Calls to Action and Agent Pics

[hicrc]

I've got my calls to action in my property detail pages, just below the large photo, above the fold. I was wondering what results forum members have gotten from different placement for calls to action - contact, schedule a showing, tell-a-friend, etc., in property pages. Are conversions better with them below the pic, to the left, to the right?

Another question - is it useful/important to have agent headshots on the property detail pages?

[Sam Chapman]

Last question first - your photo on a listing details page just takes up room.

My thought on calls to action is to have them in the same location on all pages. Like advertising, repeatedly exposure to some causes more action to be taken.

[kid disco]

The best thing to do is test it out for yourself. It's going to be different for different sites. In my experience, placing the call-to-action in different locations throughout a site actually increased conversion. I would attribute it to a call-to-action "blindness" of sorts.

[thataway61]

The best thing to do is test it out for yourself. It's going to be different for different sites. In my experience, placing the call-to-action in different locations throughout a site actually increased conversion. I would attribute it to a call-to-action "blindness" of sorts.

One of the Keller Williams training videos states that we have all been conditioned to go to bottom right below the fold to get contact information. I have seen several REW sites that have a very basic form for visitors to ask questions right below the contact information. It looks professional, neat, clean, and is where people expect it to be. Bob Cranes site is a fine example of this.

Pay close attention to magazine adverts and see where the big time advertising people put their clients contact information as well as the call to action.

The class I refer to also recomended 2 specific types of fonts that were most easy to read. If you have cursive fonts, that ain't one of em!

If someone here comes across a study of certain colors and fonts being more effective, please share. Back in the late seventies, before pc's, printers, and glossy post cards, a guy named Bruce Gould using direct mail postcards experimented with card stock colors and text color and found that a yellow post card with blue text gave him lots more bang for his buck than a white post card with black text.

Surely someone has some information like this they can share!

Webmaster should get a copy of Bruce Goulds Greatest Money Book Ever Written and consult with Mr. Gould on developing effective marketing drips for Real Estate. That guy had the drip mail perfected back before the internet and really never gave up on hoping you would take the notion you needed his services. Without G Analytics he would work the numbers and apparently sell his newsletters and publications (which were very informative and useful - never flashy and glossy). I know the website isn't that great looking but it was the continuing follow up that would eventually get you (and he was paying postage).

[jessiesc]

...
If someone here comes across a study of certain colors and fonts being more effective, please share...

I have a book somewhere on this subject. It actually relates to application development standards, color usage and screen layout, but it is relevant to websites as well. If I can find it in my stored library books I'll post the isbn.

Here's one I've read: designinginterfaces dot com/
I also have a link to a website that talks about this on my dev puter (also in storage), I'll dig it out and see if I can find the link and post it.

Here's one on eye patterns: www dot poynterextra dot org/eyetrack2004/main.htm

Here's an entire bibliography on the subject:
www dot visionbib dot com/bibliography/keyword/c.html#Color%20Models

Hope that helps somewhat.

[thataway61]

Thanks Jessie,
Good to have your post in the archive. I'll be coming back to research the links!

[hicrc]

In my experience, placing the call-to-action in different locations throughout a site actually increased conversion. I would attribute it to a call-to-action "blindness" of sorts.

Sorry I didn't reply here sooner, been a little under the weather.

You mean call-to-action for info on a property or scheduling a showing? Or just various types of contact?

I do have other calls sprinkled throughout the site such as contacting agents from their profiles, inquiries about rentals, referral to an agent if you don't have one or know who might be the best choice, etc. But I thought it might be best if I were to have calls-to-action for listing inquiries in a consistent place.

[hicrc]

One of the Keller Williams training videos states that we have all been conditioned to go to bottom right below the fold to get contact information. I have seen several REW sites that have a very basic form for visitors to ask questions right below the contact information. It looks professional, neat, clean, and is where people expect it to be. Bob Cranes site is a fine example of this.

Thanks Cal - very helpful info and links. Right now I have pop-up forms but it might actually be better to have the form right in the page as I'm not fond of pop-ups at all and worry I could miss a conversion this way. Although they are set up to work with JS turned off.

I have a book somewhere on this subject. It actually relates to application development standards, color usage and screen layout, but it is relevant to websites as well. If I can find it in my stored library books I'll post the isbn.

Thanks very much Jessie - great links and info. The eyetracking stuff is awesome! I've studied some usability and have followed a lot of the guidelines but I'm wondering now what people here have learned through experience with various calls to action. And, although it may seem like a waste of space, I do have many agents requesting that their headshot (small thumb) be on listings with their contact info/contact form.