5 Reasons Why Your Call To Action Isn’t Working

You’ve invested time and energy into developing and designing your shiny, new advisor website but you still aren’t seeing results. Your content is top-notch, your site structure and keywords are clear, but there’s one problem… no one is clicking on your “contact us” button. What gives?! Today, we want to dive into important aspects of your call-to-action (CTA). What works, what doesn’t and how to revise your current one to start seeing results.

We know that writing a call-to-action isn’t second nature for many financial advisors, but that doesn’t mean that you should get discouraged. If you do your best to steer clear of these five main issues that we have noticed, then you will be well on your way to creating CTAs that your firm’s lead generation and ultimately your client base.

5 Reasons Your Call-to-Action Isn’t Working

Mistake #1: Zero Sense of Urgency or Value

If you take only one thing away from this article, it’s that one of the main reasons why more landing pages don’t convert potential clients into leads is that the CTA does not have a sense of urgency. It’s extremely important to stoke curiosity among your readers. Some examples we’ve found to be effective include language such as:

• Purchase It Now-Receive Your X
• Sign Up Today for a 50% Discount
• Download our Free eBook Today

All of these CTAs encourage the potential client to DO something that makes them feel like they’re immediately benefiting from their decision to take action.

As for your financial planning business, you should include something like “Schedule Your Free Consulting Call Now” or “Take Control of Your Financial Future Today.” Showing urgency, benefit, and value will connect with leads and nudge them to take action. We love the CTA below from Twenty Over Ten client, Highball Advisors, as it creates a sense of urgency with the unique phrase, “Start Boarding for Railroad Retirement,” encouraging clients to join the team and work with the advisors. Above that, they start by asking the question, “Are You Prepared for What’s Around the Bend?” This makes prospects start to think about if they are truly prepared, prompting them to find out more.

Mistake #2: There Are No Freebies

Urgency and curiosity are usually evoked via free offerings. In this day and age, we’re conditioned to expect instant gratification. We like being rewarded immediately even if it’s for something small and it’s even better when it’s free. Some of our advisors offer complimentary resources to clients on their websites. A white paper, an e-book, or a free monthly email newsletter will help build trust with your client and give them a taste of what you’re all about. Some language for CTAs includes “join free for a month” or “schedule a complimentary meeting.”

In the example below, Twenty Over Ten Client C.L. Sheldon & Company includes a CTA on their homepage for a recorded webinar on the ETAPs (Executive Transition Assistance Program) that were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The copy on the landing page explicitly explains that it is free, and the CTA button creates a great sense of urgency.

Mistake #3 Distractions

You have a few seconds to convince potential clients to contact you. Do you want them to look at a chart of the stock market or your mission statement? Distractions consume valuable time, increase bounce rates and take away from your primary brand messages. Keep your messaging clear, decide on one CTA and keep things streamlined. The images, copy, and space around your CTA should also make it stand out without having to look too closely! 

Below, Twenty Over Ten’s client, Storybook Financial, designed its homepage with a clear CTA button that stands out against the background image and surrounding copy. Your eye gravitates directly to “Uncover Your Next Chapter” as the bold coloring shows up nicely and not only that, but the wording is unique.

Mistake #4: Putting The Client Second

Think about who your clients are. What issues or financial areas are they most interested in. Is it retirement planning, investments, estate and will planning? Identify their problem, show them that you understand their needs right off the bat. Instead of a “Contact Us” CTA, try out a “Yes, I’d like to receive a complimentary retirement plan.” Make it specific to your niche’s pain point and get to the core of why they’re visiting your site. 

Mistake #5: Poor Placement

CTAs are meant to capture attention, so they should be placed in an obvious part of your site or piece of content. Leads should be immediately drawn to your CTA button, landing page, or form. Including a CTA button on the homepage of your website can be a great way to capture attention right off the bat. In the example below, Twenty Over Ten’s client, Fulcrum Financial Group, includes its CTA on its homepage in plain sight, without even having to scroll.

Traditionally, many financial advisor blogs and websites have CTAs at the bottom of each post. However, research has shown that most readers only get 60% of the way through an article. Thus, having your CTA mid-blog post or mid-website is a great tactic for catching readers before they bounce off the page. Try different techniques and see what works for you and your clients.

Perfecting Your Own Call-to-Action

Like everything, finding a CTA that works takes time. It is not something that is going to happen overnight, so in order to get it right, it’s important that you are testing out variations of messages so that you can find what works best for you and your audience. So, next time you’re getting discouraged, try mixing up your CTA with some of the above ideas. To get your creative juices flowing, see what some of our clients have done in the past. 2021 is all about embracing the future with all of the opportunities that we have in front of us, and the same goes for getting creative with your website copy until you find what works best for you.