You need to know How To Use Calls To Action on Your Blog for Profitable Conversions.
Yes, you want your blog to be profitable.
That means, you must find the best ways to convert your readers into buyers and clients.
Here’s the thing I hear all the time.
“How do I get my blog visitors to buy from me?”
-or-
“How do I get my blog visitors to hire me?”
-or-
“How do I get my blog visitors to join my business opportunity or membership site?”
Well, in each of these cases, you need to be able to leverage your blog into a launch pad.
The Launch Pad Model
You see, people won’t usually visit your blog to buy from… or hire… you.
They have no intention of joining anything.
So it’s your job to set up your blog like a launch pad.
Make it a space to prepare people to take actions they may not even be contemplating.
You need to shake them out of their doldrums or comfort zone and encourage them to do something.
Even if you get a lot of traffic to your blog, it’s of little use if it’s “non-converting” traffic.
Non-converting traffic (a bunch of people who come to your blog but never buy) is one of the main reasons why your blog is not making money… or not enough, anyway.
Use Calls To Action on Your Blog
The way you shake them up is with Calls To Action (CTA).
Calls To Action come in many shapes and sizes.
It doesn’t matter much what they look like.
The only thing you’re looking for is results.
Profitable Conversions
Those results are what we call Profitable Conversions.
Get people who are casual readers to buy, hire or join.
When they do, they are no longer casual or passive readers.
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They have been converted into buyers, clients or members.
Now, in order to effect that conversion process, you need a catalyst.
Conversion Physics
In physics, scientists talk about conversion as a transformation.
Water turns into ice.
Ice turns into water.
Those are conversions.
But they don’t just happen.
Something makes them happen.
Water turns into ice when you put it in the freezer.
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So freezing temperatures are the catalyst that enable that conversion.
Ice turns into water when you leave it at room temperature.
Room temperature is the catalyst that enables that conversion.
So what is your catalyst?
What conditions can you create to convert passive readers into active buyers?
How To Use Your Blog for Profitable Conversions
Really, now, isn’t this the big question everyone wants answered?
It’s the way to make money with your blog.
And that means, it turns your blog into a business instead of just an endless conveyor belt of information and inspiration.
Of course, a lot of the success of your blog in terms of profit will be determined by what you are offering.
What is
- your product/s
- the opportunity you are promoting
- or your service/s
If you have a weak product, service or opportunity, then no amount of positioning, pleading or selling will results in substantial or recurring profit.
But this article is not about what your offer it is.
I am going to assume that you have a great and compelling offer of some sort.
That doesn’t mean, though, that you can sell it, does it?
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Of course not.
You may be one of the legions of bloggers out here who have great products and services, but just can’t seem to convert your followers into buyers.
And it can be pretty frustrating, especially when your readers give you rave feedback on your information, assistance and products… but they never buy them.
Often, the biggest reason they resist is that you don’t have strong enough Calls To Action built into your blog.
Your Blog Is A Vehicle
Let’s make one thing clear.
Your blog is a vehicle, a means of delivery.
It could be a vehicle for
- information
- news inspiration
- entertainment
- or something else that your readers value.
You give all these things away freely and voluntarily.
You ask for nothing in return.
And that’s cool because, after all, you’re just trying to build a following, right?
Well, actually… no!
You are trying to build a following, but not JUST a following.
You want to build a following among highly targeted, interested and eager buyers.
Those are the people that you can convert into buyers.
Anyone else is just a bystander… a passive reader and consumer of your information, news, inspiration or entertainment.
They’re just along for the ride.
But for the true prospects and potential buyers, they can be converted when you introduce the proper catalyst into the equation.
That catalyst is your Calls To Action (CTA).
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There are many types of Calls To Action.
I want to show you some of the best ones.
Emotional Calls To Action
Emotional Calls To Action will probably result in most of the profitable conversions on your blog.
The problem is, few bloggers use them.
Or at least, they don’t use them often enough.
I think that’s because they really can feel “salesy.”
And heaven knows, whenever I speak to a blogger who isn’t getting sales, it’s almost always because they don’t want to be “salesy” or “promotional.”
Well let me tell you.
You’ve just got to get over that, or else forget about having a profitable blog.
Now, when I talk about emotional Calls To Action, I mean things like this.
Shock
Shock people out of their comfort.
Challenge them to rise out of their cushy, cozy, passive consumer mentality.
It could be something like “After using this system for just 7 days, I walked into my boss’s office and told him I was quitting.”
Now, that’s shocking to people.
If you are writing a blog post about
- how great your business opportunity is, or
- how some method of earning money online is a great choice for people to explore…
Things like that shock them.
It’s like
- “really, it’s that good?”
- “it works that fast?”
And shock doesn’t just work for making money.
Say you’re a dentist, and your blog is about implants vs. dentures.
You can give lots of great reasons for people to visit your office for an implant consultation.
A lot of that just starts sounding like white noise though, doesn’t it?
But throw in a statement like “95% of my implant procedures are completed in just 2 visits.”
Now you’ve got people’s attention.
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You just knocked them out of their
“I’m just gathering information” (passive) posture…
and squarely into a
“Wow, it can’t hurt to get a free consult” (ready to take action) pose.
Shock is a powerful way to get those kinds of conversions.
Interest
Now you might not feel comfortable shocking people.
A milder way to do it is by appealing to their sense of interest.
So, using the example of the dentist, you might say “implant procedures are far simpler now than they were 10 years ago.”
Okay.
Someone considering implant surgery may find that interesting.
I don’t think you’ll find it to be nearly as effective, though, as a more shocking statement like the one above.
Desire
Desire is another thing that many bloggers prefer to shock.
It feels nicer.
“People will love your new smile,” would be an example of something people would probably desire.
So, the implant surgeon might get their attention with that.
You can see, though, that it’s still are far softer Call To Action.
Fear
Fear is a very strong Call To Action, probably even more than shock.
“People who choose dentures over implants usually suffer continual bone loss that can result in painful, substantial and costly surgery later on.”
People make some of their biggest decisions as to when or what to buy, based on their fears.
Sure, you may desire a nice smile.
But you are scared to death by the thought of having to undergo extensive surgery a few years down the road.
Aren’t you?
Scarcity
Scarcity is another extremely powerful motivator.
Nobody wants to lose a great deal or wonderful opportunity if time is running out.
“Schedule an appointment for your free consultation today. If you want to proceed with the Treatment Plan we give you, you can get 50% off! This offer expires on the 23rd of the month, though. After that, you’ll have to spend the full price.”
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Another version would be something like “this offer is only good for the first 10 people.”
So whatever you can do to let people know that your great offer won’t last forever, or won’t be for everyone, will definitely help you increase your profitable conversions.
Rational Calls To Action
I find that bloggers are usually more comfortable appealing to their readers’ intellect rather their emotions.
Rational Calls To Action include things like these.
Convincing
You try to convince your reader that it’s a good idea to buy something, or hire you or whatever.
You give them good reasons why they should.
“It’s the best thing I’ve found”
or
“More people are now using this than any other system”
Those are the types of statements designed to convince people that your product or service is a good investment.
This is a key tactic for you to sell your product.
It is also key to how you sell your services.
Proof = Evidence
You could also offer proof that your offer is good.
“9 out of 10 people who tried this said it was the best they’ve seen”
“I earned $200 the day I signed up”
Things like that.
Features
Yet another rational CTA is the one that suggest that people are looking for certain features in a product or service.
So you might tell your readers things like…
- this course has 18 information packed modules plus an entire case study
- this theme has a 2-column option with a full range of color and font options
Those are features that your prospect may really be interested in.
I don’t generally recommend that you do too much “feature marketing” because people are not usually looking for features.
They just want the bottom line benefit that the course or the software can give them.
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But this is a very common way for people to market on their blogs, probably because it is really easy.
All you have to do is repeat the features listed on the package or the sales page of an item… and you’ve got a whole lot of things that you think your readers will want.
Your Call To Action in this case is basically… “Buy this product or service, and here’s all the things you will get.”
It’s kind of like a car commercial that tells you all about the 4-wheel drive, the low mileage, the automatic braking system and on and on.
That’s a very rational way to sell a car.
Very unlike the emotional pitch with the pretty girl, or the successful businessman driving down the highway in their brand new convertible.
So which approach do you think is more effective?
Argument
Another rational Call To Action is something I call “the argument.”
Essentially, you ask people to buy something because they can’t come up with a good reason not to.
You simply list the main objections that you think people would have to buying your product or service.
Then you overcome those objections in your article.
Let’s say, for instance, you are asking people to buy a graphic design service that is more expensive than similar ones.
You might make the argument that “sure we charge double what others do, but that’s because we have 10 times more to offer.”
So you are anticipating people’s complaint about your pricing by arguing that it makes perfect rational sense for them to pay more.
Social Calls To Action
Besides emotional and rational Calls To Action, there are what I call the “social” ones.
These are rooted in all the relationship building you do with your readers.
Connection
Members of your blog’s audience will often convert into buyers and clients because of the connection they feel with you.
If you have taken care to build a genuine relationship with them, then feel like they know you.
They feel connected to you.
Then, when you recommend a product or service to them, they are more likely to buy it than if you were somebody they felt some connection with.
It’s the same reason you might watch a movie that was recommended by your best friend, even though you probably would never have watched it just from seeing a commercials for it.
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So work hard at building strong relationships with your audience.
They are the gateway to profitable conversions on your blog.
Authority & Expertise
Positioning yourself as the authority in your field, or the expert, will help your Calls To Action be compelling.
This speaks to the issue of trust.
Be sure to do some guest posting to build your authority in your niche.
Accept offers to be in the spotlight, like when I accepted an offer a while back to do an interview with Amplify.
Your readers will trust you more when they perceive you to be an authority and an expert.
So when asking people to sign up or buy, let them know that a great reason to do so is that you know your stuff.
Remind them that other people turn to you for help, and so should they.
This is an excellent place to use testimonials from people you’ve worked with before.
That bolsters your claims of authority.
How To Use Calls To Action on Your Blog for Profitable Conversions
You should develop all these various Calls To Action on Your Blog.
I’ve given you some key ones you can choose from.
But the best case scenario is to have you actually test them all out to see which ones work best for you.
And, of course, you should think in terms of using all of them at one time or another, as your blog audience grows.
Every one of them will help you get profitable conversions from your audience.
All of your Calls To Action must, of course, be truthful and factual.
Never concoct something just to sell stuff and get those profitable conversions.
If you do, you will lose the trust of your readers… and trust is far more important than cleverly concocted Calls To Action.
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What Calls To Action are you using on your blog these days?
Are they resulting in profitable conversions?
I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.
Let me know this article has helped you understand How To Use Calls To Action on Your Blog for Profitable Conversions.
-Donna
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