How to write a call to action that will produce leads.

You may be able to produce an engaging marketing piece for your customers; however, you will not get clicks, conversions, lending applications or any other initiative you want to accomplish if you don’t have a well-defined call that drives consumers to action.

For most private lenders, your call to action (CTA) should drive potential borrowers to get in touch, fill out a loan application or get more information about your products and services. Here are the key elements to writing your next CTA so it stands out from other lenders and is more than a “Call Now!”

Telling someone what to do after reading your marketing piece is easy. Filling them with emotion, motivating them and convincing them to act is the tricky part.

Common private lender messages like “Apply Now” and “Call Now” fall under the definition of a CTA. But these phrases alone may not bring the desired results. A catchy, well-defined CTA makes the reader feel emotionally involved and can help drive new leads.

The following are tips for writing a strong CTA.

Understand Your Audience
Most marketers understand who they are targeting in their advertisements, but before you begin preparing a CTA, ensure you know your target demographic, how to speak to it and why those people need your lending product.

One of the best ways to do this is to identify the problem your audience is trying to solve. Use your CTA copy to describe how your product or service benefits them. Borrowers are usually looking for reliability, flexibility, fast closings and consistent phone and email availability. Some of your leads may have been burned in the past by lenders who underperformed in one or more of those areas. Show your audience how you are different in your CTA.

Provide Clarity
A well-written CTA is effective only if the message is clear to the intended audience. Keep your message consistent throughout the advertisement, explaining exactly what you want the reader to do. Your message should stand out and naturally progress to the ultimate action you want them to take.

Create Urgency & Scarcity
Online retailers like Amazon use urgency as an effective CTA. Selling items with a message that states “Ships Today” creates urgency in a different way than a time limitation.

Other call to actions that create urgency may encourage your audience to act “before it’s too late.” The same principle can apply to your lending business. If you are running a limited-time promotion or a first-time borrower discount, make sure to emphasize that in your copy (e.g., “Call now to lock in your low rate before it’s too late!”).

Adding the fear of scarcity is also effective in prompting consumers to act. Phrases such as “capital is limited” or “won’t last” often command immediate action.

Use Action Verbs and Phrases
When you are constructing a good call to action, use action verbs. Some examples of action verbs are “take action now,” or “get started,” or “make the change today.” These action phrases often resonate with consumers and help to subliminally remove procrastination (e.g.,  “Apply for a loan now,” “Call now for your quote,” “Begin your next real estate investment project today”).

Use Repetition
When you want to drive a message home, nothing works better than repetition. Just remember: Although repetition makes your CTA more effective, overdoing it can also have a negative impact if you don’t separate it with additional copy.

There are several techniques for repeating your call to action and ensuring your message is heard loud and clear. Some examples include requesting a customer to “call now,” but later repeating, “talk to our representatives today,” or “our representatives are standing by waiting to take your call.”

Using repetition is especially effective when you are issuing multiple pages of marketing copy. Repeating your CTA on each page reminds your reader of what their end action should be.

Use Colorful Graphics and Infographics
Most consumers are visual, so a call to action designed with graphics stands out. Customers may not even know there is a call to action if it doesn’t catch their eye against the rest of the message.

Brightly colored infographics provide a clear message and also cement the message with an image that may stick in customers’ minds long after they have finished reading the message.

Keep it Simple
Asking your audience to perform multiple tasks in order to respond to your CTA can cause confusion or frustration. The result? They may simply give up.

If you provide multiple CTAs, make sure each one points to a specific task.

Bad CTA: “Qualifying your loan is a 3-step process: first, fill out our online application… etc.”

Good CTA: “Pre-qualify for a loan in less than 5 minutes by clicking here!”

Avoid Going Negative
Sometimes marketers believe that going negative either against a competitor or an individual’s life choice is effective. Negative CTAs typically do not garner a positive response in the same way an uplifting message and action call can.

Keep your CTA honest and clear, but it’s best to deliver a positive message that draws your audience in emotionally and reminds them that the action they take will have a positive impact on their lives.

Make the Process Easy
Besides attracting their attention, your message and CTA should make the task as easy as possible for the reader. If you want them to call or text, make sure the number is bold and stands out. If you want them to sign up for more information, such as a newsletter, make sure the link takes them right to the form instead of dropping them into another message string.

Put your CTA in the Right Spot
If your CTA isn’t in the right place, organically placed within your surrounding message, you may miss out on dropping a CTA at the right time during a reader’s natural progression and decision-making process.

For example, it is common to see the CTA as the last sentence in a piece of content. But, that strategy may not work well if the content is already lengthy. The reader may not even make it that far before clicking away.

Ask and Answer Questions
Customers want to know what happens when they take action and how it benefits them.

They may be skeptical of your CTA if they don’t understand what happens if they move forward. Assuage their fear of acting by explaining the result and when they can expect it (e.g., “If you are pre-qualified, you will be asked to provide additional documentation that may include the following items: [add list] and an appraisal and/or property inspection may be ordered…”).

Reduce Customer Fears
Customers evaluate an advertisement with some form of skepticism. Use your call to action to assuage those fears and overcome any opposition they have by identifying and dismissing concerns you think would cause a roadblock to getting a response. Lay out the benefits you offer clearly: Do you have no prepay penalties or upfront fees? Do you not require tax returns? Do you accept exterior appraisals? Do you provide financing in all or most states?

A good approach to reducing fear is providing as much information as you can about the process without bogging down your audience. You can also discuss any limitations your offer might have and walk through what they can expect after moving forward.

A big fear of consumers is wasting their precious time. Your CTA can quell this anxiety by including a statement such as “prequalify in less than 5 minutes” or other terms that gain their trust and assure them their action is worth the effort.

Make an Offer They Can’t Refuse
We have all received offers that are too good to pass up. Keep in mind that creating a call to action promoting an offer that is too good to pass up is different from a take it or leave it offer.

When constructing this type of CTA, be clear about why the offer is so beneficial and provide a clear indication that it won’t come around again soon.

Constructing the perfect call to action takes practice, and much of that comes through trial and error. Although you may be driving leads with your current CTA, it’s important to test new techniques, from color to copy placement, to see what works best and drives the best results.

Conversion rate optimization is a crucial tool in determining which call to action techniques are working and how well they continue to drive traffic. Don’t be afraid to experiment with new approaches, refine these best practices and continue testing to find the CTA solution that works best for your marketing strategy.