A call to action, commonly referred to as a CTA is a prompt, used to encourage the user to take further action. Generally speaking CTAs are found in the form of a button or a hyperlink, written as a short snappy command. Call to Actions are very important in driving traffic to your desired outcome, they are the key to digital marketing success. Without them, the user could be left unsure of the next steps to take, which could result in them leaving your site without interacting with your site further, and potentially moving down the sales funnel, it’s important you make it easy for your user.
Examples of CTAs in which you should use across your site include Buttons at the end of blog posts. If a user has took the time to read your blog post, chances are they are interested in your work, therefore including a ‘sign up’ command encourages them to come back to your site by alerting them to new posts. You should also consider including CTA’s which link to other articles that may be of interest to your viewer. By doing this, you offer alternative posts if the current article isn’t for them, and you also highlight your breadth of knowledge.
Social media CTAs are also a great tool to get your business seen, not only does this encourage users to share your business, it also provides your business with an opportunity to grow your audience as users can also ‘follow’ which allows your future posts to be seen by them. If the user does ‘follow’ your business, you can then direct them back to your site through your social posts. CTAs should be seen as an extremely important component of your online marketing machine.
You must also consider how your Call to action looks, you want your user to click on it, so make it bright and visually appealing, ensure the user is drawn to it by making it large enough to command attention. Keep the action short and snappy, commands such as ‘sign up’ or ‘read more’ are effective, as a rule of thumb keep commands under 7 words. Creating a sense of urgency but adding ‘now’ at the end of a command can also be effective.
A great website will only take your business so far. You need to ensure you are utilising CTA’s to drive your user through your site. Take the time to map out the route you want them to take, and encourage them along this journey with appropriate CTA’s. For more advice on the strategic use of CTA’s for success, please contact our team of award winning web designers who will be happy to assist you further.