A call to action (CTA) is a written direction command or action phrase that urges users to take a desired action on a website. They come in the form of captivating buttons, banners, or hyperlinks for visitors to click on.
Here are some examples of CTAs that you might see online.
As the owner of your website, it’s clear for you what actions your visitors need to take when they read your offer. But, for someone who just landed on your web page, the next step might not be as clear.
Lots of potential customers will have a hard time deciding what to do next if you don’t use a compelling CTA. And that often ends with them leaving your offer and not converting.
A compelling CTA acts as a road map that guides users down the sales funnel.
It helps them take specific actions by removing any doubt or confusion. And it gives them strong reasons to download your free e-book, sign up to your newsletter, etc.
A call to action is used throughout the sales pitch to increase conversion rates. But, where you place your CTAs depends on the type of content you create and the offer you’re making.
Marketing experts often fuse CTAs right after their testimonial or review sections.
We all know social proof enhances trust and creates a powerful brand identity. Getting that into the visitors’ mind allows you to move them down the sales funnel easily.
When it comes to blogs and emails, it's best to use CTAs at the end.
And the reason for that is crystal clear. You can’t ask someone who has just arrived to consider your offer or buy your products.
You need to catch their attention first, then convince them of taking your desired action.
The best way to measure the effectiveness of a call to action is through conversion rates. You know you have a strong CTA if lots of your visitors are converting into leads.
There isn’t a universal statement or line of text you can use to convert the most. In fact, lots of overused words and phrases may cause your CTA to convert less.
Want to create a compelling call to action?
Here are some proven tips to make your CTA more effective:
A CTA has to be clear and precise. Keep it a few words long at most.
Use actionable verbs and direction commands to urge your visitors to act.
There’s a difference between a button that says “Download” and another one that screams “Get A Free Copy”.
Be sure to include your proposition’s value to highlight the benefits people will get from taking action.
A winning call to action stands out on its own in a page full of content.
Leave white space around your CTAs and create a high contrast between your elements. You can also use large font sizes and bolded words to make your buttons even more noticeable.
Here are some top tools to help you write and create effective CTAs.
Wishpond’s call-to-action (CTA) builder offers an easy way to create eye-catching and effective CTA buttons.
The tool has a drag and drop editor that lets you create buttons without coding, and you can choose from 20+ customizable templates to get started.
Users can conduct A/B testing to see which calls-to-action provide the best results, and Wishpond gives them real-time conversion reports to help them monitor the test.
The CTA builder also has in-built integration with over 40 sales, payments, and analytics tools.
Canva is one of the most popular design tools in the world, and it is a good resource for building call-to-action (CTA) buttons.
Users get thousands of professional design templates to start with, and there is a near-limitless amount of color combinations to help you generate beautiful and effective CTA buttons.
If you want to create from scratch, Canva lets you choose the size of your call-to-action with custom dimensions.
It also provides a drag and drop builder and hundreds of unique design elements to make the building process intuitive.
Hello Bar is a marketing tool that lets you create call-to-action (CTA) buttons, website pop-ups, and lead generation elements. Users can choose from hundreds of design options and templates to get started.
A colour auto-detection feature lets you find templates with the same color scheme as your website, helping you keep CTA buttons uniform with your overall site design.
With Hello Bar, you can place your pop-ups anywhere on a webpage and decide when exactly you want them to appear.
Other tools include: ButtonOptimizer, Sniply, ImageFu, etc.
Need help creating some persuasive CTAs? Contact us and let's set you up with a team that will give your users the little extra push they need to convert.
In the meantime, check out our training courses for the latest and effective marketing practises that will take your business to the next level!
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