Call to Action: The What, Why and How

A wise place to urge your visitors to take real steps toward becoming a customer is your call to action (CTA). Once a visitor lands on your webpage telling them what to do next is integral to your business or you risk losing them to your competitors.

What Exactly is a Call to Action?

As defined by HubSpot, CTA is an image or line of text that prompts your visitors, leads and customers to take action. It is, quite literally, a “call” for someone to take an “action.” In digital marketing, CTAs generally take the form of a button or a hyperlink.

With a CTA button on your website, you can direct visitors to a different page where they can download your eBook, subscribe to your newsletter, get a product demo, or perform a different action that you want them to do instead of wandering off your page.

A typical call-to-action example would look something like this:

Why CTAs are Important

A call to action holds the key to any successful marketing campaign. When effectively written, a CTA prompts your audience to take a specific action that benefits you. We put together the reasons why you need to have calls to action.

CTAs eliminate stress and frustration

Whether it is a white paper, a free trial to your service, or a live webinar, calls to action provide an immediate access to your offerings. This removes stress, confusion and frustration on the part of your customers. The quicker you direct them to the next step, the better user experience you create.

Rather than making them wonder what the next phase is, you facilitate a smooth buying process by giving them what they desire. Remember, a frustrated, confused reader is far less likely to become a paying client. So make sure to create a clear call to action.

Your customers expect them

Many users rely on a CTA at the end of the page to guide them where to go next. In many cases, your calls to action can serve as your online sales representatives, helping and encouraging your visitors to proceed towards buying your offerings.

Without a CTA, your visitors might not know what move to take next after landing on your webpage and reading your ad copy. Thus, making it easy for them to just click away from your site and go to your competitor’s.

CTAs serve as the finishing touch

No matter how great you are at delivering your marketing pitch, you will not attract new business if you fail to finish it well. Stating the value of your product or service at the end of the pitch is essential to closing things up. Effective CTAs have the power to do this.

Incorporating a CTA at the bottom of a page or blog post creates a more resounding impact and leads to more conversions.

For example, placing a CTA at the end of a post that asks readers to read more articles or to subscribe to the weekly newsletter can motivate them to continue interacting with your website.

Here's How You Can Make Smart CTAs

Creating your first CTA can be a bit of a challenge. You will not want to just put a big, bright “Download Now!” button on your webpage and expect leads to do it. There are strategies to creating smart CTAs that will compel your audience to take action. Here’s a quick checklist for the key elements of a quality CTA.

#1: Create an Eye-catching Design

It won’t make sense to create a CTA that no one will notice. To catch your viewer’s eye, consider using contrasting colors with your web design. For instance, if your website comprises mainly of green and blue, make your CTA stand out by using yellow or orange. Aside from wise color choices, your CTA has to be large enough to command attention.

#2: Use Actionable Text

A CTA written in the imperative mood instructs a reader what exactly to do and where to go next. It should use an actionable verb. Otherwise, you will not prompt visitors to take an action. While a good CTA should be short and sweet (ideally less than five words), you will not want to just use “subscribe” or “click here” as they are vague and will not entice people to take action.

#3: Offer a Clear Value

Your visitors should have a clear idea what they are going to get when they click on your CTA. Being specific what you are giving them avoids confusion and leaves no room for questions.

For instance, if you are a content marketing agency promoting the latest trends in today’s industry, it is important that your audience know exactly how to access your eBook. An effective CTA should read something like “Download our eBook Now!”

#4: Provoke an Emotion

A great CTA elicits a strong response that even a first-time visitor will find it irresistible. It creates an urgency that drives the user to act for fear of missing out. Examples could be:

“Buy now and get 50% off!” or “Limited Time Offer. Claim Your Free Trial Now.”  

These kinds of CTAs will excite your audience and make them eager to click on it.

Your visitors need direction on what to do next or where to go next. With a call to action, you provide a clear instruction so they know what the next steps are. Do you need help creating better CTAs? We can help you out and make that conversion. Get in touch and try our free marketing analysis.

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About Jeff Pulvino

JEFF is a digital marketing strategist, a business consultant and a serial entrepreneur who has built, managed and consulted with numerous corporations in various industries for 20+ years.

He is the co-founder and CEO of Boost Media Group, a full-service digital marketing agency based in Sacramento, CA. He also co-founded CoSource, a co-sourcing company that helps business owners build a high-quality, reliable virtual team for lower costs.

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