Marketers need to Shift Left, just like DevOps

Why It's Time to Shift from "Call to Actions" to "Call to Outcomes" in Your Marketing Strategy.

We’ve all seen the familiar phrases that urge us to take immediate action: “Click here,” “Sign up now,” or “Buy now.” These are what we call Calls to Action (CTAs), and they’ve been the foundation of digital conversion strategies for years and have taken me years to get nonmarketers to think along those lines of CTA. But, we need to rethink this approach and instead focus on what truly resonates with our audiences: Calls to Outcomes.

The shift from a Call to Action to a Call to Outcome is more than just a semantic difference—it represents a shift in how we connect with potential customers on a deeper, more emotional level. A CTA tells your audience what to do, but a Call to Outcome tells them why it matters.?

Key Differences: CTA vs. Call to Outcome

Let’s break it down. A Call to Action is a simple instruction to perform a specific task. For example:

• “Buy now”
• “Download the report”
• “Subscribe to our newsletter”

These phrases are action-oriented (check), focusing on the immediate task you want the user to complete (check check).

A call to outcome focuses on the end result, which is the transformation or benefit the user will experience after taking that action. This is where the magic happens. By focusing on the outcome, you align your message with the desires and aspirations of your audience. Examples of Calls to Outcome include:

• “Transform your productivity today”
• “Unlock your team’s full potential”
• “Achieve unprecedented system reliability”

In essence, a Call to Outcome moves beyond the what and into the why—why should the user take action? What’s in it for them? ?

The Power of Emotional Appeal

A Call to Outcome taps into something more profound: your audience's emotions, aspirations, and goals, some call this whoo-hooo or noise. This is critical when dealing with an audience of developers and engineers—who, let’s be honest, can be pretty cynical about marketing fluff.

Developers are used to being told what to do, but what they care about is how a product will solve their real, tangible problems. This is especially true in the tech and IT spaces, where the focus isn’t always on a simple transaction, but on optimizing workflow, reducing downtime, or enhancing the overall user experience.

As Peter Fraher said in his LinkedIn post on the subject, “A Call to Outcome doesn’t just tell people to take action—it inspires them to act because they see the benefit.”

Example of Calls to Outcome in the Software Space

For developers and platform engineers, it’s important to craft Calls to Outcome that speak directly to their pain points and goals. Here are a few examples that would resonate better than a standard CTA:

1. Traditional CTA: “Download the free trial now.” Call to Outcome: “Reduce deployment time by 50% with our free trial.”

2. Traditional CTA: “Sign up for a demo.” Call to Outcome: “See how our platform can automate your CI/CD pipeline and save hours of manual work.”

3. Traditional CTA: “Start your free account today.” Call to Outcome: “Experience uninterrupted uptime with our secure, scalable cloud solutions.”

These examples shift the focus away from just asking for action and instead highlight the tangible benefit the user will gain. Developers, in particular, want to know how a solution can solve a problem—whether it’s improving code quality, enhancing collaboration, or streamlining workflows.

How to Implement Calls to Outcomes

Michael Kodwo Nkrumah offers an actionable framework in his LinkedIn post about implementing Calls to Outcomes. Here’s a quick breakdown of how you can apply this to your marketing strategy:

1. Understand the Core Needs of Your Audience: What are their pain points? What goals do they want to achieve? For developers, this might be reducing system errors or speeding up the development process.
2. Focus on the Transformation: Shift the narrative to highlight the positive outcome they will experience. For example, rather than just promoting a feature of a product, emphasize how that feature directly impacts their productivity, efficiency, or work-life balance.
3. Use Emotionally Charged Language: Words like “unlock,” “boost,” and “accelerate” create a sense of empowerment and possibility—critical elements in driving action, particularly in the developer community.
4. Communicate Tangible Results: Developers and engineers are more likely to respond to a Call to Outcome that promises measurable improvements. Be specific—showing how your product will cut downtime or increase processing speed is more persuasive than vague promises of “better performance.”

Final Thoughts

In a crowded digital landscape, where users are constantly bombarded with content and sales messages, it’s crucial to shift the focus from basic Calls to Action to more compelling Calls to Outcomes. By emphasizing the value and transformation your audience will experience, you create a more authentic connection that motivates real, lasting engagement.

As Peter Fraher so aptly put it, “A Call to Outcome isn’t just about telling someone to do something. It’s about showing them what they’ll gain by doing it.”

In software and IT, where the audience is both skeptical and solution-focused, this approach is not only more effective—it’s essential.

If you’d like to dive deeper into how Calls to Outcomes can transform your marketing strategy, feel free to connect or drop a comment. Let’s start a conversation about how we can make marketing more meaningful and impactful for developers and engineers alike.