You may have heard the term “Call to Action” or CTA thrown around a lot. But what does this really mean and why is it important for your business? In this article we will walk you through CTA’s and how small improvements in the techniques you use to market your services can have amazing results in driving sales.
A call-to-action, or CTA, is “a marketing term referring to a piece of content, such as an image, a button, or a line of text, intended to prompt users to perform a specific action. It typically takes the form of an instruction or directive using action verbs (“buy”, “sign up”, “register”, “follow”, etc.) and leading the consumer to the next step of a sales funnel or process.” Let’s look at a case study of 3 commonly used CTAs and how with some simple adjustments you can increase turning your emails, leave behinds, and social media posts into customer interactions.
Here are three common examples we see often in marketing pieces:
- “Sign up for our newsletter”
- “Enroll in our maintenance package”
- “Learn more about aeration and seeding”
Now let’s see how these same three call-to-actions could be modified for increased engagement and results:
- “Register to receive this month’s newsletter and save.”
- “Reach out this week to enroll in our annual maintenance package.”
- “September is aeration and seeding time. Click to learn why it matters for your lawn.”
Use the 7 tips below to formulate strategic adjustments so you can create urgency within your marketing pieces and encourage your customers to make contact with you.
Helpful Tips for Crafting High Quality Call-to-Actions
Tip 1: Start with Command Verbs
- Begin your CTA with a direct verb that fits your goal (e.g., “buy,” “download,” “call”).
Tip 2: Evoke Emotion
- Use words that provoke enthusiasm and add excitement.
Tip 3: Highlight Benefits
- Explain what’s in it for the audience to encourage action.
Tip 4: Create Urgency
- Mention limited-time offers to prompt quick responses.
Tip 5: Customize for Devices
- Tailor CTAs for different devices, focusing on mobile users for immediate action.
Tip 6: Be Creative and Test
- Experiment with various CTAs to find what resonates best with your audience.
Tip 7: Use Numbers
- Include numerical information like pricing or discounts to convey value.
Look at Your Call-to-Action as a Value Proposition
If you take Example 1 of our updated CTAs above, and applied a value proposition outlook to the process it would look something like this:
“Register to receive this month’s newsletter and save.”
- Register: relevance
- Newsletter: clarity
- This Month: urgency
- And Save: value proposition
Make sure to also not create strong CTAs and then bog them down in materials that overwhelm the messaging. Evaluate the text surrounding your call to action to ensure the content:
- Reduces distractions (ie. Remove unnecessary information, too many links, etc)
- Eases any anxieties about acting (ie. Add a disclaimer “Book now, pay after we install”
Finally,
Whether it’s branding, marketing and design, website and SEO audits, or access to professional marketing partners, Central is the right choice for customizing the marketing needs of your business. Our highly dedicated team has decades of experience to help you identify best-practices and implement initiatives that deliver results. We’re ready to partner with you so your company can save and grow!