Copywritten by John Navata in 2006.
You wouldn't believe how many websites don't try to make a sale! People put a lot of work into their sales copy, telling people about the benefits of their product and guiding them through the sales process, but they forget one simple but VERY IMPORTANT "call to action": "Click here to buy now."
And that mistake could be costing them 20% of the sales they could have made!
If you want people to do something on your site (like buy something, sign up for your newsletter, fill out a form asking for more information, etc.), you need a call to action that tells them exactly what you want them to do. For example, if you want them to click on a link to learn more about one of your products, you need to include a link that says something like, "Click here to see how the Gadget Widget can save you hours of work!!
And if you want your visitors to buy something (which, of course, you do), you should include a link that says something like, "Click here to get your own amazing time-saving Gadget Widget!"
You might think it's clear that you want people to buy your product, especially if you've written a great sales pitch about how great it is. But no matter how convincing your sales copy is, if you don't give your potential customers a clear call to action, you're just leaving them hanging. Most of them will leave your site and never come back, which will cost you a lot of money in sales and future leads.
Always be closing is the "ABC" of selling, so keep that in mind. It's important to tell people what to do. You have to ask for the sale if you want them to buy something.
And if your site has short copy or is like a catalogue, don't make the mistake of only asking for the sale once! You have to give people a lot of chances to buy what you're selling. All of your web pages should have multiple links to your order form or shopping cart, as well as phrases that make people feel like they need to act quickly, like...
"Buy today!" "Only for a limited time, so get yours now!" "What's holding you back? To order your own, click this link..." "Start right away—just click here!" "YES! I want to order right away..." (Remember that the only exception to this rule is sales letters. With these types of sales websites, you usually want to include a single call to action at the end of your letter (after you've made a great case for your product with lots of benefits!)
One more thing: You can't mention "buying" anywhere above the fold on your website. That's the first part of your website that people see when they go to your site for the first time. If you say "buy there," people won't have time to find out WHY they should buy your product, and they'll probably think you just want their money. You want people who might buy your product to know what it can do for them before you ask them to buy it.
It's easy to ask for the sale, but it can have a big effect on your bottom line. By adding a simple call to action, you make it easy for your visitors to know what they should do. Once they know they should buy something from you, they will, and your sales will go through the roof.
