A call to action (CTA) is a part of your advertisement or page that is designed to get an immediate response from the person reading it. It’s used as part of a marketing strategy to get your target market motivated to take action and engage with your content.
Along with getting them motivated, you can let your audience know what to expect when they click on your content, and you can help dissuade the wrong users from clicking by means of a clear and direct message. For this reason, click through rates and conversions will improve significantly. This can mean bringing in more money to your business with simple changes that can be implemented on your site quickly.
Before your prospect is willing to complete a CTA, they have to recognize that they need your product or service. This is where solid supporting copy comes in. Identify the problem your prospect has and then present the solution to that problem. The solution can also communicate the benefits of choosing your business’ solution so that the prospect knows what they’ll get out of completing your call to action.
Though CTA’s are extremely important, don’t lose sight of clarity. Sometimes in our rush to create compelling CTA’s, the content can fall short. A prospect should immediately know what your business provides. Copy needs to be both emotional and obvious to drive engagement.
A call to action must be clear and concise. Simplicity is key to drive action. Prospects can become uninterested quickly and are not willing to decipher unclear CTA’s. A simple CTA will clearly direct your prospects and immediately let them know where they’re going to engage further with your site. Don’t dilly dally – start your CTA with the desired action.
For example, if you want to promote your new white paper or newsletter, start your CTA with “Download” or “Subscribe.” Let your prospect know exactly what they’re going to get and how to get it.
It’s important to keep your call to action fresh, just like the rest of your content should be as well. A/B testing is a great way to identify which CTA’s work and which ones don’t. Testing helps weed out underperforming CTA’s and let you know if your go-to one should really be your go-to.
All advertising and content can benefit from a game of trial and error. A call to action can look great on paper, but the only way you’ll absolutely know if your CTA will work is if you test it. Your target audience may not respond well to what you consider a solid CTA.
