Once visitors get to your website, you want to get their attention by making sure you are using a good headline. We covered this when discussing business blogging using Hubspot in the last post.
After a visitor has finished reading one of your blog posts - what are they going to do? This is where you need to give them direction so they know what to do.
This is where Calls to Action come in. Another strategic element to the inbound marketing system CTAs (calls to action) give your reader an indication of what to do next on your site.
Where to Place Calls to Action
There are several places to use calls to action on your site. For starters, it is recommended to put one at the end of every blog post. Hubspot does this themselves and does it successfully by matching the CTA with the information a visitor just read.
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End of Blog Posts
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In Sidebar
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Home Page
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Landing Pages
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Pop up (or Hover)
Here are a few illustrations of how Hubspot uses CTAs:
Under a blog post
Bottom right hover on blog page
In the sidebar
How to Make Calls to Action in Hubspot
If you are not already using Calls to Action on your website, your company is almost certainly losing leads and conversions. These buttons and images can add greatly to your success, and are easy to produce in Hubspot.
Login to your Hubspot account to start.
Go to Content and select Calls to Action.
This is the screen you will see:
Next Click on Create a CTA or Create a Smart CTA
Choosing a CTA versus a Smart CTA:
If you want a CTA specifically for returning visitors or based on their lead status, choose Smart CTA. If you want a CTA for anyone who visits use the regular CTA option.
Now you can design your Call to Action button and choose where you would like it to take your visitors.
Suggestion: Choose a URL for a landing page to something you are giving away, or a contact form. Then include a CTA there as well.
Hubspot offers other CTA options that are better designed in PowerPoint. You can get these for free here: http://offers.hubspot.com/call-to-action-templates
Additionally here are some helpful links from Hubspot on how to make successful CTAs: http://www.hubspot.com/products/calls-to-action - how to make your CTAs http://offers.hubspot.com/how-to-create-effective-calls-to-action - ebook on how to write CTAs
Why Use The Hubspot CTA Area?
As you might be able to tell, you can simply add an image to your site and assign a URL to it, to make a Call to Action. However, Hubspot’s system is specifically set up to give you better stats and information on the success of your CTAs.
With the software’s help you can have alternating buttons, going to different places and you can see which are working better than others. This will allow you to make changes to improve your conversion results.
What Calls to Action Should Say - Examples
Your CTAs should be fairly short, to the point, and specific to the information visitors just read. For example:
On a blog post about your newest business service, a good CTA would say:
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Find Out How This New Service Will Help Your Company Today! or
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Learn More About This New Service Here!
Each of these tells visitors what to do next, what they will get by clicking and is specific to the new service.
Getting Started
Login to your Hubspot account today, and start looking for places to include CTAs. You’ll only want a few per page, including the sidebar, or your visitors will get overwhelmed.
Start by making CTAs that can easily be used in several places, and then drill down in your categories to cover the specific topics you are an expert in. If you have any questions, feel free to ask us for help, we are always available to help you navigate Hubspot.
