Financial consultants typically have more experience with numbers than they do with words. So when they write a business call-to-action (CTA), they can make fundamental mistakes that compromise their results.
A business call-to-action means any meaningful action taken by a visitor, such as purchasing a product or watching a video. For financial consultants, it usually means filling out a contact form for more information or requesting a quote for services. It’s the final threshold between “visitor” and “customer,” and you’ll need to write persuasively and effectively if you want your visitors to cross it.
6 mistakes to look for when writing a business call-to-action
Ensure your CTAs are successful by avoiding the most common mistakes made by financial consultants.
Writing for a general audience.
Ignoring the importance of placement.
Using passive language.
Focusing on the action, not the value.
Failing to differentiate yourself.
Accepting mediocre results.
Don’t turn customers away before you’ve even had the chance to meet them. Keep reading for an in-depth look at each one of these mistakes.
1. Writing for a general audience
As a financial consultant, you might think your services are valuable to everybody, which can tempt you into writing a CTA that appeals to everyone. Unfortunately, this is an inefficient approach.
It’s much more effective to target your CTA to a highly specific audience.
This way, you’ll be able to craft more relevant messaging, which will encourage your audience to take action. As you write, consider:
Demographics
Think about the people you’re targeting. Are you trying to reach young professionals or seasoned workers preparing for retirement? Men or women? Business owners or freelancers? The Census Bureau can help you find the stats you need to make this decision and get a better understanding of your area’s demographics.
Chief concerns
What is your audience worried about? Are you helping people create a better budget? Build wealth for the future? Retire comfortably? Understanding your audience’s main needs and concerns will help you create a CTA that speaks to them directly. For example, you might write, “Get help living comfortably in retirement!”, rather than, “Hire a financial consultant!”
Level of expertise
You should also know how familiar your audience is with the topic so that you can use the appropriate level of vocabulary. You don’t want to talk down to someone who has a grasp of the basics, nor do you want to go over the heads of newbies.
Stage in the sales funnel
How long has your audience considered their decision? You need to know the stage of the buying cycle (or sales funnel) the customer is in to make your business call-to-action effective. For example, someone in the early stage of the funnel might only want more information, while someone in the later stages might be ready for a specific service, like wealth management.
2. Ignoring the importance of placement
Many financial consultants don’t consider the placement of a business call-to-action on their websites, but it’s one of the most crucial details. When placing your CTAs, think about:
Frequency
Ideally, you’ll have CTAs throughout your website. This will maximize their visibility and increase the chances that visitors will come across one, no matter how many pages they visit.
Length
CTAs can be long or short depending on where they’re located. At the end of a detailed blog post, for example, you might have room for a couple sentences. But as a user is scrolling down your homepage, a simple, “Contact me today!” is appropriate.
Location
Your CTAs should, for the most part, be above the fold of your website — though there are exceptions to this rule. Most importantly, they should always be visible, and big and bold enough to encourage action.
3. Using passive language
The problem with passive language is that it doesn’t inspire action. You want your prospective clients to be excited to take the next step and motivated to do so. Visitors might not be encouraged to click if you use phrases like, “Are you ready for retirement?” or “Do you want more?”
Use something more urgent like, “Start your retirement plan today,” or “Build financial independence now.”
4. Focusing on the action, not the value
Focus not just on the action you want visitors to take, but also on the value they’ll get by taking it. What’s in it for them?
Let’s say you offer a downloadable budget template in exchange for some personal information. A straightforward, action-driven business call-to-action might be: “Download my budget template today!” But your visitors are busy. They need to know why they should take this action. So a more successful CTA might be: “Save more money each month by downloading my budget template!”
5. Failing to differentiate yourself
Some financial consultants are able to articulate the value of their conversions plainly, indicating the potential for clients to save money, build wealth or plan for retirement. But this doesn’t differentiate you from your competitors in any meaningful way.
If you want to be successful, you’ll need to find a differentiator that helps you stand out from your contemporaries.
Do you offer lower rates than the other consultants in your niche? Do you cater to clients with certain needs? Do you have access to more resources or more experience? Try to mention these differentiating factors in your CTA or in the content leading up to it.
6. Accepting mediocre results
It’s important to understand exactly what your conversion rates are and what kind of ROI you’re getting, so you can recognize problems and improve over time. Too many financial consultants write first drafts of their CTAs, then never check the metrics to see how they’re doing. And even if they do, they might grow complacent with mediocre results.
If you want to be successful, measure your conversion rates consistently, and experiment with new variables and new approaches, gradually pushing your rate even higher.
In conclusion
Correct these mistakes — or avoid them altogether — and you’ll produce some of the best business calls-to-action in the industry. And as long as you’re getting a steady stream of inbound traffic, your conversion rates will give you all the leads (and hopefully, long-term customers) you need to keep your financial consulting business profitable.
