Working in the marketing profession requires you to be a jack of all trades these days. For example, marketers need to be decent photographers, set designers, editors and, of course, good copywriters. An important component of written marketing content is the call to action (CTA).
CTAs are most commonly used in marketing emails or newsletters, on websites, or in any written or digital marketing material.
Writing a CTA that will yield results is quite simple. The hardest part about it is memorising what works and what does not work, and then following those guidelines to create copy that converts.
media update's Joreke Kleynhans has set out the top CTA tips to ensure that you achieve desirable results.
Keep It Short
A CTA is meant to urge consumers to take the desired action. It should be snappy and direct — two things that cannot be achieved if you have a wordy, long-winded, verbose, drawn-out, rambling phrase as your CTA.
See what I mean? You probably just forgot the beginning of that sentence before you even reached its end.
To put it simply, you need to keep it concise and while we're at it, use simple language too. Under five words is the safe zone for CTA length.
YouTube's "Subscribe" button is a great example of a CTA that contains one word while saying more than enough. Don't underestimate your audience's intelligence — they do not need a miles-long sentence to explain to them what to do.
Focus On the Action and Outcome
It is important for your CTA to include a verb. It may seem obvious that a call to action contains an action word, but it's also important to use the right verb.
For example, a CTA like "Click here" seems actionable enough at first glance. However, it does not inform anyone of what will happen if they do in fact "Click here." Clicking on something is not satisfying, but the results of that click could be!
Half a century since the invention of the personal computer, it is safe to assume that people know to click on something that looks like a button. Therefore, you can skip those two words and use them elsewhere.
A more effective CTA would give more insight into the result it will produce, further enticing someone to click on the button by emphasising what they will get out of it.
"Download your free ebook" sounds much more enticing than "Click here," doesn't it?
So, guide your audience to where you want them instead of instructing them to blindly take action.
Include Persuasive Words
Emotions often induce action in consumers. They can be used in every part of a marketing campaign to ensure better results — even in something as small as a CTA.
You don't have a lot of real estate for emotionality in a CTA, but a single word can increase the amount of clicks on your button. Use words that persuade people to click and validate their action at the same time, like "free," "discount," or "limited time."
Make It Easy to Find
In digital marketing, a CTA is usually a button that you want somebody in your target audience to push. If someone has already opened your newsletter or accessed your website, the only thing standing between you and making a new sale is your CTA button.
Consumers don't like unnecessary effort like searching for where to shop or subscribe. So to increase the likelihood of converting your marketing into results, you need to make it as easy as possible to find your CTA button.
Make it big enough to be noticeable, use a colour that contrasts with the rest of the page and do not put it in a crowded place. A good amount of white space surrounding your CTA button is an effective way of guiding the reader's eye to it.
Additionally, CTA buttons that are at the bottom or to the right of the rest of your content tend to produce better results than ones placed in other spots.
Did you enjoy this article? Let us know your thoughts on the topic in the comment section below.
*Image courtesy of Canva