But, you ask, what’s next? The answer is more content, but with a different format and purpose. Think that the next step in the strategy is to convert visits into leads, that is, into sales opportunities. Opportunities that could later become direct bookings.
How? Read on and you will see.
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Include CTAs in your publications.
CTAs or call-to-actions, found on the web, in blogs, even in emails, are buttons or banners that promote an offer of content in exchange for a visitor’s contact information. Therefore, these CTAs focus on the Conversion stage of the Inbound Methodology.
In this conversion process, first the visitor clicks on a CTA to get the content offer that is attractive, interesting and of value. This call-to-action takes this user to alanding page, where he fills in a form with his contact information.
The important thing when converting the unknown visitor into a known lead is to get their email address. But as you can see, the CTA and the content offer behind it is what gets their attention in the first place. This calls for the action of exchanging personal information for content.
And how do you create attractive content offers?
Although the answer is simple (using your buyer personas in their traveler’s journey cycle), the process is not so easy. You have to think very carefully about what you are offering them. Will it be an eBook, a guide, an interactive map, even an app? Regardless of the format,the content must be relevant enough to make an exchange.
Think of it as filling a need. Imagine that users who have discovered your blog, have done it thanks to a publication in which you talk about the gastronomy of your area. What content offer could you provide them with? Perhaps a guide to gourmet food restaurants, a video showing a day of cultural travel including where and what to eat. There is no one who knows their buyers better than you. Prove it to yourself.
What about effective CTAs?
CTAs are one of the assets of your website. And because of their importance you should take into account the best practices to create them:
1. Orient it to action.
We want visitors to download an eBook, watch a video, etc. To do this, use short texts and clear and direct action verbs (“Download”, “Get it”). For example, in the following image you can see the distribution of CTA buttons, which can be useful even without content behind them.
2. Include keywords coherent with the content offer.
For example, a CTA in a blog post, can incorporate the keyword of the content that is going to be offered and that is related to that same post in which you include the CTA. The same keyword that the user will later recognize on the landing page.
3. Attracts attention.
Design a CTA that can stand out (and that follows your hotel branding) to create visual interest that encourages visitors to consume your content. For this reason, you must take into account the design and navigation preferences of your buyer personas.
4. Use a strong and appropriate placement on the page.
CTAs have to be well integrated into your hotel’s web pages. In other words, they have to fit logically with the rest of the page so that the user can easily recognize them. For example, in a blogpost, the most logical thing to do is to place a CTA at the end, as if it were the next step.
On the other hand, you can include CTAs in the blog sidebar to promote your latest offers or upcoming events to a larger number of readers. In an email, the CTA can be placed where it captures attention, without causing distractions.
Promoting the conversion of leads to customers is your goal, not the readers’. So make sure they can easily read your content and convert if they choose to do so.
5. Test changes and analyze the results.
When analyzing the effectiveness of a CTA, you can set a goal of 1-2% click-through rate, i.e., of the people who saw the content in the posts, that percentage clicked through. The click-through rate with form submissions on landing pages should be 10%; for example, out of 50 people, 5 filled out the form. Don’t forget to try changing the CTAs, to get to know your buyer’s preferences better.
