Get That Call-To-Action Right!
Get That Call-To-Action Right!
Whether you are considering an action on your website, or perhaps an E:Shot or even a post on Social Media, the ultimate goal is surely conversion. And you may want someone to read content or join a mailing list but lets face it, the more likely end result you desire is for someone to book. So how do you make those Call to Actions or CTA's relevant, attractive and most importantly, stand out!Choose your colour carefullyAvoid certain colours... Study has shown that you should avoid green or pink (not attractive to the eye apparently) and definitely avoid grey (as grey is often associated with a dead link). So make it bright and attractive and bold. It should also stand out from the rest of the content on your site but not 'jar' with it. So make sure that the colours and fonts you use draw the eye and not just fade into the background.Make the text snappy and relevantIf you are a hotelier and not a retailer then I would avoid terms such as 'Add to Cart,' as buying a special rate or spending money on a luxury package isn't conducive to putting something in a shopping basket. So ensure the text has a strong CTA such as Book Now. I personally would avoid Check Availability as I don't feel this gives the urgency or alludes to a strong enough message to actually book. In this case, we do need to learn from the OTA's and point out a very clear booking path...Another lesson to learn from the OTA's is really focusing on that sense of urgency: perhaps 'Book Now before this deal is gone' or 'Book Now as we have limited rooms'. But a favourite of mine is 'View Exclusive Direct Packages'. This works in two ways - by telling a guest they can access Exclusive Rates that they won't find anywhere else and also that by booking direct they are getting the very best deal. Don't be too wordy though as that also can be off-putting.Make the Text RelevantIf you have a package or deal you really want to push, then why not encourage customer click through by making the text relevant to that offer - for example: Escape for the weekend or Leave the kids at home...or maybe Linger Longer... That way, the CTA is alluding to exactly what they will find when they click and you as a hotelier are making it very clear - don't make your guest work to figure anything outPosition is EverythingSo you may have the colour right, the text right and designed a great button, but where do you put it? Well the first rule is only ever have one CTA on a webpage, more than that confuses a guest with too many actions. If you are designing an e:shot then this will be different as you many have 3 offers with 3 different CTA's. But the rule of thumb is to keep it simple - especially on a web page. And I know this seems like a simple point, but for goodness sake, make sure that the link that sits behind your CTA button actually links to that one specific offer. Don't advertise a Linger Longer which is a 3 night stay, for a guest to then be directed to a page with all your offers shown. Again, don't make customers work to find stuff. Keep it simple and clear!And the most simple positioning tip is that customers usually read from left to right and then top to bottom so keep your details about a rate to the left and the CTA on the right.Measure everything that you doAs a sales person, marketer or revenue person, we all have the same goal and that is to drive as many people to our rate or package as we can; have as many people convert as possible and to make as much profit as possible. In order to do all of these things we need to track what works. So try different CTA's and measure what converts best for you. Simple changes of colour or text can make a big difference.Best of luck and don't forget for all things revenue ask@rightrevenue.wpengine.com