Call To Action – what is it?

“Check the offer”, “subscribe”, “buy now”, or even “read” used above – what do these expressions have in common? They can all be classified as calls to action, or call to action. These are the key elements of any advertising or promotional campaign. Currently, they are mainly associated with the content presented on the Internet, but they have also been used for years in traditional advertising. Typically, the CTA is designed to guide the user to wherever you want him to go. In the web, it usually takes the form of a button or other active link that directs to the appropriate tab, landing page or store. It sounds like a small matter, but in your CTA marketing efforts, it can make a huge difference. Therefore, it is an obligatory element of every campaign, website or mailing advertisement.

Why is CTA so important?

You might be wondering how it is possible for a simple thing like a call to action to get results. However, experience shows unequivocally that indicating the user what exactly to do creates a much greater chance for him to take action. A CTA can be seen as a signpost that shows exactly where to go and guides the customer along the shopping path. It is this element that often leads to conversion, which is one of the favorite concepts of marketers, meaning the achievement of a specific goal (most often making a purchase, but also e.g. subscribing to a newsletter or submitting an inquiry).

Even if you think that the website is clearly designed and there is simply no chance of getting lost, don’t give up on the CTA. They should appear at every stage of the customer journey to conversion. It is worth choosing them carefully. For example, after adding a product to the cart, you can encourage the user to place an order or continue shopping. The basket itself should also contain clear signposts regarding the transition to the next stages of implementation. They help you avoid confusion and avoid frustrated potential customers leaving your website before converting. It is also worth using CTA to direct internet users to your website – by placing them, for example, in posts on social media or in meta tags. If you haven’t used them before, you’ll definitely notice the difference when you change your strategy!

Why is it worth using Call To Action? In short – because it pays off. Importantly, applying calls to action doesn’t have to be difficult. It is enough to learn a few simple rules that will help to skillfully create them and place them in the right places so that they bring the expected results.

Where to use CTA?

As mentioned, CTA most often takes the form of a button or link. Use a call to action wherever you want to trigger a specific action. It most often appears on websites and in e-mail campaigns. However, it is also worth using them in posts on social media or in the meta description of the page. Call To Action goals may vary. For example:

– getting acquainted with the offer or the price list,
– product purchase,
– subscribing to the newsletter,
– signing up for a course, webinar, etc.,
– file download,
– submitting an inquiry,
– contact with the company,
– filling in a form or questionnaire, etc.

It is not worth counting on the fact that users – without specific encouragement – will understand the intentions of the website creators and meet their expectations. That is why Call To Action is used, which accurately shows the direction of actions and allows you to make a decision automatically. The call-to-action power is quite a lot!

How do you create call to action that work?

Creating a call to action alone is not difficult. However, it is important to use the CTA wisely! Equally important, remember that not all text will always work the same. Therefore, there is no one-size-fits-all recipe for effective calls to action. The content should always be relevant to the target audience. It is also worth checking their operation, comparing them with other possibilities, in order to choose the best solution. At the outset, however, it is good to know the principles of creating Call To Action, which are primarily effective. What are the rules?

A. Keep your message simple
The best Call To Action are very simple. Some, however, tend to complicate the matter unnecessarily. The wording used as a call for action must be understandable and unambiguous – they should not create any doubts as to what they refer to. Therefore, the button for adding a product to the cart should simply be called “Add to cart”. Then you can encourage the customer to “checkout” or “checkout”. Importantly, in some cases CTA uses 1 person singular, and this can be very beneficial. In the above example, for example, buttons with the words “buy”, and then “pay” or “order” could be used. Extremely simple, and at the same time clear – that is exactly what a CTA should be.

B. Bet on specifics
The enigmatic “move on” or “click” button may not look bad at first glance. For some, it will probably even be intriguing. Usually, however, such CTAs are not effective enough. Increasingly, they also fail to inspire confidence. It is best to inform the user immediately what awaits him after clicking the button. Therefore, you should not be afraid of phrases such as “sign up” or “go to payment”. They are much more understandable and lead to a higher conversion rate.

C. Don’t mention the tasks to be done
Many users are reluctant to move on when receiving a message that suggests a task or strenuous work to be done. An example would be the phrase “fill in the questionnaire” – simple and clear, that’s for sure, but is it encouraging? Who wants to waste their precious time filling out some surveys? However, “take part in the study” sounds much more interesting. It is similar with the sometimes used “provide payment information” – it is associated with some difficult task. Meanwhile, “pay” is not only simpler and shorter, but also does not suggest any need for work. Taking care to simplify the purchasing process as much as possible is very important and allows you to significantly increase the conversion. However, CTAs should also not be forgotten, which can destroy all the effort put into building a simple and friendly website if used inappropriately.

D. Highlight the benefits
This point is somewhat related to the next. Instead of emphasizing the difficulties that may await the internet user in the next step, remind him of the benefits! It is often worth replacing “register” with “try it for free.” In turn, instead of “subscribe to the newsletter” you can again reach for 1 person. l. capacity and use the words “yes, I want to know more about …” or “I want to receive information about promotions”.

What else is worth remembering? A call to action alone won’t do the trick. It should also be enclosed with text that will encourage its implementation. It is worth mentioning the benefits and guarantees. It is also best to create the need to take this step immediately through the applied treatments. Sometimes it may be helpful to emphasize the success so far (eg “join thousands of satisfied customers”).

Not only the content is important – well-exposed Call To Action

Successful Call To Action must combine two aspects – the right content with the right form. Therefore, when you decide what text should be on the button or link, think about how to emphasize it so that it does not remain omitted. In this case, you can also define a certain set of rules, but remember that each situation must be approached individually.

A. Visibility
Your carefully crafted CTA may not be of much use if it is not visible enough. It is unacceptable for the user to scroll the whole page to get to the button. This applies to both websites and mailing campaigns. Ideally, the call to action should be at the top of the message so that it shows up to the user without having to scroll. This is especially important in the case of emails, because it is estimated that 8 out of 10 recipients do not delve into the content of marketing messages, reading them only to the so-called the break line, i.e. the place visible without scrolling the page.

It is worth taking care of visibility by using also color highlight and using a button of the appropriate size. The CTA should be in such a form that the user knows that it is a click. Remember to use the first person singular – it’s a treatment that can often help increase conversion. There should be enough space around the button to make it noticeable.

B. One offer – one CTA
Using multiple CTAs on a single page or promotional e-mail can only create unnecessary confusion. Your message should be clear so that the recipient does not have to think about what to choose and what to click. If he can’t make a decision right away, he won’t move on. Therefore, you should always use only one CTA. However, they can be placed in different places on the website or in the e-mail, so that the potential customer does not have to waste time looking for the button. In most cases, it is even a recommended solution.

C. Don’t extend
Remember that the CTA should be short and unambiguous. The most common requests are those with only 2 – 4 words. If you have more content to submit, place it above the button – Call To Action should only be about what awaits the user after proceeding. Usually, however, it is better to avoid hackneyed and overly general phrases (such as “check” or “click here”) that don’t say much.

D. Check Links!
Finally, a small but extremely important point – there is nothing worse than a CTA leading to an invalid or non-existent subpage. Therefore, always check the operation of the links before launching a website or sending marketing messages.

Effective Call To Action – How To Check It?

It’s important to keep an open mind to create effective calls to action. Even if you think that the applied treatment looks great and will certainly be effective, it may turn out otherwise in practice. Therefore, it is a good idea to prepare several CTA variants and monitor their effectiveness. How to do it? One of the easiest ways is to check your Click Through Rate (CTR). It tells you how many of those who saw the offer decided to click on the link in it. So if out of 100 people who visited the website (or out of 100 sent emails), 5 click on the link, the CTR will be 5%. Constant monitoring of this indicator can tell a lot about both the selection of Call To Action and the structure of the offer itself.