On Site Calls to Action for Insurance Agents

Inbound marketing is about getting leads to come to you with quality content and a good position in the search pages. But, once you’ve driven people into your site, you need to engage them with your business. A clear call to action is the way to go to fulfill this task. You may have one already, but are you sure it’s the right kind?

A Call to Action or CTA is a button, link or text that’s meant to create a reaction in the visitor. This is closely related to the main purpose in a site: Do you want them to subscribe to a newsletter? Download a file? Call your phone number?

At the end of the day, your site is a platform where your Calls to Action can stand out and get you the results you want. It’s an understatement to say that it’s an important element in your site to capture leads.

So, if you’re feeling a bit lost on how to go about them or want to know if you are covering all the essential characteristics a CTA should have, continue reading!

Types of CTAs

First of all, let’s start out by pointing out that not all visitors in a site are there to do the same thing: some are ready to become your client and others are no where near the end line. Before a conversion is final, visitors or leads go through a buying process with different stages which means they have different concerns and priorities upon entering your site. This means that they are receptive to different Calls to Action. Don’t treat them all the same way and make sure you’ve got the whole spectrum covered to maximize lead generation and conversion!

For leads ready to convert

directcta On Site Calls to Action for Insurance AgentsThis is an easy one! Even though these are the least common group of people who come into a site, they come ready to commit! They have done their research and have decided you’re the option for them.

They are low hanging fruit: all you need to do is add a CTA like your contact information or a “Make an Appointment” button and that’s it! Just give them the tools necessary to contact you and convert!

For those leads who need a little push

freequotecta On Site Calls to Action for Insurance AgentsThese are people that are pretty sure that they need your services but may need a bit of a push to leap into the final conversion stage! A secondary CTA, like a “Free Quote” button is a good idea to attract and encourage this group of people.

This is a familiar CTA for  insurance agents since they often use it to offer the client an opportunity to work with them at first without committing all the way. By doing so, you’re giving them a preview of who you are and your work ethics: you get to market yourself first hand!

For leads in research stage

premiumcontentcta On Site Calls to Action for Insurance AgentsThis is the biggest portion of people coming to your site: those who are looking around, researching your business first. They may require a bit more investment to catch but don’t neglect them! They represent a lot of potential clients!

Premium content is the way to go with them. You’ll be able to capture leads and give them value while you’re at it. If you’d like to learn more about premium content, how you can use it as a CTA and get some topic inspiration, click on the link!

The Elements Your CTA Should Have

Position

Again, everything in your site should be pointed towards your CTA. And the position plays a big part in this! A prime, visible spot will make your CTA take the center stage.

This is important because people give a quick glance to a site before moving on. If you want them to see a clear call to action, you should include it above the fold (meaning that they won’t have to scroll to get to it). Be sure to be consistent and place your CTAs in the same position on EVERY PAGE in your site. This, along with the other elements in this list, will assure a visible and appealing call to action.

The CTAs in this next image are in the site’s header. Meaning that, upon entering the site, the first things a visitor will see are: the insurer’s name, the type of insurance he provides and the buttons to convert into a customer.

mustsbestpractices2 On Site Calls to Action for Insurance Agents

Design

More likely than not, it’s through design that you’ll get your visitors to notice the CTA in the first place, so there are a few things to consider. From typography to size and color, your CTAs’ appearance should be thought out. It needs to:

  • be big enough to be spotted easily,
  • stand out from the background with a color that sets it apart,
  • have its own space with negative space around it so it’s not too crowded,
  • have depth (i.e. not look flat) with the use of gradients, shadows, etc.,
  • not be obnoxious
For example, in Empowerkit, you can edit the CTA’s appearance: you can add rounded corners, change its size, color, add gradients, shadows and borders, among other things to make sure that your CTA is in the spotlight.
This next image provides a good design example for a CTA. For starters, the color really stands out from the background in an obvious but not annoying way. The effects the button has makes it seem multidimensional and not look flat or boring. It’s a clean design with no distractions so that the visitors’ attention is focused in the button. All in all, a good example of the design a CTA should have with all the elements pointed above.
designcta On Site Calls to Action for Insurance Agents

Wording

This is one the most important element to consider! Design works to attract but it’s the verbiage which will seal the deal. Now, wording not only refers to the phrase in the button but to the way the CTA is introduced.

For the actual button, creating a sense of urgency in a CTA is a common way to go but you should also keep it a bit interesting. Generic “Buy Now” CTAs aren’t as engaging. Think of a short phrase that addresses needs, reinforces your site’s goal and that describes exactly what the visitor will be getting when clicking on it.

For the text surrounding the button, make sure you introduce the subject at hand: whether it is to download a file or sign up for a newsletter. Make sure you give reasons why a visitor should click the CTA! But be careful not to be too extensive: limit yourself so that the button isn’t lost in all the text.

In the example below, the CTA tries to compel the visitor to read this person’s story. Testimonials are a great for gain credibility with leads and to further engage them with your business. From the quote, to the explanatory text below it, this insurance agency provides a way for the visitor to engage with this person’s story. Plus, they present straightforward button (highlighted by the red arrow) with the phrase “Watch Her Story” to put a spin on the generic buttons that aren’t as effective in attracting visitors.

watchherstorycta1 On Site Calls to Action for Insurance Agents

Number

It’s easy to think that in order to capture more leads, you should include a 1,000 CTAs in every page. But remember that they need to stand out so don’t make them fight with each other for attention. One or two (max. three) CTAs PER PAGE, should suffice.

This next one is an example of what not to do. With all that color and the number of buttons in this site, it’s easy to lose site of the main CTA. Over stimulation like this can cause that the main goal in your site gets thrown into a sea of confusion! Even after looking at it for a while, I have a hard time finding out which is the main CTA: is it the contact us button, the stay in touch newsletter or the form at the bottom? One thing is for sure, all the elements and distractions in this site aren’t helping! That’s a sure fire way to lose a customer!

numberscta On Site Calls to Action for Insurance Agents

Ease

Ease is an element that most definitely affects the amount of leads you capture. For example, if you’re gathering information, make sure the sign-up form isn’t too long or complicated to respond. Nothing can steer away a visitor from becoming a lead than looking at a signup form that they feel will take much of their time.

On that same note, make sure that you deliver what’s promised in the CTA right away. Having to go through a series of steps to get it may be confusing and discouraging.

Another thing to be mindful of is that your landing page/CTA needs to be mobile friendly: many of your visitors may be logging to your site from their gadgets so make sure you’re not pushing them away technologically. If they’re looking to sign-up is because they’re interested in your business, so make it easy for them to become a prospective client.

Trustworthiness

One of your main jobs as an insurance agents is to portray and build trusting bonds with your clients. They want to make sure you’re an expert that know their job and that won’t waste their time. Taking an action through your CTA may be a big leap for some so you need to make sure that you’re representing yourself correctly in your CTA.

With design, for example, you can depict that you’re a real business: we’ve all seen those flashy “Click Now” ads that look sketchy and untrustworthy. A clean design will help you get closer to them without scaring them off.

Testimonials, as I mentioned above, is another alternative: you can share a quote or somebody’s story through your CTA to gain credibility in your visitor’s eyes.

A BIG one is to offer and deliver value. Make sure they are getting what you’re offering them and that it proves to them that you value them as leads!

In the example below, this insurance agency makes sure their visitors feel like there is nothing stopping them from clicking that CTA. A short message like this will reassure your visitors that you aren’t spam or that their identity won’t be in jeopardy. Don’t scare them off with sketchy CTAs!

trustcta On Site Calls to Action for Insurance Agents

Conclusion

A call to action can be your best friend or your biggest enemy. If done right, it can help you maximize conversions. Make sure you don’t drop the ball and miss on such a big opportunity! Think of it this way: your content, SEO efforts and the whole site design comes down to getting visitors to click that button. This way, whether it’s now or over time, they have a better chance at converting into customers.

That’s why I urge you to audit your CTA or redesign so it fully fits your purpose and get you more leads. Make the most out of your site!

If you have any questions or comments, let us know in the section below!

May 29, 2013

Please leave a comment

×