Saying isn’t selling. You’d be making a big, big mistake if you don’t put some thought into exactly what message is going up on your LED sign.

Yes, sometimes it doesn’t hurt to purely provide information. But LED message boards are first and foremost tools for advertising, and we have to treat them as such.

That means loading them with persuasive, hypnotic calls to action (CTAs).

Let’s cut through the marketing lingo and get down to brass tacks—CTAs are what make the difference between passing curiosity and a “gotta have it right now” mentality.

Sound good? Here are the 4 basic components of a quality CTA…

1. CTAs Solve Problems

Or rather, CTAs sell a good or service that solves a problem.

Your sign’s messaging must provide relevant, helpful information to readers. Otherwise, they’ll stay readers and casual observers and never convert to buyers.

That’s because until your LED sign jolts them from their indifference with a killer offer, it’s nothing more than a nuisance.

Think about what your business really does for your customers, and distill that down into pure emotion. At the center of your customer’s deepest desires lies you sales message, just waiting to get discovered.

2. CTAs Are Attention-Grabbers

Internet markets always face the problem of where to place their CTA, which color to make it, how big or small, how many flashing lights it should have…luckily LED signs solve that problem for us.

LED signs are so unmistakable, so bold, we can cut through the inattention and noise to present our message loud and clear to passersby.

Whatever design and effects you use on your sign are up to you, but they should complement and never muddle your sales message—to grab and keep attention means delivering a knockout blow.

3. CTAs Say the Right Thing the Right Way

When someone reads your sign, their brains are constantly thinking one thing:

“What do I get out of all this?”

Every sentence, every letter, every pixel—if your message isn’t delivering on your part of the bargain (an awesome solution in exchange for your customer’s time), you can kiss that potential sale bye-bye.

CTAs are usually limited to short messages, and that’s especially true for LEDs when you might have just seconds to capture a driver’s interest as they chug down the interstate.

Luckily, it’s easy to stuff messages with power words.

Words and phrases we’re interested get straight to the point. They convey action, scarcity and urgency—words like NOW and ACT FAST and FIRE SALE and FREE DONUTS.

Be bold, and never assume sales are just going to fall into your lap.

4. CTAs Are Iterative

Your sign’s CTA needs to be tested, studied and improved for effectiveness. Sometimes a sales message is just so godawful it needs to be scrapped completely.

That’s not a failure, though. Learning from your sales mistakes and improving them is part of the journey to the top.

Luckily LED signs make it incredibly easy to correct and change messaging in minutes, so your mistakes aren’t hanging around forever.

You might not nail your CTA on the first go, and that’s fine. But by testing and fine-tuning your sales message, you unleash your LED sign’s full potential as a marketing juggernaut.

And crushing your competition is just one of life’s simple pleasures, isn’t it?

Urgent: Build Your CTAs Today, Reap the Rewards Tomorrow

When it comes to winning business, supplies are limited.

What I mean is that you’re vying for attention from the same subset of the population as a host of other businesses. Every day the other guys are improving their sales messages with new tricks and tactics, fighting for a share of the pie.

LEDs are your secret advantage, but only when coupled with a fantastic CTA that makes your customers NEED to buy from you IMMEDIATELY.

Keep all the pie for yourself.