aside from "buy now" "order now", what are the best or perhaps a recommended alternative call to action for visitors?
Buy now is usually a bad option to put for this sort of thing. Add to cart/basket etc is a lot more friendly and makes the visitor feel less nervous that they've committed to something.
don't forget things like "click here to order" you really, really need to tell folks EXACTLY what to do EXACTLY Tell them Hold their hands If they can't work it how in about 2 milliseconds, they're gone
"PAY MY BILLS!" j/k, I know we use add to basket and after changing from buy now it drove sales up a bit.
I found adding a reassuring "Click "Add to Cart" to save - you can always remove it later" to each product description helped customers get over that psychological barrier a bit more easily. Of course, once something is in your cart, you actually feel more predisposed to buy it, so increasing the number of people who add products to the shopping cart has actually increased sales. Another thing it is good to do is to put a testimonial / guaranttee graphic / secure payment graphic near the "buy" (not "add to cart") button to increase people clicking it.
A call to action at the end of your sales letter as well as on several "strategic places" throughout your SL is important. But much more important is how you "prepare" your prospect before he/she even gets to the call to action. There are many important elements in a sales letter: Your biggest gun (your USP) right at the beginning, headlines throughout the SL that convey benefits & problem solutions, content that stirs emotions and keeps the reader moving forward, testimonials, a rock solid guarantee, the right "tone" - it's a sales letter, but it should remain serious and believable, don't hype too much... If you get all these points right (not an easy task), there is a good chance that your visitor will buy from you and it won't matter that much, if your call to action is "click here to buy", "click here to order now"...