Promoting your business is both easier and more challenging to do online. The easy part comes from having all the tools available with one click (and very often for free); the hard part is that it's just as easy for your competitors to promote their courses.
This means that potential customers have inboxes and social media pages filled with ads and invitations. They're all fighting to get attention and raise their brand's visibility. Of course, this can lead to fatigue and people being so overwhelmed they make memes about social media marketing harassment.
As someone who gets about two phone calls a day about my extended car warranty (without actually owning a car myself), I found the one about the call on Mars very amusing and accurate.
Calls-to-action (CTAs) are invitations for website visitors to take one more step. I have talked before about why coming up with fresh and persuasive ones can ensure the success of a marketing campaign for your online course.
Getting clients from potential to existing is crucial for any business. It is especially important when talking about small enterprises where every sale counts.
The main ingredient of an effective CTA is personalization. That sounds impossible since you can’t have a different one for every user clicking on your page, right? Well, it’s not when you know your target audience.
While people are unique, they also share many common traits and preferences. You need to figure out what they are and base your marketing campaign on them.
Read more: 5 Useful tips on reaching the right audience for your online course
Some of them, yes.
Though some people may still buy the “our operators are waiting for your call” and “hurry, these products are flying out of the warehouse”, most individuals are wary of these techniques due to aggressive overuse.
That being said, consumers also look for familiarity. Consequently, coming up with something entirely different might actually backfire because it lacks credibility. Potential customers might even see it as a potential scam.
Looking at a bunch of “classic” CTAs, I’ve found three essential elements that are definitely keepers:
The three elements I have mentioned above are still very relevant. However, nowadays, it's more challenging to convince potential buyers for several reasons. First of all, since most retailers and service providers have been forced to move most of their activity online, potential customers receive even more offers than before.
Read more: 10 Types of businesses that thrive through online courses
Moreover, the pandemic has led to major macro and microeconomic issues. People are generally a lot more apprehensive about spending money or committing to a new provider. You need to be mindful of these issues and show your audience that you understand and care.
Here’s what to consider when writing a CTA that goes with the current context:
CTAs are as old as marketing. Paperboys from a couple of centuries ago used the “Get your copy now and find out all about…” in the busy streets of growing cities. Things have evolved a lot since then, but the importance of convincing potential customers to act has not dwindled. Therefore, you must constantly brush up on your copywriting game and keep up with trends.