In a world where many companies are competing for the attention of their target audience, it’s vital to find ways to stand apart from others and get users to click on your content rather than your competitors.
You already know that the best way to increase conversions is by having various calls-to-action (CTAs) in relevant places, optimizing your landing pages, including content upgrades in your blog posts, and having contact forms for people to easily get in touch with you… but did you know that you can take it a step further and use specific words and colors within your CTAs to increase downloads and conversions?
This blog post outlines how you can tweak your copy and formatting of your CTAs to attract your website visitors, reel them in, and get them to take the action you want.
Conversions: Words to Use
Words are powerful, and when you string the right combination together, they can encourage people to click, download, sign up, or watch… and especially buy. Isn’t that what you ultimately want?
Taking a few extra minutes when writing your copy to be mindful of the words that you’re using, and how you’re using them, can be the difference between getting people to sign up for a demo or causing them to exit your website.
The best converting words fall under these categories, as shared in a blog by HubSpot.
Exclusivity
People love when they know that they’re part of a select group of people who are getting access to something that not just anybody will have their hands on. It makes them feel valued, important, and special, and when they feel valued, important, and special, they’re more likely to take action due to the “royal treatment.”
An example of this would be the IPA Heady Topper, created by the Vermont-based brewery The Alchemist. According to Business Insider, it’s the only beer with a 100% rating on BeerAdvocate.
Why is that? Heady Topper is extremely hard to find outside of Vermont, making it seem more valuable to beer lovers.
This is where exclusivity comes in.
Using words that show that someone will have an opportunity that most people won’t gets them excited and encourages them to take action. Words and phrases that portray this feeling include:
- “Be one of the first”
- “Invitation only”
- “Only available to subscribers”
- “Get exclusive offers”
- “Available for members only”
- “Apply to be a beta tester”
Upon seeing these phrases, it will intrigue your website visitors and make them wonder what makes the offer so “secretive.”
Scarcity
Nothing makes people want to do or buy something more than knowing that there isn’t much of the item or opportunity available, even if they don’t necessarily see it at the time! We saw this during the start of the pandemic, when people were grabbing toilet paper left and right, even when they didn’t truly need it, because the scarcity factor kicked in, and they worried about there not being enough available for them.
You may have heard about the study conducted in 1975, where researchers placed the exact same cookies in two glass jars, but one jar had two cookies and the other had ten. When asked which jar of cookies was more valuable, participants chose the jar with two cookies, even though the other jar had more. That’s because the scarcity of something makes people believe the item is worth more.
If you want your audience to take action, make them think they won’t always have the chance to do so by using scarcity words and phrases! Examples include:
- “Only 10 spots left”
- “Limited time offer”
- “Available only for the next 24 hours”
- “Free trial ends soon”
- “Get it while it lasts”
People often have a fear of missing out on something, which means that if your copy is able to tap into that fear of making them think they’ll miss out, you have the opportunity to get them to take the action that’s intended.
Safety
Many people are risk-averse, which means they’d rather make a decision that they know will allow them to avoid loss rather than make a decision that has high uncertainty yet could potentially bring them a big win. People are hesitant to step out of their comfort zone, especially when it involves spending their money, so using language that acts as a “safety net,” and giving social proof through the experiences of others, will make them feel more comfortable in their decision because there isn’t a large chance to fail. According to Invesp, customers are willing to spend 31% more on a business with excellent reviews because they feel better knowing that other people had positive experiences.
Examples of these words and phrases include:
- “Free trial”
- “Try before you buy”
- “Moneyback guaranteed”
- “30-day warranty”
- “No obligation”
- “Cancel any time”
When people know they have the opportunity to back out of something without it harming them, it makes it easier for them to make the decision in the first place. Be careful with using this wording, though, as you don’t want to sell your SaaS product short or undervalue it by making it seem like people would want to back out of their decision regardless.
Outside of these three categories, Buffer shares an excellent resource for including words that may encourage people to share the content or provide a sense of power or emotion. One of the most persuasive words in the English language, though, is this: you.
When you use that pronoun, the person who is reading the content will read it as if the situation is exactly about them, allowing for personalization and making it possible for you to achieve the goal you set.
(See what we did there by using the word “you” in our own copy?)
Other words that prompt a response include:
- New
- Free
- Instantly
- Because
And, because it’s important to mention, there are also words that you should completely avoid using in your copy, which WordStream shares here.
Now you may be thinking about wanting to change all of your copy and CTAs to include these words above… but don’t start yet! You’ll want to pair these words and phrases with colors that are known to draw people’s attention.
Conversions: Colors to Use
If you think that a brand uses a certain color simply because they like it, that may be part of the reason, but it’s not all. Instead, they use specific colors to captivate their audience and encourage them to take action. In a study put together by Colorcom, 92.6% of people said that they put most importance on visual factors when purchasing products.
Let’s take a look at what colors can help you to increase your conversions.
Blue
Did you know that blue is the most popular color in the world? According to Mention, it helps to convey trust, responsibility, honesty, and loyalty, which are all of the values that any brand would want to portray.
Using this color, especially in front of a new audience, will help to position your SaaS product as credible and trustworthy, which may encourage users to take that action earlier than anticipated. In fact, it’s one of the many reasons why we chose blue as part of our color palette–we want to demonstrate our expertise and trustworthiness to potential clients!
Red
Do you want to convey urgency? Use red. Venture Harbour found that conversions increased by around 20% when a company used red instead of green! This is why you’ll often notice many companies using the color red when they want to highlight limited-time sales and special offers.
Fun fact: This is exactly why our CTAs on our website are red, instead of blue, like our brand colors! The contrast of red against blue stands out to prospective clients and captures their attention more quickly, encouraging them to sign up for a free assessment or free consultation with us.
Black
Are you hoping to portray elegance, prestige, and sophistication with your brand? Use black to give a sense of luxury, which is what 28% of the most famous brands use. People are much more likely to buy a product when they know it’s high-quality, which is why many high-end brands–such as Mercedes, Apple, and Prada–use lots of black in their branding.
If you want people to feel like they’re investing in a luxury item with your SaaS product (which, of course they are!), incorporating more black into your CTAs is the way to go.
Ready to make a change with your CTAs? Pairing the right words with the right colors is the ultimate way to increase your conversions. Remember this, though: it’s best to do A/B testing to truly determine what will work for your brand and make your decision from there.
Have you noticed any words or colors that have helped to increase your own conversions? Share them below!
