In content marketing, the call-to-action plays the pivotal role of guiding potential customers along inbound marketing’s buyer’s journey by using a digital button to call for an immediate action. If your CTAs are under-performing, there is a simple solution. Before creating your next CTA, learn a few tips from our list of dos and don’ts.
Qualities of an Effective Call-to-Action
If your visitors have reached your CTA, you don’t want to lose their attention with simple marketing mistakes. While some digital marketing companies take a CTA for granted, everyone will benefit from learning a few best practices for this all-important button.
1) Clear Copy
Today’s website visitors have less time and shorter attention spans. Unclear copy that confuses the reader will lead to less CTA clicks every time. The CTA button’s message should be short and to the point to attract the most clicks.
2) Clean Design
People lead busy lives; they don’t have time to search for information on cluttered pages. When creating a CTA, remember that too many images or colors detract from its message. White space and simplicity can make a call-to-action stand out on the page.
3) Compelling Background
When creating a CTA, it’s not just the size, shape and color of the button that matters: the background counts too. Today’s top companies build CTA backgrounds that support their businesses mission. A truly compelling background can tell the story of the company, while the CTA offers to provide more information to the visitor.
4) Immediacy
If you have a web surfer’s attention, now is the time to capitalize on it, because they may not return soon. An effective CTA button asks for immediate action from the visitor in order to gain the benefits of an offer.
Qualities of an Ineffective Call-to-Action
CTAs are an effective marketing tactic online. But just because you install one on your website, doesn’t mean it will automatically receive a high click-through rate. If you are making certain common mistakes, your CTA buttons can receive less clicks.
1) Hidden or Unclear CTA Buttons
Once again, companies win more business by creating websites with a user-friendly experience. If a CTA button isn’t clearly visible, customers may go elsewhere quickly. Remember, keep your CTA buttons In prominent positions where they can be easily viewed.
2) Clichéd Language
Since customers have long grown tired of the language of a used car salesman, marketers have had to adapt away from clichéd language. Today, CTA language like “click here” or “buy now” have proven less effective than more subtle ways of advancing a customer down the sales funnel. Soft sells like “start my free trial” or “get my custom report” are popular and effective inbound marketing tactics.
3) Asking For Too Much, Too Soon
When creating a CTA, always remember the buyer’s journey. If you try to jump the gun by selling a product too early, you may lose your potential customer entirely. Conversely, be wary of asking for too little too late in your CTAs.
4) Weak Content
A call-to-action is never the first piece of content a visitor will see. In order to reach a call-to-action, they must travel along the buyer’s journey first. Website content is the driving force that guides a visitor to reach a CTA. Informative, quality content has proven to attract more visitors. Since there are more than one billion websites competing for visitors’ attention, CTA buttons are an effective tool in the digital marketing arsenal when used correctly.
