There is no shortage of tips and tricks online about how incorporate aspects of digital marketing into your landing page or ecommerce site. But you can only lead visitors so far into the sales funnel. At some point, they have to take some action themselves, whether it is to buy a product, subscribe to a newsletter or simply request more details.

The calls to action (CTAs) on your webpage are what turn lookers into customers. By using them smartly, you can increase conversion rates and boost your bottom line. Here, we take a look at some simple strategies for making it happen.

Keep the page clear and clean

When you are calling a potential client to action, you need his or her undivided attention. This is the moment to forget everything you’ve previously been told about rich, engaging content with lots of images. Now is the time to keep things simple. The Unibet sign up page is a great example. There are none of the images of footballers or gaming tables that you might see on their other pages. Just a well laid-out form in branded colors that tells the user exactly what to do.

Tell them what to do

That brings us neatly on to the next point. CTAs typically take the form of buttons or hyperlinks. There is no room for waffle, so start with a strong command verb like “buy” or “subscribe.” Again, in the Unibet example we looked at above, you’ll see a button saying “Join Now” and CTAs at the end of each part of the form that direct the user to the next stage in the process.

Give them a reason or reward

It’s a competitive marketplace out there. Why should the user “Join Now” as instructed? You might consider offering an incentive, for example making it “Join now and get a 50 percent discount,” or something similar. Now, you’re not only giving them the “what” but also the “why.”

Leverage FOMO

Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) is a powerful emotion. Use it to strengthen the “now” part in that “Join Now” CTA. It’s about giving a reason to join, buy or subscribe today instead of tomorrow, next month or perhaps never. Consider phrases like “Join now to take advantage of our special February promotion” or “Sign up today – limited places available” depending on what makes the most sense for your business.

Think mobile

There are still those who look at the ecommerce stats and think mobile optimization doesn’t apply to them. It’s true that a higher percentage of shoppers will make purchases on a desktop device than mobile. But the catch is that they invariably use their smartphones first to research the product or service. If your CTAs don’t work smoothly on a touch screen, these potential buyers will be lost forever.

Be imaginative

Sometimes the “whaaat?” factor can be a powerful tool. Don’t be afraid to try something a little left field in your CTAs. A barber experienced an increase of almost 40 percent in sales when he put a sign outside his shop that read “Oi, scruffy! Get your hair cut!” It won’t be the right approach for every business, but it’s an angle worth thinking about.