Unless you have an e-commerce website where the action you want your visitors to take (buy now) happens within the site itself, you have to work a little harder on adding legitimate calls to action to your site without going over the top with “click here” buttons.

The idea is to guide the visitor to an action on each page of your website without being pushy. Most of us just want people to call. We know we can take it from there. But you need more than your phone number on the page for that visitor to be compelled to call you versus your competitor.

Here are some obvious, and not so obvious, calls to action you may want to consider for your site.

1. Give out your phone number. This may sound painfully obvious but many websites either don’t offer a phone number or hide it so well it might as well not be there. Even worse, sometimes the only way to contact a company is via a web form. For most visitors this web form is seen as a wall… your business comes off as not being accessible. How many times have you been on the other side of the table and wished you could just pick up the phone and talk to a human being?

2. Ability to schedule a call immediately. Go one step further than just giving your phone number. Give the visitor the ability to schedule a call with you online. There is a great service for this: http://www.schedulicity.com/ I saw this on Caterina Rando’s website and was immediately impressed that I could book a call directly with her without the hassle of going back and forth on the phone or via email to find a time that would work for both of us. On top of being able to manage when you want to make yourself available, you can list the different kinds of calls you are open to having and how long each type of call should take.

3. Downloadable introductory item. If you are selling a service/expertise, visitors may feel they need to know more about you before calling you. Have something of value they can download for free. This might be a PDF file with tips, techniques, advice, etc. You can choose to make this an immediate download or to send it via email. The second option means you have to ask for and capture the visitor’s email address.

4. Downloadable white paper. Take it up a notch from #3 and have visitors provide you with their name and email so they can download a great e-book full of value. Don’t shy away from writing an e-book. They don’t have to be long or full of graphics. A few pages of good content will do. You may also consider worksheets instead. The value is that you have already done the thinking for your visitor and have put together the questions and appropriate guidance they need to pursue the kind of service you offer.

5. Sign up form for on-going information. This is the one most of us do, but we jump to it too fast without offering #3 and #4 above. Put yourself on the visitor’s shoes. We’re asking him/her to commit to our content on an on-going basis without giving them a taste of what we have to offer. Provide #3 and #4 AND samples of what this on-going content looks like so visitors can make an educated decision. What can they sign up for: special offer emails, e-newsletters, calendar of events, biweekly tips, etc.

6. Free actions. Think of the “try before you buy” concept. Can you offer a real action for free so visitors get a taste of your service? Some options are: complimentary consultation, free estimate/quote, free evaluation, etc.

7. Media. Have you given webinars or teleclasses? If so, post recordings of them as calls to action. If you haven’t, make them! You don’t have to offer a class, get participants, give the class, record it, and then offer it on your site. If you don’t have the time or are not comfortable as a live speaker yet, consider speaking all of that and simply record yourself speaking on a topic. The recording could be audio only or, even better, video.

8. Speaking. Are you using speaking events to get business? You have 2 easy calls to action: a) provide a calendar plus the ability to sign up to be notified of upcoming events; b) provide information on your top speaking topics and an easy way to book you. If you’re not doing public speaking yet, I advise you to do it. It establishes credibility. You can start in your networking groups and work your way up from there.

9. Links to social media. Do more than just having the icons. Try to engage the user by posting feeds on your site and describing what value they get from each profile. Make it fun. This is were you have more leeway to show your personality.

10. RSS. If you offer on-going news, press releases, events, etc., asking visitors to subscribe to an RSS feed is also a legitimate call to action.

The general idea is to show expertise and accessibility via your calls to action. You should have a call to action on every page, each relevant to the content that’s on that page. Leverage your content so you can have as many of these on your site as it’s appropriate for your audience.

What calls to action are you using effectively?

Additional resources:

10 Techniques For An Effective ‘Call To Action’
Call to Action Buttons: Examples and Best Practices
Optimize Your Call to Action