now! Buy Now!” then you may not get the enthusiastic response you want. How can you write calls to action that get a response without turning-off potential customers?

  1. Be clear and concise. Let them know what they are getting into should they choose to click that button. 
  2. Verbs! Use words like:

Which of these links would you click?

  1. Most importantly, get creative! Find fun ways to get your readers’ attention and present your unique value. 

Our Call To Action

Calls to action can turn a lurker into a lead. This is an essential marketing strategy that can be a game-changer for your business. 

But, becoming a call to action pro can be daunting. Let us help! We’re the experts, I mean, we even just wrote a whole blog post about it!

Writer: Gabrielle Mingus
Editor: Jamie Parris

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