lights! camera! call to action!

from the hubspot forums, a query about why we’re not supposed to pitch visitors on the page of arrival. “why not put a form right on the initial landing page with the related content?” why indeed.

first, think about why visitors arrive at a certain page. the tenets of inbound marketing hold that visitors seek information – content that answers a question. how many arrive hoping to get a sales pitch right out of the gate? and how soon is too soon to give our guest a little shove down the funnel?

definitions and nomenclature aside,
the best way to figure out if something works for you
is to test it out on your peeps.

when is it okay to sell a little?

best practices dictate a separation between informative content (generally, topic-related stuff that helps you “get found”) and conversion content where we try to move visitors from general interest in the topic to awareness/interest in something we sell that relates to said topic. the only conversion on the page is the call to action. purists say the CTA is just the button/link; I hold that you’re allowed to burn a few words to pimp the additional information and the button is the trigger:

yes, waste from empty water bottles is a mounting problem.
did you know there’s a FREE way to beat bottle buildup???

<shiny button>Learn more about tap water!</shiny button>

by and large, today’s internet population is pretty discerning in their quest for knowledge (except for porn…oh yeah, and cat videos). this is the crowd best practices has in mind. but what does it hurt to indulge the contrarian?

create one recommended version of your content page with unicorns (some ridden by the purists mentioned above) dancing under rainbows, and just a teeny bit of hey sailor at the close
create a second that leads with your search-optimized content but closes with a few sentences about how you have maps to the pot of gold at the end of that rainbow and you’ll send a copy if they give you an email address
the a/b/c testing version has a sentence or two of information and an extensive form asking for PIN numbers and maiden names – all fields mandatory

your audience might consist of cynics with low self esteem who believe they deserve nothing better than to be deprived of little chunks of their soul any time they visit a website. or maybe they’re just impatient. test that sucker out and report back.