Call to Action (CTA) - Click, Convert

Do you want readers to buy or subscribe? Do you want sky-high conversion rates? Then you need the perfect Call to Action. SEO content strategy is important but a CTA is vital. If you can't convince readers to click on your CTA, you've lost them! At greatcontent we're all about epic content marketing and no piece of text is epic without a CTA that works. Get ready to turn every visit into a.

All about CTAs

Call to Action - what does it mean?

CTAs are instructions or invitations to do something. With Calls to Action in persuasive writing such as blog posts or landing pages, you create the desire in readers to buy, subscribe, browse, read or download - you will know your individual need. While a CTA is usually found at the end of a page, it can also be effective in the text body or on a navbar.

What do you want from your Call to Action button?

Do you want to:

• increase subscriptions

• make more sales

• or move readers through your content?

Call to Action - tips and tricks that we know work

1. Emphasise low risk

Give people the confidence to go further by removing or reducing risk. Get them to 'try' (preferably for free!). If visitors know they don't have to commit, the happier they'll be about moving on from your landing page.

2. Clear - Simple - Concise

• You can have a prize-winning landing page with stunning graphics and Booker Prize-winning text but without a CTA it's useless. An experienced copywriter will create a clear Call to Action that grabs attention.

• Keep it simple. Choices make people nervous. Make your reader happy with one simple instruction.

• Your CTA button is a visual marketing tool. Make it obvious and bright to stand out from the text. Visitors need to know instantly where to click or they won't bother. Never use grey - grey buttons are inactive. Avoid red - it signifies danger. There's a good reason why most CTA buttons are green or blue. They're invitingly calm colours.

3. Immediate benefits trigger clicks

In consumer-generated marketing, consumers want instant gratification. Offering immediate benefits triggers clicks. Even if this benefit can't be the main product or service, give them something such as free downloadable content as a click reward. This is an example of a 'click trigger'. Click triggers knock down barriers, reduce anxiety, play on emotions, encourage dreams or even trigger guilt. To make them even more effective, add an extra punch with an exclamation mark, or include the word 'free'!

Call to Action examples that work

The language of your CTA is another important tool - it should be commanding:

• Get Started - something will happen straight away

• See How ... - be specific and action-orientated

• Try ... for free (for ... days) - something for free! Who can resist?

• Create an ... (event, website) - once they've seen how it works, they're hooked

• Read the case study (report, ebook) - clear and straightforward

• Buy it now - they've seen your product, they're ready to buy

• Sign up and ... - another clear and concise call to action

• Download Now - an unambiguous instruction

• Subscribe - again, a quick route to conversion

Does your CTA work?

In the world of online marketing, nothing stands still and your Call to Action is no good unless it is actually performing. Use performance tools such as scroll-maps, heat-maps and recordings to check out whether readers are seeing or responding to your CTA. Do they scroll down your page as far as the CTA? Is a heatmap proving to you that they're actually clicking on your button? It should be glowing warm red not cool blue. Use a recording tool to see how visitors are moving about your screens. Are they stuck somewhere? Why?

At greatcontent we're masters of CTAs, and even better we can help you cultivate yours, so that you've got a successful content marketing strategy from H1 to CTA.

Text: Leonie Yeates
Image: Austin Chan on unsplash.com