Digital Marketing, Web Management, Website Design

The most important marketing tool you have is your website. It sells you 24/7, or at least it should. But, for your website to be successful, it must tell your customers what to do. That’s where CTA’s come in. But, for a CTA to be effective, it must have a strong strategy behind it. Stick with us as we explore calls-to-action and how they can make, or break the success of your website.

What Is a CTA?

A call-to-action (CTA) is part of a post, ad, or webpage a potential customer sees that serves as an encouragement to take that next step into the sales funnel. A call-to-action example would be “Click here” or “Buy now.” But how can you entice them without using “Click here” or “Buy now” for the 800th time? How can you use different language and setups to get into the sales funnel? Check out these tips for creative calls to action.

5 Tips for Successful Calls-to-Action

1. Determine the purpose. To this, you may say “Well I want them to click the link, obviously!” but the purpose of a CTA goes beyond that. Is this a sales email that is promoting 80% off clearance or is it a social media post encouraging new audiences to learn about your services? Designing your CTA around what you want peoples’ next steps to be is where you should start.

2. Give them a reason to want what you’re promoting. People want to know why they need a product or why it’s important, so the content leading up to your CTA should be benefits-driven and make them not want to miss out. A great example is if you are hosting an exclusive event. When you send out the promotional email, be to list what it’s for, who will be there, how it’s one night only, and what they will learn or experience. Let the fear of missing out, or “FOMO,” work to your advantage.

3. Keep it short. It can be tempting to lay out all the details in whatever you are posting, but you want to give them a reason to click your link. Also, attention spans are becoming shorter and shorter, so having a full paragraph on Facebook can immediately turn a potential customer off. Start with the big points in your description, then add a link or button that says “See what we can do for you” to lead them to more in-depth information.

4. Make them visible. Another potential client turn-off is when the CTA or link is difficult to find. Generally, putting your CTA at the end of your copy, creating a pop-up, and adding a button are the easiest ways to go about making sure your CTA doesn’t get lost in the content.

5. Think about your brand. How you phrase your CTA should always reflect the tone of your brand. For a nonprofit that is geared toward assisting people with mental health expenses, a “Contact Now” button may seem too brash. An on-brand and softer approach could be “Talk to Us” or “Let us find help for you.” In the same vein, a financial institution that offers housing loans should be specific to the action such as “Apply Now” or “Submit an Application.” Always think about how your brand image and tone is reflected in all facets of your marketing.

If you want your website to be successful, you need to pay attention to your CTA’s. If you need assistance with developing a marketing strategy, the team at FatRabbit Creative has experienced and customer-driven members who can help with web, social, email, and design. Let us support your marketing efforts to find success!