Why Every Blog Needs a Strong Call to Action |  |
| Why Every Blog Needs a Strong Call to Action Posted: 30 May 2012 09:58 AM PDT It’s one of the oldest, simplest rules in all of business: If you want your users, clients, or customers to do something, you’ve got to ask them to do it. You’ve got to give them a little push — and if you simply assume they’ll do what you want them to do without that push, you’re likely to end up very disappointed! That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Really, it’s the same way in all of life. What do you have to do when you want your spouse to take the garbage out? Generally, you’ve got to ask; sitting and wishing just won’t make it happen! This is an especially important concept when it comes to blogging. Blogging for business purposes is a big deal, yet it’s surprising how many business-minded people miss out on the most basic perks of blogging. Yes, a blog can be useful for establishing brand identity, for building a customer rapport, and so on. But truthfully, a blog can also help generate sales, get Facebook fans, or whatever other kind of results you are looking for. All you have to do is ask — effectively — with a strong call to action. That’s why every successful blog comes with a stirring call to action: Because a call to action is what gets things done. But what makes for a strong call to action, exactly? It’s fair to say that there’s not quite a magic formula here, but there are some battle-tested tips that should help you formulate a basic call to action blueprint. First, think about the language you’re using. Think back to grade school, when you learned about the parts of speech — like nouns and verbs, right? Your verbs are your action words, so it makes sense that they would form the backbone of your call to action. Use strong action words — not helping or linking verbs — like call, buy, join, subscribe, or register. Put the verb and the subject of the sentence on the left side of the page — near the front of the sentence — because English readers read from left to right. If the important words are on the right side of the page, skimmers are going to miss them! Also think about what you want people to do. You may have a few different things you’re trying to do with your call to action, and that’s fine — but you need to keep things focused on a few distinct options. Make these distinct options clear at the end of your call to action: Call us, e-mail us, or join today might be good ones. Sweeten the deal. If you go to the website of President Obama, you’ll see that anyone who donates a certain amount of money gets a free bumper sticker or T-shirt. That’s a good way to entice people to click on your link, whether it’s to donate, buy, join, or whatever else. Of course, you may not have free stuff to give away — but access to exclusive content might be all it takes to entice people to click! Have a call to action on every page of your blog or online content. Anything else would just be a waste of perfectly good online real estate. Finally, think about how that call to action is displayed on your blog. Do your readers have to scroll to the bottom of the page to find it? Is it offset in different colors than the rest of your text, drawing the reader’s eye to it? These are the kinds of things you want to consider — because of course, a call to action does very little good if nobody can find it! By following these steps, you’re sure to find yourself with a strong, stirring, and effective call to action — and with that, you’ll be well on your way to getting stuff done, and finding great success, through your blog! Author Bio © 2011 TipsBlogger.com | Home | Contact | Submit Guest Post |
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