Call to Action (CTA) is the phrase / button that closes a post on the site or on the corporate social profile, or a landing page, or an ad on Google Ads etc. It is therefore a strategy aimed at a conversion: a measurable objective commensurate with the type of action required. Here are some possible purposes of a Call to Action:
Registration with acquisition of user data, eg email address to be used for subsequent communications;
Download of company information / promotional materials;
Sale of a service, or a product.
Whatever goal you want to achieve with advertising and online marketing, finding the right CTA is essential to convert and lead generation . For this reason it is important that the Call to Action is well designed and adequately structured to stimulate the specific action required.
As Tim Ash, SiteTuners CEO and online marketing guru wrote : “ For your CTA to work, these two things must happen. First, visitors must be able to find it without any effort. Secondly, users must immediately know what they are doing . "
Call To Action: Guidelines And Graphics
When we plan an online marketing campaign and study our Call to Action, we must keep in mind what are the factors that, depending on how they are made, determine its success or failure:
All three of these elements contribute equally to the user finding the message; read it because intrigued or because it responds to his need; act as properly enticed to do so.
We now want to draw attention to the quality of the graphic part : a captivating or evocative photo - and in any case well done and well sized - greatly increases the possibility of the announcement being noticed. Some CTA examples of major marketing and communication giants show an iconic image right above the CTA button: clicking is easier when you see what you can get.
Then there are several schools of thought related to actual design: which font - that is, the type and size of the font - and which colors to use, how to lay out etc. The advice is always that of consistency: staying in line as much as possible with the corporate image and with the product / service you intend to promote.
Call to action: how to make a persuasive copy
Then there are rules for the copy part , that is, the one concerning the text message, which allow to increase its incisiveness. Here are some indications on the characteristics that a Call to Action must have that works:
Be concise : the brevity and immediacy of the announcement draws the user's attention to what is important to do, removing any possible distraction caused by secondary information. For this reason, the best CTAs often use verbs in the imperative.
Arouse curiosity : a creative text calls attention more than a generic or, worse, flat message. Always keeping the focus on the objective, it will be appropriate to think of original or at least non-trivial formulas. Although it seems difficult to find alternative words to "click" on the CTA button, there are actually other ways to take the user to the same action: visit, discover, download etc.
Intercepting the user's journey : what does it mean? Simply that in the design it must be clear when and where we want to get the CTA out. The optimal would be at the exact point where it coincides with the user's need. To succeed in the business, therefore, it is necessary to reflect well in which moment of navigation your audience reads the 'call to action'.
For example, if the user is browsing the "Who we are" section of your website, posting a Call to Action inviting the purchase would not make sense. On the contrary, it would create a situation perceived as annoying for those looking only for information. Conversely, in the services page you can insert catalogs / guides of what is offered for free download - after registration - to entice the potential customer to a future purchase.
Highlighting the benefits and generating the urgency : it means highlighting the advantages that the action entails for the user, for example free information, economic savings etc. and contextually the limitation of the same. As if to say " Take advantage of this possibility now, because it is not for everyone and does not last long ". Master in this type of strategy is the giant of Amazon online sales that promotes special offers with promotional messages such as: " While supplies last ", " Limited availability ", " Only for today " etc.
Call to Action: how to use it effectively
The most important part of the Call to Action is that relating to its design, when the objective to be achieved must be established . It is in fact the type of action that users choose to carry out that determines the structure of the CTA and the tools - company website, Google Ads, Facebook Ads - to put it into practice. Furthermore, when deciding to do an online marketing action using a CTA, it must be remembered that to be effective we must:
Say What To Do : Click, Download, Contact Etc.
Say Why Do It : It's Free, It's Convenient Etc.
Here are some examples that show the correct application of the 'precepts' referred to above:
Clarity and conciseness of the direct message to the customer : " Sign up now "; " Call now for a free consultation "; " Reserve your seat for this webinar " etc.
Transparency on the advantages to the answer : " Ask for your free report and save immediately € 100 "; " Get help now " etc.
Push to action within a time limit : " This service is free for the next 24 hours "; " 10% discount for those who book by ..." etc.
Call to Action: practical examples and useful tips
Summarizing, therefore, the four pillars for a well-made and effective Call to Action are:
The easiest way to find a CTA that is successful for your business is to take inspiration from the examples of the major brands in the sector and then calibrate them on a scale, obviously. Another tip that the most experienced marketers recommend is to create more than one Call to Action model, to be tested during the design phase. You can thus change the combinations of color and size of the button, its position, write two or more copies etc. And you can also try models that vary the message depending on the tool used for the promotion: social, landing page design , Ads ...
Here are some examples that translate into practice the rules for making a functional Call to Action and from which to take a cue to design the right call to action for your goal:
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