What are Calls To Action (CTA)?
A call to action is a word or phrase designed to capture the attention of a reader (or viewer) and convince them to take a specific action. In a business sense, this action could be to subscribe or buy a product. They have been around for as long as marketing has, probably older. In the old days when mail was the primary source of communication, they were found spread liberally in magazines advertising themselves or other products.
CTAs have since evolved with the Internet age to keep up with ever-changing trends. They are to be found all over Facebook, Instagram, Amazon and especially product websites. They can range from clickable buttons to entire paragraphs. They are all aimed at capturing the fleeting attention of a passerby and turn it into a possible sale.
Marketing your business is a bit like fishing: You throw in the bait where you think fish are most likely to be and reel them in when they bite. Expert fishermen will tell you that the bait itself and your reeling technique are vital factors to catching the best fish. In the world of marketing, a call to action (CTA) is your reel and bait combined. After you have presented your product you want to give a potential customer the final push. For example, in an online ad you could show a picture, brief video or GIF depicting your product and then add a button like BUY NOW WHILE STOCKS LAST! That would be your call to action. You want to motivate a reluctant reader to act immediately, improving your conversion rates.
Why use CTAs?
A creative, well-written call to action means the difference between a viewer and a buyer or subscriber. Once your ad is posted in an appropriate area (akin to fishing in an area with a high population), the CTAs are used to act as bait to gain the attention of a user. Once this is done, the client can be reeled in by appropriate content, and more CTAs used to nudge them into the direction you wish them to take.
Think for a moment how many people visit social media sites daily. These people are techno-savvy, skimming around for something they may be sure of. All this traffic is potential for your business, regardless of what you are selling. An Ad placed right could divert these people to your website where you have a much better chance of turning interested users into conversions for your business. A well placed CTA will directly impact your sales.
We understand that you may not have much experience in navigating the ever-changing seas of internet marketing. Even if you do, you might want to spend your time on more hands-on aspects of running your business.
Given the constantly changing landscape of online marketing, we are ready to help you take the leap and galvanize your business into the next step of growth.
How to make a strong CTA
People will take action depending on what they are set to gain when they take the directed action. A strong CTA should create a deeper connection with prospective customers.
These are some of the factors to consider when you want to create a strong CTA;
- Have a clear message – Create a CTA that clearly tells people how their actions will benefit them. An example is how most blogs advise readers to sign up not to miss on new posts.
- Use scarcity and urgency – This works by creating the fear of missing out (FOMO) in the clients. Examples of tips to use to create urgency and scarcity are; creating a countdown to expiry, and using the phrase “get access now”.
- Choose the right words – A strong CTA uses call-to-action words. These words make it clear to the customers how you want them to act. Examples of call to action words are; Read more, Reserve your spot, among others. You should avoid friction words like order, buy, and submit when looking to create a strong CTA. Using friction-less words make the customers feel at ease when interacting with your CTA.
- Get personal – Most customers want to feel like part of the whole process. They tend to act when they feel the message addresses them directly. It is best to refer to them as “you” when creating the CTA.
- Deliver on promise – Make sure that the customer can easily get whatever your CTA promises immediately they take action. Example; if you promise a client a free guide when they sign up to your program; make sure you deliver the guide immediately upon the client signing up.
Testing CTAs
There are various ways of testing CTAs to determine their effectiveness. They all begin at the creative stage. Once you have identified what you are aiming to achieve, you will then sit down with your team and come up with a variety of CTAs. These will also range in scope, especially if you are not sure which will work best. Do you want a positive or a negative CTA? Both could look appealing in theory. For example, if you were marketing health products, you could say:
“Tired of sleeplessness and low energy? Click here for a solution…”
Or
“Click here to find out how to avoid sleepless nights and have more energy…”
A test will solve such a dilemma for you. You could also have to choose between a brief CTA and a short phrase with a similar message.
Testing CTAs can take the form of putting different versions out into the public and seeing which ones generate more traffic. This is a crude way of doing it but could work, especially if you’re reaching out to general demographics.
We consult extensively with you to find what will work best for your business, but we will also work out which methods are most effective. If you collect leads from traffic generated, we will help you keep them updated and keep the conversions on a rising trend.
To find out how you can skyrocket your sales or subscriptions with perfect peace of mind, contact us to get started.
