Call to Action

What is a Call to Action?

A call to action (CTA) is a marketing term for a clear and concise instruction that tells your audience exactly what you want them to do next.

It's a crucial element in any marketing strategy or advertising material, prompting website visitors, email subscribers, or social media followers to take a desired action.

What are the Benefits of Including a Call to Action?

Increased Conversions

Clear CTAs guide users towards the next step in your marketing funnel, whether it's making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or downloading a white paper.

A compelling call to action can be the difference between a user taking the desired action or clicking off and potentially registering with your competitors.

Improved User Experience

A well-placed CTA provides users with a clear direction and eliminates confusion about what action to take.

There's nothing worse than successfully garnering a high volume of traffic only to watch readers immediately click off your web page after reading your marketing materials.

An effective CTA ensures your digital marketing materials are not created in vain, allowing potential customers to stay on your website for longer, learning more about the products and services you provide.

Enhanced Engagement

Effective CTAs can spark interest and encourage users to interact with your content. By having a CTA button for your target audience to engage with, users are more likely to learn more, interact with your brand further, and become more likely to convert into a paying customer as a result.

What Type of Call to Action Should I Use?

Consider your goals

What do you want your audience to do? Common call to action examples include "Buy Now," "Learn More," "Sign Up," or "Download Now."

But really, it depends on what you are trying to achieve. If you are trying to get your target audience to convert or register interest via a landing page, you will likely want to opt for a more direct CTA, such as "Buy Now".

However, if your CTA button is at the bottom of a blog post, promoting users to read more about a subject, or head to a landing page, you might want to a more soft approach, such as "Learn More."

Target your audience

Tailor your CTA language to resonate with your specific audience and their needs.

Think about it from your customer's shoes. If they've made it to a landing page, they are likely much closer to purchasing or taking action, so you can be more direct with your messaging.

However, if they are reading one of your blog posts, they may be less familiar with your brand, in which case a softer approach is essential.

Use strong verbs

Action verbs like "Download," "Subscribe," or "Contact Us" create a sense of urgency and encourage clicks.

Remember, a successful CTA will encourage visitors to take action, which is crucial to ensure your marketing campaign is a success.

Don't beat around the bush with your CTA copy. A killer call to action to sharp, to the point, and clear and obvious what the next steps are for the reader.

Where Should I Put My Call to Action?

Landing Pages

Prominently display your CTA at the top and bottom of landing pages to guide users towards conversion.

Some people believe that CTA buttons should be split between a primary and secondary CTA, but my personal preference from experience is to have one CTA throughout, using the same action words on each CTA button.

Email Marketing

Include clear CTAs within your email body and encourage clicks to specific landing pages.

A CTA button is crucial as park of a promotional email, as ensures your desired action stands out from the rest of your email marketing content.

Website Copy

Strategically place CTAs throughout your website, such as at the end of blog posts or product descriptions.

Having multiple CTAs might seem like overkill, but having them jotted around a blog post, for example, allows users to make click through via their chosen CTA button as an when they're ready.

Social Media Posts

Encourage action with strong CTAs within your social media captions and stories, allowing your social followers to take immediate action. CTA's also play a key role in paid promotions, such as a LinkedIn or Facebook ad.

How to Conduct A/B Testing on Call to Actions

A/B testing allows you to compare different versions of your CTAs to see which one performs better.

This can involve testing variations in wording, colour, placement, or button design. By analysing click-through rates and conversion rates, you can continuously refine your CTAs for optimal results.

When done correctly, A/B testing can be the difference between a good call to action and a great call to action, which in turn can be the difference between successful and extremely successful marketing campaigns.