1 simple method proven to boost your response rate

[Scott W. Cook]

I was talking to a new client last week, and she was telling me about the conversion rate she was getting on a landing page her and her team had created for their business. The reason we were talking was because she wanted me to improve it for her.

"We're getting good traffic from our Facebook ads," She said, They come to a lead generation squeeze page where they put in their name and email and get a free report. That's converting pretty well... but from there to the actual sales page, we're losing them."

So I went through the funnel myself... the ads were good, and that was born out by her CTR (click through rate). The squeeze page was compelling and I think the free report, which was a 6 page whitepaper analyzing the amount of money being lost through improper dental billing practices, was of interest to her prospects.

Then I took a look at her email sequence and even the final sales page. they were ok, but all lacking one vital ingredient...

The call to action or CTA!

For many folks, sales is a 4 letter word. I think that comes from the stereotypical picture we have of the pushy and obnoxious salesman who just won't take no for an answer... or maybe the sort of "snake oil" approach that many internet marketers take. More hype than substance.

But sales isn't a dirty word. It's how we all make money and how many of us find out about things we want and need. And the fact is that if you want somebody to do something for you... you have to ask them!

Even more than that, you have to tell them what to do and how to do it. Fail to do that and you'll be amazed at how poorly your marketing functions.

Is this true in real estate investing? Most definitely. Some of the best direct mail pieces, for instance, are simple such as:

The market is hot, prices have never been higher - I've got cash and I'm ready to buy - so call me now for a free estimate: XXXXX.

not particularly suave or clever. Just straight to the point and above all, this message tells the reader exactly what to do and why to do it.

One more little note, although this post is hardly the entire word on this subject... not only should you have a clear CTA, you can improve it simply by adding a benefit to the call. For instance, look at these two CTA's:

Sell your house today - Call me now at XXX.

I can make you a solid offer in just 15 minutes on the phone - so find out how easy it is to turn that headache property into cold hard cash - call now at: XXX

Both of these messages say the same thing. yet the second makes the benefit to the seller clear. There are actually 2 benefits here... it's easy, it's fast and you get paid... okay 3 benefits :)

So the next time you're putting together a marketing piece... ask for exactly what you want and how you want it. You'll be amazed at the results. My client, for example, has gone from a .05% conversion rate on her sales page to over 5% just from this single adjustment alone.

How about you guys? Share some of your best CTA's. I'll bet there are some good ones out there!

Happy investing!