The Third Key to a Client-Attracting Website
Over the last week, I wrote about the first and second keys to a client-attracting website.
The first key was about getting the job done right, which trips up one-third of website building attempts. I revealed my secret weapons to prevent failure to launch.
In the second key, we discussed content: what clients are drawn to, and how to build your image and get people excited to work with you. It’s about the content.
Today, we go into the final of the three, which is all about getting visitors to take that vital action step to become your client – to contact you for that initial session.
The third key to a client-attracting website is getting visitors to take action
As you know, nothing happens without action.
As coaches, our job is to help people realize their dreams, right? To inspire them? To motivate them? To remove blockers? To hold them accountable? And to get them to take action steps towards those dreams, right?
Well, the same applies to your marketing and especially your website. We need it to get people to take action steps so that they go from a casual visitor into an excited potential client who is getting in touch with you.
In web-speak, we call the invitation for people to take a step closer to becoming your client a “call to action”.
Two elements to a solid call-to-action
ONE: Make taking action incredibly easy to do
If you want people to contact you by phone for a consultation session, make sure that the phone number is very visible.
If you want people to fill out a form and send an email, make sure that form is easy to find, and easy to fill out (don’t ask for more than is necessary).
If you’re selling a one-day intensive coaching offer or a group program, make sure that the sign-up process (payment, enrollment, getting started) is super simple and easy to do.
Whatever your call-to-actions are on your website, make them very easy to do. People love that.
TWO: Sell the action step with benefits
When you do invite people to take action on your website, whether it be for joining your email list or requesting a free session, you MUST point out the benefits of doing so. Ya gotta sell it.
For email lists, the benefits can be an instant download as well as promised future tips for success.
For requests for a consultation with you, the benefits are the things to be gained in the call – such as gaining clarity, creating a success plan, or getting motivated.
Point out the benefits of taking action and people will be more likely to act.
I put a LOT of detail about engaging new website visitors and getting them to reach out to you for coaching support in The Coaching Website Guide.
It might be perfect for your needs. Have a look.
Here are a few styles of websites and how to make the calls-to-action strong
The brochure type of website
This is the most common type which has a handful of pages talking about the coach and what he or she does.
The call-to-action is simply a contact page or an invitation for a free consultation.
It may have some social media buttons, but those aren’t top priority.
Most of these kinds of sites have weak calls to action and rarely bring a new client.
To make the invitation to contact you (call to action) work, create an entire page dedicated to getting people to contact you, explain what will happen in the call, and load up the benefits they’ll get from the call.
The list builder website
This is often just a single page (landing page, squeeze page, opt-in page) with a prominent form and whose purpose is to get visitors to add their email addresses to the list.
Once on your list, your job is to grow the relationship with good content via emails.
The call to action for a consultation with the coach (or other actions like buy a book or sign up for a program) will come by email either right away or later on after some trust is built – or perhaps both.
To make this call to action work (generate leads), build trust with your list over time via email (teach, inspire, inquire, interact) and then put out a limited time invitation for your strategy session (free consultation) – and of course, load up the offer with benefits.
I wrote quite a bit more about this kind of website here, The List-Builder Website.
The expert website
This is a website that has lots of great content, especially a blog, that builds your credible high as a professional coach.
Your favorite gurus are likely examples of this kind of website.
It also has an email list offer for folks to get regular, helpful material which only experts do.
Lastly, it has a juicy invitiation to reach out to the coach for those who are ready and eager to get help immediately.
This is the kind of site I have students create in the course, Client-Attracting Websites.
To create a call-to-action that gets a high response, you’ll do similar to your list-building kind of website and put out a juicy, time-restricted offer for a free consultation. Make that offer easy to sign up for via simply a reply by email.
So, what’s possible with great calls to action? Here are some key points from a successful client in New Zealand
I worked with a business coach on one of my international 3-month adventures. His site is here, The Successful Builder, you’ll see how it builds his expertise.
We set his website up for massive action, with the following:
- A juicy freebie – an instant download that we shared around the web to get people to CLICK to his site. The action we wanted was a simple click.
- Great blogs – which we sent out all around the web to get people to CLICK back to his site and read them. This brought in traffic and boosted Graeme’s image as a top coach.
- Email list – his freebie was a gift for those who got on his list. His list has all kinds of bonus articles to help teach his market about business. This grew Graeme’s guru status.
- Free consultation – We sent out requests to his list to get a free consultation – which in turn inspired people on his list to become clients.
- Direct contacts – Many visitors contacted him directly from his site or from his blogs or from his free giveaway. Each of those things has an invitation to request a consultation.
In the end, Graeme’s client list went up, his income went up, and more.
Ready to get serious and build a great website for filling your practice with clients? If yes, then get The Coaching Website Guide and put it work for you.
A few tips on the two most common actions you want: join my list, contact me for a free consultation
When asking people to join your email list, I recommend:
- Giving them some instant gratifier like a report, tip sheet, video or infographic. You can get creative with this, but make sure it’s easy to access immediately.
- Make the sign-up process for your list ultra easy. Just name and email address or even just email address will do. More than that makes people hesitate. Due to spam laws, asking for confirmation of their email address adds undesirable complexity, but people are used to it, and the benefits of a clean email list are good – I’d not worry about them.
When asking people to contact you for a free consultation, I suggest:
- Give your consultation a snazzy title like “Success Strategy Session” or “Double Your Sales Consultation”. Tie the discussion into the benefits clients want.
- Tell them what will happen in the phone call. Give them some details about the call, what you’ll do in it, how long it is, how to get one.
- Tell them what they’ll GET from the call. Like motivation, an exciting plan, or a surge in creative energy. Who wouldn’t want to take you up on that? And you know it’s not too hard to do this with some solid coaching 😉
And these articles will help: Three Musts for Getting Free Sessions from Your Website and 5 Ways to Get More Free-Session Requests from Your Website.
Also, here is some advice for getting clients from your list.
And there you have it, the three keys to creating a website that’s designed to attract clients
I’ll repeat them again…
(1) Launching fast. Getting the job done is a force of its own to be reckoned with. Remember, a deadly deadline, a clear vision, and massive action are what you need. This is what we discussed in key 1.
(2) Creating engaging content. You can’t do what most coaches do and just put up a site with sliding images and Confucius quotations. You need to build your reputation as a guru and show that you can deliver. People pay well for that kind of expert help. Learn about engaging content in key 2.
(3) Make enticing calls-to-action. For you to get people to contact you from your site and to shell out the money to hire you, you must make those action steps irresistible! Call them to exciting action!
I’d love to hear from you. What did you find most helpful? Post below.
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