Million

The million-pound question you need to ask

‘How you doin?’

This phrase, synonymous with Joey from ‘Friends’, was often heard uttered in the character’s quest to land yet another new love interest.

And lucky-in-love Joey found his catchphrase never failed to lure the ladies.

Making sure you’ve nailed the right line when you want someone to take notice is just as important for your website as it is for your love life.

Many businesses invest an awful lot of time, money and effort getting people onto their website through SEO, advertising and digital marketing only to then LOSE custom by making the simple mistake of failing to ask for the sale.

The thing is, people don’t tend to take action on their own. They have to be prompted and challenged to take action. It’s as true in business as it is in life.

We, as consumers, are bombarded with more than 3,000 commercial messages every single day. So unless our calls to action are super clear and direct, (or we happen to have the irresistible charm of Joey to rely on) they’re going to get lost in the noise.

As StoryBrand Certified Guides, one of the most common words of advice we share with clients is to add a direct call to action to their website.

This is a simple, obvious invitation for people to do business with us. At least it seems obvious, but it’s shocking how hard it can sometimes be to find the “BUY NOW” button on a website.

Think of your ‘call to action’ like your till in your shop. If people can’t see it – or don’t recognise it, they’ll leave their purchases in the basket and move on to one of your competitors.

There are two golden rules to remember with your call to action:

1. Sprinkle them liberally throughout your website – never make your visitors have to scroll in search of the call to action button.
2. Make your call to action direct. Tell them exactly what action you want them to take.

The importance of having the right words for your call to action are crucial.

Whilst Joey may have enjoyed success with his ambiguous ‘How you doin?’ pick-up line, he was able to rely on his personality and charm and this is very difficult to replicate on a website.

‘Let’s get started’, ‘Get Going’ and ‘Want to know more?’ are regularly used. But if you apply conversational context, would you ever utter these words to another human being as a way to start a conversation? Unlikely. Why? You’d be too worried about misunderstood connotations.

The same applies to your website. Make your call to action a transaction. What DO you want people to actually do? Call? Buy? Sign up? Then tell them that – clarity is critical for people to move forward. They need to know exactly what it is that’s being asked of them.

And it’s important to give customers a very clear path toward purchase or engagement so we can help them solve their problem — whether that’s to buy, register, sign up, schedule an appointment, order, or call.

Direct calls to action for your website:

And for non-profits that might look like:

If you need help finding the right words for your website, get in touch with STORY22 today and enquire about our copywriting service. The words you use matter. You can’t afford to waste them.

STORY22 specialises in story-based marketing and founders Sonya Whittam and Julie Firth are certified StoryBrand Guides. Read more about the StoryBrand approach here: https://www.story22.co.uk/storybrand-why-we-love-it/

STORY22 is a full-service marketing agency based in Kent, UK, working with clients who need support clarifying their message around the world.

STORY22 offers the following services:

Pay per click (PPC)

Search engine optimisation (SEO)

Social Media Management

Website development

Copywriting

Sales letters

Email campaigns and automations

Marketing strategy