Your call-to-action is arguably the most important element of any Marketing material you produce. Whether it’s your website, an email or even a print flyer, your audience needs to know what to do next, and how to go about doing it. If this isn’t clear, don’t be surprised when your response rates don’t show up for your lunch date.
So what is a call-to-action, or CTA? We love Hubspot’s definition, so we’ll regurgitate it here: A call-to-action is an image or line of text that prompts your visitors, leads, and customers to take action. It is, quite literally, a "call" to take an "action." As you can see, it’s pretty obvious why this is so important to include in an effective Marketing piece.
So now that you know what a CTA is, let’s answer some FAQs so you can become a CTA expert and make sure you’re in control of your response rates.
What should my CTA say?
That depends on what you want to happen. Do you want your readers to Subscribe, Call, Register, Donate or simply Learn More? Let them know! Your CTA should communicate a clear value proposition so they know what they want, and what they’ll get. We see two main, physical components to a strong CTA: Your statement, and then the offer.
1. Statement: Think of this statement as your CTA’s tagline. This tagline should be bold, enticing, and make very clear what it is that you offer. We think Evernote and Spotify do this very well.
2. Button: You must include some kind of button that, in just a few words (if not 1 or 2), tells your reader what to do if they want the service your tagline offers. This is where your “Subscribe Now”s and “Learn More”s go.
Where should I put my CTA?
Put your CTA wherever it will be seen. Just remember, 55% of your website viewers spend less than 15 seconds there. Make sure you put both elements of your CTA together in a place that’s not hard to get to The very top of the page is always an effective eye catcher, and we also love a sidebar CTA (especially for content offers)! Also, make sure that your CTA is obvious and stands out on the page. Use a bold color, make it visually appealing, and don’t let it get muddled in with the rest of your content.
What if I just want to let my audience know something, but there’s no immediate next step? Can I leave a CTA out?
Wrong, absolutely not, never, NO! If you’re a good Marketer, this is never the case. Of course, there are times where you simply need to inform your audience of something – but this should always come with an offer. Put very simply: people like things that they can have. So what can you give them? An e-book? A newsletter subscription? An app download? If you don’t have a specific offer, use your CTA to increase engagement by still offering your readers something beneficial that they can read, have, keep, hold… you get it.
If you want your customers to respond to your Marketing efforts, you must tell them. Then, you must tell them how. Now that you’re all CTA maestros, get those response rates up and make sure you’re including a CTA in every Marketing piece you touch!
