Using Calls-to-Action on Your Repair Shop’s Website

With the abundance of technology in today’s world, your repair shop business is being given so many resources to improve the way you sell to customers. Many of these resources are often free or inexpensive and fairly simple to use, like websites. And, hopefully, by now your repair shop is utilizing the many wondrous features of a website. But one aspect of managing a high-functioning website that will bring an influx of leads and traffic to your website is a Call-to-Action (CTA).

You probably have an idea of what a CTA is based off print or some digital adds trying to get you to take a specific action. You hear them all the time on the radio or read them in the local newspaper. You might even start to notice them in television commercials. Someone is usually selling something and enthusiastically asks you to “come on down!”

Below, we will discuss what exactly a call-to-action is, how to effectively use it on your repair shop’s website, and why it is so important to your business.

What Exactly is a Call-to-Action?

Okay, so you are a repair shop. You know (or should be able to guess) what your customers’ needs are when they visit a site. So, let us take a look at your website from the perspective of your customer:

A visitor on your site has just gotten into a minor accident. He wants to find out potentially how much repairs are going to cost for the current damage before filing an insurance claim. They look around your site for information and comes across a button to get a free online quote with your company. You have provided him with a clear direction that encourages him to take another step further into your website. This button allowed this customer to easily access the information he needed, building a positive association with your business.

In this example, the visitor clicked on a button. Buttons are the most common example of a CTA on websites. As a frequent internet user, you see CTAs all the time and probably do not even recognize them. They can take the form of a sign-in or login option on your favorite social media platform or be a simple “download” button when you find a picture you want to save.

Why is Using CTAs So Important?

Call-to-actions help make visitors to your page do something. It really is that simple. CTAs can be a button to fill out a form, sign in, or view something specific. They direct a strong focus and provide a map to an end goal. Without CTAs, your visitors might not be able to find a way to contact you, give you their information, or download important information that keeps them engaged on your sight. The main purpose of a call-to-action in regard to your repair shop is to generate leads. Without a button to take a visitor to a form for submission, you will have either no way to contact potential clients or it will be extremely difficult.

Your website visitor, whether they realize it or not, are expecting a CTA button. It is the most logical part of a landing page. Without diving too far into the theories of perception, we at Stratosphere Studio want you to understand this: if someone sees a button on your website, they will most likely understand what it and want to click on it. Humans are curious beings. If your CTA is promising a need or at least something a client is interested in learning more about, they will look to the button to guide them in the right direction.

How to Effectively Use CTAs

There are many free ways to develop a CTA for free including “Button Maker” and “Free Flash Button Generator.” We like to use HubSpot at Stratosphere Studio because of the amazing designs and other free techniques offered. Let’s take a look at some of the techniques you can use to effectively use your CTA.

Why Color Matters – When creating your call-to-action, pay attention to the color; Color is very important. There is a lot behind color theory to pay attention to if you are trying to inspire a specific reaction. For example, red and yellow inspire hunger (think McDonald’s or Wendy’s). Purple is usually associated with royalty and blue intelligence (think IBM). Green is often associated with money and positivity. Think of the color of your repair shop. They are probably (hopefully) the colors represented throughout your website. You have many options to choose from. You can make your CTA’s color stand out from the theme of your website, or you can tie it in to match your brand’s colors.

The Shape and Size – Just like a real-life button, visitors will identify a CTA as being clickable to serve a function. Or at least they will if they see and decipher the button. Make sure your call-to-action button is big enough to stand alone is readable, but not too big that it takes away from nearby text. Many CTAs seen online today are rectangle with rounded corners. Rounded corners appear as though they are containing the text from escaping, therefore bringing attention inside of the rectangle. Try to stay away from objects with sharp edges. It may seem strange, but to the subconscious, they appear dangerous. Circles are also a perfect shape for a CTA button. Many buttons people push every day are circles like those on an elevator or street crossing station.

Provide a Destination – Now, you cannot have a button to push that does not take you anywhere. Now that you have succeeded in grabbing your visitors attention with a beautifully designed button, you have to complete the rest of the process. Your repair shop will not get any leads if the button does not take them to a form or other desired form of contact. If you are requiring your visitor to fill out a form to receive an eBook or schedule an appointment with your shop, make sure the button links to a landing page with that form or information. And, just like your CTA button, the page it takes visitors to must be well designed.

Now that you understand what call-to-actions are and how they can help guide your visitors deeper into your business site, try making some! If you need help making your repair shop’s website and business stronger, Stratosphere Studio is here to help. We are only one click away!

[button text=”Let’s Talk!” link=”/contact” color=”ff9933″ align=”center”][/button]