You’re blogging for a reason, right?

If your blog is part of your business strategy, it’s time to do a check-up on your call to action (CTA).

A call to action is something that is intended to provoke a response in your reader.

It could be a bright red box that says “click here,” it could be a pretty picture of the cover of your e-book saying, “download now,” or it could be “set an appointment today.” Those are overt calls to action.

It could be more subtle, like a series of recommended blog posts. Those are calling the reader to read more, to explore your useful content.

Without any call to action, your blog posts are just spaghetti tossed against the wall.

Read these five tips that will help you clarify and enhance your calls to action right now (see what I did there?):

1. First, consider what action you want to provoke. It should be obvious to your audience what they’re supposed to do when they land on your blog. Do you sell a product? Are you a consultant? Are you a thought leader/speaker? Your purpose must be clear in your own mind before you can communicate it to your visitors.

   And if you don’t know why you’re blogging, that might be ok (you’re just a writer who needs to write), just don’t expect to be getting revenue from your blog.

2. Color me beautiful. Color theory is its own course of study, but there are some basic tenets you can apply. The folks at crazyegg.com produced a great infographic that summarizes the psychology of different color choices. Your CTA should be differentiated and appealing.
3. Location, location, location. The human eye tends to read a web page in a zig-zag pattern, starting at the top left corner. We know that images and videos attract the eye, too. Consider putting your CTA in an attractive image that sits above the “fold”.
4. Copywriting 101. Be brief.
5. Track success and change it up if necessary. Know in advance what success looks like. Is it number of e-books downloaded? Is it number of paid consulting gigs? Is it number of unique visitors to your site? Think about using a unique link identifier on your CTA so that you can see it in your Google Analytics as a goal completion.

If I visited your blog today, would I know what you want me to do?