Do not tell literally what you would like, but rephrase your offer so that it is clear what the visitor will gain from it.

For example, "The lunch meeting is an opportunity to get to know your colleagues better" instead of "We think it is important for employees of Radboud University to meet each other regularly, which is why we are organizing a lunch meeting."

Consider what, given the content the visitor is currently viewing, might be interesting content for him or her as well, and entice the visitor to click through. However, do this only after the visitor has had a chance to reach his or her own goal, otherwise, the chances of him or her clicking further are slim.

For example, display related news items at the bottom of an article so that the visitor sees them when he or she has finished reading it.

Not all decisions are made during one visit. Before a prospective student chooses a course, he or she will likely have visited the site several times. The reader is only interested in content that fits the stage he or she is currently in, such as:

• problem definition
• orientation
• weighing options
• making a choice

So try to connect to the visitor's customer journey and ask yourself:

1. How many visits are needed to complete the process?
2. Can the visitor decide on his own or does he need to feedback/consult?
3. How many competitors are viewed?
4. Are there sub-conversions (newsletter sign-up, informational interview, brochure download, etc.) that are more relevant at some points than the main conversion (sign-up)?

A visitor who is still trying to decide whether he or she wants to go to college or university is not yet interested in a trial study day. A link to the registration form on Studielink may not be so relevant on a page about going to a room in Nijmegen. And a potential partner who has yet to meet with his or her boss may not be interested in a contact form.

People make decisions in different ways. Some are quick decision-makers, others want to study extensively before making a choice. Some decide mainly based on feelings, others on reason. Through these characteristics, you can define 4 basic types of decision makers:

1. Competetive: a rational and quick decision maker. Questions this type of decision maker asks are: "Why are you better? Do you have a practical solution to my problem? Can it be taken care of quickly?"
2. Spontaneous: an instinctive and quick decision maker. Questions this type of decision maker asks are: "Is it fun to do? Does it excite me, inspire me? Can I get it right away or try it out?"
3. Methodical: a rational, slow decision maker. Questions this type of decision maker asks are: "What's the fine print? How exactly does it work? Can I compare all the options?"
4. Humanistic: an instinctive, slow decision maker. Questions this type of decision maker asks are: "What do others think about this? How do I feel about this organization? Is good service provided?"

Make sure you offer content for all types. Such as testimonials for the Humanistic types, a "best training" certification for the Competitive types, a training comparator for the Methodical types, and a video for the Spontaneous types.

By the way: While people often have a kind of "default" type, depending on the task, they can switch to another type. For example: people will generally take longer to decide on a suitable further education than to choose a menu in the Refter. Content offered when choosing an education will therefore need to offer more in-depth information (ratio), while the Refter's menu can use mainly an appealing picture of the dishes (feeling).

People are more likely to do what you want if you explicitly tell them what to do.

For example: Don't just tell people that it is possible to get customized training, end this text with an "apply now" link.

'Flow' is a consistent message throughout the journey and few distractions while completing the task. Visitors should be taken out of their 'flow' as little as possible, so going through a path to complete the task should feel as natural as possible, with no surprises.

For example: make sure that the image and call-to-action that appears on a banner ad is reflected in the landing page the visitor lands on after a click. And make sure that a sign-up form has as few distractions as possible so that the visitor can focus on filling out a form, rather than being distracted by related information that can cause him to click away anyway.

Make a connection with your reader through the use of a character, imagery, etc. giving your offering some sort of context that appeals to the reader. Address feelings rather than listing facts. "Show, don't tell.

For example, this is very important when setting up a crowdfunding campaign. The facts are that you want to raise money, but the emphasis in the communication should be on what you want to achieve and why that is important. So build a story around that.

This ensures that the reader is inclined to decide more quickly, and thus there is less chance that they will still drop out.

For example, "Only 5 spots left for the master night available!" or "Only 2 days left to apply for the open house."

With social proof, you show that others are doing it too. People tend to do what other people do or think, "if others are doing it too, then it must be good.

For example, mention the current number of registrations for a course, or the money already raised by a crowdfunding campaign (unless it is still very little).

Don't use generic stock photos; people recognize them. Don't use images just to spice up or make the text look less, but make sure the content of the images also helps people understand the text. Or, for example, choose images of people looking at a particular part of your content: people tend to follow the eyes of others, and thus automatically look at the piece of content you want to highlight. Conversely, if you have images of people looking at something, don't place them at the edge of the content so that you actually lead your readers' eyes away from the content.