A call-to-action (CTA) is an instruction to an audience designed to provoke an immediate response to a marketing or advertising campaign. Often a few words or a simple phrase, a CTA uses actionable language to get the audience (potential customers) to make a connection with a business.
“Call Now,” or “Click Here,” two of the most commonly used calls-to-action, encourage an audience to either pick up the phone or click through to a specific website. Because many CTA’s are overused and are ubiquitous in multiple advertisements across different media channels, it is important to try to differentiate the calls to actions used in your marketing efforts, to help stand out from the crowd.
If you have (or are thinking of getting) a vanity phone number to enhance your marketing materials, you’re going to want to make sure that you have strong calls-to-action to get your audience to pick up the phone and dial. Even though vanity numbers are easy to remember, your audience still needs a reason to make the effort to dial in to your business. This is why having a strong CTA that stands out from the standard “Call Us” is so important.
Here are three alternative calls to action you can use in conjunction with your vanity phone numbers:
“Call today to find out more.”
This phrase is a bit more involved than just “Call Now,” and that’s okay! This CTA works by creating urgency by instructing the audience to call immediately without using “now” as the action word. It also describes the reason as to why a person should call. Calling in will provide the caller with further details about the promotion referenced in the advertisement or the services your company offers.
“Give us a ring …”
A “ring” is an idiom that entered the American many years ago, due to the ringing sound rotary phones made to signify an incoming call. In British English, ring is often used as a verb as in “Ring me back, tomorrow.” In American English, ring is used more as a noun as in “give us a ring,” which translates to “give us a call.” It stands out because it deviates from the standard “call” which is the word normally used to describe the action of using a phone.
“Call now for a free …”
Often, in order to get someone to do something for you, you have to offer something in return. Think about it, employees work so they can get paid. Children do chores around the house for an allowance. So why shouldn’t you offer a reward to entice your audience to pick up the phone and call? Service businesses can offer free mini-consultations. Businesses specializing in products can offer free samples. You don’t have to always offer a “freebie” for having someone call in. You can also offer discounts and or special pricing for customers who call in using the vanity phone number.
A vanity phone number is an investment for your business. Make sure you are getting everything you can from the investment by making sure you have strong calls-to-action to get your audience to dial in.